Abstract

Case study analysis is a pedagogical tool that enables the student to take on the role of a decision maker in analyzing and solving a problem. With the increasing number of Chinese students studying in the U.S. and the growing number of partnerships between Chinese and U.S. universities, it is important to consider the impact on the use of case studies as a pedagogical technique in classrooms that contain both Chinese and American students. Not only do differences in teaching and learning between China and the U.S. impact the process of conducting a case study analysis, cultural differences also influence the case study analysis itself as well as the result of that analysis. To investigate these differences, the authors designed a project requiring the collaboration of American and Chinese business students and brought these students together in China to participate in a case study analysis workshop. This case includes a description of the workshop exercise and an analysis of the experience of bringing together the Chinese and American students to develop an understanding of how to plan and conduct a case study analysis intentionally with regard to the cultural background of the students and faculty involved.