ABSTRACT
The movement toward more active, experiential learning pedagogies is a phenomenon that has generated interest in recent years (see, for example, Farazmand & Green, 2011). The concept of the ‘live case’ or ‘live project’ is becoming recognized in the literature as offering students the ideal opportunity to work on real-life business problems (Thomas & Busby, 2003; Elam & Spotts, 2004). Live cases provide a wide range of learning outcomes and benefits, including teamwork, critical thinking, time management and applied skills (Chase, Oakes & Ramsey, 2007), which are particularly important given the critical role higher education institutions play in preparing graduates for employment. Problem-based or experiential learning (of which live cases is an example) facilitates the effective acquisition of real-life knowledge and skills in addition to helping develop organizational ability, effective planning and strategic thinking, all of which have become increasingly important for the competitive graduate marketplace (Dickenson, 2000). Within the marketing domain in particular, the effectiveness of experiential learning through live cases and projects has been identified as improving marketing pedagogy, providing hands-on experience and fostering a link between theory and practice (Maher & Hughner, 2003). For more detail on the theoretical literature in this area, see the chapter written by Peter Daly earlier in this book.
