Using Information Technology to Promote Multi-Cultural Case Teaching

Abstract

Case studies are an important component of International Business (IB) courses. However, in-class discussion of case studies suffers from temporal and spatial limitations and, frequently, the limitation of being confined to a single cultural perspective. The development of new forms of Computer-Mediated Communication (such as email, chat rooms, threaded computer conferences, etc.) offers new possibilities to overcome these constraints. Synchronous (same-time) communication via chat rooms or desktop video-conferences may include participants from remote locations who otherwise would be unable to attend class sessions. Non-simultaneous (asynchronous) communication via e-mail and/or threaded discussion conferences can complement traditional in-class discussions and extend the learning environment beyond the assigned classroom meeting times. These new communication possibilities can enable instructors and students from different countries and zones to participate in case discussions and to enrich the cultural dimension of such discussions. This paper presents a framework to classify the different strategies for improving case study discussion with the use of Computer-Mediated Communications and enriching such discussions with the integration of different cultural perspectives.