Case Method in Marketing Management

The Case Method in Marketing Management1

The mere act of listening to wise statements and sound advice does little for anyone.

In the process of learning, the learner's dynamic cooperation is required. Such

cooperation in students does not arise automatically, however, it has to be provided

for and continually encouraged.2

Cases offer a chance to participate in real-life business problems and to make decisions actually

faced by managers. A case is a “slice-of-life” from an organization that requires a thorough and

painstaking analysis to arrive at a solution that you think best solves the problem.

Cases come in all shapes and sizes, but you will find that most fit into one of two general types. The

evaluation type case describes what a company has done; the principal purpose of the analysis is to

evaluate the soundness of what management has already done. In the problem case, management

faces a specific problem, such as deciding whether or not to enter a new market. This type of case

calls for the development of alternative solutions and recommendation of the preferred alternative.

Most cases in the core marketing course, B6601, are of the problem type. Some cases comprise

elements of both pure types.

Some cases deal with consumer products (e.g., automobiles, coffee); some deal with services (e.g.,

hotels and hospitals); some deal with industrial products (e.g., metal working fluid, transformers);

some deal with profit-seeking enterprises and others with public or not-for-profit agencies. Each case

conveys a great deal of information about the company, the industry and the market. The purpose of

case analysis, however, is not to present facts, but to engage you in the active process of recognizing

and solving managerial problems.

In effect, you become the “actor” or manager in a situation that is being “directed” and encouraged

by the professor. The professor may suggest a structure to ensure that major issues are covered, but it

is your insight and analytic prowess that is being developed and displayed. After the class discussion,

the professor may summarize