A Case Study Method Profile at Cass Business School

The most well-known school to rely heavily on the case study method is Harvard Business School, at which 500 cases are read over the two-year MBA program. Ivey Business School, in Western Ontario, Canada and Darden School of Business in Virginia, United States both report that approximately 75% of their MBA programs are taught via the case study method. IESE Business School in Spain also claims a high amount of case studies, equating to around 70% of the entire degree. And, just behind this, the Haas School of Business in California and Kenan-Flagler Business School in North Carolina claim that half their MBA program uses the case study format.

Given this, it’s important for prospective MBA applicants to know exactly what kind of thing they’re getting themselves in for. The case study method may not appeal to every candidate, and others may struggle with some individual cases. There can little doubting the method’s efficacy, however; there is a huge variety of cases, covering a diverse range of topics, which can help to foster and develop a wide range of skill sets.

To help you get a handle on the case study format, here is an example of a case currently utilized at Cass Business School in London.

Robin Hood - A Cass Business School Case Study.

Cass’s Robin Hood case study, written by Professor Joseph Lampel who teaches in Cass's MBA program,offers its MBA students an introduction into strategy. It is short, accessible and it errs on the side of fun. What, however, does it teach and what do the students really take away from it?

The case in brief:

The case itself is just one and a half pages long and focuses on Robin Hood’s problems after his first year of success in the Sherwood Forest. Hood’s Merry Men, initially a small disciplined organization, went through a period of growth that saw many new recruits flock to join the group having recently heard of its fame. The ever-increasing band, although a source of pride for Hood, had begun to outgrow itself and supplies and food had become scant.

With supplies dwindling and discipline getting harder to enforce it was getting much more difficult to control the band as he had used to. The financial strain of having to purchase food from nearby villages and the fact that travelers were now avoiding the notorious forest, meant that something had to be done, and soon.

Robin knew that he had to act, but was unsure how. He believed that the outright looting of travelers should stop and that a fixed transit tax should be implemented for everyone instead. Some recruits were averse to this idea as it no longer meant adhering to the “rob the rich and give to the poor” motto. Some were also worried about making allied farmers and townspeople pay the tax because it was valuable to remain on good terms with them if the group were ever to have a chance of defeating the sheriff and his people.

Adding to this, the sheriff was becoming more organized, stronger in numbers and more stable financially and had no doubt begun looking for the gang’s weaknesses. He was also firmly in a position of power due to his political connections. His friend the regent, Prince John, was a vicious man disliked by his people who wanted the former King Richard released from prison. Prince John feared the barons who although initially having given him the throne, were now disputing his claim to it. The barons had invited Hood to join the conspiracy to collect ransom for King Richard in return for Hood’s future amnesty but he is hesitant. Prince John’s spies were lurking everywhere and the punishment would not be light. The question is what should Hood do?

Time:

1 hour (inc. prep. time)

Preparation time:

30 minutes (in smaller groups of 7 to 8 students)

Student analysis:

Full-time MBA students at Cass Business School at City University in London, Elles van den Berg, Pierce Watson and Sinan Rabee are new to strategy and talk through the case by working out the problem and finding a solution.

Van den Berg offers her summary first. “Robin Hood and his band had a successful first year. Perhaps too successful: the necessary preparations had not been made to accommodate the now overabundance of members in his organization. Robin Hood faces several challenges, chiefly a lack of funds and provisions. Additionally, external threats have evolved, such as the fact that the Sheriff is growing stronger and is better organized. The case asks for short and long term solutions. Robin Hood has to form structure within his organization so that it can continue to grow and prosper.”

Elles goes on to outline Hood’s main error. “The critical mistake Robin Hood made was to welcome all who came and only demanding a willingness to serve. These people lacked the similar passion for the values that Robin Hood had.”

All the students agreed on the fact that Robin needed to reassess the structure and goals of his organization. Van den Berg’s advice to Hood is this; “My recommendation to Robin Hood would be to downsize and refocus. I believe choices evolve in time. Also, the suggestion to join in the conspiracy to overthrow the Sheriff is, in my belief, too risky. My second recommendation would be to introduce geographic diversification and product diversification (e.g. food and weapons).”

While Pierce Watson likens the problem to a rapidly growing small business in order to reach a solution, Elles van den Berg draws a comparison between Robin Hood and Pablo Escobar the Columbian drug lord who, although a criminal, was also supported by many (especially the poor). She states that “Escobar was a hero for some people as well; he gave to the poor and received protection & respect in return. Robin Hood was also seen as a hero; a positive enterprise.’

Although Van den Berg sees that there are some fundamental differences between the two, she also realizes that by looking at real-life examples, much like a case within a case, students can develop strong ideas on how to strategize by learning from history and projecting potentialities onto their own business ideas and plans.

What Cass students learn from the case study format:

During the case Van den Berg learned that “it is important to realize that some strategies don’t have to start with a goal in mind… strategies are able to grow during a period of time and don’t have to be built beforehand.” She goes on to say, “As this was my first case in Strategy, I learned that it is really important to keep digging into a case. To continue asking the questions ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ to find the essence of the problem and its solutions.”

Watson also came away with the same analytical outlook; “I learnt that asking the right questions and really digging down into what has made the business successful is very important. Why? How? These should be the first questions for every strategy conversation.”

Professor Lampel is the writer of the case and also acted as the case leader for Watson, Rabee and Van den Berg. Rabee says that “Professor Lampel's style is to encourage ideas and discussion, while subtly steering the class towards the theory behind the case. Here, he was showing how important it is to identify different parts of a strategy as well as how and why they have come about.”

Although the Robin Hood case study is only an introduction into business strategy and is about 10 pages shorter than many of the cases studied, for Watson, and perhaps many other Cass Business School students, it served to form the foundations for future strategy discussions and decisions.

And although the case study format has its downsides, even from just one example it’s clear that the method serves to make students learn in real time and to develop the analytical and practical skills that are essential in business.