Session PowerPoint file - Agricultural Economics
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Transcript Session PowerPoint file - Agricultural Economics
Case Study Scholarship
Monday, January 14, 2013
Noon CST
Session audio delivered via phone - type your phone
number into the popup window or dial (866) 552-9877
This webinar is co-organized by the Agribusiness Economics and Management
(AEM) section of AAEA and TLC, hosted by the Purdue University Agricultural
Economics Department and Center for Food and Agricultural Business
Housekeeping Details
Josh Detre, Emcee
– 12:05 – 12:20 Lisa House
– 12:20 – 12:30 Q & A
– 12:30 – 12:45 Mike Boland
– 12:45 – 1:00 Q & A
Questions? Type into the chat window to all
participants or ask over the phone.
Emcee will manage Q & A.
Please mute your phone if not asking a question.
Today’s Presenters
Lisa House
• Florida Agricultural Market Research Center,
University of Florida
• Former Chair, AAEA Invited Case Study Session
Committee
Mike Boland
• Food Industry Center, University of Minnesota
• Co-authored over 80 agribusiness case studies
AAEA and Case Studies
Lisa House
University of Florida
Former Chair, AAEA Invited Case Study
Session Committee
Objectives
Overview AAEA and case studies
– Invited paper case study session
– Annual call for cases
– Evaluation criteria
What make a good case?
History of AAEA and Case Studies
Review of Agricultural Economics
– Change to Applied Economic Perspectives and
Policy (AEPP)
Introduction of Invited Case Study Session
Journal of Natural Sciences Education
http://www.aaea.org/publications/jnrlse-callfor-submissions
Invited Paper Case Study Session
Goal to have 3 case studies per year in an
invited session at the AAEA meetings
As with other invited sessions, potential for
publication in the AJAE
Selection of cases is based off 3-5 page (2,000
word max) proposals and is conducted by a
committee selected by the AAEA Board (blind
review)
Annual Call for Cases
Show how the application of economic
principles to decision making in the public
and/or private sectors leads to better
decisions
– Focus on economics
Emerging issues encouraged
All fields (not just agribusiness)
Evaluation Criteria
Deals with a problem that has a high level of
importance/interest/relevancy to members of AAEA
Clear and concise teaching objective(s) and target
audience(s) (e.g. undergraduate students, graduate
students, extension audiences)
Case summary that presents solutions and explanations of
how the learning objectives are realized
Leads to a better understanding of how the application of
economic principles improves decision making
A general description of the teaching plan for presenting
the case to include expected student use of reference
material
What makes a good case? (Part 1)
Teaching note
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Identify audience
Summarize case
Identify learning objectives
Present teaching strategy
Case study
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Value of topic
New topic or novel approach to analysis
Written in an understandable manner
Ability to obtain information necessary for analysis
Further Suggestions
Look at examples of published cases in AJAE, RAE,
and IFAMR journals
IFAMR article on case standards for publications:
– https://www.ifama.org/publications/journal/vol3/cms
docs/369-379.pdf
Some typical problems with past submissions:
– Not written as a case study
– No economic issue
– No clear purpose
Thoughts on Writing Case Studies
Michael Boland
Food Industry Center
University of Minnesota
Motivation
Have historically taught capstone type courses using an active student /
participant-centered learning style
– Agribusiness / Food business curriculum
Teach in a number of executive education style programs with non-degree
seeking students
– Case study type courses
Ray Goldberg protégé
– Harvard Business School philosophy
– Study an industry and how a firm operates in that industry
Economics of organizations
– Cases are a useful way to work in this area
Product of my environment
– Doctorate at Purdue University / influence of CAB
– Career at Kansas State
– Current job at Minnesota
Objectives
Discuss case study as a scholarship activity
– Research
– Teaching
What make a good case
– Best practices
Case Study as Research Scholarship
Firm is unit of analysis within an industry (e.g.,
NAICS code) as opposed to price
– Coase and others discuss reasons why
– Penrose’s classic case on Hercules
– Used in agribusiness economics and management
• Boland and Crespi AEPP article on dissertations found more
than 15 dissertations using this type of approach
• Wysocki dissertation is a good example
Requires careful consideration of industry and
firms
– Public and private data
Example: Suppose you wanted to study variables
associated with sustainability efforts in food economy
Choose an industry (e.g., retail supermarkets, etc.)
– More than 300 retail grocery stores chains in USA
• Segment firms
– Dissect CSR statements into stakeholder categories using Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) categories
• Employees, community, consumers, education, resources, etc.
– Measure ‘weight of effort’ used for each category
– Stakeholder theory suggest that there are three types of demand for
sustainability: regulatory (descriptive), cognitive (instrumental),
normative.
– Each firm’s ‘weight of effort’ can be placed in one of the three
demands.
– An economic model that uses sustainability of demand as a function of
these different GRI categories can be described (not econometrically
estimated)
– Academic journal are available for publication
Case Study as Teaching Scholarship
Decision cases
– User of the case must have a decision to make
– Integration of subjects such as accounting,
economics, finance, marketing, strategy, etc.
– Requires information to help student learn
• Unique characteristics about the industry including
production, processing, distribution, and sales.
• How the firm operates as an organization
Requires primary and secondary data
Example: suppose you wanted students to understand
why a firm has persistent profitability over time
Identify the learner outcomes that you want the user to understand
– I always work backwards; generally include spreadsheet exercises
Begin with a firm that exhibits this type of behavior
– Identify the reasons why
• Industry and firm effects
Prepare case draft of the industry and firm using public data
(including teaching note)
– Contact firm leader, describe what you seek to do, and what you need
from them.
• Interview them (invite to class if possible)
– Prepare final draft
• Ask your contact to have someone read and sign off on factual issues in case
Numerous books and journals to publish in
What makes a good case? (Part 2)
Interesting industry and interesting firm
Ability to bring it to life
Accurate and in-depth teaching note
– Remember any instructor than yourself has little or now
knowledge of the industry or case
• Get the learner outcomes right and include tips on using case
– Make it easy for user to use the case
– As a case writer, be available if an instructor using your case asks
you to chat for five minutes on phone or skype
– Review cases for academic journals! Learn a lot being a peer
reviewer.
– Get involvement of the company
– Don’t underestimate the readability factor
Other Notes
Most of my cases involve students
– Ideal project for a first semester graduate student
• Tight deadline and deliverable in one semester
• Teaches writing skills
• Learn independent and critical thinking skills
Develop some discipline
– I try to write two cases a year for use in class
Follow-up
A link to the archived webinar will be
emailed and linked on the web page by
Tuesday morning
https://www.agecon.purdue.edu/cab/programs/webinar/case_studi
es/
Thank you for attending!