Reflections on 3 Cases

1
Reflections on 3 Cases

• Scott Swinton
• AAEA Case Study Workshop,
• Long Beach, CA, July 27, 2002

2
RAE Case Publishing(A Brief Commercial Interlude)

• Guidelines for RAE Case Studies
• How to differentiate RAE from IFAMR?
• Types of cases wed like to see more of
• Public policy (esp. environmental)
• Quantitative
• Research cases of all stripes
• Creative submissions on teaching methods also
  encouraged

3
What makes a decision case current provocative?

• Concise writing, brevity
• Exhibits in Zeneca vs. Apples
• Real people
• Engaging, journalistic writing style
• Chronological sequence
• Ends with decision to be made in the present
• Ending of Zeneca vs. Apples

4
What creates learning opportunities in a decision
case?

• Incomplete analysis
• Leaves room for the enterprising student to make
  a mark
• Contrast analysis process described for Steve
  (Zeneca) vs. Becky (Apples)
• Unresolved outcome ? fertile discussion
• No right answer

5
Pioneer Argentina IPR

• Research case
• Presents complete objectives analysis, rather
  than withholding as teaching cases often do
• Deductive reasoning
• Sequence
• Introduced problem identifies research gap
• Theory empirical lit overview
• Method Natural paired comparison single case
• Results discussion (21 of 31 pages)
• Conclusions
• Bibliography

6
How does case persuade that its inferences can be
extrapolated?

• Natural paired comparison Hybrid corn guards IP
  open-pollinated soy does not
• Paired IPR regimes Argentina (weak IPR) vs. USA
  (strong IPR)
• Single firm ? Homogeneous management
• Thorough lit review
• Structured interview method text analysis

7
Does IPR case succeed?

• At thoughtfully comparing firm-level soy vs corn
  seed marketing management?
• At proving the effect of weak IPRs on corn soy
  seed market in Argentina?
• At measuring welfare effects of weak IPRs on host
  country? (primary objective of case)

8
Zeneca, PLC

• Teaching case
• Clear focus on brand strategy
• Versatile potential for teaching strategy
• Soft strategy analysis for class discussion
• Hard quantitative calculation of brand value
  (e.g., for homework assignment)
• Concise decision-focused

9
Zeneca (2) Exhibits

• Exhibits provide useful detail
• Use of exhibits for background detail (Steves
  research into brand value) keeps flow
  decision-focus of case undiluted
• All exhibits useful cited

10
Zeneca (3) Teaching Note

• Well structured
• Summary
• Teaching objectives
• Analysis (incl. numerical calculations)
• Supplementary info for teacher (gives semblance
  of greater expertise)
• Concisely written

11
When Apples Come In

• Teaching case
• Clear focus excellent content innovative
  integration of statistics into a case
• Style didactic not exciting
• Protagonist Becky Lee does all the work

12
Apples (2) Exhibits

• No exhibits (but tables figures proxy)
• Exhibits that might have been
• Quote a statistics text on sample size formula
  (Did Becky really know it, or did she look it
  up?)
• Apple size distribution data
• Give data on Top Red strain numbers and let
  students calculate Z-statistics

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Apples (3) Teaching Note

• Teaching note was included in text
• This tips the hand of the teacher
• RAE policy now to exclude note from text
• Teaching note What might have been
• Intro page opens note (summary, teaching
  objectives, lit contribution on stat case)
• Let students calculate alternative confidence
  intervals (with last 2 figures given in teaching
  note, or only parts included in case)

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Cases by the numbers
Length w/ note (pp) Text Exhibits Teach. Note
Zeneca 35 17 51 32
Apples 13 85 0 15
Pioneer IPR 56 60 40 0