What if a decision made by a Latin American company could become the starting point for a discussion in a business administration classroom on the other side of the world? That is one of the possibilities opened up by the addition of the CLADEA BALAS Case Consortium (CBCC) collection to The Case Centre, one of the leading international networks of business and management teaching cases.
The collection, which includes cases produced by the Academic Center for Pedagogical Cases (CAP) at the Faculty of Business Administration of the Universidad de los Andes, has been officially added to The Case Centre’s catalog of partner collections. As a result, cases developed by professors and researchers from Ibero-American institutions will have a new channel for reaching universities and business schools in various countries.
Learning to make decisions based on real-life situations
A case study is based on a situation that actually occurred. It may involve a problem faced by a company, a decision a person had to make, or a challenge experienced by a community. Rather than presenting students with a ready-made answer, the case study provides information, dilemmas, and alternatives so that, with the guidance of an instructor, they can analyze the situation and collectively build knowledge.
Although this methodology has a long tradition in business schools, its use has expanded to fields such as the social sciences, the basic sciences, and the health sciences. Its value lies in bringing problems to the classroom that have no simple answers and allowing students to develop skills in analyzing information, constructing arguments, and making decisions.
The CAP at Uniandes is dedicated to this process; it is a center specializing in the review, mentoring, and publication of high-quality educational cases for teaching and management training. Its approach is grounded in real-world decisions and situations and seeks to transform those experiences into learning tools that can be discussed in the classroom.
A window into Latin America
In the same spirit, the CBCC was created precisely to expand the availability of case studies that reflect the realities of Latin America. The idea is that students can learn from situations relevant to their own contexts, but also that these experiences can be relevant to people who study and make decisions in other parts of the world.
To ensure the quality of the materials, the collection undergoes a rigorous double-blind peer-review process based on international standards. The cases thus undergo an evaluation designed to ensure both their academic rigor and their pedagogical value.
The inclusion in The Case Centre significantly expands the reach of this content. The platform serves as an international hub for professors and universities seeking cases to use in their courses.
Furthermore, this is not the first international platform on which the collection is featured. The CBCC already has cases available through Harvard Business Impact and Ivey Publishing, which has enabled business and organizational experiences from Ibero-America to reach new academic audiences.
“This achievement strengthens the international reach of our partner schools’ academic output and increases the visibility of the teaching cases developed in Ibero-America,”
says Maria Helena Jaén, editor-in-chief of the CBCC.
Turning experience into knowledge
This partnership also provides direct benefits to faculty, researchers, and students at the Uniandes Faculty of Business Administration and other partner institutions:
- Greater global visibility: The case studies written by our faculty will be available to business schools and universities around the world.
- International recognition: The technical rigor, thematic relevance, and high quality of the materials developed through CAP’s guidance and review process are affirmed.
- Simplified access: The international academic community will be able to purchase and adopt these cases for their courses directly from The Case Centre’s catalog.
- Direct access to sales inquiries for case units worldwide via thecasecentre.com
Faculty members interested in developing and publishing cases may do so through the CAP-CBCC process. Additionally, applications are still open for the EFMD Ibero-American Case Competition (see here). To learn about the process, address any concerns, or receive guidance, please contact Professor Norma Ortiz, the University of the Andes’ representative to the CBCC.
