Senior Fellow at Junction Bangladesh
In the hallowed halls of Harvard and INSEAD, the management case study is held in the same high regard as traditional scientific research. At Harvard Business School (HBS), where the method was pioneered over a century ago, a typical student grapples with 500 real-world cases in just two years. These institutions dominate global rankings because they refuse to isolate theory from reality; they understand that the best classroom is a simulated boardroom.
In Bangladesh, however, a disconnect persists. While our business schools produce a steady stream of empirical papers, these academic journals are often locked behind expensive paywalls and written in a language that serves other academics rather than the local economy. Most practicing managers also have no access to these research papers.
To transform our economy, we must shift our focus. This isn’t just a call to university administrators—it is a call to founders, CEOs, and C-suite executives to open their doors and co-author the future of a vibrant Bangladeshi entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Power of Local Narrative
Entrepreneurship is the ultimate engine for success in a nation where graduate numbers far outpace job openings. However, teaching entrepreneurship through Western lenses often misses the mark. Local case studies—stories of triumphs and failures within our own cultural and economic nuances—are essential.
- For the Student: It’s easier to learn decision-making when the context is a local supply chain issue in Gazipur rather than a tech fallout in Silicon Valley.
- For the Entrepreneur: Cases act as a “playbook” for survival, offering evidence-based solutions to the specific hurdles of the Bangladeshi market.
A Call to the C-Suite: Why Share Your Story?
Many founders and managers are hesitant to share their internal data or strategic dilemmas. Yet, cooperating with faculty to write a business case is a form of national service and legacy building.
- Inspire the Next Generation: Your struggle to scale a startup or navigate a hurdle becomes the blueprint for a thousand future founders.
- External Perspective: The case-writing process involves rigorous research. Having someone trained in case writing document your challenges can provide you with a structured, theoretical look at your own business model.
- Solving the Employment Crisis: By helping educate students on real problems, you ensure that the graduates you eventually hire are “market-ready” and equipped with practical problem-solving skills rather than just rote memorization.
The Rigor Behind the Scenes
Writing a high-quality case study is an immense undertaking—it is not merely storytelling.
As an author, the journey involves:
- Data Collection: Working closely with a manager to gather pertinent, real-world data.
- The Peer-Review Gauntlet: Publishing in top peer-reviewed journals is incredibly difficult, with top Scopus-indexed publications having an acceptance rate of about 20%.
- The Teaching Note: This is the backbone of the case. Recent teaching notes authored by myself required rigorous research to defend proposed solutions with evidence-based theory.
The Path Forward: Cooperation is Key
Because this process is so demanding and often undervalued by local universities, many faculty members stick to traditional research. This is a missed opportunity for the entire country.
To bridge the gap between academia and the real world, we need a three-way partnership:
- Business Leaders must be willing to share their stories, data, and time.
- Universities must reward case writing and provide faculty with the training and mentorship found at schools like Ivey or INSEAD.
- Faculty must commit to the rigorous process of high-level case publication.
By documenting our own business successes and failures, we create a specialized knowledge base that empowers our youth. Let’s stop exporting our business education abroad and start building a curriculum that supports the youth and economy of Bangladesh.