Business cases in business education and teaching paradigm change: local experience of Ukrainian higher school

The vision of the article is to characterize didactic innovation from the background of a Ukrainian institution of higher education regarding the creation of an educational environment for the formation of a specialist prepared for: 1) forecast trends in the development of the service economy considering the context of multitasking, 2) an enterprise / corporation, 3) an employer’s request through the implementation of business cases in the educational process. The arguments are consolidated with the demand of stakeholders-employers to work with graduates of higher education institutions not “formally trained” according to the educational standard and educational program, but those who have a professional background in the aggregate: practical skills and professional competences, stress resistance in situations of professional activity, a clear readiness for improvement, awareness of the need to increase (improve) qualifications throughout life. The reflection of the experience of implementing productive learning technology was carried out and it was argued that the method of business cases is the most appropriate business education tool for the requirements of the 21st century. The essence of a decision case study is characterized — a case in which students must independently make decisions and implement business projects. The main sources of obtaining business cases are outlined. The results of the three-stage pedagogical experiment (2015–2019, 2019–2020, 2020–2024) are described. The first (theoretical-methodological) stage provided for the substantiation of the technology of productive education, built on the principles of rational synergy of classical and innovative teaching methods (cases, simulation of real business problems, extra-auditory group work, formation of multidisciplinary teams). Based on the results of the second (approbation-practical) stage, a sample decision case study is presented. Based on the narrative methodology, the algorithm, work results, original conclusions of the work of the multidisciplinary student team of the “Restopraktiky” professional circle are described. The results of the implementation of the decision case study — the rebranding of the actual operating enterprise of the restaurant industry “Loft-café” are characterized. Within the third (analytical and diagnostic) stage, an analysis of changes in the priority of educational tools and psychological-pedagogical new formations of education seekers and professor-teaching community is carried out. It is substantiated that the changes are caused by the implementation of productive education technology and the implementation of the business case method into the educational process. The content and methodological peculiarities of digital practical manuals on management, created on the basis of educational training tools and a business case, are succinctly characterized.