H.S. Students Study Business Case with Harvard MBA and S’well CEO

On June 24, students in Frank Maldonado’s history class at McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, were making some history of their own. They were one of the first high schools in the country to experience Cases in the Classroom, an initiative that brings Harvard MBAs (and grads of other business schools) into the high school class to help students dissect a real-life business dilemma. A representative of the company being studied often joins the class discussion which is what happened at McNair. The business case studies published by Harvard Business Publishing are normally only studied at the college level.

The McNair students – who attended Virtually - were welcomed by Ann Carter, MBA, 1989, Harvard Business School. She guided the discussion in Socratic style of the case of S’well: The Mass Market Decision – how a young female entrepreneur (the protagonist) had to decide whether to take her high-end brand water bottles to the mass market. Through careful questioning, Carter helped the students consider the problem, an analysis of strengths and weaknesses of the company, opportunities, threats, and what their recommendations would be in this situation. She said, “The case study method is an excellent way for young people to grasp frameworks such as a SWOT analysis and encourages participation leading to critical thinking.”

S’well founder/CEO Sarah Kauss listened to the class discussion and joined in during the last 10 minutes. She shared some business decisions with the students as well as what to look for in S’well’s future marketing efforts. In commenting about the program, Kauss said, “Programs like Cases in the Classroom set students up for success by providing access to information and new experiences. They help to educate and inspire youth toward so many possibilities. It was such a pleasure to be a part of this program.”

Mr. Maldonado said, “Watching my students prepare for the Harvard Business School case study was exciting. The students analyzed, discussed, and argued the various complexities that the CEO of S’Well faced as she grew her business. All of my students came up with different business ideas or models that they would have implemented in various situations. Their interaction with a CEO of a major US company was the icing on the cake. “

It is this kind of interaction – between students and business leaders – that Carol Valentino-Barry, freelance educator and founder of Chicago-based Mentoring Mission, had in mind when she started the Cases in the Classroom program for high school students in 2012.

“These professional mentors can have a lasting impact on students’ future life aspirations and achievements,” said Valentino-Barry. “They can help dispel the disconnect students often feel between school and real world decisions that are being made each day; instead, this exposure can flick on the proverbial lightbulb by which they can see a clear path forward.” Valentino-Barry prepared the McNair students and teacher about the S’well case, which they read carefully, in the days before the final discussion.

Mussab Ali, Jersey City Public School’s Board President, heard about the program taking place at Whitney Young High School in Chicago and asked Valentino-Barry if they could try it at a Jersey City high school.

Was Ali happy with the results? "It was amazing to watch high school students not only read a real Harvard Business Case but engage with the CEO of a multi-million dollar company with the kind of advice one expects from professional management consultants. I see this as an amazing opportunity to show the students that they can not only be admitted but succeed at a place like Harvard Business School,” Ali said.

More information about Cases in the Classroom is available at the Mentoring Mission website: www.mentoringmission.org. There is also information there about the "Lasting Impact Study - A Business Leader's Playbook for Supporting American Schools" by the Gates Foundation, The Boston Consulting Group and Harvard Business School (part of Harvard Business School's Competitiveness Project). Two thousand Superintendents and CEOs agreed: "We have no shared reality." The time had come for American business leaders to work with the nation's educators to support our schools which would also improve the future economy of the country.

# # #