6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

IntroductiontoBusinessWinter2006
AnApproachtoCaseAnalysisWinter2006
WhatisaCaseStudy?
Acasestudyisadescriptionofanactualadministrativesituationinvolvingadecisiontobemadeora
problemtobesolved.Itcanarealsituationthatactuallyhappenedjustasdescribed,orportionshave
beendisguisedforreasonsofprivacy.Mostcasestudiesarewritteninsuchawaythatthereadertakes
theplaceofthemanagerwhoseresponsibilityistomakedecisionstohelpsolvetheproblem.In
almostallcasestudies,adecisionmustbemade,althoughthatdecisionmightbetoleavethesituation
asitisanddonothing.

TheCaseMethodasaLearningTool
ThecasemethodofanalysisisalearningtoolinwhichstudentsandInstructorsparticipateindirect
discussionofcasestudies,asopposedtothelecturemethod,wheretheInstructorspeaksandstudents
listenandtakenotes.Inthecasemethod,studentsteachthemselves,withtheInstructorbeingan
activeguide,ratherthanjustatalkingheaddeliveringcontent.Thefocusisonstudentslearning
throughtheirjoint,cooperativeeffort.
Assignedcasesarefirstpreparedbystudents,andthispreparationformsthebasisforclassdiscussion
underthedirectionoftheInstructor.Studentslearn,oftenunconsciously,howtoevaluateaproblem,
howtomakedecisions,andhowtoorallyargueapointofview.Usingthismethod,theyalsolearn
howtothinkintermsoftheproblemsfacedbyanadministrator.Incoursesthatusethecasemethod
extensively,asignificantpartofthestudent'sevaluationmayrestwithclassroomparticipationincase
discussions,withanothersubstantialportionrestingonwrittencaseanalyses.Forthesereasons,using
thecasemethodtendstobeveryintensiveforbothstudentsandInstructor.
Casestudiesareusedextensivelythoughoutmostbusinessprogramsattheuniversitylevel,andThe
F.C.ManningSchoolofBusinessAdministrationisnoexception.Asyouwillbeusingcasestudiesin
manyofthecoursesoverthenextfouryears,itisimportantthatyougetofftoagoodstartbylearning
theproperwaytoapproachandcompletethem.

HowtodoaCaseStudy
Whilethereisnoonedefinitive"CaseMethod"orapproach,therearecommonstepsthatmost
approachesrecommendbefollowedintacklingacasestudy.ItisinevitablethatdifferentInstructors
willtellyoutodothingsdifferently,thisispartoflifeandwillalsobepartofworkingforothers.This
varietyisbeneficialsinceitwillshowyoudifferentwaysofapproachingdecisionmaking.What
followsisintendedtobearathergeneralapproach,portionsofwhichhavebeentakenfroman
excellentbookentitled,LearningwithCases,byErskine,Leenders,&MauffetteLeenders,published
bytheRichardIveySchoolofBusiness,TheUniversityofWesternOntario,1997.
Beforehand(usuallyaweekbefore),youwillget:
1. thecasestudy,
2. (often)someguidingquestionsthatwillneedtobeanswered,and
3. (sometimes)somereadingassignmentsthathavesomerelevancetothecasesubject.
Yourworkincompletingthecasecanbedividedupintothreecomponents:
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

1/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

1. whatyoudotopreparebeforetheclassdiscussion,
2. whattakesplaceintheclassdiscussionofthecase,and
3. anythingrequiredaftertheclassdiscussionhastakenplace.
Formaximumeffectiveness,itisessentialthatyoudoallthreecomponents.Herearethe
subcomponents,inorder.Wewilldiscusstheminmoredetailshortly.
1. Beforetheclassdiscussion:
1. Readthereadingassignments(ifany)
2. UsetheShortCycleProcesstofamiliarizeyourselfwiththecase.
3. UsetheLongCycleProcesstoanalyzethecase
4. Usuallytherewillbegroupmeetingstodiscussyourideas.
5. Writeupthecase(ifrequired)
2. Intheclassdiscussion:
1. Someonewillstartthediscussion,usuallyatthepromptingoftheInstructor.
2. Listencarefullyandtakenotes.Paycloseattentiontoassumptions.Insistthattheyare
clearlystated.
3. Takepartinthediscussion.Yourcontributionisimportant,andislikelyapartofyour
evaluationforthecourse.
3. Aftertheclassdiscussion:
1. ReviewASAPaftertheclass.Notewhatthekeyconceptwasandhowthecasefitsinto
thecourse.
Topofpage

PreparingACaseStudy
Ithelpstohaveasystemwhensittingdowntoprepareacasestudyastheamountofinformationand
issuestoberesolvedcaninitiallyseemquiteoverwhelming.Thefollowingisagoodwaytostart.

Step1:TheShortCycleProcess
1. Quicklyreadthecase.Ifitisalongcase,atthisstageyoumaywanttoreadonlythefirstfew
andlastparagraphs.Youshouldthenbeableto
2. Answerthefollowingquestions:
1. Whoisthedecisionmakerinthiscase,andwhatistheirpositionandresponsibilities?
2. Whatappearstobetheissue(ofconcern,problem,challenge,oropportunity)andits
significancefortheorganization?
3. Whyhastheissuearisenandwhyisthedecisionmakerinvolvednow?
4. Whendoesthedecisionmakerhavetodecide,resolve,actordisposeoftheissue?What
istheurgencytothesituation?
3. TakealookattheExhibitstoseewhatnumbershavebeenprovided.
4. Reviewthecasesubtitlestoseewhatareasarecoveredinmoredepth.
5. Reviewthecasequestionsiftheyhavebeenprovided.Thismaygiveyousomecluesarewhat
themainissuesaretoberesolved.
Youshouldnowbefamiliarwithwhatthecasestudyisabout,andarereadytobegintheprocessof
analyzingit.Youarenotdoneyet!Manystudentsmistakenlybelievethatthisisallthepreparation
neededforaclassdiscussionofacasestudy.Ifthiswastheextentofyourpreparation,yourabilityto
contributetothediscussionwouldlikelybelimitedtothefirstonequarteroftheclasstimeallotted.
Youneedtogofurthertopreparethecase,usingthenextstep.Oneoftheprimaryreasonsfordoing
theshortcycleprocessistogiveyouanindicationofhowmuchworkwillneedtobedonetoprepare
thecasestudyproperly.
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

2/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

Step2:TheLongCycleProcess
Atthispoint,thetaskconsistsoftwoparts:
1. Adetailedreadingofthecase,andthen
2. Analyzingthecase.
Whenyouaredoingthedetailedreadingofthecasestudy,lookforthefollowingsections:
1. Openingparagraph:introducesthesituation.
2. Backgroundinformation:industry,organization,products,history,competition,financial
information,andanythingelseofsignificance.
3. Specific(functional)areaofinterest:marketing,finance,operations,humanresources,or
integrated.
4. Thespecificproblemordecision(s)tobemade.
5. Alternativesopentothedecisionmaker,whichmayormaynotbestatedinthecase.
6. Conclusion:setsupthetask,anyconstraintsorlimitations,andtheurgencyofthesituation.
Most,butnotallcasestudieswillfollowthisformat.Thepurposehereistothoroughlyunderstandthe
situationandthedecisionsthatwillneedtobemade.Takeyourtime,makenotes,andkeepfocussed
onyourobjectives.
Analyzingthecaseshouldtakethefollowingsteps:
1. Definingtheissue(s)
2. Analyzingthecasedata
3. Generatingalternatives
4. Selectingdecisioncriteria
5. Analyzingandevaluatingalternatives
6. Selectingthepreferredalternative
7. Developinganaction/implementationplan
Definingtheissue(s)/ProblemStatement
Theproblemstatementshouldbeaclear,concisestatementofexactlywhatneedstobeaddressed.
Thisisnoteasytowrite!Theworkthatyoudidintheshortcycleprocessansweredthebasic
questions.Nowitistimetodecidewhatthemainissuestobeaddressedaregoingtobeinmuchmore
detail.Askingyourselfthefollowingquestionsmayhelp:
1. Whatappearstobetheproblem(s)here?
2. HowdoIknowthatthisisaproblem?Notethatbyaskingthisquestion,youwillbehelping
todifferentiatethesymptomsoftheproblemfromtheproblemitself.Example:whiledeclining
salesorunhappyemployeesareaproblemtomostcompanies,theyareinfact,symptomsof
underlyingproblemswhichneedtoaddressed.
3. Whataretheimmediateissuesthatneedtobeaddressed?Thishelpstodifferentiate
betweenissuesthatcanberesolvedwithinthecontextofthecase,andthosethatarebigger
issuesthatneededtoaddressedataanothertime(preferablybysomeoneelse!).
4. Differentiatebetweenimportanceandurgencyfortheissuesidentified.Someissuesmay
appeartobeurgent,butuponcloserexaminationarerelativelyunimportant,whileothersmay
befarmoreimportant(relativetosolvingourproblem)thanurgent.Youwanttodealwith
importantissuesinorderofurgencytokeepfocussedonyourobjective.Importantissuesare
thosethathaveasignificanteffecton:
1. profitability,
2. strategicdirectionofthecompany,
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

3/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

3. sourceofcompetitiveadvantage,
4. moraleofthecompany'semployees,and/or
5. customersatisfaction.
Theproblemstatementmaybeframedasaquestion,eg:WhatshouldJoedo?orHowcanMrSmith
improvemarketshare?Usuallytheproblemstatementhastoberewrittenseveraltimesduringthe
analysisofacase,asyoupeelbackthelayersofsymptomsorcausation.
AnalyzingCaseData
Inanalyzingthecasedata,youaretryingtoanswerthefollowing:
1. Whyorhowdidtheseissuesarise?Youaretryingtodeterminecauseandeffectforthe
problemsidentified.Youcannotsolveaproblemthatyoucannotdeterminethecauseof!Itmay
behelpfultothinkoftheorganizationinquestionasconsistingofthefollowingcomponents:
1. resources,suchasmaterials,equipment,orsupplies,and
2. peoplewhotransformtheseresourcesusing
3. processes,whichcreatessomethingofgreatervalue.
Now,wherearetheproblemsbeingcausedwithinthisframework,andwhy?
2. Whoisaffectedmostbythisissues?Youaretryingtoidentifywhoaretherelevant
stakeholderstothesituation,andwhowillbeaffectedbythedecisionstobemade.
3. Whataretheconstraintsandopportunitiesimplicittothissituation?Itisveryrarethat
resourcesarenotaconstraint,andallocationsmustbemadeontheassumptionthatnotenough
willbeavailabletopleaseeveryone.
4. Whatdothenumberstellyou?Youneedtotakealookatthenumbersgiveninthecasestudy
andmakeajudgementastotheirrelevancetotheproblemidentified.Notallnumberswillbe
immediatelyusefulorrelevant,butyouneedtobecarefulnottooverlookanything.When
decidingtoanalyzenumbers,keepinmindwhyyouaredoingit,andwhatyouintendtodo
withtheresult.Usecommonsenseandcomparisonstoindustrystandardswhenmaking
judgementsastothemeaningofyouranswerstoavoidjumpingtoconclusions.
GeneratingAlternatives
Thissectiondealswithdifferentwaysinwhichtheproblemcanberesolved.Typically,thereare
many(thejokeisatleastthree),andbeingcreativeatthisstagehelps.Thingstorememberatthis
stageare:
1. Berealistic!Whileyoumightbeabletofindadozenalternatives,keepinmindthatthey
shouldberealisticandfitwithintheconstraintsofthesituation.
2. Thealternativesshouldbemutuallyexclusive,thatis,theycannothappenatthesametime.
3. Notmakingadecisionpendingfurtherinvestigationisnotanacceptabledecisionforanycase
studythatyouwillanalyze.Amanagercanalwaysdelaymakingadecisiontogathermore
information,whichisnotmanagingatall!Thewholepointtothisexerciseistolearnhowto
makegooddecisions,andhavingimperfectinformationisnormalformostbusinessdecisions,
nottheexception.
4. Doingnothingasinnotchangingyourstrategycanbeaviablealternative,provideditisbeing
recommendedforthecorrectreasons,aswillbediscussedbelow.
5. Avoidthemeatsandwichmethodofprovidingonlytwootherclearlyundesirablealternatives
tomakeonereasonablealternativelookbetterbycomparison.Thiswillbepainfullyobviousto
thereader,andjustshowslazinessonyourpartinnotbeingabletocomeupwithmorethanone
decentalternative.
6. Keepinmindthatanyalternativechosenwillneedtobeimplementedatsomepoint,andif
seriousobstaclesexisttosuccessfullydoingthis,thenyouaretheonewhowilllookbadfor
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

4/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

suggestingit.
Oncethealternativeshavebeenidentified,amethodofevaluatingthemandselectingthemost
appropriateoneneedstobeusedtoarriveatadecision.
Topofpage
KeyDecisionCriteria
Averyimportantconcepttounderstand,theyanswerthequestionofhowyouaregoingtodecide
whichalternativeisthebestonetochoose.Otherthanchoosingrandomly,wewillalwaysemploy
somecriteriainmakinganydecision.Thinkaboutthelasttimethatyoumakeapurchasedecisionfor
anarticleofclothing.Whydidyouchoosethearticlethatyoudid?Thecriteriathatyoumayhave
usedcouldhavebeen:
1. fit
2. price
3. fashion
4. colour
5. approvaloffriend/family
6. availability
Notethatanyoneofthesecriteriacouldappropriatelyfinishthesentence,thebrand/stylethatI
choosetopurchasemust....Thesecriteriaarealsohowyouwilldefineordeterminethatasuccessful
purchasedecisionhasbeenmade.Forabusinesssituation,thekeydecisioncriteriaarethosethings
thatareimportanttotheorganizationmakingthedecision,andtheywillbeusedtoevaluatethe
suitabilityofeachalternativerecommended.
Keydecisioncriteriashouldbe:
1. Brief,preferablyinpointform,suchas
1. improve(oratleastmaintain)profitability,
2. increasesales,marketshare,orreturnoninvestment,
3. maintaincustomersatisfaction,corporateimage,
4. beconsistentwiththecorporatemissionorstrategy,
5. withinourpresent(orfuture)resourcesandcapabilities,
6. withinacceptableriskparameters,
7. easeorspeedofimplementation,
8. employeemorale,safety,orturnover,
9. retainflexibility,and/or
10. minimizeenvironmentalimpact.
2. Measurable,atleasttothepointofcomparison,suchasalternativeAwillimproveprofitability
morethatalternativeB.
3. Berelatedtoyourproblemstatement,andalternatives.Ifyoufindthatyouaretalkingabout
somethingelse,thatisasignofamissingalternativeorkeydecisioncriteria,orapoorly
formedproblemstatement.
Studentstendtofindtheconceptofkeydecisioncriteriaveryconfusing,soyouwillprobablyfind
thatyourewritethemseveraltimesasyouanalyzethecase.Theyaresimilartoconstraintsor
limitations,butareusedtoevaluatealternatives.
EvaluationofAlternatives
Ifyouhavedonetheaboveproperly,thisshouldbestraightforward.Youmeasurethealternatives
againsteachkeydecisioncriteria.Oftenyoucansetupasimpletablewithkeydecisioncriteriaas
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

5/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

columnsandalternativesasrows,andwritethissectionbasedonthetable.Eachalternativemustbe
comparedtoeachcriteriaanditssuitabilityrankedinsomeway,suchasmet/notmet,orinrelationto
theotheralternatives,suchasbetterthan,orhighest.Thiswillbeimportanttoselectinganalternative.
Anothermethodthatcanbeusedistolisttheadvantagesanddisadvantages(pros/cons)ofeach
alternative,andthendiscussingtheshortandlongtermimplicationsofchoosingeach.Notethatthis
impliesthatyouhavealreadypredictedthemostlikelyoutcomeofeachofthealternatives.Some
studentsfindithelpfultoconsiderthreedifferentlevelsofoutcome,suchasbest,worst,andmost
likely,asanotherwayofevaluatingalternatives.
Recommendation
Youmusthaveone!Businesspeoplearedecisionmakersthisisyouropportunitytopracticemaking
decisions.Giveajustificationforyourdecision(usetheKDC's).Checktomakesurethatitisone
(andonlyone)ofyourAlternativesandthatitdoesresolvewhatyoudefinedastheProblem.

StructureoftheWrittenReport
DifferentInstructorswillrequiredifferentformatsforcasereports,buttheyshouldallhaveroughly
thesamegeneralcontent.Forthiscourse,thereportshouldhavethefollowingsectionsinthisorder:
1. Titlepage
2. Tableofcontents
3. Executivesummary
4. Problem(Issue)statement
5. Dataanalysis
6. KeyDecisionCriteria
7. Alternativesanalysis
8. Recommendations
9. ActionandImplementationPlan
10. Exhibits

NotesonWrittenReports:
Alwaysrememberthatyouwillbejudgedbythequalityofyourwork,whichincludesyourwritten
worksuchascasestudyreports.Sloppy,disorganized,poorqualityworkwillsaymoreaboutyou
thanyouprobablywantsaid!Toensurethequalityofyourwrittenwork,keepthefollowinginmind
whenwritingyourreport:
1. Proofreadyourwork!Notjustonthescreenwhileyouwriteit,butthehardcopyafteritis
printed.Fixtheerrorsbeforesubmitting.
2. Usespellcheckertoeliminatespellingerrors
3. Usegrammarcheckingtoavoidcommongrammaticalerrorssuchasrunonsentences.
4. Notethatrestatingofcasefactsisnotincludedintheformatofthecasereport,norisit
consideredpartofanalysis.Anyonereadingyourreportwillbefamiliarwiththecase,andyou
needonlytomentionfactsthatarerelevantto(andsupport)youranalysisorrecommendation
asyouneedthem.
5. Ifyouaregoingtoincludeexhibits(particularlynumbers)inyourreport,youwillneedtorefer
tothemwithinthebodyofyourreport,notjusttackthemonattheend!Thisreferenceshould
beintheformofsupportingconclusionsthatyouaremakinginyouranalysis.Thereader
shouldnothavetoguesswhyparticularexhibitshavebeenincluded,norwhattheymean.If
youdonotplantorefertothem,thenleavethemout.
6. Writeinaformalmannersuitableforscholarlywork,ratherthanalettertoafriend.
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

6/7

6/27/2015

CaseStudyAnalysis

7. Commonsenseandlogicalthinkingcandowondersforyourevaluation!
8. Youshouldexpectthatthecomputerlab'sprinterwillnotbefunctioninginthetwelvehours
priortoyourdeadlineforsubmission.Planforit!
9. Proofreadyourwork!Havesomeoneelsereadittoo!(particularlyifenglishisnotyourfirst
language)Thissecondpairofeyeswillgiveyouanobjectiveopinionofhowwellyourreport
holdstogether.
Topofpage

http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html

7/7