ATTRIBUTES GERMANE TO STUDENT/LIVE CASE SITUATIONS Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 24 ATTRIBUTES GERMANE TO STUDENT/LIVE CASE SITUATIONS Carroll C. Halterman, University of Denver Nancy S. Sampson, University of Denver Constantine E. Sotiriou, University of Denver ABSTRACT Live cases offer both advantages and disadvantages when compared to the traditional case approach. A significant difference lies in the fact that the businessman comes between the student and the case experience. Critical attributes associated with the businessman as an intervening variable were identified in a two phase research project. Eight aspects were found to be significant: communication capability, working relationships, mental attitude, qualifications, information situation, problem-orientation, availability, and time to build relationships. INTRODUCTION Case experiences are seen as adding the needed dimensions of practicality and dynamics to the student’s learning experience. All such situations involve a “third-party” factor which, through data-gathering and selectivity, separates the student from the case material. Whereas traditional case approaches put the student in immediate contact with the case through selected written material, in the live case, the business contacts themselves become an intervening variable which separates as well as connects the student with data relevant to the case experience. (Figure 1) The contact individual, as an intervening variable, then, becomes a most significant factor in the live case approach. FIGURE 1 Student-Case Relationships Traditional Case Approach Live Case Approach This study identified relevant attributes of the intervening variable as a step toward determining what influences affect the experience of the student examining the live case. DEFINITION OF TERMS For this study, live cases are student-selected small businesses. The intervening variable is the small businessman. The students are secondyear MBA candidates with experience in acting in consulting roles. Student groups work with the small businesses in a manner similar to that of student consultants working in the Stall Business Institute Program (6; ll). BACKGROUND The body of literature dealing with live cases is limited, and has only appeared since 1975 (1,3,6,11,12,13,14). The emphasis of these writings has been primarily to identify who is doing what; to explain how the process is executed; and to generalize on the benefits to the student. Wier included the identification of areas which might be deduced to be learning objectives (12) . Wren has suggested that live cases may be a substitute for on-the-job training (14) If the live case approach is, in fact, growing in use; and if it is indeed of benefit to the student as the literature suggests; it then becomes essential to better understand the variables germane to the process. Knowledge these variables may improve the front-end work necessary in preparing the student to better deal with the experience of the live case. METHODOLOGY Two phases contributed to isolating attributes of the intervening variables in the live case approach. The first phase involved identifying a number of supposed attributes (Figure 2) FIGURE 2 Initial Attribute Set Build confidence, trust (relationship) Motivation/Implementation Problems discussed honestly Admit gravity of situation Information: easy to get, clear, reliable Understands (jargon) Meetings arranged (accessible, not too busy Student does not do all the work Interest/Enthusiasm Enough time to build rapport Knows trade and industry Seeks advice and change Not temperamental Criticism: constructive, tactful Not defensive or protective Good climate of communication Open-minded Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 25 Objectivity Assistance Cooperation Company prepared properly No language barrier Good mental attitude Makes all appointments Work and solve problems together Objectives, goals, and expectations stat& Experience/Education/Background Purpose known Reporting procedures established Personalities mix The initial list of attributes was based on factors found by reviewing consultants’ experiences, student consultants’ experiences, and readings on consulting (4,5,7,9,10). This list was narrowed by an informal jury to a set of defined factors (Figure 3). FIGURE 3 Defined Attribute Set CAPABILITY TO COMMUNICATE (Some examples: Uses proper vocabulary; jargon of trade; fluent in speech; speaks same language; has writing and oral skills) WORKING RELATIONSHIPS ESTABLISHED (Some examples: Legality of as established; introduction made; consultant/small-businessman roles understood and agreed upon; trust and confidence instilled) MENTAL ATTITUDE (Some examples: Flexible; interested and responsive; has open mind; doesn’t resist ideas; seeks opinions; does not tire; is alert and aggressive) AVAILABILITY (Some examples: Is available; makes and keeps appointments; can be reached; is not rushed; time is organized; many meetings possible) TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS (Some examples: Duration of relationship is adequate; enough time lapses to build rapport) QUALIFICATIONS (Some examples: Has previous training; is backgrounded in area; experienced in field; is experienced in same or related activity; understands situation; seen as qualified) INFORMATION SITUATION (Some examples: Knows of information sources; has an information system; is organized in approach to financial and business data; recognizes sources such as library, industry, peers, experts; has what is needed) PROBLEM-ORIENTED (Some examples: Motivated; sees problem; sees payoff in relationship; needs help, or needs to help; recognizes the need for a change, and seeks it) The second phase of this research involved surveying student-groups, following the completion of their live-case project. A Likert type scale was used for each of the attributes. A six factor scale, ranging from very important to not important, was used to avoid the no-opinion response. The questionnaire provided space for any additional attributes which the student groups wished to score. Thirty-three student groups participating in similar live-case situations under a single faculty member were surveyed. FINDINGS The results of the survey are summarized in Figure 4. No additional attributes or comments were revealed. Measures of central tendency with values between 3 and S were categorized as “important,” while those with values between 0 and 2 were categorized as “unimportant. FIGURE 4 Attribute Survey Results Attribute Mean Median Mode Capability to communicate 4.2 4.5 5.0 Working Relationships Established 4.2 4.3 4.0 Mental Attitude 4.2 4.3 4.0 Qualifications 3.7 3.8 4.0 Information Situation 3.6 3.6 3.0 Problem-Oriented 3.9 3.9 4.0 Availability 4.0 4.1 4.0 Time to Build Relationships 3.7 3.8 4.0 All eight attributes were defined as “important” based on their means as supported by the median and mode calculations. All attributes fell well into the “important” range with means of 3.6 or more. Furthermore, cumulative frequency distributions show each attribute with at least 90 per cent of the ratings in the important categories. When the attributes are ranked based on the means, the order of importance is as follows: 1. Capability to communicate 2. Mental attitude 3. Working relationships established 4. Availability S. Problem-oriented 6. Qualifications 7. Time to build relationships 8. Information situation CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Eight attributes are shown to be important factors germane to the intervening variable, i.e., the small businessman, in the live case situation. These attributes are believed to be a necessary set of guide-posts to assist those involved in live cases. The attributes, as dimensions of interests, are recommended to be fully considered as necessary in introductory training for the novice in live cases. Insights into Experiential Pedagogy, Volume 6, 1979 26 The importance of the eight attributes may be further enhanced by relating them to a success rating of the small business. This is certainly a consideration for further research and analysis.1 REFERENCES 1 “B-Schoolers Act as Company Consultants,” Business Week, July 28, 1975, pp. 36-37. 2 Catlett, Larry F. ‘Important Dimensions in the Study Consultant/Small Businessman Consulting Process and the Relation Between These Important Dimensions and Successful and Unsuccessful Small Business.’ Unpublished Research Study, University of Denver, November, 1976. 3 Coleman, Linda J., Ernest F. Cook and Thomas J. Maronick. “The SBI Case as Experiential Learning,’ Proceedings of the National Conference of Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Denver, Colorado, 1978, 228-234. 4 Davey, Neil G. The External Consultant’s Role in Organizational Change. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1971. 5 Fuchs, Jerome H. Making the Most of Management Consulting Services. New York: AMACOM Press, 1975. 6 Leach, James A., “An SBI Program for Community College Students,’ Collegiate News and Views, Spring, 1977, pp. 11-12. 7 Levoy, Robert P. The Successful Professional Practice. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970. 8 Mayer, Kirt B. and Sidney Goldstein. The First Two Years: Problems of Small Firm Growth and Survival. Washington, D.C.: Office of Information Services, 1961. 9 Rogers, Rolf E. “The Human Element in Systems and Consulting Work.: Personnel Journal, September 1967, pp. 516-519. 10 Steele, Fritz. Consulting for Organizational Change. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1975. 11 Stahlecker, Winston D. and Pabst, Alfred A., “The Small Business Institute Program - A Man for All Seasons,” Collegiate News and Views, Winter, 1976-77, pp. 1-4. 12 Weir, James E. “The Use of a Live Case in Teaching Organization Theory and Management Principles to Graduate Students,” Proceedings of the National Conference of Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 1 Preliminary statistical results support this contention. Results will be published at a future date. Denver, Colorado, 1978, pp. 228-234. 13 Welch, Joe; Dave Gordon and Dave Halper, “A Methodology for Business Consulting in the Graduate Management Classroom,” Collegiate News and Views, Fall, 1977, 11-13. 14 Wren, George R. “The Residency in Hospital and Health Administration As Experiential Learning,” Proceedings of the National Conference of Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Denver, Colorado, 1978, 235-24 2. Table of Contents Volume 6, 1979 The Use of Cases with Role Plays in a Research Methods Course Debugging and Implementing the Live-Case Approach to Marketing Research in the Australian Environment Using a Case as the Basis for a Modified Debate Using Cases in Business Communication Classes A Structured Approach to Case Analysis and Reporting Intercollegiate Case Analysis Competition as an Experiential Learning Experience Attributes Germane to Student/Live Case Situations Understanding Dispute Resolution Through Experiential learning Personality Development and Conflict Dynamics: An Experimental Design to Study the Effects of Teaching Methodologies on Conflict Resolution Interpersonal Competence and the Digital PDP-11:40 The process of Writing a Collective Bargaining Simulation: A Case Study in Practical Pedagogy Simulating Negotiations in an Educational Context Simulations as a Technique for Teaching Collective Bargaining Experiential Processing of Differing Managerial Perspectives: The Use of a Game Show Format Individual Self Report vs. Group consensus in Small Decision-Making Groups Effects of Sex-Role Stereotypes on Promotion Decisions: An Exercise Computer Aids to Planning: The Budget and Forecasting Module Use of a Microcomputer in a Decision Analysis for Investment Portfolio Selection A Game of Investment Strategy: Description, Use, Criticism and Modification Coping with Future Uncertainties Through Probabilistic Budgeting Administration and Design of Simulation Materials for a Specialized Management Training Program Managing Stress in Organizational Life Banksim: The Bank Management Simulation Issues in the Organizational Application of Simulation and Experiential material Games Within Games: The Role of the Glitch Experiential Learning from Classroom to Business An Evaluation of the Small Business Institute Program as an Experiential learning Exercise Conversations with Top Management (Simulated) Experience in the Use and Assessment of Simulation in Management Education A Statistical Analysis of Simulation Users: Relationships between Stress and Human Subject guidelines Group Decision Making in a Computer Game Analysis of Demographic and Psychosocial Variables Comparing Performance During Three Managerial Accounting Simulation Schedules Business Policy Simulation and the Intense Course Structure The Use of Intensive Simulation in Executive Development and Academic Settings The Use of Experiential Exercises in the Undergraduate Consumer Behavior Course A Personal Marketing Strategy Approach: Framework and Application Teaching PERT Experientially in Marketing Research Discovering the Majority Fallacy An Experiential Approach to Studying International Business A Demonstration of the Business Simulation Game as a Curriculum Assessment Device Relating Teaching Methods with Educational Objectives in the Business Curriculum The Junior Achievement Applied Management Program as a Compromise Situation Between the Simulation and the Internship Who is Using Computerized Business Games?: A View from Publishers' Adoption Lists Trials and Tribulations in Testing Educational Innovations An Examination of the Perceived Effectiveness of Computer Simulation in a Classroom Setting as Affected by Game, Environmental and Respondent Characteristics Game Administration: A Life Cycle Analysis Research on the Effectiveness of Using a Computerized Simulation in the Basic Management Course Gaming and Attitudinal Change The Teacher-Student Relationship in Experiential Classes and the Student's Perception of Course Effectiveness An Exploratory Study of Student Characteristics and Educational Processes in Programmatic Experiential learning General Incongruity Adaption Level (GIAL) as a Predictor of Risk Preferences in a Simulated Management Game The Cap-Stone Opportunity: Combining Business Simulation and Experiential Learning Incorporating MIS/DSS into Policy Courses Via Simulation Who Benefits Most from Participation in Business Policy Simulations: An Empirical Study of Skill Development by Functional Areas The Use of Program NAMEX in Teaching the Accounting for Nonmonetary Assets The Use of Program CVP in Teaching Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis Experiential vs. Traditional Classroom Approach in the Basic Management Course: A Puerto Rican Experience A Guide to the Successful Use of Business Simulation Games The Dynamic Aspects of Interactive Gaming Puts the Realism into Gaming System Representation of SIMORG The Design of a Database System to Support Business Simulation and Experiential Learning A Data Entry and Retrieval System for a Computer Simulation (DERS) Simulation - An Advantage for Accounting Research Computer-Aided Project Performance Control Simulation: An Interactive Experiential Gaming Technique for Managerial Decision Making Utilization of Manual Simulation Games to Develop Scenarios of Future Events - An Exploratory Study Foundry: A Foundry Simulation Customized Debriefing: The Achilles Heel of Experiential learning? Computerized Business Simulations and Experiential Learning Exercises: An Instructional Interface The Baseball Game: A Group Role Observation, Problem Solving Experience A Practical Design for Experiential Learning Exercises: Roles, Technical Equipment and Alternative Debriefing Formats