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Defining the Genre of the "Case Write-Up"

University of California, Los Angeles

Jone Rymer

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Although the case "write-up" is the dominant written genre in case-based business schools, it is not well known to communication scholars. Modern genre theory pro vides a theoretical perspective for understanding the write-up according to its cen tral purpose: preparing students to participate in the class discussion (oral analy sis) of the case. Using discourse-based interviews with genre experts (MBA students and instructors at a case-based business school), the study shows that the write-up prepares students for classroom performance as problem-solvers, managers who can act in business situations, and disciplinary thinkers who can apply aca demic knowledge to the real world. Each action-problem solving, making deci sions, and applying disciplinary knowledge-comprises a set of "moves" in the write-up, such as offering recommendations and plans for implementation. Although students may effectively integrate the three actions and sets of moves in their write-ups, they more often confront conflicting demands in preparing to per form for the oral case analysis. The written results are fragmented, even incoher ent, case write-ups in the eyes of "outsiders." Defining the genre from the perspec tive of discourse "insiders," however, suggests that the write-up functions effectively in management classrooms to ensure students' engaged performance in the oral case analysis.

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