Case Method 100 Years

General Electric pays for HBS to research cases at GE, demonstrating the connection between the School and industry.

Members at the American Collegiate Schools of Business (ACSB), now the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) convention debate use of the case method, now in use by 217 schools in U.S. Future HBS Dean, Professor Donald K. David, speaks in favor of it.

In the 18 years since the case method’s inception, nearly 15,000 cases have been produced.

Faculty writes 600 cases for classroom instruction of military personnel

The Central Task Force for training case writers is created.

The Office of Case Development is established to assume responsibility for all case research activities at HBS. A Case Development Policy Committee of the Faculty, and a Director of Case Development, are appointed.

With Ford Foundation funding, HBS begins to conduct the Summer Case Writing Program, which encourages professors from other universities and colleges to learn more about the case method and to contribute information about their own cases.

There are now 21 case collections in print as well as 50,000 individual cases.

The first director of case distribution, Harvey Bishop, coordinates case distribution across multiple schools of business, and the first directory of cases is published, including 32 schools.

International Teachers Program begins, enrolling teachers from around the globe to learn teaching by the case method.

The Division of International Activities established. One goal is to “stimulate the collection of case materials and project research in various parts of the world.”

First-year students participate in first run of the "Business Game," a dynamic case series created by Professor James McKenney.

HBS receives a grant of $170,000 from the Ford Foundation to support the preparation of a series of bibliographies of cases and other teaching materials for use in developing countries overseas.

Ruth Cummings Hetherston, Associate in Research, retired after 37 years at HBS. She began her career at HBS as a grader becoming one of the School’s most prolific developers of cases and teaching materials.

Groups of related cases with a teaching guide called course modules are introduced to help structure segments of courses.

Teaching by the Case Method by C. Roland Christensen is published.

HBS and Xerox begin multi-year effort, headed by Director of Cases Judy Uhl, to put the School's 7,000 active cases online.

First multimedia case, on Beijing-based sock manufacturer Pacific Dunlop, released, featuring video of the case protagonist and interactive exhibits.

California Research Center established to support faculty research and writing on West Coast companies.

Early attempts to diversify case protagonists received a lot of press. A special fund was created by Marjorie Alfus, a retired Kmart executive; the Committee of 200 (C200), a national organization of women business executives; and HBS to encourage women to pursue high-level careers in management and to identify women who are key decision-makers and asking them to serve as subjects in HBS case studies.

Cold Call podcast created, each episode features a case and an interview with the faculty author.

HBS develops a hybrid classroom model to maintain teaching and learning by the case method during a global pandemic.