Regent Professors Carve Unique Niche for "Real" Case Studies
Published by Prentice Hall

July 23, 2008

In a world filled with reality shows, two Regent professors are paving the way for real case studies where names are no longer changed to protect anyone.

Carving a unique niche for themselves, Dr. A. Gregory Stone and Dr. Timothy A. O. Redmer of Regent’s School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship are taking business case studies to a new level.

In fact, their unique case study gained the attention of the judges at the 2006 South Eastern Case Research Association (SECRA) annual conference and ultimately earned the award of Best Case Study, 2006. It has, in 2008, been published by Prentice Hall in the 12th edition of Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases.

 “This case is a real company, and it uses the names of the people working in the company,” explained Redmer. “Most cases change the fine points, resulting in a story that’s fictional. Our cases are the real deal.”

The “Cellox” case, located in the small business section of the textbook, is part of a brand new mix of 31 cases focusing on multiple business functions that ask students to prepare a three-year strategic plan for companies such as Amazon.com, Cellox, Toll Brothers and E-Trade Financial.

“The textbook is skills-oriented and offers a practitioner perspective,” Stone added. “This specific text is updated annually with modern cases to reflect current research and strategy.”

The Cellox case follows the dynamic growth of a small business owned by former Regent University trustee David Pace.

According to Stone, the case got its start in 2005 as a consulting project.  “We spent four days with Pace at the Cellox plant in Reedsburg, Wisc. We interviewed all of the key management, and gathered information from feasibility studies, marketing plans, business plans, managers, employees, historical records, marketing materials and brochures.”

Ethics and Christian values are an undercurrent in the case. “David Pace and other Cellox executives have adhered to basic core values, and Pace’s decisions impacted the company's competitiveness, cash flow, employees, and profitability. But he never ever lost sight of his core Christian values,” said Stone.

Stone and Redmer’s cycle of case study success recently began again as they received the 2008 SECRA Best Case Award for another “no names changed” case in which they used real budget information.

About the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship
The School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) is one of seven graduate schools within Regent University and is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Offering fully-accredited master's and doctoral degrees in a flexible online format, GLE provides rigorous, yet innovative academic programs that can accommodate even the busiest professionals. For more information, visit www.regent.edu/global.

About Regent University

Founded in 1978, Regent University has more than 4,000 students studying on its campus in Virginia Beach, Va., and online around the world. Regent offers associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in fields including business, communication and the arts, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, and psychology and counseling