 here in studio, we have here with us the Vice Chancellor of Krishna University, Andhra Vadesh, Professor V. Venkaya, and also we have Smritishika Choudhury, Anisha Mahanta, and myself, Srinika Senapati from Krishnakanta Hendik State Open University. Dear learners, today we will be discussing on the various issues related to case study. So sir, can you please explain what exactly a case is? A case is an organizational context depicting a situation or a problem that a practicing manager or a managerial group is confronted with. This would mean that it is an organizational situation wherein the organization has a problem requiring the manager to solve a problem or to take a decision related to the organizational issues. This is what exactly a case means. Case study has become a popular tool of teaching for management education, and this case study method was first introduced by Langdell in 1871 as an alternative tool of teaching in legal education. In 1908, when Harvard University has set up its business school, it started using case method as one of the important methods of teaching management courses. Since then, case method has become very popular and it has been widely in use in teaching learning processes in the field of management education. And Harvard is said to be the mecca of case method of learning. Case method of learning has become an important element of instructional strategy in management education. So sir, it is very important to have case study in management courses. Yes, for example, in management we have functional areas of management. We call them popularly the specialization courses. For example, marketing management, financial management, human resources management, business communication, and strategic management, strategic human resource management. These are some of the important courses. Case study method is very popular in, particularly in marketing management, human resource management, strategic management, general management, organizational behavior, and so on. It is also possible to design cases even in the practical oriented cases. But in practical oriented cases, we use problems to teach our students. And in theory kind of courses, theory related courses, the ones I said like human resource management, marketing management, strategic management, who be organizational behavior, and courses of this kind. For example, entrepreneurship, small business management. In these courses, it is a popular tool and we extensively make use of case method of learning. So sir, what will be the different types of case studies? No, no. See, essentially there are the cases, case studies or cases are divided into two categories. Number one is theoretical cases and number two is factual cases. Theoretical cases are those which are essentially a descriptive and narrative organizational situation. And they are not based on facts they are not related to any organization as such, but they are developed essentially to read and clarify oneself of the theoretical concepts that the management students learn. Theoretical cases are a situation. Again, theoretical cases are also based on some situation or a simulation. But they are related to the concepts and they are not based on facts. They are developed to make the students appreciate the concepts, understand the implications of the concepts and make them to know the practical aspect of theory so that they can comprehend the concepts well. And so factual cases will be based on facts and figures. As the very name suggests, factual cases are those which are based on the organizational life. They are real stories of business and real life examples, the real problem faced by an organization and managers are facing a problem. It's a live example of the organization and it is essentially the problem, it defics again the situation or a problem situation and managers are required to take decisions. Factual cases are those which are written based on the actual real life organizational example. Factual cases also present a situation or a complex problem and it is written around a central issue related to the organizational managerial problem and the managers are facing the problem and that is outlined and in written cases in factual cases adequate information is given, data is given and situations are described, different actors that is the different roles that they are depicted in the case are also stated in clear terms and then there is a possibility for analysis and solve the problem or to take a decision. So sir do we need statistical analysis for solve factual cases? Yes of course statistical analysis in the sense it depends on the type of the case depends on the type of the case. If it is for example a case related to financial management where project appraisal technique is to be used, statistical techniques are to be used by them to solve a problem and if it is marketing research again statistical tools become necessary if it is for example organizational behavior related to leadership statistical tools use may not be required. So it depends on the nature of the subject and the type of case and who are the actors what is the decision making involved these are the basis for using statistical tools or not if it is capital budgeting if it is project appraisal if it is game theory if it is for example operation research paper there also some cases can be built with the data and there tools of analysis the statistical tools of analysis would become a necessity. So what should be the ideal length for a case analysis? The length of a case see there is no hard and fast rule as such that the case of case length should be so many pages sometimes in the in the initial stages of management education we use very short cases even one page two page cases also will be useful really to learn a particular course particular topic in a course and if we examine the kind of cases that we use even in India they are from one and a half two pages to even twenty five thirty forty pages also okay so but ideal for a management education course for ideal classroom discussion the size is about six to eight pages ideals feasible good case study with six to eight or 10 pages would be fine it is said about six to eight pages is the right size in terms of the length but it can also be more it depends on the type of problem for example the case has to be given for example if the case needs historical data for the past 15 years as the as the situation is such that they need lot of data related to the past history then so many tables have to be given and if multiple variables are operating related to the problem then the data related to all the variables has to be has to be given and because of this the length of the case may enhance another important thing is that the students will be asked will be able to learn to handle mass of data for taking decision that is a kind of a training also so ultimately if the case case size there is no rule as such but it depending on the two pages six to eight pages or 10 pages I think according to me is the ideal size for a classroom discussion so for SLM self-learning materials for eastern learners is it the same for self-learning materials even for self-learning material for example if you take the course material of marketing management basic course of egg now in consumer behavior there is one case for example there is a case given and the case is possible to be given even in the SLM but in SLM you can also give some clues to the students and in fact this this discussion that we are making is useful for distance learners also because they will know how to discuss a case and a case given for example moreover in for for KKH State Open University what you can do is you can ask the MBA students to refer Vikalpa which is IAM management journal Indian Institute of Management Ahmadabad Journal Vikalpa if we issue they carry a case and also they also give case analysis sometimes so let the students follow that and you can give for example a case can be given and one type of analysis can be presented students can try out other types also because there you know there is no single approach to discuss a case and if anybody says for any management problem there is only one single solution it is not correct because management problem is such that it has different alternatives which one is the best will be known after we evaluate it and hence you can give one type of analysis for example Harvard Business Review also for every case there is some case analysis given in the same issue or following the issue right that is how we can make use of that do you think like for undergraduate students and for postgraduate students the length of case should vary no normally in undergraduate program length of the case can be small small in size two three pages and if it is pg more and even in MBA from first semester to fourth semester or sixth semester in the case of distance education progressively the complexity of the cases can be enhanced complexity the depth of understanding required the depth of critical thinking required on the part of the students may have to be built may have to be built in the case so sir can we have some idea on the requirements for a case analysis case analysis requirements are very very important unless the teacher and student observe certain important norms or fulfill certain requirements case method will not be a successful tool of learning number one is from the teacher side the teacher must be in a position to distribute the case well in advance for example if the case is lengthwise big if the complexity is more if there is a lot of data and information the teacher has to give at least three days four days before the case discussion the case must be distributed to the students second is that the teacher must also have adequate skills to demonstrate the case so the second important thing is teacher should have necessary skills case demonstration or case method of teaching needs certain type of skills for example teacher should not give an answer to the case teacher should not say that this is the solution for the problem teacher should not dominate in the discussion and take a front role in the discussion these are some of the important elements required to the teacher coming to the students the student must have thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject unless he is conceptually clear unless he is thorough with the subject particular particular related to the to the case he will not be able to do a good job of it second important thing is he must have the ability to analyze that is called analytical skill on the part of the student and ability to think critically the student must be in a position to critically think that is the third important aspect fourth is he must have a necessary skill and ability to evaluate the case and he must be able to make judgment also judgment evaluation of alternatives ability to develop alternative course of action and ability to decide on the best alternative course of action and then he must be able to infer this is the structure that these are the requirements that a student requires very very essential for the success so for the successful demonstration and use of case method beat in management education or any other field of education the teacher must fulfill certain requirements student must fulfill certain other requirements when both the teacher and the two students are competent case method will be very effective and successful so sir if our students are unable to solve any case that time shall the teachers help them in finding the solutions there are two popular there are two methods of teaching case number one is called guided discussion method number two is called syndicate method in these two types the size of the class must not be too big the number of students must be ideal number of students for a case discussion must be a small class and then it depends on if it is guided discussion method all the students will be made to sit in a classroom the case is given well in advance and they are ready to perform the case discuss the case they are in the classroom teacher will guide them they will be discussing and teacher will be providing some tips for effective discussion but he will not lead the discussion in such a way that he will give the solution he will enable them to discuss he must take them in the right path of discussion that is the teacher role okay and the students keep asking keep informing discussing among themselves and with interacting with the teacher and all that here teacher role is to see that those students who do not participate in the discussion are motivated to participate in the case discussion okay normally in a classroom of 30 or 40 4 or 5 will be dominating the whole discussion time and again they keep on speaking then some others another 4 5 people or 10 people may be moderately participating at least 30 percent or 20 percent of in Indian context at least 20 30 percent of the students do not open their mouth in a classroom particularly in a case discussion and the teacher role is to see that they are motivated to talk that's about the importance of it the other method is syndicate method where the teacher make the entire class of students into 5 or 6 groups each group will be asked to work out a solution and they will discuss among themselves and come out with a solution or come out with a decision or a strategy depending on the case and they will make the presentation the group presentation will be there group leader will make a presentation others may supplement this is the second type of case method so syndicate method will be improved guided discussion method and syndicate method okay sir as I was asking every student has a single approach to a single case study so how can a teacher decide which which which case study or which strategy is the best one or how can we check no no the thing is case is given yes see it is open moreover no student must be objected when he is discussing something okay because his creativity is lost we must allow them to speak and then others will contradict that is how the discussion keeps taking they argue they argue they argue and the teacher role is to provide guidance and to take the team to take the class in a right path in the course of discussion okay approach strategy it is up to them and nobody says that this is the way a case must be discussed because that neutralizes the creativity of the students which should not be the case so there must be some objective of case study method so so what are the objectives see the case method has given set of objectives number one is that it develops the creative thinking faculty among the students thinking faculty it shortens the thinking process of the students second is it develops confidence third is it enables them to communicate well fourth is the case method trains the students to think critically and also trains them to take decisions appropriate and they will develop a an approach of solving an issue or taking a decision with scientific and systematic approach this is how these are the important objectives of case method number one but it develops thinking faculty it develops confidence in them it enables them to become better decision makers it also makes them to critically think and evaluate it enables them to make judgments and it provides training to them to approach an issue with systematic and scientific approach these are the objectives of case method so sir it will be very helpful for learners like after completing their MBAs and all they can take decisions in their organizations in fact in management education these case method is introduced to for different purposes that the objective all the objectives which I said are important not only that group method we said about syndicate method of teaching in that students learn to work in teams student respect team culture student work with good interpersonal relations and tomorrow in the organizational life after they complete their MBA they must be able to work in teams it just to the organizational context respect each other and team spirit must be developed all these are also part of the process of learning and case method helps them to become better managers sir as you have told as you have mentioned earlier about her Harvard Business School so what is the methodology that is being followed in Harvard Business School of writing a case yeah Harvard Business School is known for its wonderful case bank development and Harvard Business School teaching methodology of management education is totally case system case method 100 percent case method is used in our even today after 105 years 2008 they started now 105 years that they have been using case successfully and they are the models to be followed and emulated by all other business schools in the world now they have a given and specific process of taking up the case or methodology of case instruction all of us the management teachers and management students management practitioners are quite aware of the reputation that Harvard Business School has got today as an as a management education provider in the entire world and it has been practicing case method in management education for the past 105 years it is known for its reputation and methodology and all over the world any business school is following the model of Harvard Business School Harvard case methodology is essentially a five step process first step is defining central issue involved in the case second step is selecting relevant areas of consideration and the third step is analyzing the relevant areas of consideration and ascertaining their relative significance the fourth one is surveying other possibilities and the last step and very important step is drawing final conclusions this is how a five step process is followed systematically by Harvard Business School what is the process of analyzing a case as we just now mentioned about the Harvard case method case analysis is not different from the analysis that Harvard Business School students do or Harvard Business School teachers demonstrate normally the steps include first important step is that the students must study the case well they must read the case as many times as required to understand the total case in detail that is the studying the case is the first important aspects once the students study the second important stage is in the analysis identification of the problem what is the problem it is in our research we say statement of problem similarly statement of the case what is the problem problem identification is the second step third one is defining the problem to define the problem in its totality fourth one is diagnosing the problem it means what is the problem what is the seriousness of the problem why the problem arose what factors contributed to this problem this is what is called diagnosing the problem next is developing alternative courses of action as I just now mentioned a little while ago no case has a single solution no management problem has a single solution there can be more than one which is the best we come to know a little later and hence first they development of development of alternative courses of action that is very important and the next one is choosing the best alternative according to the student based on the case and the information given so choosing the best alternative lastly follow sir is there any format or structure of presentation of a case analysis yeah structure of presentation by and large will be similar by different students there is no structure as such that this should be the structure it depends on the approach that the student follows however generally there is a sequential order that the case presentation is done by the students or case analysis is presented by the students in the examination or even for us anybody anybody for that matter now the first one is what is the title of the case we make a mention about the title sometimes case title is given in the case method case case study sometimes they do not give the case study title then we have to identify based on the text based on the text and the case you have to give the title of the case also and hence the first one is title of the case second is as we said earlier statement of the problem what is the statement of the problem third is the case itself briefly synoptically the whole case must be presented in about a paragraph or two that is about the case then scope of analysis now sometimes scope of analysis here refer to depending on the information and data and other details given in the case you will define the case define the scope of the case and sometimes the student may have to make some assumptions also student will make some assumptions in that scope the assumptions will also be mentioned by the students and alternative solutions and their evaluation whatever we discussed earlier analysis case analysis process will be reflected here again alternative course of action development of the best course of action to solve the problem and conclusion sir now could you elaborate on the advantages and limitations of case study there are several advantages by using case method of learning students will become active they are motivated because there is a lot of participation from the from their side they develop the ability to analyze ability to creatively think comprehend a particular theoretical concept in a better way it develops communication skills it enables them to take decisions it's it creates interest in them in the studies it makes them to become better time management skills it it equips them with better time management skills because in a given time frame they have to read write and then analyze and organize and present time management these are some of the important advantages that to repeat it enables them to think sharply it develops their confidence it it develops analytical ability ability to think critically ability to decide and ability to manage their time well and they get motivated a lot they become active learners these are the important advantages of case method of learning coming to the limitations aspect all is said and done really is real virtual is virtual in the sense that case has realism but it is not totally real it is a simulation or a situation created the student will not totally empathize himself in the place of a manager who is critically facing a situation or problem this is one one limitation is this second important limitation is that particularly in countries like India is that the teachers having adequate and trained skills to demonstrate a case is a problem we do not have adequate number of teachers to use case method as a tool of learning tool of teaching that is another important limitation these are the two important limitations I would say otherwise there are several advantages in spite of these limitations case method is found to be a wonderful tool of learning in the field of management education thank you so much sir for imparting your knowledge it was really a great experience and I'm sure not only us but also the learners will be benefited through this discussion so thank you once again for being with us thank you very much thank you sir