Manajemen | Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji joeb.84.6.367-373

Journal of Education for Business

ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20

Real-Time Case Method: Analysis of a Second
Implementation
James M. Theroux
To cite this article: James M. Theroux (2009) Real-Time Case Method: Analysis of a
Second Implementation, Journal of Education for Business, 84:6, 367-373, DOI: 10.3200/
JOEB.84.6.367-373
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.84.6.367-373

Published online: 07 Aug 2010.

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Real-Time฀Case฀Method:฀Analysis฀of฀a฀
Second฀Implementation
JAMES฀M.฀THEROUX
UNIVERSITY฀OF฀MASSACHUSETTS฀AMHERST
AMHERST,฀MASSACHUSETTS

ABSTRACT.฀In฀2005,฀M.฀Hopkins฀and฀J.฀
Theroux฀implemented฀the฀second฀example฀
of฀an฀experimental฀case฀study,฀at฀11฀business฀
schools฀in฀the฀United฀States฀and฀Canada.฀
The฀new฀type฀of฀case฀study,฀named฀the฀realtime฀case฀(RTC)฀study,฀uses฀the฀Internet฀to฀

bring฀business฀reality฀to฀business฀courses฀
and฀to฀facilitate฀communication฀among฀
faculty,฀students,฀and฀the฀case฀company.฀
In฀the฀present฀study,฀data฀from฀student฀
surveys฀provided฀an฀assessment฀of฀RTC.฀
The฀author’s฀analysis฀suggests฀that฀the฀RTC฀
concept฀engages฀and฀satisfies฀students฀at฀a฀
higher฀level฀than฀do฀average฀courses฀and฀
presents฀a฀more฀realistic฀and฀integrated฀view฀
of฀business฀decision฀making.฀However,฀the฀
level฀of฀satisfaction฀declined฀in฀comparison฀
with฀the฀first฀iteration฀of฀RTC฀in฀2001฀(S.฀
House฀&฀J.฀Theroux).฀In฀the฀present฀study,฀
the฀author฀presents฀student฀feedback฀to฀
explain฀the฀difference.฀
Keywords:฀active฀learning,฀case฀study,฀
pedagogy
Copyright฀©฀2009฀Heldref฀Publications

฀

T

he฀ traditional฀ case฀ method฀ can฀
be฀ classified฀ as฀ a฀ type฀ of฀ experiential฀ learning฀ because฀ students฀ treat฀
the฀ problem฀ in฀ the฀ case฀ as฀ if฀ it฀ were฀
real฀and฀immediate,฀even฀though฀events฀
in฀ the฀ case฀ occurred฀ many฀ months฀ or฀
years฀ in฀ the฀ past.฀ Until฀ the฀ emergence฀
of฀ the฀ Internet,฀ there฀ was฀ no฀ practical฀
way฀ for฀ cases฀ to฀ actually฀ be฀ real฀ and฀
immediate.฀The฀Internet฀makes฀instantaneous฀ distribution฀ of฀ cases฀ possible,฀
and฀ offers฀ the฀ potential฀ for฀ their฀ creation฀ in฀ real฀ time.฀ The฀ present฀ article฀
describes฀an฀attempt฀to฀use฀the฀Internet฀
to฀ bring฀ business฀ reality฀ to฀ business฀
courses,฀ and฀ to฀ facilitate฀ communication฀ among฀ instructors,฀ students,฀ and฀
the฀ case฀ company.฀ My฀ goal฀ was฀ to฀
stimulate฀ a฀ dialogue฀ about฀ how฀ the฀
Internet฀ can฀ be฀ used฀ to฀ move฀ current฀
teaching฀ methods฀ forward—especially฀

the฀ case฀ method—because฀ it฀ is฀ so฀
prominent฀in฀schools฀of฀business.฀
Educators฀ over฀ the฀ past฀ 50฀ years฀
have฀ introduced฀ many฀ learning฀ models฀
for฀ business฀ characterized฀ as฀ experiential฀ learning.฀ They฀ shared฀ the฀ purpose฀ of฀ increasing฀ motivation฀ through฀
interactivity฀(Swift฀&฀Kent,฀1999).฀Cases฀
provide฀ a฀ proxy฀ for฀ the฀ most฀ direct฀
form฀ of฀ experiential฀ learning:฀ internships฀(Shulman,฀1992).฀Recent฀developments฀ in฀ experiential฀ learning฀ include฀
simulations฀(Antepohl฀&฀Herzig,฀1999),฀
games฀ (Saunders,฀ 1997),฀ living฀ cases฀
(Andrews฀ &฀ Noel,฀ 1986),฀ team฀ learn-

ing฀(Harrison-Walker,฀2000),฀and฀action฀
learning฀ (Cribbs,฀ 2000).฀ These฀ efforts฀
represent฀ the฀ search฀ for฀ more฀ compelling฀instructional฀methods.฀
To฀ affect฀ management฀ education,฀
any฀ pedagogical฀ innovation฀ must฀ pass฀
the฀ following฀ tests:฀ (a)฀ Students฀ must฀
like฀ it;฀ (b)฀ faculty฀ must฀ find฀ it฀ worth฀
the฀switching฀cost;฀and฀(c)฀the฀innovation฀must฀be฀economical฀and฀practical฀

to฀ produce.฀ It฀ is฀ interesting฀ that฀ the฀
adoption฀ of฀ one฀ pedagogical฀ method฀
over฀ another฀ is฀ not฀ based฀ on฀ evidence฀
of฀ efficacy฀ (Shulman,฀ 1992).฀The฀ purpose฀of฀the฀present฀article฀was฀to฀report฀
on฀ student฀ satisfaction฀ during฀ the฀ second฀ implementation฀ of฀ an฀ innovation฀
in฀experiential฀learning฀called฀the฀realtime฀ case฀ (RTC)฀ study.฀ Theroux฀ and฀
Kilbane฀ (2004)฀ evaluated฀ student฀ satisfaction฀with฀RTC฀for฀the฀first฀implementation฀of฀the฀concept.฀Kilbane฀et฀al.฀
(2004)฀assessed฀the฀faculty฀experience,฀
and฀ in฀ my฀ previous฀ work฀ (Theroux,฀
2007),฀ I฀ researched฀ the฀ feasibility฀ and฀
costs฀to฀produce฀an฀RTC฀study.฀
The฀Sloan฀Foundation,฀the฀Kauffman฀
Foundation,฀ and฀ the฀ Coleman฀ Foundation฀ facilitated฀ the฀ initial฀ launch฀ of฀ an฀
RTC฀study฀in฀2001฀as฀an฀innovation฀in฀
the฀case฀method฀and฀experiential฀learning,฀with฀myself฀as฀project฀director.฀The฀
financial฀supporters’฀goal฀was฀to฀stretch฀
the฀definition฀of฀case฀study฀and฀to฀modernize฀ it.฀ The฀ subject฀ company฀ for฀ the฀
first฀ production฀ of฀ an฀ RTC฀ study฀ was฀
July/August฀2009฀

367

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Optasite,฀Inc.,฀of฀Worcester,฀Massachusetts1฀(House฀&฀Theroux,฀2001).
An฀ RTC฀ study฀ is฀ a฀ series฀ of฀ weekly฀
case฀ studies฀ focusing฀ on฀ a฀ single฀ company.฀The฀case฀installments฀are฀written฀
and฀distributed฀to฀students฀as฀the฀events฀
being฀ described฀ are฀ unfolding฀ in฀ real฀
time.฀ Each฀ weekly฀ case฀ focuses฀ on฀ a฀
problem฀ facing฀ the฀ subject฀ company฀
at฀ that฀ moment฀ and฀ invites฀ students฀ to฀
solve฀it.฀By฀the฀end฀of฀a฀semester,฀students฀have฀studied฀the฀subject฀company฀
in฀depth฀and฀have฀had฀some฀direct฀contact฀with฀the฀company฀by฀way฀of฀a฀Web฀
site฀ dedicated฀ to฀ RTC.฀ Students฀ do฀ not฀
need฀ to฀ use฀ the฀ company’s฀ Web฀ site;฀
rather,฀ the฀ company฀ uses฀ the฀ Web฀ site฀
dedicated฀ to฀ RTC฀ as฀ well.฀ The฀ following฀ is฀ an฀ excerpt฀ from฀ the฀ syllabus฀ of฀
a฀ course฀ that฀ was฀ centered฀ on฀ an฀ RTC฀
study฀that฀I฀created฀in฀2001:฀

As฀ you฀ read฀ this,฀ the฀ managers฀ of฀ a฀
new฀ high-tech฀ company฀ are฀ striving฀ to฀
achieve฀ the฀ entrepreneurial฀ dream.฀ On฀ a฀
password-protected฀ Web฀ site฀ (realtimecasestudy.com)฀you฀will฀follow฀that฀company,฀and฀see฀its฀progress฀week฀by฀week.฀
You฀ will฀ be฀ actively฀ engaged฀ with฀ the฀
company,฀ analyzing฀ its฀ problems,฀ and฀
making฀ input.฀You฀ will฀ be฀ participating,฀
along฀with฀students฀from฀other฀universities,฀in฀a฀full-semester,฀RTC฀study.฀Unlike฀
traditional฀ case฀ studies,฀ this฀ RTC฀ study฀
will฀dig฀deeply฀into฀one฀company฀during฀
the฀ entire฀ semester.฀ At฀ this฀ moment,฀ a฀
case฀ writer฀ is฀ stationed฀ full฀ time฀ at฀ the฀
case฀company.฀Each฀week,฀the฀writer฀will฀
provide฀us฀with฀the฀information฀we฀need฀
to฀analyze฀a฀particular฀problem฀or฀question฀faced฀by฀the฀company.฀But฀our฀goal฀
is฀not฀analysis฀for฀its฀own฀sake;฀instead,฀
we฀ want฀ to฀ go฀ beyond฀ critiquing฀ and฀
make฀ valuable฀ recommendations฀ to฀ the฀
company.฀The฀company฀is฀counting฀on฀us฀
to฀perform,฀and฀we฀want฀to฀deliver.฀

Results฀from฀the฀2001฀case฀(Theroux฀
&฀ Kilbane,฀ 2004)฀ were฀ positive:฀ Participating฀ students฀ and฀ faculty฀ became฀
supporters฀ of฀ the฀ RTC,฀ and฀ the฀ concept฀garnered฀three฀national฀awards฀for฀
pedagogical฀ innovation฀ (see฀ Appendix฀
A).฀ The฀ supporters฀ were฀ motivated฀ to฀
produce฀a฀new฀RTC฀study฀in฀the฀fall฀of฀
2005.฀ The฀ purpose฀ of฀ the฀ second฀ case฀
was฀ to฀ validate฀ results฀ from฀ the฀ first฀
case,฀ to฀ test฀ scalability฀ by฀ expanding฀
the฀ use฀ of฀ the฀ case฀ from฀ 4฀ universities฀
to฀11,฀and฀to฀improve฀the฀case฀production฀ process฀ by฀ implementing฀ lessons฀
learned฀from฀the฀2001฀case฀(Hopkins฀&฀
Theroux,฀2005).
368฀

Journal฀of฀Education฀for฀Business

The฀ subject฀ company฀ for฀ the฀ 2005฀
case฀ was฀ DAFCA,฀ Inc.,฀ of฀ Framingham,฀ Massachusetts.฀ DAFCA฀ creates฀

software฀ tools฀ that฀ chip฀ designers฀ use.฀
Thus,฀ DAFCA฀ is฀ part฀ of฀ the฀ highest฀
high-tech฀ industries.฀ Its฀ employees฀
work฀in฀the฀invisible฀world฀of฀the฀semiconductor.฀They฀are฀on฀the฀forefront฀of฀
new฀products฀and฀technology฀(Hopkins฀
&฀Theroux,฀2005).
Scope฀and฀Limitations
The฀ purpose฀ of฀ the฀ present฀ study฀
was฀ to฀ evaluate฀ the฀ effect฀ of฀ the฀ RTC฀
method฀(Hopkins฀&฀Theroux,฀2005)฀on฀
students฀ of฀ the฀ 2005฀ implementation฀
and฀to฀compare฀it฀with฀the฀2001฀implementation฀ (House฀ &฀ Theroux,฀ 2001).฀
The฀ RTC฀ concept฀ is฀ still฀ at฀ the฀ experimental฀ stage฀ after฀ just฀ two฀ implementations.฀ Although฀ evaluation฀ data฀ such฀
as฀ those฀ presented฀ in฀ the฀ present฀ study฀
are฀ important,฀ more฀ evaluation฀ work฀
needs฀to฀be฀done,฀particularly฀with฀other฀
groups฀ of฀ students฀ and฀ other฀ teachers฀
using฀the฀method.฀My฀evaluation฀should฀
aid฀ future฀ RTC฀ users,฀ producers,฀ and฀
those฀ who฀ seek฀ to฀ evaluate฀ the฀ method฀ further.฀ The฀ degree฀ to฀ which฀ these฀

results฀generalize฀to฀other฀teachers฀and฀
settings฀is฀an฀important฀area฀for฀further฀
research.฀ It฀ would฀ have฀ been฀ ideal฀ to฀
use฀experimental฀designs฀that฀randomly฀
assign฀ students฀ to฀ RTC฀ and฀ non-RTC฀
groups฀to฀best฀evaluate฀the฀method,฀but฀
such฀designs฀were฀hard฀to฀implement฀in฀
a฀university฀setting.
METHOD
My฀ main฀ goal฀ in฀ evaluating฀ RTC฀
was฀ to฀ validate฀ what฀ I฀ and฀ the฀ other฀
researchers฀learned฀in฀the฀2001฀inaugural฀implementation฀(House฀&฀Theroux,฀
2001).฀In฀particular,฀we฀wanted฀to฀confirm฀ that฀ students฀ (a)฀ found฀ the฀ RTC฀
concept฀ engaging฀ and฀ interesting,฀ (b)฀
perceived฀ it฀ had฀ value฀ for฀ themselves฀
and฀ for฀ others,฀ and฀ (c)฀ believed฀ that฀
the฀ RTC฀ enabled฀ some฀ type฀ of฀ learning฀ not฀ offered฀ by฀ conventional฀ cases,฀
including฀ a฀ more฀ realistic฀ understanding฀of฀business฀and฀an฀appreciation฀for฀
the฀complex฀nature฀of฀business฀decision฀
making.฀ I฀ discuss฀ the฀ methodological฀

issues฀in฀carrying฀out฀the฀evaluation฀of฀
these฀objectives.฀

Participants฀
Because฀ all฀ RTC฀ material฀ is฀ distributed฀ on฀ a฀ Web฀ site,฀ there฀ is฀ no฀ limit฀
to฀ the฀ number฀ of฀ schools฀ that฀ could฀
study฀ the฀ case.฀ The฀ number฀ of฀ schools฀
in฀ 2005฀ was฀ 11,฀ including฀ 1฀ in฀ Puerto฀
Rico฀and฀1฀in฀Canada฀(for฀a฀list฀of฀participating฀institutions,฀see฀Appendix฀B).฀
Schools฀ were฀ self-selected฀ in฀ response฀
to฀an฀open฀invitation฀that฀I฀made฀at฀two฀
academic฀meetings.฀I฀did฀not฀reject฀any฀
school’s฀ request฀ for฀ inclusion฀ in฀ the฀
present฀study.
Instrument฀Development
I฀ developed฀ a฀ postimplementation฀
survey฀ with฀ items฀ to฀ assess฀ the฀ three฀
main฀aforementioned฀objectives,฀several฀
questions฀about฀specific฀aspects฀of฀RTC฀
study฀ (e.g.,฀ its฀ depth฀ and฀ its฀ real-time฀
nature),฀and฀several฀open-ended฀probes.฀
To฀allow฀comparisons฀between฀the฀first฀
and฀ second฀ implementations฀ of฀ RTC฀
study,฀ the฀ questions฀ related฀ to฀ the฀ two฀
were฀ the฀ same.฀ The฀ survey฀ contained฀
(a)฀ 14฀ selected-response฀ items฀ using฀ a฀
5-point฀ Likert-type฀ scale฀ ranging฀ from฀
1฀ (strongly฀ disagree)฀ to฀ 5฀ (strongly฀
agree)฀ and฀ (b)฀ 4฀ open-response฀ items.฀
I฀ designed฀ the฀ questions฀ to฀ measure฀
the฀degree฀to฀which฀RTC฀study฀accomplished฀ its฀ specific฀ pedagogical฀ objectives฀ and฀ to฀ inquire฀ about฀ the฀ students’฀
impressions฀of฀how฀much฀they฀enjoyed฀
and฀learned฀from฀the฀RTC฀experience.฀I฀
developed฀the฀original฀questions฀in฀conjunction฀ with฀ a฀ panel฀ of฀ three฀ experts฀
in฀educational฀test฀and฀survey฀development฀at฀the฀University฀of฀Massachusetts฀
School฀ of฀ Education.฀ I฀ pretested฀ the฀
instrument฀ by฀ presenting฀ the฀ questions฀
to฀a฀group฀of฀five฀graduate฀students฀who฀
were฀not฀included฀in฀the฀study.฀I฀queried฀
the฀students฀about฀the฀clarity฀and฀meaningfulness฀ of฀ the฀ questions฀ and฀ made฀
slight฀revisions฀to฀improve฀the฀clarity฀of฀
some฀items.2฀
Data฀Collection฀
To฀ discover฀ students’฀ perceptions฀ of฀
their฀experience฀with฀RTC,฀each฀participating฀ professor฀ administered฀ a฀ paper฀
survey฀at฀the฀end฀of฀the฀14-week฀experience฀with฀the฀RTC฀study.฀In฀2005,฀the฀
survey฀ included฀ (a)฀ all฀ the฀ questions฀
asked฀ in฀ 2001฀ and฀ (b)฀ several฀ others฀

RTC฀ study฀ (see฀ Figure฀ 7),฀ and฀ 56%฀
(94)฀did฀not฀prefer฀traditional฀courses฀
over฀RTC฀study฀(see฀Figure฀8).฀There฀
is฀ some฀ ambiguity฀ with฀ the฀ 32–34%฀
(55)฀ who฀ were฀ unsure฀ which฀ type฀ of฀
course฀ they฀ would฀ prefer.฀ However,฀
the฀percentage฀of฀students฀who฀would฀
choose฀ traditional฀ courses฀ over฀ RTC฀
study฀ was฀ low,฀ 10%฀ (17)฀ for฀ both฀

Percentage฀(%)

RESULTS

฀

52

50
40
26

30
16

20
10
0

0
Strongly฀
disagree

4
Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀1.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“Real-time฀cases฀
provide฀a฀more฀realistic฀learning฀experience฀for฀students,฀compared฀with฀
a฀traditional฀business฀course.”

47

50
Percentage฀(%)

A฀ summary฀ of฀ data฀ obtained฀ from฀
students฀ is฀ presented฀ in฀ the฀ following฀
figures.฀ Students฀ responded฀ to฀ statements฀ on฀ a฀ continuum฀ ranging฀ from฀
strongly฀ disagree฀ (SD)฀ to฀ strongly฀
agree฀(SA).
Figures฀ 1฀ and฀ 2฀ indicate฀ that฀ the฀
majority฀ of฀ students฀ felt฀ that฀ RTC฀
study฀ was฀ more฀ realistic฀ as฀ a฀ learning฀
experience฀and฀as฀a฀perspective฀on฀the฀
business฀ world.฀ In฀ all,฀ 80%฀ (134)฀ of฀
students฀saw฀the฀case฀as฀a฀more฀realistic฀learning฀experience฀than฀traditional฀
business฀ courses,฀ and฀ 71%฀ (119)฀ felt฀
it฀ presented฀ a฀ more฀ realistic฀ view฀ of฀
the฀ business฀ world.฀ Thus,฀ RTC฀ study฀
appears฀ to฀ have฀ strongly฀ delivered฀ a฀
realism฀factor฀to฀students.฀
When฀evaluated฀as฀a฀tool฀for฀teaching฀
entrepreneurship,฀ RTC฀ study฀ received฀
high฀ scores.฀ In฀ all,฀ 84%฀ (140)฀ of฀ students฀ surveyed฀ saw฀ RTC฀ study฀ as฀ an฀
effective฀ way฀ to฀ learn฀ about฀ entrepreneurship฀(see฀Figure฀3),฀and฀81%฀(135)฀
would฀ recommend฀ using฀ RTC฀ study฀
for฀ future฀ entrepreneurial฀ courses฀ (see฀
Figure฀4).฀
Students’฀enjoyment฀levels฀were฀generally฀ high.฀ In฀ all,฀ 81%฀ (135)฀ would฀
recommend฀the฀course฀to฀a฀friend฀(see฀
Figure฀ 5).฀ In฀ addition,฀ 50%฀ (84)฀ of฀
students฀enjoyed฀RTC฀more฀than฀other฀
business฀ courses,฀ whereas฀ 30%฀ (50)฀
were฀unsure฀(see฀Figure฀6).
The฀ majority฀ of฀ students฀ surveyed฀
preferred฀ RTC฀ to฀ traditional฀ business฀
courses.฀ Moreover,฀ 57%฀ (95)฀ would฀
not฀ choose฀ a฀ traditional฀ course฀ over฀

questions฀ comparing฀ RTC฀ study฀ with฀
traditional฀business฀courses.฀
When฀ comparing฀ RTC฀ study฀ with฀ a฀
historical฀case฀study,฀67%฀(112)฀of฀the฀
students฀ indicated฀ they฀ would฀ prefer฀
RTC฀ to฀ a฀ historical฀ case฀ (see฀ Figure฀
9).฀Reasons฀for฀this฀are฀included฀in฀the฀
discussion฀of฀open-ended฀questions.฀In฀
all,฀ 23%฀ (38)฀ were฀ unsure฀ which฀ they฀

60

40
30
10

24

21

20
0

8
0
Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀2.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“Real-time฀cases฀
provide฀a฀more฀realistic฀view฀of฀the฀business฀world฀than฀do฀other฀business฀courses฀I฀have฀taken.”

56

60
Percentage฀(%)

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relating฀to฀the฀cost฀of฀the฀RTC฀materials฀
and฀the฀degree฀of฀difficulty฀in฀using฀the฀
online฀technology.฀
Of฀the฀245฀students฀who฀participated฀
in฀ the฀ case฀ study,฀ 167฀ students฀ filled฀
out฀ the฀ survey฀ instrument฀ (68%).฀ This฀
return฀ rate฀ exceeded฀ the฀ rate฀ in฀ 2001,฀
when฀professors฀asked฀their฀students฀to฀
fill฀ out฀ an฀ online฀ survey฀ in฀ their฀ spare฀
time฀(50%).฀In฀2005,฀all฀students฀attending฀class฀on฀the฀day฀of฀the฀survey฀completed฀it฀in฀class.฀I฀had฀no฀control฀over฀
the฀administration฀of฀the฀surveys฀except฀
in฀my฀classroom.฀One฀class฀was฀online฀
only฀ (no฀ face-to-face฀ interaction),฀ and฀
its฀students฀filled฀out฀the฀survey฀online.฀
All฀responses฀were฀anonymous.฀

50
40
30
20
10
0

28

2

4

Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

10

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀3.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“Real-time฀cases฀
are฀an฀effective฀way฀for฀students฀to฀learn฀about฀entrepreneurship.”

July/August฀2009฀

369

Among฀responses฀to฀an฀open-ended฀
question฀ regarding฀ what฀ could฀ be฀
improved฀in฀the฀case฀were฀several฀indicating฀ that฀ students฀ felt฀ a฀ strong฀ connection฀to฀the฀case฀company฀(DAFCA,฀
Inc.)฀and฀that฀they฀wanted฀more฀direct฀
communication฀ with฀ the฀ company.฀
This฀ request฀ for฀ more฀ communication฀
was฀not฀voiced฀in฀the฀2001฀case฀(Optasite,฀ Inc.;฀ Theroux฀ &฀ Kilbane,฀ 2004).฀
The฀ absolute฀ level฀ of฀ student–company฀communication฀was฀much฀higher฀
in฀ 2001,฀ and฀ I฀ explain฀ that฀ difference฀
in฀ the฀ Discussion฀ section.฀ A฀ consequence฀ of฀ the฀ students’฀ interest฀ in฀ the฀
case฀ company฀ (DAFCA)฀ was฀ significant฀ student฀ frustration฀ with฀ some฀ of฀
the฀ company’s฀ business฀ decisions฀ and฀
frustration฀with฀the฀company’s฀lack฀of฀
responsiveness฀ to฀ them.฀ This฀ frustration,฀ though฀ it฀ could฀ be฀ viewed฀ as฀ a฀
negative,฀ indicated฀ a฀ level฀ of฀ engagement฀ not฀ typically฀ seen฀ with฀ traditional฀ cases.฀ Students฀ indicated฀ that฀
370฀

Journal฀of฀Education฀for฀Business

Percentage฀(%)

฀1.฀“To฀me฀it’s฀like฀watching฀a฀game฀live฀
versus฀watching฀a฀taped฀game.฀Even฀
though฀ you฀ don’t฀ know฀ the฀ outcome฀
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

in฀either฀case,฀somehow฀the฀live฀game฀
feels฀more฀suspenseful.฀You฀feel฀that฀
if฀ you฀ work฀ hard฀ enough,฀ you฀ can฀
help฀change฀the฀outcome.฀It฀is฀fun฀to฀
think฀ that฀ the฀ recommendations฀ we฀
make฀could฀help฀DAFCA฀succeed.”
฀2.฀“[There฀was฀a]฀sense฀of฀‘power’฀from฀
being฀ given฀ the฀ chance฀ to฀ ‘consult’฀
for฀ a฀ company฀ and฀ being฀ part฀ of฀ the฀
history฀of฀the฀company.”
฀3.฀“You฀ feel฀ as฀ though฀ your฀ work฀ matters฀ for฀ something฀ besides฀ a฀ letter฀
59

22

16
1

4

Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀4.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“I฀recommend฀that฀
more฀entrepreneurial฀courses฀using฀real-time฀cases฀be฀offered฀in฀the฀future.”

45

50
Percentage฀(%)

Student฀Responses฀to฀OpenEnded฀Questions฀

they฀ wanted฀ more฀ direct฀ communication฀with฀DAFCA,฀wanted฀to฀interview฀
DAFCA฀ executives,฀ and฀ wanted฀ more฀
feedback฀from฀the฀company.฀
In฀response฀to฀an฀open-ended฀question฀
about฀what฀makes฀RTC฀study฀more฀compelling฀ than฀ a฀ conventional฀ case฀ study,฀
students฀made฀the฀following฀comments:฀

40

36

30
20

10

10
0

Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

6
Agree

3
Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀5.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“If฀another฀student฀
asked฀me฀about฀this฀course,฀I฀would฀tell฀them฀not฀to฀take฀it.”

50
Percentage฀(%)

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would฀prefer.฀It฀is฀unclear฀whether฀this฀
was฀ because฀ of฀ (a)฀ no฀ prior฀ exposure฀
to฀ historical฀ cases฀ or฀ (b)฀ no฀ strong฀
feelings฀ toward฀ either฀ type฀ of฀ case.฀
The฀ results฀ that฀ indicated฀ the฀ value฀
students฀ assigned฀ to฀ the฀ course฀ was฀
mixed฀(see฀Figure฀10).฀Moreover,฀30%฀
(50)฀ felt฀ that฀ they฀ would฀ consider฀ it฀
the฀ most฀ valuable฀ course฀ ever฀ taken,฀
whereas฀22%฀(37)฀disagreed,฀and฀48%฀
(80)฀were฀not฀sure.฀
Student฀ reaction฀ to฀ the฀ Web-site฀
technology฀ that฀ I฀ used฀ in฀ the฀ case฀ was฀
mixed฀ but฀ largely฀ positive.฀ In฀ addition,฀
64%฀ (107)฀ did฀ not฀ feel฀ that฀ there฀ were฀
too฀ many฀ technical฀ difficulties฀ in฀ using฀
the฀ case,฀ whereas฀ 26%฀ (43)฀ did฀ see฀ too฀
many฀ technical฀ difficulties฀ (see฀ Figure฀
11).฀I฀included฀the฀question฀in฀the฀survey฀
because฀ there฀ were฀ so฀ many฀ technical฀
dimensions฀to฀using฀the฀case:฀online฀chat,฀
online฀ video,฀ phone฀ conferencing,฀ and฀
video฀ conferencing.฀ Unfortunately,฀ the฀
students฀ who฀ found฀ too฀ many฀ technical฀
difficulties฀did฀not฀elaborate฀on฀or฀explain฀
this฀view฀in฀the฀open-ended฀questions.฀In฀
all,฀ 54%฀ (90)฀ did฀ not฀ see฀ the฀ course฀ as฀
disorganized฀ when฀ compared฀ with฀ other฀
courses,฀ whereas฀ 31%฀ (52)฀ did฀ consider฀
RTC฀disorganized฀(see฀Figure฀12).

39

40

30

30
16

20
10
0

11

4
Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀6.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“I฀enjoyed฀this฀
course฀more฀than฀other฀business฀courses฀I฀have฀taken.”

grade.฀ There’s฀ incentive฀ to฀ produce฀
better฀quality฀work.”
฀4.฀“Often,฀ classes฀ may฀ not฀ seem฀ very฀
applicable฀to฀real฀life.฀This฀class฀really฀showed฀us฀how฀to฀apply฀topics฀in฀
the฀real฀business฀environment.”
In฀ response฀ to฀ an฀ open-ended฀ question฀ about฀ what฀ would฀ improve฀ RTC,฀
there฀ was฀ an฀ overwhelming฀ indication฀
from฀ students฀ that฀ they฀ wanted฀ more฀
communication฀and฀interaction฀between฀

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Percentage฀(%)

50

and฀among฀schools.฀These฀feelings฀were฀
not฀expressed฀in฀2001.฀Many฀of฀the฀2005฀
students฀ suggested฀ ways฀ to฀ facilitate฀
this฀ interaction.฀ Suggestions฀ included฀
more฀ videoconferences฀ or฀ conference฀
calls,฀ teams฀ comprising฀ students฀ from฀
various฀ schools,฀ and฀ feedback฀ among฀
schools฀on฀team฀submissions.
In฀ response฀ to฀ an฀ open-ended฀ question฀about฀what฀they฀disliked฀about฀the฀
case,฀some฀students฀felt฀the฀course฀was฀
too฀strenuous฀and฀disliked฀focusing฀on฀

44

40

32

30
20

13

8

10
0

2
Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀7.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“If฀given฀a฀choice฀
between฀a฀traditional฀business฀course฀and฀one฀that฀uses฀real-time฀cases,฀
I฀would฀choose฀the฀traditional฀course.”

45

Percentage฀(%)

50
40

34

30
20

13
6

10
0

Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

4
Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀8.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“I฀prefer฀a฀traditional฀business฀course฀over฀one฀that฀uses฀the฀real-time฀cases.”

45

Percentage฀(%)

50
40
30

23

22

20

9

10
0

1
Strongly฀
disagree

Disagree

Not฀sure

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀9.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“I฀would฀prefer฀to฀
study฀historical฀case฀studies฀instead฀of฀real-time฀cases.”

฀

one฀ company฀ for฀ an฀ entire฀ semester.฀
Other฀students฀wanted฀the฀case฀to฀move฀
at฀ a฀ faster฀ pace.฀ Some฀ representative฀
student฀comments฀follow:
฀1.฀“You฀ can฀ only฀ get฀ a฀ short฀ snapshot฀
of฀ the฀ company฀ during฀ a฀ semester,฀
since฀ not฀ a฀ lot฀ happens฀ and฀ recommendations฀ made฀ won’t฀ be฀ noticed฀
for฀months฀or฀years฀to฀come.”
฀2.฀“Choosing฀a฀company฀that฀isn’t฀fastpaced฀doesn’t฀utilize฀RTC฀to฀its฀fullest฀ effect.฀ Perhaps฀ a฀ company฀ with฀
fast฀turnaround฀would฀make฀for฀more฀
interesting฀cases.”
฀3.฀“The฀entire฀class฀was฀based฀on฀prediction:฀ What฀ might฀ or฀ could฀ happen?฀I฀would฀have฀liked฀to฀have฀seen฀
more฀action.”
A฀ majority฀ of฀ students฀ disliked฀ the฀
technical฀ nature฀ of฀ the฀ company฀ and฀
found฀the฀effort฀required฀to฀understand฀
DAFCA’s฀ industry฀ (semiconductor฀
design)฀ to฀ be฀ burdensome.฀ Nevertheless,฀approximately฀20%฀of฀the฀students฀
were฀ intrigued฀ and฀ challenged฀ by฀ the฀
high-tech฀ nature฀ of฀ the฀ case.฀ Student฀
sentiment฀ can฀ best฀ be฀ characterized฀ by฀
the฀following฀comments:
฀1.฀“There฀ is฀ a฀ big฀ learning฀ curve.฀ It฀
took฀ me฀ a฀ while฀ to฀ get฀ to฀ the฀ point฀
where฀ I฀ could฀ understand฀ electronic฀ design฀ automations฀ and฀ what฀
DAFCA฀does.”฀
฀2.฀“You฀need฀to฀know฀about฀the฀industry฀
to฀ learn฀ the฀ company’s฀ background,฀
which฀is฀very฀difficult.”
฀3.฀“There฀ was฀ way฀ too฀ much฀ background฀information฀that฀must฀be฀gone฀
over฀just฀to฀have฀an฀idea฀of฀what฀the฀
cases฀are฀talking฀about฀.฀.฀.฀.฀A฀business฀ type฀ that฀ is฀ more฀ familiar฀ to฀
students฀would฀provide฀an฀easier฀time฀
linking฀ideas฀and฀practices.”
In฀ addition฀ to฀ differences฀ of฀ opinion฀
among฀ students฀ in฀ 2005,฀ there฀ were฀
some฀ broad,฀ consistent฀ similarities฀ in฀
the฀ responses฀ students฀ gave฀ after฀ 2001฀
and฀ 2005.฀ These฀ similarities฀ included฀
the฀ following:฀ (a)฀ Students฀ liked฀ the฀
realistic,฀ real-world฀ feel฀ of฀ RTC;฀ (b)฀
students฀ noted฀ that฀ in฀ a฀ complex฀ reallife฀ case฀ there฀ was฀ no฀ right฀ answer.฀
In฀accordance,฀the฀professor’s฀role฀was฀
changed฀ to฀ one฀ of฀ coparticipant฀ and฀
coach.฀Students฀also฀liked฀this.฀
July/August฀2009฀

371

Student฀Recommendations
Students฀ provided฀ a฀ broad฀ range฀ of฀
recommendations,฀ and฀ the฀ following฀
were฀the฀most฀common:
฀1.฀“Use฀ an฀ industry฀ that฀ is฀ easier฀ to฀
understand฀ so฀ not฀ as฀ much฀ time฀
needs฀ to฀ be฀ spent฀ on฀ learning฀ the฀
technology.”
฀2 .฀“Run฀the฀case฀for฀an฀entire฀year฀so฀
students฀ can฀ follow฀ the฀ company฀

Percentage฀(%)

48

50
40
30
20
10
0

21

17

9

5
Strongly฀
disagree

Not฀sure

Disagree

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀10.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“Years฀from฀now,฀
I฀will฀look฀back฀on฀this฀course฀and฀realize฀it฀was฀one฀of฀the฀most฀valuable฀
I฀have฀ever฀taken.”

Percentage฀(%)

60

49

50
40
30
20

18

15

11

8

10
0

Strongly฀
disagree

Not฀sure

Disagree

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀11.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“There฀were฀too฀
many฀technical฀difficulties฀in฀using฀the฀real-time฀case.”

50
Percentage฀(%)

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60

for฀a฀longer฀period฀of฀time.”
฀3.฀“Update฀ students฀ on฀ DAFCA’s฀ reaction฀ to฀ their฀ suggestions.฀Are฀ any฀ of฀
the฀recommendations฀implemented฀at฀
the฀company?”
฀4.฀“Provide฀ students฀ with฀ a฀ follow-up฀
case฀or฀update฀the฀semester฀after฀the฀
course฀has฀been฀completed.”
฀5.฀“The฀cases฀often฀spelled฀out฀the฀issues฀
and฀hinted฀at฀the฀answers.฀Leave฀this฀
to฀the฀students฀to฀flush฀out.”

41

40
27

30
20

13

13
5

10
0

Strongly฀
disagree

Not฀sure

Disagree

Agree

Strongly฀
agree

Response฀(%)
FIGURE฀12.฀Percentages฀of฀responses฀to฀the฀statement฀“This฀course฀was฀
disorganized฀compared฀with฀other฀courses฀I฀have฀taken.”

372฀

Journal฀of฀Education฀for฀Business

Comparison฀Between฀the฀2001฀
and฀2005฀Cases฀
Because฀ this฀ was฀ the฀ second฀ implementation฀of฀the฀RTC฀concept,฀it฀is฀interesting฀ to฀ look฀ at฀ how฀ student฀ responses฀
varied฀between฀the฀two฀implementations.฀
I฀ interpret฀ those฀ differences฀ in฀ the฀ Discussion.฀First,฀I฀focus฀on฀the฀comparison฀
data.฀ In฀ 2005,฀ fewer฀ students฀ (50%฀ vs.฀
84%)฀ found฀ the฀ course฀ more฀ enjoyable฀
than฀ they฀ did฀ other฀ courses฀ they฀ had฀
taken.฀ A฀ much฀ lower฀ percentage฀ (24%฀
vs.฀ 45%)฀ of฀ students฀ in฀ 2005฀ named฀
RTC฀their฀favorite฀course.฀In฀2005฀versus฀
2001,฀a฀much฀lower฀percentage฀(24%฀vs.฀
45%)฀of฀students฀felt฀RTC฀was฀the฀most฀
memorable฀ or฀ valuable฀ course฀ they฀ had฀
taken.฀Slightly฀fewer฀students฀from฀2005฀
(79%฀ vs.฀ 91%)฀ would฀ recommend฀ the฀
course฀ than฀ would฀ students฀ from฀ 2001,฀
although฀ the฀ response฀ for฀ both฀ implementations฀was฀positive.
DISCUSSION฀
The฀ 2005฀ data฀ indicate฀ that฀ RTC฀
achieved฀ its฀ stated฀ goals฀ of฀ creating฀ a฀
course฀that฀is฀(a)฀engaging,฀(b)฀valuable฀
to฀students,฀and฀(c)฀able฀to฀convey฀a฀realistic฀view฀of฀business฀in฀a฀unique฀way.฀
Students฀in฀2001฀and฀2005฀affirmed฀that฀
they฀ liked฀ the฀ RTC฀ concept฀ and฀ would฀
like฀to฀see฀more฀of฀it฀at฀their฀schools.฀
Although฀ the฀ 2005฀ case฀ received฀ positive฀ratings,฀those฀ratings฀were฀significantly฀
lower฀than฀those฀from฀the฀2001฀case.฀What฀
could฀ explain฀ this?฀Although฀ the฀ students฀
in฀2005฀appreciated฀RTC฀features฀such฀as฀
immediacy,฀realism,฀and฀depth฀of฀information,฀ they฀ were฀ troubled฀ in฀ the฀ following฀
two฀areas:฀(a)฀the฀burden฀of฀digesting฀the฀
technology฀underlying฀the฀case฀company’s฀
business฀and฀(b)฀the฀lack฀of฀two-way฀communication฀with฀the฀case฀company.฀
Regarding฀the฀inscrutability฀of฀the฀case฀
company’s฀ work฀ and฀ products,฀ student฀
feedback฀ indicates฀ that฀ future฀ case฀ producers฀ should฀ avoid฀ such฀ types฀ of฀ company.฀Perhaps฀certain฀students฀in฀technical฀
fields฀might฀be฀ready฀and฀willing฀to฀take฀
on฀ such฀ a฀ challenge,฀ but฀ for฀ the฀ average฀
student฀it฀is฀not฀worth฀the฀effort.฀
Regarding฀ the฀ lack฀ of฀ two-way฀
communication฀with฀the฀case฀company฀
that฀the฀students฀felt,฀this฀was฀a฀problem฀
in฀ 2005฀ but฀ not฀ in฀ 2001.฀ The฀ RTC฀
concept฀ was฀ designed฀ to฀ deliver฀ twoway฀communication.฀This฀was฀promised฀

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to฀ students฀ in฀ both฀ implementations,฀
but฀delivered฀to฀a฀large฀degree฀in฀2001,฀
versus฀a฀small฀degree฀in฀2005.฀I฀believe฀
that฀this฀was฀a฀major฀factor฀in฀reducing฀
student฀ satisfaction฀ in฀ 2005.฀ The฀
problem฀in฀2005฀was฀a฀human฀one฀that฀
caused฀ the฀ CEO฀ of฀ the฀ case฀ company฀
to฀reduce฀his฀level฀of฀engagement฀with฀
the฀case฀production฀team.฀The฀situation฀
was฀ not฀ bad฀ enough฀ to฀ prevent฀ the฀
writing฀of฀the฀weekly฀cases,฀but฀it฀lead฀
to฀ a฀ reduction฀ in฀ the฀ planned฀ RTC฀
practices฀ of฀ weekly฀ online฀ chats฀ with฀
company฀ managers,฀ monthly฀ video฀
conferences,฀ and฀ regular฀ feedback฀ to฀
student฀recommendations.฀
The฀problem฀with฀the฀2005฀CEO฀highlights฀ how฀ critical฀ it฀ is฀ to฀ have฀ the฀ full฀
cooperation฀ of฀ the฀ case฀ company.฀ I฀ have฀
ideas฀ on฀ how฀ to฀ increase฀ the฀ odds฀ of฀
this฀cooperation฀in฀future฀cases,฀including฀
a฀ written฀ agreement฀ outlining฀ responsibilities฀ and฀ commitments฀ of฀ each฀ party.฀
I฀ invite฀ readers฀ to฀ discuss฀ this฀ and฀ other฀
topics฀related฀to฀the฀creation฀of฀RTCs฀and฀
to฀ read฀ the฀ economics฀ and฀ the฀ practical฀

challenges฀ of฀ producing฀ an฀ RTC฀ (Theroux,฀2007).฀
NOTES
1฀ .฀ A฀ description฀ of฀ what฀ an฀ RTC฀ study฀ looks฀
like฀ and฀ how฀ it฀ works฀ is฀ available฀ at฀ http://intra.
som.umass.edu/theroux฀(Web฀site).
฀2.฀ A฀copy฀of฀the฀survey฀is฀available฀from฀James฀
M.฀Theroux฀on฀request.
James฀M.฀Theroux฀is฀the฀Flavin฀Professor฀of฀
Entrepreneurship฀at฀University฀of฀Massachusetts฀
Amherst.฀ He฀ specializes฀ in฀ bringing฀ business฀
reality฀ to฀ the฀ classroom.฀ His฀ research฀ focuses฀
on฀ the฀ evaluation฀ of฀ pedagogical฀ innovation฀ for฀
business฀education.฀
Correspondence฀ concerning฀ this฀ article฀ should฀
be฀addressed฀to฀James฀M.฀Theroux,฀the฀University฀
of฀Massachusetts฀Amherst,฀School฀of฀Management,฀
121฀Presidents฀Drive,฀Amherst,฀MA฀01003,฀USA.
E-mail:฀theroux@som.umass.edu
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the฀ case฀ method.฀ Training฀ and฀ Development฀
Journal,฀40(2),฀28–29.
Antepohl,฀ W.,฀ &฀ Herzig,฀ S.฀ (1999).฀ Problembased฀learning฀versus฀lecture-based฀learning:฀A฀
controlled,฀ randomized฀ study.฀ Medical฀ Education,฀33,฀106–113.
Cribbs,฀ G.฀ (2000,฀ May฀ 29).฀ Back฀ in฀ fashion฀ yet฀
again:฀Action฀learning.฀Financial฀Times,฀p.฀14.
Harrison-Walker,฀ L.฀ (2000).฀ A฀ comprehensive฀

pedagogy฀for฀team-based฀case฀analysis.฀Journal฀
of฀Education฀for฀Business,฀75,฀241–245.
Hopkins,฀ M.,฀ &฀ Theroux,฀ J.฀ (2005).฀ DAFCA:฀
A฀ real-time฀ case฀ study.฀ Retrieved฀ December฀
11,฀ 2005,฀ from฀ University฀ of฀ Massachusetts฀
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http://spark.oit.umass.edu
House,฀S.,฀&฀Theroux,฀J.฀(2001).฀Optasite:฀A฀realtime฀ case฀ study.฀ Retrieved฀ December฀ 12,฀ 2001,฀
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School฀ of฀ Management฀ Web฀ site:฀ http://spark.
oit.umass.edu
Kilbane,฀ C.,฀ Theroux,฀ J.,฀ Sulej,฀ J.,฀ Bisson,฀ B.,฀
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APPENDIX฀A
National฀Recognition฀Awarded฀to฀the฀Real-Time฀Case฀Concept
The฀U.S.฀Association฀for฀Business฀and฀Entrepreneurship,฀the฀largest฀organization฀
of฀professors฀of฀entrepreneurship,฀named฀the฀real-time฀case฀study฀as฀the฀Pedagogical฀
Innovation฀of฀the฀Year฀in฀2002.
The฀Sloan฀Consortium,฀a฀leader฀in฀the฀study฀and฀dissemination฀of฀best฀practices฀in฀
online฀education,฀selected฀the฀real-time฀case฀for฀Best฀Practice฀for฀Student฀Satisfaction฀
in฀2002.
The฀U.S.฀Distance฀Learning฀Association฀is฀one฀of฀the฀three฀largest฀organizations฀
focused฀on฀the฀development฀and฀improvement฀of฀online฀learning.฀In฀2003,฀it฀selected฀
the฀real-time฀case฀study฀for฀the฀Excellence฀in฀Distance฀Teaching฀Award.

APPENDIX฀B
Real-Time฀Case฀Participants,฀by฀Site
Site฀
Site฀1฀
Site฀2฀
Site฀3฀
Site฀4฀
Site฀5฀
Site฀6฀
Site฀7฀
Site฀8฀
Site฀9,฀Section฀1฀
Site฀9,฀Section฀2฀
Site฀10฀
Site฀11฀

฀

Student฀profile฀

Institution

13฀MBA฀students฀
14฀undergraduate฀senior฀business฀majors฀
14฀high฀school฀juniors฀and฀seniors฀
15฀undergraduate฀engineering฀and฀business฀majors฀
25฀undergraduate฀business฀and฀engineering฀students฀฀
28฀MBA,฀executive,฀and฀undergraduate฀students฀
7฀MBA฀students฀
26฀MBA฀students,฀part-time฀and฀full-time฀฀
40฀full-time฀undergraduate฀students฀
13฀full-time฀MBA฀students฀
34฀MBA฀students,฀4฀were฀executives฀฀฀
16฀undergraduate฀business฀majors฀

Clark฀University
University฀of฀Northeast฀Oklahoma
Wilbraham-Munson฀Academy
Loyola฀Marymount฀University
Olin฀College,฀Babson฀College
University฀of฀Mary฀Hardin-Baylor
Inter฀American฀University฀of฀Puerto฀Rico
Pennsylvania฀State฀University
University฀of฀Massachusetts฀Amherst
University฀of฀Massachusetts฀Amherst
University฀of฀New฀Brunswick,฀Canada
University฀of฀Tampa

July/August฀2009฀

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