Excerpt from Model-Supported Case Studies for Management Education

To understand where system dynamics models, especially models-with-cases, may con tribute to management education, consider first how business policy and strategy are traditionally taught. Case studies are the cornerstone. The objective is to develop skills to think strategically view the business as a whole or adopt the perspective of the general manager. A typical case is 20-30 pages in length and contains about words of text, plus diagrams and numerical information, often financial reports and market data. Usually cases provide a brief history of the company, a description of its products or services and descriptions of competitors. Depending on the purpose the case may describe details of manufacturing, marketing, and distribution, or delve into human resource policy, systems of administration and control, organizational structure, com pany traditions and values, management style, leadership or personalities. Case teachers use such descriptive and numerical information to trigger classroom discussion about the business, its administration and its strategic Options. But how and what do students learn?

Case teachers do not teach answers. They offer instead frameworks which guide class discussion and help learners organize case information and form opinions. For example, Porter's (1980, 1985) competitive analysis framework is now widely used to guide discussion about busi ness unit competitive strategy. Whether the subject is supercomputers, water meters, airlines or fashion watches, Porter's framework prompts critical thinking about questions such as 'is this an attractive industry to be in?; what stops competitors from entering?; what motivates customers to buy?; are suppliers or distributors in a position to siphon off the firm's It encourages close examination of the activities upon which a company builds and sustains its competitive edge. The framework provides the case teacher with a checklist of thought-provoking questions, and graphics with which to collect and select participants' comments.

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