What is a case?
A case is a description of a challenging management situation that actually occurred in the general business world or at a real business.
(Andrews, 1960a; Blumenthal, 1991; Blunden & McGuiness, 1993).
What is the case method?
According to Professor Anne Mesny at HEC Montréal, the case method essentially involves two elements:
- Real-life management situations usually presented in the form of textual descriptions – the cases.
- Classroom discussion of these real-life situations requiring students’ active participation in their learning, rather than an instructor-centred lecture.
(Mesny, A. (2005). La méthode des cas et l’enseignement du management. Cahier de recherche, n° 05-07: 41 p., HEC Montreal).
Why is the case method used for learning?
The case method is used in management education to address one of the most common student-learning problems, namely “you need to not only read theory but also apply it.”
(Teaching with cases – A practical guide, Espen Anderson & Bill Schiano, 2014).
How is the case method applied at HEC Montreal?
The case method is used as follows in management courses:
1/ Students review and analyze the case independently.
2/ The case is then discussed either in small groups or in a plenary session with the whole class. Class discussion is usually facilitated by the instructor to help students deepen their understanding of the case and share their different viewpoints and solutions.
