The case study method: a powerful teaching tool in sports marketing education

Abstract

Since Harvard Business School (and many other of the world's most prominent business schools that have followed Harvard's example) began using the case study method for teaching, early in the last century, the case study method has become a firmly established educational tool in many business management training institutions. Today, business schools use the case study method in all their programmes--from the most academic and theoretical courses (MBA or PhD) to executive training for professionals seeking to improve their everyday management skills. Much has been written on the case study method, its effectiveness and its use as a teaching tool. However, the question remains: what exactly is a case study and what does the case study method involve? The aim of a case study is to describe a real situation experienced by an organisation at a particular moment. This clear and concise definition encapsulates a teaching methodology that has transformed traditional models of management training. It is an active teaching method, constituting a real and effective way for enabling the trainee manager to assume a key role in a business decision-making process. Essential to the case study method is the fact that the main training is dependent upon a participant's own work--trainees are required to place themselves in the shoes of a manager who has to address a specific issue raised in the case by using the information provided. It is important to distinguish between cases that are used for research purposes and those employed for teaching. The latter may be classified as those used to illustrate particular concepts or knowledge (e.g. manual cases) and those used in the classroom, but which reflect a real situation in which the student manager is required to play an active role (by analysing, diagnosing and proposing an action or decision). Sports marketing has benefited a great deal from this last type of case study because of its focus on generating new ideas and its stimulation of creativity and innovation. Cases for research vs cases for teaching When presented with a case we have to make an initial distinction between cases for research and cases for teaching. Scientific research in any field (medicine, biology, law, sociology, business management, sports marketing etc.) makes extensive use of the case study as a qualitative research methodology: cases are used for illustrating particular phenomena. In the fields of training and education in any discipline (including sports marketing), cases are also used for practical and participatory learning. Research cases published in academic journals are one of the most commonly found research methods in the field of business management. A review of the specialised academic literature in the field of sports marketing shows us that here too case studies are also increasingly used as a methodology (Shannon, 1999). We can identify two main areas: the marketing of sport (marketing sporting events and equipment to spectators and participants) and the use of sport for marketing purposes (promotion of non sport-related products at sporting events and use of athletes to endorse non sport-related products). A research case study is associated with in-depth examination, a response to a research strategy and its main goal, and is oriented towards exploration of empirical evidence. Such case studies are by nature theoretical and need to present rigorous and fair empirical data. The three most popular types of research case studies are explanatory or causal case studies, descriptive case studies and exploratory case studies (Yin 2003). For teaching purposes, a case study need not contain complete or accurate information relating to the circumstances under review. Rather its purpose is to provide a framework for discussion and debate in relation to a particular organisational phenomenon. The criteria for developing good cases for teaching--usually single-case rather than multiple-case)--are different from those for case study research (Yin, 2003). …