Professor Jorge Carneiro suggests how to tackle this challenge:
‘There are several reasons why a student may not engage earnestly in the in-class discussion of a teaching case. Apart from private temporary reasons (e.g., health issues or emotional state), a student may be shy or may have come to class unprepared or may disagree with the voiced opinions of other students. Therefore, it is very important that the instructor demand that students deliver, prior to the class, a short (executive-style) analysis (not a rephrasing) of the managerial dilemmas and the student’s recommendations – duly supported by arguments.
A good class strategy is to start the discussion in small groups, which provide the following well-known advantages: lower the psychological barrier of the shy to manifest opinions in public, and open up opportunities to listen to and reflect upon others’ ideas. The instructor ought to make it clear that there are no a priori right or wrong “answers” but that each expressed opinion must be backed by proper reasoning. Then, the ensuing plenary discussion shall be much more active and productive, with multiple points of view being contemplated.
However, if a student does not engage either in the small-group or in the plenary discussion, the instructor my try to motivate her/him by asking whether s/he knows of a company that has faced a similar situation. Drawing from one’s personal experience may sometimes light up a spark that will propel the discussion fire. However, it the pattern of non-engagement persists for two consecutive cases, then a one-on-one talk between the instructor and the student after class would be advisable. ‘
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rofessor Jorge Carneiro is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Strategy and International Business at FGV EAESP Sao Paulo School of Business Administration. With his executive MBA students, Prof. Carneiro has co-authored and published quite a few teaching cases of Brazilian firms that faced strategic puzzles, be them opportunities or threats. Carneiro is Brazil’s representative on AIB-LAC’s Board and has also served on the boards of EIBA and of BALAS (Business Association of Latin American Studies) and currently seats on the strategic committee of corporate governance of Amcham Brasil. Carneiro is senior/associate editor of International Business Review, Multinational Business Review, Management Research, Brazilian Administration Review and Revista de Administração de Empresas.
Below are some of the exciting cases that Prof. Carneiro has co-authored:
1. Sauerbronn, Raffaela; Carneiro, Jorge; Pontes, Angela; Andrade, Vagner; Paoliello, Daniela. (2018). The Domestic and Foreign Expansion of SMART FIT: Challenges to the Sustainability of an Innovative Model in the Fitness Industry. Harvard Business School Publishing (ISSN = 2470-7899; manuscript CBCC¬2017¬0046, CLADEA-BALAS case consortium)
2. DORNELAS, Bettysa, ESTEVES, Felipe & CARNEIRO, Jorge. Natura: The International Expansion of Brazilian cosmetics Leader Natura: In Search of a European Scent. In Rob van Tulder, Alain Verbeke, Jorge Carneiro & Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez (eds.), Progress in International Business Research, vol. 11 (The Challenge of BRIC Multinationals), pp.317-347, Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 2016
3. SANGLARD, Alexandra, CARNEIRO, Jorge, BAIOCCHI, Alessandra, FREITAS, Patricia & SCHIAVO, Mila. The Marisol Case: Challenges of International Growth for a Successful Brazilian Designer Apparel Firm. Journal of Business Research, v.67, n.4 p.576-581, 2014.
4. CARNEIRO, Jorge, TONOLI, Geraldine, PEIXOTO, Talita, COSTA, Rafael, DOMINGUES, Fábio, MARANHÃO, Carlos; SANTOS, Paulo Tostes dos. Internationalizing Concept or Product? H. Stern Jewelers in Asia. Management Decision, 52(9), p.1703-1723, 2014.
5. LIMA, Daniel, LIMA, Daniela, MOTTA, Fabio, SCHOUCHANA, Felipe, KAUSS, Irecê & CARNEIRO, Jorge. O Processo de Internacionalização da System Attica. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Adminsitración, v.25, n.50, p.158-168, 2012.
6. MAGACHO, Lygia, PRESA, Marcelo & CARNEIRO, Jorge. Pipeway Engenharia: O Desafio de Conquistar o Exterior sem Arriscar a Liderança no Mercado Doméstico. TAC – Tecnologias de Administração e Contabilidade, v.2, n.1, p.89-112, 2012
7. VIANA, Mila, CARNEIRO, Jorge, GARRIDO, Marcos & PEIXOTO, Tania. Sobral and its Hard Earned Success in the International Costume Jewelry Market. GVcasos – Rev. Bras. de Casos de Ensino em Administração, v.2, n.2, p.1-9, Jul-Dez 2012.
8. CARNEIRO, Jorge M. T. Happy Days: Confecção de Roupas para Lojas de Grife. RAC (Revista de Administração Contemporânea), v.9, n.3, (jul-set) 2005.