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Dr.
Tim Singleton, Lee Anderson Professor of Management at the North
Georgia College and State University, spent five months in Bulgaria
during the 1997-1998 Fall semester, lecturing at the Technical
University in Sofia, Bulgaria. A former president of the North
American Case Research Association (NACRA), Dr. Singleton has
a distinguished career in developing case studies and teaching
management through the case method.
The transition from central planning to market-oriented economy
in Bulgaria marked a substantial increase in economics and business
administration training over the last decade, with a heightened
emphasis on management, finance and marketing. Among the challenges
facing Bulgarian academics as they strive to develop curricula
for these areas is the incorporation of theory with practical
examples in the Bulgarian context. Dr. Singleton's collaboration
with the deans of three Bulgarian universities was the driving
force behind incorporation of the case study method in management
curricula in these institutions and the establishment of the Bulgarian
Case Research Association (BUCRA).
In the fall of 1997, Dr. Singleton had what he calls one of the
most satisfying teaching experiences of his life. He conducted
a strategic management seminar with 28 engineering students at
the Technological University at Sofia. Their receptivity to learning,
using the case method and the quality of their performance were
important factors in his desire to develop case studies about
Bulgarian organizations.
Close personal relationships with faculty and students at the
University of Rousse in Rousse, Bulgaria, during the scholar's
visit led to his continued involvement with and support for case
study research in Bulgaria. Singleton was instrumental in the
development and presentation of a Bulgarian case study at the
NACRA conference in late 1998. Furthermore, case studies by Bulgarian
authors were presented at the NACRA conference the following year,
with sponsorship from Dr. Singleton. Singleton established a long-lasting
relationship between his home and host institutions, and made
it possible for Bulgarian scholars to lecture at NGCSU, in addition
to opening his home to Bulgarian friends.
As the scholar remarks, the decision to go to Bulgaria "has energized
me in the late afternoon of my career, and has led to many new
and meaningful relationships I cherish." Dr. Singleton visited
Bulgaria in May, 1999 and is planning to return again in 2001
for BUCRA's second conference.
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