CASE WRITING SEMINAR
Office of Responsible Management Education
PROGRAMME
08.30-08.55 Writing cases on responsible management/ Kai
Hockerts
08.55-09.35 Dealing with a case company – experiences on
case writing/ Marcus Møller Larsen
Coffee break
09.50-10.20 Writing a teaching note/ Dana Minbaeva
10.20-10.35 Publication at ecch/ Marie Koustrup Frandsen
Teaching notes
By Dana Minbaeva, SMG
ECCH “template”
• Title page
• Summary of the case: brief description of case and its context.
• Teaching objectives and target audience: describes, with examples, the
key issues and learning objectives, indicating the target group for the case.
• Teaching approach and strategy: suggests how to approach the case in
class, e.g. trigger questions, the case’s demand on time-tabling,
suggestions for assignments.
• Analysis of case questions: answers to the list of questions above. Should
at least be as thorough as one would expect from the best students.
• Suggested readings: reference list according to key approaches mentioned
above.
• Feedback: indication of how the case worked with different student
groups
• Appendices: e.g. references, follow up on what happened later in the story
(real life), etc.
HBS Publishing/Darden “template”
•
•
•
•
Overview or synopsis
Topical areas: type of course, target group, position in the course curriculum
Teaching objectives: “a case written without a teaching strategy or an opportunity
to connect theory to practice [or vice versa] is only a story”
Timing: how much time is needed to successfully teach the material?
– Time allocation plan
•
•
•
•
Student assignment: readings, study questions
Board plan: how points may be organized on the board as the discussion proceeds
Discussion questions and analysis/student response
Sequel or epilogue
– “Case B”
– Video
•
•
Teaching aids
Supplemented material
Teaching notes are living documents
• They must be added to and recast to reflect
the instructor’s experience in the case/with
the case
– Pilot the case
– Pilot the teaching note
PUBLICATION ON
WWW.ECCH.COM
European Case Clearing House
By Marie Frandsen
REQUIREMENTS - ECCH
• The case needs to be tested in class.
• We layout the cases in order to ensure a
consistent look.
• Pictures? – Yes please, but in high quality
including + copy right prove if not yours
• All relevant documents to submit is in the ecch
registration pack(tool box), including a
signature by HOD
CASE RELEASE FORM
Field research:
If you are using unpublished data from the company, you
must submit a Case Release Form, i.e. a response from the
company giving permission for the case to be used.
Desk research:
If you are using already published data from the company,
then your case does not require a Case Release Form.
Read more on:
http://www.ecch.com/educators/submitcases/guidance/caser
elease
GUIDELINES ON LANGUAGE
• Reference style: Harvard
• Language: British English
• Tense: Cases should be written in the past tense
as the events have already occurred. Teaching
notes and potential industry notes can be written
in the present tense, where appropriate.
• Voice: As far as possible, use active and not
passive voice (e.g. ‘The CEO mailed the letter’
instead of ‘The letter was mailed by the CEO’).
SUGGESTED TEMPLATE CASE (ECCH)
Title page: (Layout by CBS, please include relevant picture for case)
Setting the stage: Introduction to context, area/issue, and main
character (max. 1 page)
Case body: The story is told chronologically. Build tension and
introduce relevant data.
Closing section: A recap of the original problem statement. Enables
classroom discussion (max. 1 page)
Appendices: Relevant figures and tables
Literature list
TYPICAL PITFALLS
• The case company will not let me use the case due to
confidentiality – get the company approval settled from the
beginning.
• Many cases have already been developed on this topic – check
the data bases before hand
• I cannot use the pictures and graphs that I have found, and
know I really need them… – check copy right
• I cannot remember where I have this quote/information from –
put in references right from the beginning (Harvard style).
• Try not to bias the case – be an objective storyteller.
Send drafts for feedback as often as you want!
IMPORTANT DATES
July 19th 2013:
Deadline for submission of first draft to case
coordinator
August 23rd 2013:
Deadline for submission of second draft to peer
review
December 13th 2013:
Deadline for class room testing
THE OPENING SECTION – SIX
ELEMENTS
The ideal opening section mentions six key elements (inspired
by Jenny Mead, University of Virginia):
• The decision maker’s name
• His/her position
• The company or organisation’s name
• The date – either general (e.g. summer 2008) or an exact
date
• The firm’s location and type of business
• The statement of the problem or trigger (often in a question
format, e.g. “Facing the pressure of the last weeks’ negative
media coverage of the company’s coffee production in
Guatemala, Mr Jørgensen was forced to take action, and he
did not have much time to react”)
CASE CHARACTERISTICS
• Based on primary and/or secondary data
• Is written in a storytelling manner
• Focuses on one organisation, preferably represented by an
identifiable character – the protagonist can be a fictive
person/group
• Focuses on a management challenge where the answer is not
obvious.
• Usually describes a particular situation in which people are
engaged in complex issues and are forced to take action on a
dilemma.
TEMPLATE FOR TEACHING NOTE
(ECCH)
•
Title page: Case Title, Name, Copy right, etc.
•
Summary of the case: brief description of case and its context.
•
Teaching objectives and target audience: describes, with examples, the key issues
and learning objectives, indicating the target group for the case.
•
Teaching approach and strategy: suggests how to approach the case in class, e.g.
trigger questions, the case’s demand on time-tabling, suggestions for assignments.
•
Analysis of case questions: answers to the list of questions above.
•
Suggested readings: reference list according to key approaches mentioned above.
•
Feedback: indication of how the case worked with different student groups
•
Appendices: e.g. references, follow up on what happened later in the story (real
life), etc.
A CBS CASE SERIES ON RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT
- free to download
Licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.
*The most restrictive CC license, only allowing others to download your works and share them with
others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
**All CC licenses are non-exclusive -- creators and owners can enter into additional, different licensing
arrangements for the same work at any time, a practice known as dual-licensing. Note, however, that
once granted, CC licenses are not revocable in the absence of a breach, and even then the license is
terminated only as to the particular licensee.