Why I Love the CASE Association

by Gina Vega

My connection with CASE began at the EAM meeting Springfield in 1997. I was a newly minted Ph.D. and had published several cases without actually realizing that they were cases. I was intrigued by the idea of “embryo cases” – something about the organic nature of the approach appealed to me – so I attended that CASE workshop and was overwhelmed by the kind of feedback these brief case ideas generated. The table was filled with people who really knew their beans, and I was especially impressed by two powerhouse women – Jeannette Oppedisano and Carolyn Stumpf – and three articulate and committed men – Herb Sherman, Barry Armandi, and John Seeger. Could I ever develop their confidence, skill, and willingness to work hard for others? I stopped in to the general membership meeting and was surprised to find a small core of welcoming case-writers who made no judgments about my previous experience (or lack thereof). The general sense was, “If you’re interested, you’re welcome.”

When I had a case accepted as the object of a VIP review, I was completely hooked. The reviews were thorough, complex, detailed, and extraordinarily constructive. I never learned so much at one sitting as I did at that VIP session. Every single case I have had reviewed by my colleagues at CASE has been accepted for publication in an academic journal. Every single one. In many different journals. That’s quite a record for any author/reviewer combination. Who would not want to be part of an organization that can accomplish this?

The CASE Association epitomizes, to me, a generosity of spirit and a sense of unconditional academic acceptance that nurtures the first tentative trials of the new case-writer and encourages and develops those attempts through constructive criticism and thoughtful suggestions. Big vision, big hearts, and big results. May it always be so.

Gina Vega, Ph.D. is the President of Organizational Ergonomics, an academic consulting firm . She received her Ph.D. from The Union Institute and University Graduate School and teaches business ethics, organizational behavior, and entrepreneurship. Gina has written two books and numerous journal articles and cases relating to issues of ethics in business, organizational transitions, and technology. She is a Fellow of the CASE Association and has served CASE as Program Chair, Regional Representative to NACRA, President, Journal Editor.