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Bus 288 – Research and Evidence-Based Management
Case Competition Instructions
Fall 2015
Competition Overview
Your instructor will form teams within your section of Bus 288. Each team will analyze the same
case and submit a report by the deadline (see Schedule below). Your instructor will grade the
teams’ reports. Please see the separate Grading Criteria sheet for details.
The top three teams within a section, based on the written report, will be invited to formally
present their analyses and recommendations in the final round of the competition. All students
are required to attend the presentations and may ask questions of the finalists. A panel of judges
will adjudicate the presentations. Finalists’ additional efforts to prepare for and participate in the
presentation session will be reflected in their grades (i.e., they will receive extra marks).
Peer evaluations within each team may be used to adjust individual team members’ grades to
reflect member contributions fairly. The team case competition is worth 20% of your grade.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Cases and Applied Problems
The evidence-based management (EBMgt) framework (e.g., Barends, Rousseau, & Briner, 2014;
Briner, Denyer, & Rousseau, 2009; Briner & Rousseau, 2011) includes critical reflection on each
of the following main components: ethics and stakeholder concerns, practitioner judgement and
expertise, local data and experimentation, and principles and evidence derived from formal
research (“scientific” or alternative approaches). This broad framework can be used to help
analyze case studies and applied problems in any domain (Gamble & Jelley, 2014). For Bus 288,
there are opportunities to apply your developing knowledge of research methods within this
broad framework; some general guidelines and suggestions are provided below.
? Ethics and stakeholder concerns: Are there legal, moral, or values-based concerns that
need to be considered? Have you considered ethical decision-making approaches and
tools that might help you resolve moral dilemmas? Have you considered the concerns of
everybody who might be affected by the decision?
? Practitioner judgment and expertise: Do you (or does a protagonist in a case) have
experience dealing with issues similar to those presented? How relevant is that
experience in the present circumstances? How much trust can you place in the
“expertise” that has been developed?
o For a Bus 288 case, this component would normally be considered from the
perspective of people described in the case (vs. your personal experience). The
key idea is that all components, including this one, are both respected and
considered critically.
? Local data and experimentation: What evidence exists in the organization that is relevant
to your deliberations? What is the quality of that evidence? What additional evidence is
needed and how could you conduct a study to gather such evidence?
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o A Bus 288 case may include statistics from analyses of internal data/studies, but
not datasets that must be analyzed statistically.
o For a Bus 288 case, you may need to propose a research project to gather required
information, outlining relevant details of your proposed research. Note, however,
that data collection is not part of the Bus 288 case competition.
? Formal research: To what extent do existing theories, principles, and research evidence
provide perspective on the situation at hand – e.g., its potential causes, consequences, and
intervention strategies? How strong and how relevant is the existing knowledge?
o In Bus 288, students are expected to conduct literature searches, using the skills
acquired in the Bus 288 Literature Search Workshop, to find high-quality,
relevant evidence to inform their analysis and recommendations.
Deliverables
The Report: The body of the text should be 8-10 double-spaced pages. The title page, executive
summary, references, and appendices (e.g., table(s) summarizing evidence, interview protocols,
questionnaires, etc., if applicable) do not count toward the page limit. Please follow APA style
for formatting, citations, and references. The report should be a concise, eloquent communication
of your team’s analysis and recommendations. Work as a team to craft a well-written, carefullyedited
document that is of professional-level quality.
The Presentation: The top three teams (within each Bus 288 section) selected to present in the
final round will prepare a 10-minute presentation emphasizing the highlights of their analysis
and recommendations. Assume the audience has not read your report. A question and answer
period (approximately 10 minutes) will follow.
Schedule
Case assignment After Test 2
Report submission November 26 at 11:59 pm
Finalist notification By November 29
Finalists’ in-class presentations December 2
CATME peer evaluations Open Nov 27-Dec 3
References
Barends, E., Rousseau, D. M., & Briner, R. B. (2014). Evidence-based management: The basic
principles. Amsterdam: Center for Evidence-Based Management.
Briner, R. B., Denyer, D., & Rousseau, D. M. (2009). Evidence-based management: Concept cleanup
time? Academy of Management Perspectives, 23, 19-32.
Briner, R. B., & Rousseau, D. M. (2011). Evidence-based I–O psychology: Not there yet. Industrial and
Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 4(1), 3-22.
Gamble, E. N., & Jelley, R. B. (2014). The case for competition: Learning about evidence-based
management through case competition. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(3),
433-445.

Page 1 of 2
Bus 288 – Research and Evidence-Based Management
Case Competition Instructions
Fall 2015
Competition Overview
Your instructor will form teams within your section of Bus 288. Each team will analyze the same
case and submit a report by the deadline (see Schedule below). Your instructor will grade the
teams’ reports. Please see the separate Grading Criteria sheet for details.
The top three teams within a section, based on the written report, will be invited to formally
present their analyses and recommendations in the final round of the competition. All students
are required to attend the presentations and may ask questions of the finalists. A panel of judges
will adjudicate the presentations. Finalists’ additional efforts to prepare for and participate in the
presentation session will be reflected in their grades (i.e., they will receive extra marks).
Peer evaluations within each team may be used to adjust individual team members’ grades to
reflect member contributions fairly. The team case competition is worth 20% of your grade.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Cases and Applied Problems
The evidence-based management (EBMgt) framework (e.g., Barends, Rousseau, & Briner, 2014;
Briner, Denyer, & Rousseau, 2009; Briner & Rousseau, 2011) includes critical reflection on each
of the following main components: ethics and stakeholder concerns, practitioner judgement and
expertise, local data and experimentation, and principles and evidence derived from formal
research (“scientific” or alternative approaches). This broad framework can be used to help
analyze case studies and applied problems in any domain (Gamble & Jelley, 2014). For Bus 288,
there are opportunities to apply your developing knowledge of research methods within this
broad framework; some general guidelines and suggestions are provided below.
? Ethics and stakeholder concerns: Are there legal, moral, or values-based concerns that
need to be considered? Have you considered ethical decision-making approaches and
tools that might help you resolve moral dilemmas? Have you considered the concerns of
everybody who might be affected by the decision?
? Practitioner judgment and expertise: Do you (or does a protagonist in a case) have
experience dealing with issues similar to those presented? How relevant is that
experience in the present circumstances? How much trust can you place in the
“expertise” that has been developed?
o For a Bus 288 case, this component would normally be considered from the
perspective of people described in the case (vs. your personal experience). The
key idea is that all components, including this one, are both respected and
considered critically.
? Local data and experimentation: What evidence exists in the organization that is relevant
to your deliberations? What is the quality of that evidence? What additional evidence is
needed and how could you conduct a study to gather such evidence?
Page 2 of 2
o A Bus 288 case may include statistics from analyses of internal data/studies, but
not datasets that must be analyzed statistically.
o For a Bus 288 case, you may need to propose a research project to gather required
information, outlining relevant details of your proposed research. Note, however,
that data collection is not part of the Bus 288 case competition.
? Formal research: To what extent do existing theories, principles, and research evidence
provide perspective on the situation at hand – e.g., its potential causes, consequences, and
intervention strategies? How strong and how relevant is the existing knowledge?
o In Bus 288, students are expected to conduct literature searches, using the skills
acquired in the Bus 288 Literature Search Workshop, to find high-quality,
relevant evidence to inform their analysis and recommendations.
Deliverables
The Report: The body of the text should be 8-10 double-spaced pages. The title page, executive
summary, references, and appendices (e.g., table(s) summarizing evidence, interview protocols,
questionnaires, etc., if applicable) do not count toward the page limit. Please follow APA style
for formatting, citations, and references. The report should be a concise, eloquent communication
of your team’s analysis and recommendations. Work as a team to craft a well-written, carefullyedited
document that is of professional-level quality.
The Presentation: The top three teams (within each Bus 288 section) selected to present in the
final round will prepare a 10-minute presentation emphasizing the highlights of their analysis
and recommendations. Assume the audience has not read your report. A question and answer
period (approximately 10 minutes) will follow.
Schedule
Case assignment After Test 2
Report submission November 26 at 11:59 pm
Finalist notification By November 29
Finalists’ in-class presentations December 2
CATME peer evaluations Open Nov 27-Dec 3
References
Barends, E., Rousseau, D. M., & Briner, R. B. (2014). Evidence-based management: The basic
principles. Amsterdam: Center for Evidence-Based Management.
Briner, R. B., Denyer, D., & Rousseau, D. M. (2009). Evidence-based management: Concept cleanup
time? Academy of Management Perspectives, 23, 19-32.
Briner, R. B., & Rousseau, D. M. (2011). Evidence-based I–O psychology: Not there yet. Industrial and
Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 4(1), 3-22.
Gamble, E. N., & Jelley, R. B. (2014). The case for competition: Learning about evidence-based
management through case competition. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(3),
433-445.