Harward Business School

An introduction to the case method

What is a case?
Case studies recount real life business or management situations that present business executives with a dilemma or
uncertain outcome. The case describes the scenario in the context of the events, people and factors that influence it and
enables students to identify closely with those involved. Management cases are generally written by business school
faculty with particular learning objectives in mind and are refined in the classroom before publication. Relevant
documentation or audio-visual items and a carefully crafted teaching note often accompany a case.

Free cases
If you would like to see some examples of cases each provides registered educators with access to a variety of free
cases.

The case method

Pioneered in the early 20th Century at Harvard University, the case method has become the favored teaching tool of
most of the world's leading business schools. A process of discussion and analysis, guided by a skilled case teacher,
leads class participants to deeper insights into management issues and their resolution. Faculty and students familiar
with the case method universally regard it as the most effective and enjoyable way to learn. More about why leading
business schools use the case method

How ecch supports the case method

The mission of ecch is to support and promote the case method of learning. We provide a range of services and products
to support case teachers, case writers and students who learn with cases.

For those wishing to find out more about the case method we distribute a range of books and articles aimed at helping
teachers and writers get more out of case learning. We also run regular workshops on case teaching and writing at
various venues around the world.

Teaching with cases

Teaching with cases is a skill that develops with practice and insight. Whatever the level of experience you have, ecch
aims to provide as many tools as possible to assist you become as effective a case teacher as you can. Foremost among
ecch's services for case teachers is the case collection of over 74,400 items and an intuitive search facility to assist you
in finding the very best materials for your particular teaching situation.

More than 18,100 teaching notes are available in the ecch collection to accompany cases. Experienced case teachers
testify to the value of a well-constructed teaching note. Teaching notes help the case teacher identify and focus on the
key learning outcomes designed in the case and to plan class discussion and dynamics. 95% of the most popular cases
have teaching notes. Guidance on writing teaching notes is also available.

Writing cases
Submitting your cases to ecch enables faculty and businesses worldwide to become aware of them and to use them in
their educational programmes. ecch accepts cases for distribution from both organizations and individual authors.
Royalties are paid to ecch member organizations for sales of cases authored by their staff. Before submitting a case to
ecch, authors are responsible for testing it in the classroom and must obtain all necessary permissions and clarify
copyright.

Each year ecch provides up to ten Philip Law case development scholarships to research students based at ecch member
organisations. The scholarships aim to stimulate new case authors and strengthen the role of original research in student
management learning.

Since 1991 ecch has presented annual Case Awards in recognition of outstanding case development. Awards are made
to authors of the cases that display the highest and most consistent growth in popularity in management education
worldwide.

Erskine, J.; Leenders, M.; Mauffette-Leenders, L.

Published by:
Ivey Publishing (2001)
Length:
190 pages
Abstract:
The fourth edition of this best seller sets a new milestone on how to write good cases quickly. Case writing is identified
as a three-phase process, and the book guides the reader through each phase. New ideas in this edition include the Case
Origin Grid, The Case Shopping List, action triggers, and the story line and decision frame cuts. Another addition is the
class testing of the new case. The development of the Case Plan with its five components remains as the central
planning tool for effective case development All of the material contained in this text has been fully tested in over 35
countries on all continents with thousands of workshop participants from many disciplines. The new case writer who
follows faithfully the three-phase process of case writing advocated in this text can produce good cases fast. This book
is accompanied by a complimentary copy of the Learning with Cases text (reference number 0- 7714-1969-4), because
cases are written to help students learn. Also, the serious case writer should be fully familiar with a third book,
Teaching with Cases (reference number 0-7714-2087-0). Supplied with a complimentary copy of 'Learning with Cases'.
Topics:
Writing cases; Case teaching; Case method; Learning with cases

Case method books

To help you find out more about the case method ecch stocks a number of books. If you would like more of a taster we
also distribute a range of articles.

Teaching and the Case Method

Third edition
by Louis B. Barnes, C. Roland Chistensen and Abby J. Hansen
published by Harvard Business School Press
Price: 45/58
ISBN: 0-87584-403-0
A book for teachers, it delves into the special role of teacher and students in the case method learning process. Schools
that want to use the case method more effectively can use this book to teach groups of faculty how to apply case method
techniques. For the first time, too, a book about case method teaching attempts to show how the method can be applied
in a liberal arts setting. A liberal arts module in the book presents an innovative program for instructors who want to
experiment with discussion teaching in traditional arts and science areas. The book focuses on a wide range of knotty
problems faced by most instructors, experienced or new, creating an opportunity for them to learn from each other. Its
main purpose is to provide a rich opportunity for both professional school and liberal arts instructors to develop their
own discussion leadership skills, and to further the process of learning for both themselves and their students.

Order now

Teaching and the Case Method - Instructor's Guide

by Louis B. Barnes, C. Roland Chistensen and Abby J. Hansen

published by Harvard Business School Press
Price: 38/49
ISBN: 0-87584-565-7

This instructor's guide for the third edition of Teaching and the Case Method has been developed to provide ideas,
assistance, and perhaps a bit of inspiration for colleagues who might wish to experiment with starting up a discussion
leadership seminar at their own institution. The authors also hope to provide additional resources for associates who are
already involved in similar efforts.

Order now

Teaching and Writing Case Studies: A practical guide

by John Heath
published by ecch
Price: 9.95/15/$15.00
ISBN: 0-907815-03-0

Part One of this practical guide explains the benefits and techniques of the case teaching method. It then takes the reader
step by step through a typical case discussion and shows how to guide discussion towards desired learning objectives.
Suggestions are made on how to prepare students for learning through the case method. Part Two introduces the reader
to the case writing process. It provides guidance on how to obtain data for a case study from field or desk research, and
how to convert the collected data into an effective teaching case. Practical exercises are included to support the further
development of case teaching and case writing skills.

Order now

Teaching with Cases

Third edition
by James A Erskine, Michiel R Leenders and Louise A Mauffette-Leenders
published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
 Price: 28/36 (includes a complimentary copy of Learning with Cases)
ISBN: 0-7714-2419-1
This book is written for those interested in participative learning. It is designed to make life easier for all new case
teachers and to expand the horizons of those more seasoned. Coverage includes preparation for class using the case
teaching plan, classroom management, evaluation of student contributions to class discussions, case use variations and
case use in a non-case environment. Teaching with Cases is accompanied by a complimentary copy of the authors'
highly successful book, Learning with Cases. This latter book is written primarily for students and provides them with a
number of tools to analyze case studies, including the case difficulty cube, the three stage learning process, the short
and long cycle case preparation process and the case preparation chart.

Order now

Learning with Cases

by Louise A Mauffette-Leenders, James A Erskine and Michiel R Leenders

published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
Price: 23.50/30.50
English version (Fourth edition) ISBN: 978-0-7714-2584-4
French version ISBN: 0-7714-2496-5
Spanish version ISBN: 978-0-7714-2536-8
This book is a concise handbook written specifically for students to enhance their learning with cases. Numerous and
helpful suggestions cover the complete case learning process including individual reading and preparation, small group
discussion, large group (classroom) discussion, making case presentations and writing case exams and reports. Learning
with Cases introduces the case difficulty cube and the three stage learning process from a student perspective. Students
can prepare faster and be more effective and confident by completing the short cycle process, the long cycle process and
the case preparation chart. Other suggestions include how students can maximize the benefits of small group discussion
and improve their classroom contributions. This book is the only one to provide a complete, practical and proven
process for learning with cases that students can apply to any case assignment.

Order now

Writing Cases

Fourth edition
by Michiel R Leenders, James A Erskine and Louise A Mauffette-Leenders
published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
Price: 28/36 (includes a complimentary copy of Learning with Cases)
ISBN: 0-7714-2270-9
The fourth edition of this best seller sets a new milestone on how to write good cases quickly. Case writing is identified
as a three-phase process, and the book guides the reader through each phase. New ideas in this edition include the Case
Origin Grid, The Case Shopping List, action triggers, and the story line and decision frame cuts. Another addition is the
class testing of the new case. The development of the Case Plan with its five components remains as the central
planning tool for effective case development All of the material contained in this text has been fully tested in over 35
countries on all continents with thousands of workshop participants from many disciplines. The new case writer who
follows faithfully the three-phase process of case writing advocated in this text can produce good cases fast. This book
is accompanied by a complimentary copy of the book, Learning with Cases, because cases are written to help students
learn. Also, the serious case writer should be fully familiar with a third book, Teaching with Cases.

Order now

Teaching with Cases, Learning with Cases and Writing Cases

by James A Erskine, Michiel R Leenders and Louise A Mauffette-Leenders

published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
Price: 52/67
ISBN: 0-7714-3

Order now

The Case Study Handbook: How to Read, Discuss and Write Persuasively About
Cases

by William Ellet
published by Harvard Business Publishing
Price: 14/21.50
ISBN: 978-1-4221-0158-2

If you're enrolled in an MBA or executive education program, you've probably encountered a powerful learning tool:
the business case. But if you're like many people, you may find interpreting and writing about cases mystifying,
challenging, or downright frustrating. In 'The Case Study Handbook', William Ellet presents a potent new approach for
analyzing, discussing, and writing about cases. Early chapters show how to classify cases according to the analytical
task they require (solving a problem, making a decision, or forming an evaluation) and quickly establish a base of
knowledge about a case. Strategies and templates, in addition to several sample Harvard Business School cases, help
you apply the author's framework. Later in the book, Ellet shows how to write persuasive case-analytical essays based
on the process laid out earlier. Extensive examples of effective and ineffective writing further reinforce your learning.
The book also includes a chapter on how to talk about cases more effectively in class. Any current or prospective MBA
or executive education student needs to read this book.

Cases Most Popular Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Sandra J. Sucher, Stacy McManus Teaching Note Educator Copy
Revision Date:Sep 30, 2005 Publication Date:Mar 20, 2001 Discipline:Service Management Source:HBS Premier Case
Collection Product number: 601163-PDF-ENG Length:30p English PDF English PDF $ 6.95 add to:x Only registered
or authorized faculty may access the Library. Sign in now, or register as authorized faculty. Gookgogogo request x You
must be registered as a Premium Educator to receive a .k request educator copyx You must be registered as an educator
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Description: In just seven days, the Ritz-Carlton transforms newly hired employees into "Ladies and Gentlemen Serving
Ladies and Gentlemen." The case details a new hotel launch, focusing on the unique blend of leadership, quality
processes, and values of self-respect and dignity, to create award-winning service.

learning objective:Teaching Purpose: Allows students to examine innovation and improvement in a service industry.
Raises questions of when and how to innovate in a successful service operating system and the challenges of innovation
for a brand built on customer experience. Explores the role of leadership and values in creating a culture of service and
the need to manage the tension between standardized quality procedures and the cultivation of empowered employees
who can customize each interaction to meet the needs of their customers.

subjects covered: Brands; Change management; Human resource management; Innovation; Operations management;
Organizational behavior

setting: Geographic: District of Columbia Industry: Lodging Company Employee Count: 18,000 Company Revenue:
$1.5 billion revenues Event Year Begin: 2000 Event Year End: 2000 SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Cases: Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Spreadsheet Supplement Sandra J. Sucher,Stacy McManus

Cases : Playa Dorada Tennis Club: Expansion Strategy (Brief Case) W. Earl Sasser Jr., Brent Kazan Teaching
Note Educator Copy Publication Date:Jun 28, 2010 Discipline: Service Management Source: Harvard
Business Publishing Brief Cases Product number: 4221-PDF-ENG Length:10p English PDF + add to English
PDF $ 3.95

Playa Dorada Beach & Resort in Boca Raton, Florida, faces a growing seasonal demand for tennis services.
The number of guests is expected to double in the next few years, and while the tennis facilities are a
popular and well-promoted amenity at the resort, court space is limited. The director of tennis operations
analyzes court capacity, usage history, pricing, and other factors as he assembles a plan for expansion. He
must also consider how his strategy affects other divisions of the Playa Dorada Corporation, including
finance, operations, marketing, and sales. Can he transform the resort's tennis operations into a profit
center? To prepare for case discussion, students complete a quantitative analysis of past and expected
future usage of the tennis facilities and formulate a growth strategy.

Subjects Include: Service Management, Operations Management, Aggregate Planning, Capacity Planning,
Pricing Strategy, Production Controls, Seasonal Demand and Resort Management

learning objective: 1. To illustrate aggregate capacity planning in a service organization. 2. To estimate

capacity requirements when demand is variable and uncertain. 3. To understand the complex ways in
which management of service operations interrelates with other corporate functions.

subjects covered: Capacity planning; Planning; Pricing strategy; Production controls

setting: Geographic: United States Industry: Hotels Event Year Begin: 2007