Technology and Operations Management (English Version)

Author: Compiled by the Press
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Preface to Publication With the gradual maturation of MBA education, case teaching is no longer unfamiliar to people. Many institutions, especially the first batch of pilot MBA schools, have widely adopted the case teaching model. Case teaching and case writing have also become important works that the National MBA Teaching Guidance Committee attaches great importance to and vigorously promotes. To meet teaching needs, China Renmin University Press and Harvard Business School Press have reached an agreement to introduce and publish Harvard Business School cases, selecting ten courses around MBA teaching, including: Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, Corporate Finance, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Supply Chain Management, Technology and Operations Management, Financial Reporting and Control, and Business, Government, and International Economics. Both Chinese and English versions are launched simultaneously. First, Harvard professors selected and recommended cases from among thousands of cases, and then Chinese professors selected cases from the recommended list. Further adjustments were made during the translation process, and the final cases were determined. For many years, China Renmin University Press has been tirelessly building brands in management and economics books, especially as a market leader in higher education textbooks, we have always hoped to provide more and better products for Chinese management teaching and practice. With the expansion of China's MBA market, the increase and improvement in the number of students, and the maturation of the teaching staff, we found that the shortage and low quality of case teaching materials have become a significant problem. Based on extensive market research, Harvard Business School cases have become our first choice for introducing cases for MBA teaching. After all, Harvard University is the earliest to start MBA education, with its MBA program having nearly a century of history. Harvard cases sell 6 million copies annually, and their case teaching method is gradually becoming familiar and adopted by universities worldwide. As a university press dedicated to higher education, we deeply feel that the introduction of Harvard cases is of great significance for the improvement of management education theory and practice in our country. In fact, we introduced and published a set of Harvard Business School cases in 2002, divided into the Business Basics Series and the Practical Series, totaling 21 titles, which caused a great response at the time. However, due to constraints, the cases were not selected according to course settings, making it inconvenient for teachers to use them in teaching. Based on this, we have developed this set of cases specifically for MBA core courses. During the operation of these cases, we widely listened to the opinions and suggestions of teachers and found that simply introducing and publishing some cases could not meet the actual needs of teaching. For many teachers, how to teach Harvard cases is a challenge. At the same time, during the preliminary research and preparation work, we also realized that the promotion of cases is no longer limited to the traditional sense of book promotion. It has gone beyond the traditional concept of publishing books and has become the promotion of teaching concepts and methods. It requires us to provide more and long-term follow-up services and change traditional publishing models. Just as we were planning to publish this set of casebooks, the long-awaited PCMPCL Program on Case Method and Participant-Centered Learning training program by Harvard Business School officially launched. To support the PCMPCL program, Harvard Business School Press invited professors from 16 business schools in universities across mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore to participate in case teaching training at Harvard Business School. The first training session was scheduled for August 2005, and a second training session on case teaching and writing was also held in China in December of the same year. At the same time, to help teachers better use Harvard cases, China Renmin University Press will also introduce supplementary materials such as teacher manuals and teaching videos (due to authorization restrictions, only for teachers using this case teaching). After the casebooks are published, we will also provide teaching support to help Chinese teachers use the cases better and more conveniently. The process of operating case publishing was arduous, but the results were wonderful and unforgettable. In our collaboration with Harvard Business School Press, we repeatedly heard them sincerely discuss their mission: to improve management practice. Many people worked hard during the case publishing process, and we thank Steven C. Wheelwright, Senior Vice Dean and Baker Fund Professor at Harvard Business School, for writing the preface to our casebooks. He played a decisive role in selecting the 10 courses in this set of casebooks, and without his efforts, the publication of this book would not have been possible. We thank Professors John Quelch, Michael Tushman, Deborah Spar, Pankaj Ghemawat, David Hawkins, and David Up ton for their advice and guidance during our initial case selection process. We also thank the following individuals at Harvard Business School and Harvard Business School Press for their hard work in selecting cases: Paul Andrew s, Tim Cannon, Tad Dearth en, Mike Dero cc o, Pat H at haway, Amy I akov ou, and Carol S weet. We thank Mr. Chen Xin Zhang, General Manager of the International Department at Harvard Business School Press, for the final publishing agreement and its execution, as well as for coordinating the entire process. Finally, we also thank all the professors who participated in the Chinese translation of the cases. They all have heavy teaching tasks, and under tight deadlines, all professors completed the translation work with high quality and on time. We hope that the publication of this set of casebooks and the subsequent training work can influence hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of MBAs. We hope they can adopt a new perspective, adapt to the international trend, understand modern business management methods, rationally accept the concept of credit-based business, and promote greater development of the Chinese economy. We hope to guide Chinese management practice through our publications. If we can achieve this, then the various efforts involved will be worthwhile. Thank you for choosing or paying attention to our set of casebooks, and we greatly value any feedback you provide. Our contact information: 010-62510566 ext. 551 or 541; E-mail: rdcbsjg@crup.com.cn or visit: http://www.rdjg.com.cn.
"Developing influential leaders worldwide" is the mission of Harvard Business School. Harvard Business School was officially established in 1908. To fulfill this mission, Harvard Business School influences many different people through various programs. Harvard Business School is perhaps most famous for its MBA program, but we also pursue our mission through Executive Education Programs (including AMP programs and over 100 other training programs for professional managers) and through the publications of Harvard Business School Press. Our publications include Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School books, online courses, and Harvard Business School case studies. Providing advice to outstanding institutions is also an important aspect of our mission. Over the past 60 years, Harvard Business School has not only provided teaching cases to many institutions worldwide but has also helped them and their teachers improve their case teaching skills through various programs. These include the International Teacher Program (ITP), the Case Method and Participant-Centered Learning Program (CPCL), and the Case Teaching and Participant-Centered Learning Program (PCMPCL). Among these, the PCMPCL program was launched in August 2005, with the goal of helping major business schools in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore improve their ability to skillfully use case teaching and heuristic teaching in MBA programs, executive education programs, and research oriented toward management practice. Through years of practice, Harvard Business School has found that the application of case teaching typically goes through three stages. First stage, cases are used in management classrooms as examples or illustrations of concepts or principles. Second stage, case studies are used as the primary learning method, relying on case discussions. Third stage, professors begin to apply their achievements in case studies and course development to teaching to better understand and convey how to make decisions. To fulfill our mission, Harvard Business School and Harvard Business School Press are delighted to partner with China Renmin University Press to help Chinese business schools and professors make the leap from the second stage to the third stage. Our efforts include: providing a 10-day PCMPCL training for professors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore; publishing a set of casebooks edited according to MBA core courses (in both Chinese and English versions); organizing a series of follow-up training programs on case teaching and case writing; and establishing a case service center for Chinese teachers. The purpose of doing this has two aspects, both of which are closely tied to Harvard Business School's mission. One purpose is to promote the improvement of global management education by helping educational institutions—just like those we found in China—develop their own case teaching skills focused on management practice. The other purpose is to help these institutions cultivate teachers who can lead in their schools, enabling them to write new case studies and teaching materials that can be shared with the world. This type of case study, which meets international standards while being closely related to specific Chinese management practices, is exactly what Chinese management education institutions urgently need. We are delighted that China Renmin University Press and many excellent business schools in China have joined our team. We hope that the publication of Harvard casebooks in China will help educational institutions, teachers, and their future business leaders achieve their dream of playing a significant role in the global economy.