Constructing a historical case for the teaching of business and management subjects – public and private multinational enterprises in colonial Hong Kong

Purpose Our study explores the use of historical cases in assisting students to understand some of the managerial issues faced by entrepreneurial multinational organisations. We argue that historical cases can be an effective tool to acquire management skills, with its main advantage being its ability to induce critical thinking which allows strategic decisions to be made in a variety of contexts. Of course there is the question of relevancy of using past behaviour to guide the future. Design/methodology/approach To answer this main criticism, we review the use of history in the study of business and management disciplines, before examining the way in which a historical case related to the entrepreneurial history of colonial Hong Kong can be constructed for the teaching of an international management subject. We then examine the impact of the use of such a historical case in the understanding and satisfaction of teaching. Findings We discuss the ways in which a historical case can be constructed. We found that overall students enjoy learning through a historical case. Originality/value This is the first paper examining how a historical case of multinational enterprises can be constructed for the teaching of international management.