The case studies authored by Bryant University Trustee Professor of Management Michael Roberto, D.B.A., are renowned throughout the professional world for their key insights into industry, management, and human behavior. His recently published Case Companion, a highly innovative tool developed in collaboration with Harvard Business Publishing Education, teaches undergraduate students how to effectively analyze case studies and aids them in improving their analytical and decision-making skills.
The Director of Bryant’s Center for Program Innovation, Roberto joined the University’s tenured faculty after six years as a faculty member of Harvard Business School. A frequent consultant to Fortune 500 companies, he has also won myriad teaching and research awards. Roberto's award-winning case studies range from an examination of the rise of Planet Fitness to a multimedia analysis of the 2003 Columbia space shuttle accident. His Everest and Team Leadership simulation, developed with co-author Harvard Business School Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management Amy Edmonson, has also won several awards and was recently recognized as the best-selling simulation ever developed and distributed by Harvard Business School.
“The Case Companion experience gives students practice with different techniques and immediate feedback, as well as a variety of tips for how to tackle case studies. Our hope is that it will be useful for students at universities around the world as they encounter case studies for the first time.”
Knowing Roberto’s deep experience with and multi-media case studies and simulations that allow students to explore through experiential learning, Harvard invited Roberto to collaborate with them on creating a state-of-the-art online experience designed for undergraduates and others new to case studies. The collaboration team “interviewed numerous students to understand their needs and their struggles with analyzing case studies for the first time,” says Roberto. “We discovered that many students needed help marshalling data and evidence to support their recommendation.”
Given the challenges that come with applying complicated concepts and frameworks to case studies, students often benefit from opportunities to practice with a simple case before tackling a complex, full-length case study. To that end, the tutorial explains the utility of the case study method, offers step-by-step coaching on how to approach a case study, and provides a basic framework that can be applied to any case. Students can also practice applying this framework throughout the tutorial with an example case.
“The Case Companion experience gives students practice with different techniques and immediate feedback, as well as a variety of tips for how to tackle case studies,” Roberto notes. “Our hope is that it will be useful for students at universities around the world as they encounter case studies for the first time.”
