Use of the Case Method in MBA Education

The position of the case method in MBA education is discussed, followed by an examination of the nature of business cases, benefits to be derived from the case method, roles for students and instructors in case-oriented courses, and issues concerning integration of cases into an overall course design. It is argued that case analysis helps students to develop the kinds of skills that are essential to success in business organizations: identification and analysis of complex business problems, application of judgment in developing solutions, interactive problem-solving, and persuasive presentation of conclusions. The case method presents special challenges to both the instructor and the student. Both are required to sacrifice their traditional roles. The instructor is a facilitator rather than a content expert, and the student must assume a highly active role, providing the substantive content for the discussion. Both instructor and student are well rewarded for their adjustments by the many benefits of the case method.     

Complicity and control in the workplace: a critical case study of TQM,learning, and the management of knowledge

This article analyses how a Total Quality Management process with an embedded workplace literacy programme was implemented in an industrial manufacturing plant. Designed as an insider/outsider team research project, data were collected through interviews with management personnel, education and training providers, and hourly workers. Findings reveal that the Total Quality Management process and the literacy programme were implemented under the guise of providing education and training for workers, but were driven by corporate policy to reduce labour costs. The study also examines the way in which adult education was complicit in controlling workplace knowledge.