M4

The farce called the 'Case Method' Now, this may attract the ire of all who swear by it and many more who find it enlightening or even amusing, but here is what I feel, and not without reason: The ‘Case Method’ of instruction followed in most institutes of national and international importance and repute is starkly incomplete and in its current form- a FARCE! Firstly, problems in real life- the kind we face every day at work and in life- don’t come in neat little packages, like cases do. Anyone who has attempted solving cases would agree that we are oft encouraged to work with only the information contained within the case, sometimes even castigated for not toeing the line. And most cases give more than sufficient information (which is useless most of the time) and even go as far as listing out the issues that need be thought about. This, I found, is not the case in the work I’d done- very few knew what the problem was, most of the time and nobody ever had the complete...

I know I’m not the best person to be writing this, but it is time someone did it. So, here it is- Some advice to the first timers: 1. Feel things, don’t think much This would help improve intuition, which is certainly a very important asset and also avoid overly complicating things. 2. When in doubt, Ask Never guess. Guesstimates are best left to consulting case competitions. Even if you are required to make assumptions, make sure you get the approval of your boss (or someone who can cover for you) 3. Make friends Another asset, the importance of which cannot be emphasised enough. You never know who would come to your rescue when you need most. 4. Never let your guard down Just because they are friendly and welcoming doesn’t mean they are not evaluating you. They have eyes and ears on you, at all times (particularly in social occasions) 5. Be humble The way you treat people below you tells a lot about you than you can ever think about. Call it ‘Humility’, ...