Education and Training for Management

Abstract

A DISCUSSION arranged by the Department of Industrial Co-operation of the Section of Economic Science and Statistics at the York meeting of the British Association was devoted to the selection, training and placing of administrative personnel, including the study of the “Case Method” as an instrument in education and training for management. The discussion was opened by Mr. Jules Menken, of the Department of Business Administration at the London School of Economics. Mr. Menkeii described the Case method which was originally developed by the Harvard Business School in the United States. The method is used in many other American schools of business administration as well as at the Business Preparation Centre of the Paris Chamber of Commerce but is little known in Great Britain. Essentially the method consists of the discussion in class of problems actually drawn from business experience. A business case or problem sets forth the facts involved in a particular business situation. It is prepared by the students before they come to class and then forms the basis of a conference or discussion. The student is thus trained to analyse types of business situations, to find principles on which action must bo taken in a particular situation, to formulate a plan of action and to justify his policy and plan in reasoned argument.