Use of the Case Method in Chinese MBA Programs : Opportunities and Challenges

A case is a description of an actual business situation. In the classroom students are expected to identify the problem, generate alternative solutions, evaluate the alternatives and make a decision that can be reasonably implemented. The case method which involves active participation by students in the classroom process is particularly valuable in providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to become a superior practicing manager. The case method of teaching has been in use in western business schools and management training programs for almost 100 years and has been widely adopted. But the case method has only been introduced in China relatively recently. In this ground breaking study Jim Hatch and Fengli Mu conducted over 100 interviews with administrators, professors and students at China's top business schools focusing on the opportunities and challenges that this method presents.

This book will be valuable to a wide variety of audiences including instructors who employ the case method in university and executive development programs, managers of human resource development departments, and multinational companies seeking insights into working with Chinese managers.

James E. Hatch is a Professor Emeritus at the Ivey Business School. He has written almost 200 cases and technical notes and thirteen books including a number of case books

Fengli Mu is an Associate Professor of human resources management/human behavior and head of the case centre at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law where she employs the case method in her teaching