Developing Case Writing in Smaller Universities
Authors: KANDINSKAIA Olga 
Published: July 2022

Abstract: Study programmes in economics and management should be more focused on developing students’ critical thinking skills and the capabilities to solve practical problems. Case method is admittedly one of the best techniques to accomplish these goals. Thus, disseminating the benefits of case method in academic teaching as well as supporting case writing among scholars is of great importance. Despite the many proven benefits of the case method and the growing use of cases in teaching management and economics, it seems that the writing of cases is undertaken by not so many academics. There is evidence of the lack of support at smaller schools to potential case writers from administrators, in terms of motivation, recognition, training, time, and funding, and on the other hand, there is little awareness among faculty about international scholarships, available peer-reviewed publishing opportunities for cases, and peer support via international case conferences. This paper attempts to fill in the existing information gap and offer helpful guidance to faculty and school administrators.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to support the development of case writing in the management and economics subjects by faculty of smaller universities where typically the local peer support is limited or non-existent, while the value of such academic research activity may be underestimated by school deans. The paper offers practical guidance on how to get international support while developing teaching cases.

Design / Research methods: This paper is a policy analysis type of research. It is based on secondary sources as well as primary sources such as personal observations and experience of the author who has been teaching finance and business since 1995, has published the first case in 2015, has authored 10+ cases by early 2022, has received 3 international case writing awards, and has been elected to the Board of NACRA, the leading case research association in the U.S.

Conclusions / findings: The use of case method in teaching management and economics has multiple benefits, including its virtuous role in school accreditations and industry-academia collaboration, as well as its powerful boost to the professional development of faculty. Faculty involvement however will remain limited unless the school deans and the accrediting bodies apply proper motivation to support academic case writing. The paper lists specific policy recommendations for promoting case research and case writing, which are feasible to implement in small universities with a limited budget.

Originality / value of the article: There are currently no papers that present such an overview of the current academic case writing scene, case conferences, funding, peer-reviewed case publication opportunities, as prepared by the author based on the personal experience as finance professor and case writer. It is a unique and valuable practical guidance for faculty members who are looking to get involved in case writing or for deans who are thinking of feasible measures to promote case writing and case research by tapping into the existing global resources and opportunities.

JEL: A21, A22, A23