مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

 مجله بین المللی آموزش مدیریت – The International Journal of Management Education

The use of case-based learning is commonplace in a number of disciplines, such as healthcare (see for example, Forsgren et al., 2013; Kaddoura, 2011; Osinubi & Ailoje-Ibru, 2014) and education (e.g. Jahreie, 2010; Kantar, 2013). Moreover, the use of case studies is especially prevalent in management education (Atkinson, 2014; Garvin, 2007).

business management, cases provide students with a representation of the ‘real-world’ (Hodgson, Brack, and Benson (2014)), and thereby allowing students to experience the discipline, albeit at ‘arms-length’ and apply knowledge to address prevailing issues (Ha & Lopez, 2014) and thereby integrate theory to practice (Corner et al., 2006). Case studies are used to develop critical thinking skills (Healy & McCutcheon, 2010), engage students with complex business problems typically faced by managers (Greenhalgh, 2007; Lee, Lee, Liu, Bonk, & Magjuka, 2009; Weil, McGuigan, & Kern, 2011), particularly when faced with ambiguity (Banning, 2003), enhance executive “sensemaking” skills (Ickis, Woodside, & Ogliastri, 2014), support visioning (Iqbal, Shaikh, & Nazar, 2010) and encourage analytical inquiry (Strelchonok & Ludviga, 2013).

In addition, group working built around a business case study can also help cultivate team-working competences (Doran, Healy, McCutcheon, & O’Callaghan, 2011), improve communication through discussion (Flynn & Klein, 2001) and therefore support the development of skills demanded by employers (Wilton, 2008). In on-line learning environments, case studies can also be a useful learning tool (Lee et al., 2009; Rollag, 2010), although technology plays an important role in facilitating discussion and student interaction (Chen et al., 2008; Watson & Sutton, 2012). While case-based learning is only one approach to support learning (Apaydin, 2008), its use is deemed to produce a greater academic performance among students, compared to a traditional didactic approach (Kireeti & Reddy, 2015) and can result in deeper learning (Ross, Zufan, & Rosenbloom, 2008).