Abstract:

The case method is the most popular and practical way to learn business management. Some of the characteristics of the subject adjust perfectly to this method, since it shows to the student real examples and helps to understand how the theory studied can be applied. Nevertheless, case studies tend to center in specific problems of management, and although treat them intensively. The amount of information presented is reduced and the problem under study bounded. This is perfectly valid for some managerial techniques that can be taught with structured closed problems, where all the variables are known and quantified, and the problems can be modeled in formulas and rules. These techniques, link to tactical and operational decisions, consider only a specific activity of the firm.
But most of the management problems, especially those related to strategic decisions, are complex, with a variety of variables involved, some of them quantitative, others qualitative, and the relationship between variables is not always clearly understood and known. Besides, due to the turbulence of the environment and the continuous change in technology, markets and competitors, some variables that are essential in the problem cannot be known in the future, and other important variables can be neglected or underestimated. This has produce that the strategic management field focuses not on techniques, but on conceptual frames, classifications, points of view and approaches to the problem. Under these characteristics, the case-method by itself loses its learning power.
This work presents a pilot project introduced in the tourism degree for teaching tourism management, involving two subjects (strategic management and operations management), in the Universitat Jaume I, where a set of short cases, where the case-method is used for reinforcing each theory theme, is combined with a long case, where a great amount of information is presented, and the students can analyzed each specific question taking in account the global vision of the organization, its structure, capabilities, clients, competitors and financial situation. Finally, a final report on a selected firm, chosen by a group of 4 students, must be presented in class. In this final work on a specific firm, guided by the lecturer, the method used is the problem-based learning. The main criteria for choosing the firm is the access to information. Then, all the theory aspects studied during the course are analyzed in the firm, but one specific determinant managerial problem which the firm is facing is chosen with the guidance of the lecturer and developed.
Results, advantages, disadvantages and problems found in this pilot project are commented.

Keywords:

problem based learning, business management, case method.