1978 Decision-Making Casebook for Business and Economics.

These teacher developed case studies taken from the business world are presented to help secondary students develop an understanding of economics and of the decision-making process. The studies describe real business situations. All historical and current facts are provided, and students must analyze the data and make business decisions. Teacher directions are provided for each of the five cases. In the first case study, "Dental Health Insurance: Is It Worth the Bite?," students analyze the coverage and costs of a dental health insurance package. They must then decide if, as an officer of their student association, they would recommend this plan to the association membership. The second case study deals with the stealing of electricity from the utility company Northeastern Electric. Students discuss whether theft is a crime when done to a large public company. The third case study is entitled "Howard Johnson's Hustles On." Students are asked to place themselves in the President's chair of this restaurant chain and decide whether or not to build a disco-type cocktail lounge to attract young adults to an already successful Howard Johnson's in Braintree, Massachusetts. In the fourth case study, students play the role of a large chain hotel executive. They must decide whether to convert a manual reservation system to a computerized reservation system in the chain's hotel located at the site of the 1980 Olympics. Banking services and marketing communication problems are analyzed in the last case study. A discussion of how to use case studies to teach economics is also included in the publication. (Author/RM)