Educating managers for business and government : a review of international experience

Managers, in both the private and public sectors, are increasingly recognized as critical in the use of scarce resources for national development. There is no unanimity of opinion, however, regarding the models or approaches to management education that are most appropriate in different environmental settings. This report encompasses management education for each of the following groups: the managers and future managers of large scale enterprises; entrepreneurs and small businessmen; and public administrators. It reviews worldwide trends and developments in management education for lessons in such areas as curriculum design, research and teaching methodology, and institutional policies and administration. Experience is drawn from recognized universities, educational organizations, civil service institutes, and corporations in several major countries and regions of the world.ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Teaching and Learning,Curriculum&Instruction,Primary Education

Executive learning through case discussion

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework with which to understand the issues that arise in the discussion cases included in this Special Issue and explains the role of case studies in the education of those responsible for leading organizations.Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based upon the review of literature from a range of disciplines, all of which is relevant to executive learning; the analysis of the cases and papers in this Special Issue, and interviews with colleagues who use the case method.Findings: The case method is useful in the education of managerial decision makers who face complex situations, but it is most effective when the cases contain certain essential ingredients and when the instructor is skilled in discussion leadership. These ingredients include the presence of a protagonist, the deep description of a problematic situation, the existence of at least two reasonable courses of action, and sufficient data to evaluate each alternative. The interactive nature of case discussions reinforces those values and behaviors that associate with civility.Research limitations/implications: Since some of the discussion cases were in the process of completion, it was not always possible to evaluate the experience with their use in the classroom.Practical implications: The introductory paper points to broader opportunities for the use of the case method, and for its adaptation to experiential learning, than is generally recognized in academia.Social implications: The use of discussion cases in management schools, where future business leaders interact with professors and classmates in an environment of critical learning and respect for opinions of others, encourages behaviors of civility.Originality/value: This introductory paper is valuable in providing a framework to integrate and make sense of the diverse topics, situations, and contexts described in the cases contained in the Special Issue

SPECIAL SERIES: THE ROLE OF CASE STUDIES IN INFORMING SYSTEMS Meanings for Case Protagonists of the Informing Process Occurring During Case Production and Discussion: A Phenomenological Analysis

Executive Summary This study is concerned with how the protagonists of case studies -carried out by researchers of business schools with commitment to the case method-experience the informing process occurring during case production and discussion. The focus is both on how protagonists personally experience this informing process as well as on how protagonists interpret its impact on their relation with the larger social system. This was explored through in-depth interviews with two managers who had been co-protagonists in a case study produced by a well-known Latin American business school in 2004. A descriptive phenomenological method was used for data analysis. Results show that for protagonists, the informing experience was more emotional than intellectual, more significant for its symbolic meaning than its rational content; they also show that in the lived experience of the protagonists, the informing process increased their legitimacy and authority in the face of other stakeholders located in their relevant field of action. Finally, in the interpretation of the researchers, the protagonists related the informing flows from the case production and discussion to the evolution of their own practice