General Guidelines for Completing the Case Study Term Paper
It is important to remember that there is no one correct answers to any case analysis. As in real life, there may be several ways to interpret a case and solve their underlying problems, so there is no single answer. The approaches, interpretations and recommendations of different students will probably vary considerably.
Understanding what a case is
A case study is a scenario that gives students the opportunity to identify the focal (i.e., the issue or problem that is having the most profoundimpact on the company and its ability to be successful (in most cases, this means profitable) primary issue or problemin a company or business situation.
The student is expected to recommend a course of action to resolve this focal issue in order that the company can continue to be successful - or become successful again depending on the case.
The case may be real or fictional, but will usually represent a complex situation with no ready solutions. Further, the company will often have multiple problems or issues and the student must choose the focal issue that the company is facing.
Understanding what a focal issue is
The focal issue is the highest-priority or core problem that is:
• Affecting a company or business
• Creating the largest negative effect on the company and its ability to meet business goals (or ability to stay in business)
What the student needs to do
The student needs to:
• Identify the focal issue (key problem) in the situation presented in the scenario
• Analyze the internal and external environment of the company
• Develop and compare alternative solutions to the problems
• Consider the advantages and disadvantages of various possible solutions
• Select the best solution and make recommendations for action
• Write the term paper
The Stages in Completing a Case Study
Steps to Get Started
Students should:
• Read the case several times to make certain they understand the company's situation
• Identify the core problem in the case (being aware that there are often multiple problems)
• Analyze the key issue in the context of the key elements of SWOT and PESTI
• Identify three alternative practical, feasible solutions that the company could implement to resolve the key problem
• Choose the best solution and state the rationale
• Recommend two actions that managers could take to implement the recommended solution and identify ways to evaluate the effectiveness of these actions
Questions to help understand the company's situation
The first task is to understand the business situation in the case - i.e., the facts of the case. The following questions will serve as a guide.
• What is the mission of the company?
• Who are the "stakeholders" within the company?
• Who are the "stakeholders" or target groups outside the company?
• What is the formal decision making process in the company?
• What are the informal decision making processes in the company?
• What is the process of production or service delivery?
• Who are the competitors?
• What external factors impact on the company?
• What is the major focal issue (greatest business problem) in the company?
• What are the current implications of this problem for the company?
• What are the future implications of this problem for the company?
• What is the role of management in relation to the problem?
• What is the role of production/service providers in relation to the problem?
At this point, students should:
• Find and read at least five relevant articles from business periodicals or journals to better understand the company's situation
• Visit the company's website (but material form the website is not considered a suitable reference)
• Find evidence to demonstrate factors in the company's internal and external environment that are impacting the company
• Read relevant chapters in the textbook to help understand how to analyze the company's environment and management concepts that could be used to identify and resolve the company's focal issue or main problem
Steps to identifying the focal issue or key problem in the case
The second task is to determine the main problems affecting the company's business operations. In doing this, students will need to:
• Distinguish between the main problems themselves and symptoms of the main problems
• Determine which of the problems is the focal issue or main problem
• Find evidence to support their decision about what theybelieve to be the core problem
Steps to identify alternative solutions to resolve the company's focal issue
The third task is to identify alternative solutions to resolve the company's focal issue.In doing this, students should:
• Readthe articles from business periodicals or journals that relate to the company to determine what actions have been taken
• Find articles about companies that have addressed similar problems and determine the solutions they used to resolve similar problems
• Read relevant chapters in the textbook to help understand how to analyze the company's environment and management concepts that could be used to resolve the company's focal issue
• List all possible solutions and choose the three that would be most practical and feasible for the company to implement in a timely manner. Analyze all the possible solutions in the context of the company's current financial situation, expertise and skill of different managers in the company, evidence from the SWOT and PESTI, stakeholders' needs and other factors that are impacting the company's viability.
Steps to recommend a solution for the company
The fourth task is to determine which of the alternative three solutions would be the most feasible for the managers to implement. Students need to include two reasons to justify their preferred solution.