Introduction

This case study is so designed that students will need to use knowledge of past tenses, history and marketing know-how. They find themselves going back in time to interact with the material. In essence, this case study is different from others in that it ‘evolves’ according to student choices at key points. This passes control over the development of the story over to the students themselves within an ever-loosening framework of historical and fictitious events which they can imagine and research. Along with the chance to ‘imagine’ the potential possibilities that a marketing person would have at a certain point in history, students’ schema is also developed since the ‘imagined’ choices need to be made in light of the real-world events at that time. Imagination is, in this sense, connected to historical reality.

The case study approach to teaching Business English is taken, in this example, not simply to “bridge the gap between English language and business content instruction” (Uber Gross, 1988, p. 131), but also to allow learners to adapt materials to their own knowledge base. This fundamentally goes beyond McDonough and Shaw’s (1993) advice that teachers adapt materials to learner needs by passing the responsibility for adaptation over to the Business English students themselves.

Case study

(Italics show the instructions to the students)

Task: Read carefully through the information on the background of the company; as you have to take yourself back in time to do some of the tasks, so think about your tenses.

This is the story of a Dutch toy manufacturer which has been active in Europe for over 80 years. It started in 1921 as a small shop in Amsterdam with a workshop in the back room. Two single women, the Reeberhausen sisters, ran this small business as a way to become financially independent in a still very conservative age for women. They specialised in making rag dolls and teddy bears and the business was modestly successful for several years, managing to break even and on occasions allowing the sisters a small profit. Wisely, they ploughed these small sums of money back into the business, investing in better sewing machines, materials and thread. In terms of their clientele, their standard toys sold well especially among Amsterdam’s wealthier middle class.

Their reputation spread by word of mouth and many passers-by commented on the simple but attractive window display in the shop. The premises were on the ground floor of their house which was not situated in the city centre but in a suburb near to it.

In 1927 they received their first big commission from one of the city’s major department stores. The ball had started to roll. Sales were especially good around Christmas and the Reeberhausen sisters found themselves working around the clock to meet the repeat orders from the department store as well as keep their own shelves stocked. The money invested in better machinery had turned out to be well spent. Everything was of course hand-made and such was the labour intensive nature of the work, that they needed in 1928 to employ 2 extra part-timers to help with the sewing and 1 full-time bookkeeper to deal with the growing administrative side of the business.

From unit sales of on average 30-40 dolls & bears per month (rising to 80-100 in December) from the shop before 1927, they sold on average in the period 1927 to 1928 100-140 units in the department store p.m.( 250 units in December ) and 60-80 units p.m. ( 160-200 units in December ) from the shop. Along with the department store commission came the request that their rag dolls and teddy bears be given a “brand name” as the toys of other competitors were recognised by names and catch phrases which were easier to remember. The sisters had to think of a good name to typify their products and somehow make them recognisable from the others on the market. For the rag dolls and bears, they came up with the following list:

The Reeberhausen Sisters' Toys

Reeberhausen Toys

R. Toys of Amsterdam

Toys from Reeberhausen

Reeberhausen's finest toys

Task: Choose a name from the list or make a new name.

Name :

In 1928 they took a patent out on their small product range. There were still only 2 variations on the rag dolls (a boy and a girl doll) and 1 standard teddy bear for which they had dressed in a traditional sailor suit and cap. The department store began to put pressure on them to expand the range; they were reticent to do so, arguing that it would have required taking on more staff and represented a potentially risky expansion needing larger premises, more machines and a step into unknown territory in terms of what consumers would want.

Task: At this point in the history of the sisters’ company, what advice would you (coming from the future back to 1928 as a business consultant) have given them regarding :

1. The relationship with the department store and the expansion of their product range?

2. The economic/political events of the late 1920s?

The economic crisis in Germany with its runaway inflation and the Wall Street Crash meant a severe recession in Holland in 1929. The department store contract still remained in tact but sales plummeted both from the shop and the department store. In the period between 1929 to 1932, monthly sales dropped to 20-25 units (only 40-50 in December) from the shop and 60-70 units p.m. (140-150 units in December) from the department store. Both sisters were faced with the question of how to cut costs. They decided to lay off one of the part-time workers and asked the bookkeeper to change to part-time. Times were hard and they even considered selling off some of their “Singer” machines. They didn’t as they both believed better times would eventually return economically.

The early 1930s saw much political turmoil in neighbouring Germany in terms of the many changes in the political and social situation there.

Task: What happened in Germany in the 1930s? Discuss and then write these changes below:

Business stagnated throughout the 1930s and the sisters’ lives became concerned with marriage for both of them, and then children. Their shop continued but the large contracts from department stores slowly became smaller and smaller. Business deteriorated and the political scene had become clearly dangerous so they fled to England with their families.

After the war, they returned to Holland to find their premises damaged by bombing and their stock and machinery looted. It was time to reassess their business. They were wise enough to have fled with their savings, however, the Dutch Guilder had been devalued after the war to only 60 % of its pre-war value.

What do you think they should have done at this stage ?

Do you think it was time to ‘throw the towel in’ ?

Both sisters felt disheartened in this period, however, the economy did start to grow again. Then their luck changed. American soldiers in Europe often visited old Amsterdam and looked to buy some kind of souvenir to take back to the States. Old friends brought this to the sisters’ attention and so they decided to revitalise the shop. Enough dolls were put together to make a basic window display and a sign in English was put in the window to attract the potential English-speaking clientele.

What do you think should have been written on this sign/advertisement ?

American soldiers especially became attracted to the shop to buy presents for their wives, girlfriends and children. Turnover increased and similar to the 1920s, the sisters decided to plough the small profits back in to the business by investing in better machinery. A regular advert was even placed in the local press.

One day in 1950 they received a visit from an American, who as a soldier had purchased one of their traditional rag dolls. He was now working for a department store in Chicago and had a business proposition to make. He proposed that the US department store produce the dolls under franchise in America following the sisters’ original design. The sisters would receive 50 % of profits from sales and would receive 60 % on any further doll designs. They would be commissioned to provide the department store with five new models for the American market.

What do you think of this proposal ?

Now simulate the negotiations: representatives for the sisters and the department store should be chosen.

Finally, a deal was struck with the department store on the conditions decided during the negotiations. Business boomed and the sisters found it necessary to now run a business in Holland and co-ordinate business affairs in America. They began to regularly visit Chicago and in 1955, it was suggested that they actually move there.

What do you think of this idea ? Give some advantages and disadvantages for doing so. Then in pairs role play a conversation on this topic between one sister, who is in favour of moving, and the other, who is against.

Advantages: Disadvantages:

The time is now 1960, a time of television advertising and much more aggressive marketing.

Following the decision you have made to move to America or not, present the sisters with a marketing strategy for the 1960s. Remember they are old ladies with grown up children now.

Now, in pairs if possible, try to verbally retell the sisters’ story:

Conclusion

I have used this case study in various business contexts, mostly in the U.K. and Europe. What is most striking in the student input forthcoming is that it can serve as a useful tool to challenge, and therefore develop, their own knowledge of history, language, and the ability to imagine a feasible next step for marketing a product. It is, in this sense, a task which admittedly can be criticized as burdening its participants with both schema content and language. Nevertheless, the multi-focused and interactive nature of this semi-authentic approach to case studies provides a scaffold upon which learners develop their own logical chain of events and language, a task which exploits their ability and sense of responsibility to make marketing decisions in light of contextual information.

References

McDonough, J. and Shaw, C. (1993). Materials and methods in ELT. Blackwell.

Uber Grosse, C. (1988). “The Case Study Approach to Teaching Business English”. English for Specific Purposes, Vol. 7, pp. 131-136.

Bio-data

Dr. John Adamson has taught Business English in companies and for pre-experience college students for 17 years in the UK, Germany, Thailand and currently Japan. His interests are in the areas of materials design and discourse analysis and he has an Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from the University of Leicester, UK.