Strategy Through a Rear-View Mirror
Unpopular opinion on case studies in business
Harvard Business School students read about 500 case studies during their two years of study. So do many other business school students.
On the one hand, it looks logical. We all learn from cases and the experience of others. We play with toys and dolls in childhood to rehearse the situations we'll face in adulthood. We study history to take lessons for the present and the future.
But, on the other hand, business education doesn't seem to work perfectly. Let's face the facts:
Only half of the businesses in the USA celebrate their 5th anniversary of foundation, and 65,5% of companies don't survive after 10 years of operation (source).
About 90% of startups fail (source), and 10% of them do it within the first year.
There is no reliable statistic indicating that building a successful business today is easier than 10 or 20 years ago.
Top US business schools report a dramatic (more than 10%, on average) decline in MBA applications (2022). "It's official: The M.B.A. Degree Is In Crisis" – it'…