A case is a description of a management situation. Most cases range in length from two totwenty five pages of text and exhibits; the latter often present quantitative material. So-called field cases are largely based on data provided by the organization that is the focus of the case. Library cases are drawn from published material in the public domain. A case is not written to illustrate correct or incorrect handling of an administrative situation, nor is there an editorial bias that implies a particular conclusion. A chronological series of cases based on a single organization is sometimes used to expose the student to an organization’s cumulative experience with a situation.
Excerpted from
Case Studies for Harvard Business School
