Resources> Design a Course> Case Studies
Case studies are interactive learning experiences in which students learn to think and make decisions by practicing on issues that entrepreneurs face in the real world. A case study is a short story about a company, which provides information about the problems, opportunities, and decisions facing the entrepreneurs. Either individually or in small teams, students diagnose the problems and opportunities in the case, analyze alternatives, decide what to do, and reality test their plan of action to identify potential risks and how to manage them.
Many entrepreneurs and educators agree that entrepreneurial skills cannot be taught with lectures and multiple choice exams. Some form of experiential learning is necessary for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn how to effectively identify market opportunities, secure the talent, capital, and other resources needed to exploit the opportunities, execute their business plans, and manage the risks inherent in any new venture. As a result, case-based instruction, which provides experience via simulated decision making, is an integral part of many entrepreneurship programs. These cases have been used by STVP faculty in their courses, and are recommended for use by other entrepreneurship educators.
| • | European Case Clearing House (ECCH)  ECCH provides access to case material, teaching notes, and articles from leading business schools including Harvard Business School, Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, Insead, London Business School, and Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario. |
| • | Harvard Business School Publishing The mission of Harvard Business School Publishing is to improve the practice of management and its impact on a changing world. The web site hosts the largest searchable archive of case studies in the world. In addition to cases and teaching notes, HBS Publishing also offers articles from Harvard Business Review, books, and a collection of videos and interactive multimedia-based learning experiences on a variety of topics. |
| • | STVP Cases STVP offers a small collection of case studies focused on high-technology entrepreneurship. At the present time, STVP cases and related materials are available free to entrepreneurship educators for use in classroom instruction. To conduct a search of STVP cases that may be relevant to your course, please login and use the search tool at the top of the left navigation bar. |
