To Charlie:
What is an HBS Case?
Typically, an HBS case is a detailed account of a real-life business situation, describing the dilemma of the "protagonist"—a real person with a real job who is confronted with a real problem. Faculty and their research assistants spend weeks at the company that is the subject of the case, detailing the background of the situation, the immediate problem or decision, and the perspectives of the managers involved. The resulting case presents the story exactly as the protagonist saw it, including ambiguous evidence, shifting variables, imperfect knowledge, no obvious right answers, and a ticking clock that impatiently demands action.
Collectively, HBS cases cover every inch of the rich landscape of issues general managers confront—from finance and manufacturing to marketing and human resources, from the broadly strategic to the deeply personal, from companies and institutions small and large, from places around the globe. They also draw on the full range of knowledge and analytical tools business students must know to confront these issues, providing a rich context for their application. Though every case is different, nearly all center on one overarching question: What should the protagonist do? In their two years at HBS, students study more than 500 cases—500 chances to join with their classmates to test themselves against the rock-hard realities of life in business.
**The above content is excerpted from
http://www.hbs.edu/case/hbs-case.html 