The business case method: an examination of a 2009 case competition

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to compare, contrast and analyze the business case formats of college students involved in a business case competition. The authors observed and documented teams of business students from 6 colleges in Ontario, Canada. The teams had 20 minutes to prepare a solution from a given business case using their own case format. Findings revealed that colleges used different formats, along with various headings, and in some cases in different sections of their presentations. The paper has contributed to management-education by helping business schools as well as case competition organizers be aware the case format is an important aspect to solving business cases. Further study is required to better understand whether a standardized format or a variety of formats is more effective at making management decisions.

Keywords

Case format Canada competition business School decision-making college

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