Constitution    Bylaws

BY-LAWS OF THE SOCIETY FOR CASE RESEARCH

Approved, March 1995, Revised March 2004

BY-LAW 1---OFFICE

The principal office of the Society for Case Research shall be located at the principal address of the President of the Society for Case Research.

BY-LAW 2---NOTICES

A requirement for notices shall be deemed to be satisfied if said notice appears in a publication of the Midwest Business Administration Association, or if a direct mailing is made to all members of the Society for Case Research at least thirty days before the scheduled membership meeting date, or if Board of Directors members are notified at least fifteen days before the scheduled Board meeting date.

BY-LAW 3---TERMS

  1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Society for Case Research shall begin on March 1 and end on the last day of February of the next calendar year.
  2. Membership Year. The membership term is one year and shall commence on July 1 and end on June 30 of the next calendar year. All authors of cases and articles accepted for publication in one of the Society’s publications are required to become members of the Society prior to the appearance of their case or article in a publication. In situations where the acceptance letter may be sent during one membership year and the publication actually appear in a second membership year, the authors are required to be members in good standing during the year in which the case or article was accepted.
  3. Office Terms. The terms of office for officers shall be one year. The officers shall assume office each year at the end of the annual general business meeting.

BY-LAW 4---BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  1. Terms of Non-Officer Board Members
    1. At-Large Directors are nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected by the membership. Terms of these six directors are three years, commencing at the end of the general business meetings at which they were elected. Two new At-Large Directors shall be elected each year by majority vote of SCR members present at the annual business meeting. If any vacancies exist among the At-Large Director positions filled during the previous two years, the Nominating Committee will nominate replacements, and the vacancies will be filled by election by majority vote of SCR members present at the annual business meeting.
    2. The Director for External Relations is nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected by the membership for a term of three years, commencing at the end of the annual business meeting at which the Director of External Relations was elected.
    3. The Editor of Annual Advances in Business Cases, the Editor of the Business Case Journal, the Editor of the Newsletter, and the Archivist shall be nominated by the President for a one-year term, coinciding with the term of the President. The Board of Directors accepts the nominations and formally appoints the Editor of Annual Advances in Business Cases, the Editor of the Business Case Journal, the Editor of the Newsletter, and the Archivist and elects them as members of the Board of Directors with full voting privileges.
  2. Quorum. One-half of the nineteen (19) voting Board members (9) will constitute a quorum in accordance with Article V.5.
  3. Relationship with the President. The Board empowers the President to act in behalf of the Board between meetings of the Board. Actions taken by the President are subject to review by the Board at its next meeting. If a vote of the Board is required between meetings, the President shall distribute ballots by e-mail to all voting Board members. The ballot will be accompanied by a brief stating both sides of the question. The question will be decided by majority vote of the Board members returning their e-mail ballots within fifteen days of the initial e-mail distribution of electronic ballots provided that a majority, nine (9) of the voting Board members vote. If the President determines that a synchronous voice discussion would provide a better means of discussion and decision-making, the President may call such Special Electronic Meeting as provided in Article V.4 of the Constitution and ask the Board to decide the question in accordance with the procedures described in Article V.4. A majority vote of those attending the meeting will decide the question.
  4. The Director of External Relations shall be elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Society for Case Research. The Director of External Relations shall work with the other officers of the SCR and with the officers of other case organizations to promote case research, writing, publication, and teaching and shall seek sources of external support for case research, writing, publishing and teaching. The Director for External Relations will also serve on the Membership Committee. Upon the resignation of the Director of External Relations, the President may appoint a member of the Society for Case Research to complete the responsibilities of the position until the next general business meeting.
  5. The Editor of the Newsletter shall produce and distribute Newsletters two to three times per year to the membership, solicit announcements for the newsletters, and serve on the Publications Committee. Upon the resignation of the Editor of the Newsletter, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position for the remainder of the term.

  6. The Editor of the Business Case Journal shall be responsible for editing, producing and marketing the Business Case Journal. The Editor may appoint a member in good standing to be the Associate Editor for the journal. The Editor is responsible for soliciting paper and case submissions to the journal, directing the review process for submissions, and selecting papers and cases for the journal. The Editor also serves as a member of the Publications Committee. Upon the resignation of the Editor of the Business Case Journal, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position for the remainder of the term.
  7. The At-Large Directors shall attend meetings and perform duties as assigned by the President. One At-Large Director shall be appointed by the President to serve on the Nominating Committee.
  8. The Editor of Annual Advances in Business Cases shall be responsible for producing the Annual Advances in Business Cases. The Editor is responsible for coordinating with the Vice-President-Workshop (current year), directing the review process for case submissions, and selecting cases for the publication. The Editor also serves as a member of the Publications Committee. Upon the resignation of the Editor of Annual Advances in Business Cases, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position for the remainder of the term. It is assumed that in most years, the Editor of Annual Advances in Business Cases is not also serving as the Vice-President-Workshop (current year).
  9. The Archivist shall be responsible for collecting and maintaining a file of documents, minutes of meetings, publications, and other vital records of the Society for Case Research. Upon resignation of the Archivist, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position for the remainder of the term.

BY-LAW 5---OFFICERS’ DUTIES, TERMS, RESIGNATIONS

  1. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society for Case Research and shall be responsible for planning and conducting the affairs of the organization in such a manner as to further its objectives consistent with the established policies. In the event the President should resign, the President-Elect shall assume those responsibilities immediately. The President also has the responsibility to appoint: an At-Large Director and one general member to serve on the Nominating Committee; two SCR members to serve on the Publications Committee; two SCR members to serve on the Membership Committee; an Editor for Annual Advances in Business Cases; an Editor for the Business Case Journal; and Editor for the Newsletter; an Archivist; and replacements for these positions and the Director of External Relations, the Vice-President-Program, the Vice- President-Workshop (current year), and the Vice-President-Workshop (subsequent year) should such positions be vacated during the President’s term.
  2. The President-Elect shall act as an aide to the President. The President-Elect shall be a member of and serve as Chairperson of the Publications Committee. Other duties may be assigned by the President. If the President-Elect should resign, the President shall immediately assume the responsibilities of the President-Elect.
  3. The Vice-President-Program shall be responsible for directing the Society for Case Research program at the annual meeting of the Midwest Business Administration Association. The Vice President-Program will be responsible for coordination with the MBAA; issuing the call for papers and participants; directing the review process for paper and panel discussion submissions; arranging sessions; selecting session chairpersons, paper presenters, and panel discussants; and serves as Editor of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting. As an Editor of one of the Society’s publications, the Vice-President-Program also serves as a member of the Publications Committee. As Editor of the Proceedings, s/he is responsible for seeing that the goals as outlined in By-Law 9.5 are achieved. The term of office is one year. If the Vice-President-Program resigns, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position, with the approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with By-Law 4.3.
  4. The Vice President-Workshop (current year) shall be responsible for directing the annual case research workshop. The term of office is to be one year, the year in which the workshop is held. Upon resignation of the Vice-President-Workshop (current year), the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position with the approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with By-Law 4.3.
  5. The Vice President of Membership/Secretary shall be responsible for keeping minutes of the annual general business meeting and all other meetings and for maintaining a file of official correspondence and records. The Vice President of Membership/Secretary will also serve on and be Chairperson of the Membership Committee. S/he is also to generate and maintain a list of current SCR members, record members’ participation in SCR activities, and solicit new members. The term of office for the Vice President of Membership/Secretary is one year. If the Vice President of Membership/Secretary resigns, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position, with the approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with By-Law 4.3.
  6. The Treasurer shall receive funds, publish an annual financial statement, and be responsible for an accurate and complete reporting of the financial affairs of the organization for the safe-keeping of funds, and for sound financial operations of the organization consistent with plans and programs of the President. The Treasurer will provide complete records to be audited as required by the President or upon leaving office. The Treasurer serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors. The term of office is one year. Upon resignation of the Treasurer, the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position, with the approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with By-Law 4.3.
  7. The Immediate Past-President shall serve on and be Chairperson of the Nominating Committee. The Immediate Past-President shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.
  8. The Vice-President-Workshop (subsequent year) shall be responsible for learning the procedures for and requirements of directing the annual case research workshop. The term of office is to be one year, the year prior to which the workshop is held. Upon resignation of the Vice-President-Workshop (subsequent year), the President may appoint a member in good standing to complete the responsibilities of the position with the approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with By-Law 4.3.

BY LAW 6---NOMINATION AND ELECTION

  1. Nominations .The Nominating Committee shall provide a slate of candidates to the membership at the general business meeting consisting of at least one nominee for each available position. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. The positions for which nominees are to be identified include; President, President-Elect, Vice-President-Program, Vice President-Workshop (current year), Vice President of Membership/Secretary, Treasurer, Director of External Relations, At-Large Directors, Vice-President-Workshop (subsequent year) and any vacancies in these positions which may have arisen during the year.
  2. Method of Elections. The candidate for each office that polls the most votes cast by the members in good standing of the Society for Case Research voting at the annual business meeting will be declared elected to that office.

BY-LAW 7---CHANGES IN BY-LAWS

No article shall be added to these By-Laws and no part shall be amended or annulled except by:

  1. formal proposal, discussion, and show of hands ballot approved by at least two-thirds of the Society for Case Research members present at a business meeting held in conjunction with either the Annual Meeting or the Summer Workshop; or
  2. formal proposal, an opportunity to prepare briefs stating arguments pro and con, and a paper or e-mail ballot sent to all members and approved by at least two-thirds of the members returning said ballots within thirty days after the posting.

BY-LAW 8---STANDING COMMITTEES’ DUTIES AND TERMS

  1. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for presenting a slate of nominees to the membership at the general business meeting. The committee members will serve one-year terms, beginning at the close of the general business meeting.
  2. Publications Committee. The Publications Committee is responsible for reviewing established guidelines involving the Society’s publications; making recommendations to the Board for new guidelines or changes to existing guidelines; evaluating any proposals involving the Society’s publications; and making any decisions related to the association’s publications which may arise throughout the year. The Committee is also responsible for securing and maintaining distribution agreements with various publication outlets for the Society’s publications or any portion thereof. The Committee is also responsible for preparing non-exclusive agreements granting non-exclusive rights to reproduce, publish, display, sell and distribute the Society’s publications or any portion thereof in print and electronic form, in combination with other educational materials in all markets throughout the world.
  3. Membership Committee. The Membership Committee is responsible for maintaining a list of members in good standing; maintaining records of members’ participation in SCR activities; soliciting new members; and making recommendations to the Board for any changes to membership fee structures.

BY-LAW 9---SCR PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCES

  1. Business Case Journal. The primary purpose of the Business Case Journal is to promote the development of high quality business cases and research contributing to the process of case writing or teaching. The secondary purpose of the Business Case Journal is to elevate the professional reputation of the Society for Case Research and to enhance the status of the case teaching method as an effective learning vehicle in all business disciplines.

    The major goals of the Business Case Journal are to:

    1. Maintain high-quality standards and selective reviewers.
    2. Promote the publication to a wide audience of business educators and educationally-related institutions, thereby increasing subscriptions among non-SCR members and increasing submissions of cases and of case research manuscripts
    3. Become a premier refereed publication outlet for case writers, teachers, and researchers within the business profession, thereby, supporting career progress and rewarding efforts to improve business education through the use of the case method.
  2. Annual Workshop The primary purpose of the workshop is to develop and improve the case research, case writing, and case reviewing skills of its participants. The secondary purpose of the workshop is to facilitate the publication of quality cases through peer review and evaluation of the cases presented at the workshop.

    3. The major goals of the Annual Workshop are to:

    1. Assist both the novice and the experienced case writer in developing and improving his/her case research and case writing skills through cooperation in a collegial setting.
    2. Encourage writers from all business disciplines to submit cases of various formats that are accompanied by comprehensive teaching notes.
    3. Provide information on the methods of case research, case writing, and case reviewing to the participants of the workshop.
  3. Annual Advances in Business Cases The primary purpose of Annual Advances in Business Cases is to promote better case writing by providing SCR members with a refereeing process and publication outlet for cases presented at the annual summer SCR workshop. A secondary purpose of Annual Advances in Business Cases is to promote better case teaching by providing a source of effective cases for all business disciplines.

    4. The major goals of Annual Advances in Business Cases are to:

    1. Maintain reasonable standards for the acceptability of cases and teaching notes for the publication, while recognizing that standards may differ for cases with different formats or objectives.
    2. Develop a reviewing/refereeing system which will fairly enforce the standards for acceptability.
    3. Maintain a standardized format for all case and teaching note submissions, including exhibits, which will result in the production of an attractive, professionally appearing publication.
  4. Newsletter The primary purpose of the Newsletter is to build interest in loyalty to and participation in the SCR and its activities. A secondary purpose of the Newsletter is to support the activities of other organizations with an interest in case research, writing and teaching.

    The major goals of the Newsletter are to:

    1. Serve as the major communication vehicle for SCR members by including reports on past meetings, upcoming meetings, deadlines, newsworthy activities of members, and a list of SCR officers, board members, and committee members.
    2. Establish cooperative, reciprocal relationships for exchanging and reporting newsworthy information and upcoming activities between other case organizations and SCR officers, editors and members.
    3. Maintain a uniform and professional format that reflects a positive image of the SCR.
  5. Annual Conference The primary purpose of the annual conference is to facilitate the exchange of research findings and the discussion of ideas and philosophies about the writing and effective use of cases of all types. The secondary purpose of the annual conference is to facilitate the professional development of the conference participants and SCR members in attendance.

    The major goals of the Annual Conference are to:

    1. Develop a program of paper presentations, panel discussions, and/or workshops reflecting a broad cross-section of business disciplines.
    2. Improve the quality of case research, writing, and teaching to enhance business education.
    3. Communicate the effectiveness of the case method of teaching to conference attendees.
  6. Proceedings. The primary purpose of the Proceedings is to serve as a permanent record of the presentations made at the Annual Conference. The secondary purpose of the Proceedings is to provide a record of the cases appearing in the Annual Advances in Business Cases, thereby, exposing the end-products of the summer case workshop to all SCR members.

    The major goals of the Proceedings are to:

    1. Publish manuscripts of abstracts of all presentations made at the Annual Conference as well as abstracts of the cases appearing in the most recent edition of Annual Advances in Business Cases.
    2. Disseminate knowledge gained through research and the experience of others involving case teaching and case writing.
    3. Maintain a professional appearance and standardized format for the publication.