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IFCR Mission

The Institute of Finance Case Research is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws ofNorth Carolina

The Institute of Finance Case Research (IFCR) is a professional association dedicated to the production, dissemination and publication of cases in all areas of finance. The Institute supports these objectives through sponsorship of conferences and publication of the Journal of Finance Case Research, as well as other activities. The IFCR is a supportive organization that operates on the basis of mutual respect among members and encourages positive and helpful review of the academic work of others, with the ultimate goal of producing high quality, peer-reviewed, published cases in finance.

IFCR Purposes and Goals

The IFCR exists for the purpose of providing casewriters and case users in finance with a peer reviewed outlet for, and a continual source of, high quality cases. The IFCR began in response to increasing demand for effective real world applications of finance theory and concepts. This demand, in part, stems from a movement in business schools to provide experiential learning while maintaining the vicarious nature of a structured learning environment. Unlike experiential learning through on-the-job trial and error, using cases in the classroom provides the capacity for learning without serious penalty for the student's mistakes, and provides for the possibility of exposure to a wide variety of business experiences. Use of cases as a teaching tool allows a professor or trainer to bring to light real world applications.

Unfortunately, in finance, A broad-based supply of new high quality cases is rather hard to come by. Perhaps it is the lack of 'softness' in the discipline or perhaps it is because the reward for effective case writing has not been evident. With the advent of new definitions of 'intellectual contributions' by accrediting bodies and an acceptance, especially at predominantly teaching institutions, of casewriting as an acceptable means of conducting research in an applied way, the need for an organization that promotes case writing and use became evident.

The IFCR provides a professional avenue for the writing of cases and their submission for peer review. Cases accepted for publication in the Journal of Finance Case Research will have met the quality requirements of a double-blind referee process, and will be available for use through Journal subscriptions or by contacting the Institute for copies (for a small fee per copy of the case). Our first Journal issue was Fall 1999.

Teaching notes are available to instructors desiring to use published cases by contacting the Managing Editor of the Journal. A record of notes requests is kept by the Institute, providing feedback to our case writers and their respective schools as to the number of requests. This is similar in nature to a citations tally for journal articles.

In addition, the Institute continues to promote the interaction of casewriters in conference settings. Cases presented at our conferences appear in the IFCR Online Proceedings. The overall objective of conferences is to create interaction and comradery among casewriters, and to provide a source of high quality cases for case users. Cases addressing virtually any area of finance are appropriate for submission to the IFCR. We hope the IFCR can serve your interests as casewriters and case users.

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