By Esther LARYEA (Dr)
When I was a college student, my hardest classes were the abstract ones. I would zone out, and when I tuned back in, I would wonder about the relevance of what was being taught.
During my postgraduate studies, I encountered my very first case study in one of my finance courses, and I was fascinated to see the classroom come alive. It was easy to make connections, and the concepts we were studying suddenly seemed extremely relevant to me.
I was enthralled and engaged throughout the class; this time there was little reason to zone out. I kept these contrasting experiences in mind when I started teaching, and I promised to do my best to make lessons as tangible as possible for my students.
Once I started, I observed that my case classes were missing an essential spice: context! There were very few relatable cases written on the African continent, for students on the continent, that I could use in my classes. This had to be fixed, and quickly too.
Africa has a unique business landscape characterized by complex informal business settings and influenced by its cultural diversity. Typically, the business setting and operations of an African business differ from those of businesses in the West.
Even the broader external infrastructure which supports businesses varies significantly. African businesses have to deal with the nuances of our legal, political, tax, and broader social structures.
Individuals and businesses that successfully master their contexts, master their trade as well. Unfortunately, the materials used in preparing professionals to work in these contexts do not sufficiently account for them.
A lot of the textbooks used in African business schools are written by professors from the West who do not always have a full grasp on the African context.
Yet, It would be unreasonable on my part to suddenly call for a boycott of Western textbooks when we have no immediate replacements. Instead, I would advocate for the development of context-relevant teaching materials, and I suggest we prioritize case studies.
Bridging the gap between theory and real-world practice
Case studies have the ability to bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice. They can convey the nuances of the internal and external business environment within which businesses operate. They provide a brilliant opportunity for students to apply textbook concepts creatively to a unique context while analyzing which of these concepts work and which ones will not.
They grapple with ambiguity and are nudged through case discussions and reviews to come up with creative solutions. The end goal is that African business schools produce business professionals capable of thinking creatively and critically and are well exposed to the nuances of the business environments for which they are being trained.
To date, leading universities around the world leverage the case teaching method to produce stellar professionals. Think of Harvard Business School and University of Virginia’s Darden Business School in the United States, INSEAD in France and Singapore, Western University’s Ivey Business School in Canada, and IESE Business School in Spain.
I am aware that a few institutions in Africa leverage the case method in a similar fashion, among them being the Wits Business School in South Africa. It’s time for a larger case-writing and case-teaching movement on the continent.
Business development on the continent stands the chance of seeing remarkable growth if we are willing to train business professionals using context-relevant and diverse cases on businesses in Africa.
Addressing the realities and challenges
It is important to note that taking up this challenge will come with a myriad of challenges we need to prepare for. Contrary to the narrative that African businesses are hesitant to grant access to their data, I find that several businesses are willing to share their stories both positive and negative, but often with the exception of their financials.
I suggest starting with what they are willing to share and slowly demonstrating the usefulness of these cases to them. I also believe that there are workarounds for the financials: case writers can present to these firms so they feel safe enough to share complete or partial details of their financials.
Another common challenge with case writing I observe is the lack of clarity on its place as a recognised academic output for academic promotion. Several academics I have spoken to have voiced concerns about case studies not counting as traditional research and therefore not contributing significantly to their efforts to get promoted especially within the “publish or perish” contexts of higher education institutions.
It’s high time African higher education institutions recognise the place of the case in transforming the continent and provide room for it in promotion frameworks. This will encourage academics interested in case writing to look in that direction.
There is a need to create a supportive environment to support case writing ranging from support with finding case clients, recognition for written cases, and funding to support the case-writing process.
Empowering faculty for context-relevant teaching
As part of its commitment, the Education Collaborative at Ashesi University is playing a pivotal role in strengthening case-based teaching across African higher education institutions.
Through its faculty development initiatives, tailored workshops, peer learning forums, and grants, the Collaborative provides member institutions with the tools and support needed to integrate contextually relevant, experiential learning into their curricula.
By equipping educators with these resources, the Collaborative is not only enhancing the classroom experience but also positioning faculty as drivers of innovation in curriculum and pedagogy across higher education institutions.
Beyond the work being done by the Education Collaborative at Ashesi, I look forward to a continent where business leaders have been trained with context-relevant teaching materials that allow them to connect knowledge with real-life business challenges and solutions.
To spearhead the change we desire, we need to create experiential learning experiences for our students by bringing African businesses into our classrooms through case studies, and who better to develop these cases than us?
>>>the writer is a senior lecturer in the Business Administration Department at Ashesi University. She teaches finance-related courses like Corporate Finance and International Finance. She is also the lead on the Business Administration Applied Project Capstone which focuses on providing students an opportunity to consult for real-life companies.
