ABOUT WACRA®

Professionals and academicians from sixty five countries have participated in international (summer) conferences on Case Method Research & Application in Lausanne, Switzerland (1980), London, UK (1984, 1985, 1987), Boston, U.S.A. (1988, 1989), Enschede, Netherlands (1990), Berlin Germany (1991), Limerick, Ireland (1992), Bratislava, Slovakia - Vienna, Austria (1993), Montreal, Canada (1994), Leysin, Switzerland (1995), Warsaw, Poland (1996), Edinburgh, Scotland (1997), Marseille, France (1998), Cáceres, Spain (1999), Budapest, Hungary (2000), Lund, Sweden, (2001), Mannheim, Germany, (2002), Bordeaux, France (2003), Buenos Aires, Argentina (2004) and Brno, Czech Republic (2005).

In 2006, Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia will host the 24st International Conference, July 2-6, 2006 and in 2007, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico will welcome the World to the 25th International Conference on Case Method Research & Application.

Since 1998, WACRA and ACT - The Academy for Creative Teaching - cooperate in a series of winter conferences on Creative Teaching. The first seven ACT conferences were held in Lucerne, Switzerland in Vienna, Austria. ACT8 met in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S.A. and ACT9 will convene in Bolzano, Italy (South Tyrol) from January 3-6, 2006. Please visit the WACRA homepage www.wacra.org for details and dates on other activities and future conferences.

The Case Method
The Case Method can be defined in a broad sense by contrasting it with the lecture method. Instead of textbooks, the Case Method uses partial, historical descriptions of specific situations enabling students to discover and develop their own unique framework for problem-solving. The Case Method achieves this goal efficiently and effectively. Data and information are presented in narrative form to encourage student involvement by solving problems actively, by identifying sources of information necessary for problem-solving, by engaging in critical thinking and through group work. (The group work contributes to the development of individuals able and willing to work collegially, etc.). Although "cases" have been used in one form or another by both law and medicine for a long time, the Case Method in the teaching of management and other disciplines is relatively new. The Harvard Business School is well known for its innovative role in this regard. The method has applications far beyond the managerial, business orientation so familiar to many.

New applications for the Case Method in disciplines other than management and business are being explored and research is being conducted on this basis. The Case Method is increasingly applied in higher education and educational administration, the instruction (and operation) of the social sciences, the arts, engineering, agriculture, strategic policy planning, and personnel development in different parts of the world.

The development and increasing affordability of new communication technologies is changing the educational environment for teachers, trainers and students. Institutions worldwide are investigating and investing in distance education, video-based instruction, and computer-assisted instruction. Over twenty volumes of international case method research papers, cases and presentations attest to WACRA's success in providing an important forum in "managing change in multi-cultural settings" and in promoting cross cultural dialogue and development in Higher Education and training.

Objectives
The objectives of WACRA are to explain, research and advance the use of the case method in teaching, planning and training at all levels; to promote and encourage research using the case method, with special emphasis placed on studying the teaching effectiveness in varied teaching-learning systems; to coordinate development of interactive pedagogical methods involving the case method, simulations and games; to augment the available body of research and teaching materials; to foster interdisciplinary applications and to encourage cooperation with the public sector, the business community and other case method oriented professional specialties on a worldwide basis.

Functions
WACRA's main function at the present time is to coordinate research, to facilitate the organization of forums, public discussions, workshops, training sessions, lectures and conferences and develop a worldwide network. WACRA organizes annual conferences at various locations around the world to provide opportunities and encourage the exchange of ideas, the presentation of planned, on-going and completed research, and the sharing of applications, simulations and games. Papers and manuscripts accepted (double blind peer review - acceptance rate for publication on average is between thirty and forty percent) and presented at the annual conferences are published. The WACRA NEWSLETTER informs members about ongoing research projects, employment (exchange) opportunities, new publications and releases, curriculum development and other developments in interactive pedagogy. WACRA supports and cooperates with national Case Method Organizations, with Case Clearing Houses worldwide.

Affiliated Associations
Affiliated Associations are BACRA - Baltic Association for Case Method Research & Application at Kaunas University in Panevezys, Lithuania, CZACRA - Czech Association for Case Method Research & Application at Mendel University for Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Czech Republic and NACRA - North American Case Research Association at the University of Tampa, Florida, U.S.A. New affiliates are in the planning stages for Scandinavia, Latin America and Asia.

Advantages of Membership
Membership in WACRA is open to all individuals and organizations wishing to advance the objectives of the association. As a member you receive the WACRA NEWSLETTER, substantial discounts on WACRA publications, preferential rates at all WACRA sponsored meetings, notices of all activities and calls for papers. As a member you can receive training and assistance in case writing and teaching; once you are a member, payment of full registration fee for any meeting includes membership in WACRA for the following calendar. You have the opportunity for networking, consulting and to associate with other professionals working with cases, simulations and games on a truly international scale.

Membership
Membership in WACRA is open to all individuals and organizations in all countries who wish to advance the objectives of the association and to advance professional standards in the field. The various classes of membership and annual dues which provide for the continuing support of WACRA, are as follows:

• Regular USD 75: Any individual (teacher, researcher, government official or representative, business executive, attorney, consultant) who wishes to assist actively in attaining the goals of WACRA.
• Organization USD 500: includes membership for up to ten faculty members.
• Sustaining USD 600: includes WACRA Advisory Board Representative.
• Associate (Advanced Students)USD 65
• Retired Faculty USD 35
• Library Subscription Rate per year USD 950

You are cordially invited to join, to participate and to share your expertise and experiences with colleagues from around the world.