This FAQ discusses teaching case studies. Teaching with case studies is a narrative method of active learning used primarily but not exclusively in business classrooms.
Scroll to the end of this FAQ for information about legal and medical cases.
Harvard Business School cases are perhaps most widely known in the United States. A small collection of archived Harvard Business School Select Case Studies is available though Ebscohost, a third party vendor, for current Northeastern faculty, staff and students.
Instructors who wish to teach HBS cases may register with Harvard Business Review Publishing for discounted cases for students, or course packs for student purchase. Cases may be purchased directly from Harvard Business Publishing here.
The Northeastern Library cannot subsidize or assist with purchasing cases, and cannot obtain HBS cases through ILLiad/interlibrary loan.
Where to find business cases:
1. HBS Select Case Study Collection has a small collection of archived Harvard Business School cases. You can read and download these cases.
2. Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a magazine that publishes a few cases. They are not the same as Harvard Business School Case Studies, but they sometimes have similar or abbreviated Harvard Business School Case Studies useful for practitioners.
3. Business Source Ultimate includes cases published in the Harvard Business Review magazine, and Marketline cases, which are industry and company profiles.
Enter your topic, and then filter your search results on the "advanced search" screen to "case study" (screen capture below)
3. ABI/Inform, a business literature database, allows you to limit your search to case studies using the filter on the left.
4. Financial Times Business Case Studies consist of expositions of a problem or corporate controversy with associated readings, and questions at the end to engage students. Registration (free with your Northeastern or NCH email) is required for full access.
5. MarketLine Advantage has industry case studies. These take the form of analytical reports rather than teaching cases designed for student interaction and pedagogical use.
6. O'Reilly books: often overlooked, this collection of professional books and manuals in business and technology has many useful case studies and chapters buried within, targeted to business learning and professional practice.
Use the search function for "case studies" to see what's available. (See screen capture below.)
Medical Cases
Search CINAHL and Medline for cases using the same strategy as Business Source Complete--enter your topic search, and filter the results to "case studies" on the Advanced Search screen. (see above screen capture)
Search the McGraw Hill Medical Case files for clinical patient cases.
Legal and court cases
Legal cases are judicial decisions in legal disputes, which often set important precedents in US law. While not designed for pedagogical purposes, they are the foundation of the US legal system. See the library's Legal Research Guide, and our tutorial for finding cases in Westlaw Campus Research for help finding a legal case.
Writing, researching, and teaching with cases
Farquhar, J.D. Case study research for business (e-book, Sage)
Lee, B. and Saunders, M.N.K. Conducting case study research for business and management students (e-book, Sage)
Woodside, A.G. ed. Field Guide to Case Study Research in Business-to-Business Marketing and Purchasing (e-book, Elgar)
An Introduction to Case Teaching (academic video)