Case Study Analysis
Kimberly Coleman
Business Strategies and Policies
Dr. Turton
June 4, 2008
Case Study Analysis Summary
The definition of a case study analysis is an integral part of a course in strategic management. It is used to teach students about the problems that real businesses deal with regularly. Case studies gives a detailed summary of what happened to businesses or industries over periods of time. They are extremely valuable for students because they present situations to students that they have not yet been able to experience. Cases also show theory and content of strategic management and gain experience in presenting ideas to peers. Case studies are supposed to allow students the opportunity to apply the concepts of strategic management when analyzing the problems of specific companies. A detailed analysis usually has eight main points to hit, which are the history , development, and growth of the company over time; the identification of the company’s internal strengths and weaknesses; the nature of the external environment surrounding the company; a SWOT analysis; the kind of corporate-level strategy that the company is pursuing; the nature of the company’s business-level strategy; the company’s structure and control systems and how they match its strategy and recommendations. A written case analysis is usually required in a course. The main guideline for writing a case analysis is to follow the instructions of the instructor. Some other basic guidelines are to not repeat in summary form large pieces of factual information from a case, and avoid grammatical and spelling errors. There is also a financial analysis section of a case study analysis. Doing background homework on the company’s financial position is extremely useful in the writing of a case study analysis. Cash flow of a company is important. If a company has poor cash flow, then a student can easily point out the weaknesses when providing the written case analysis. Be sure to
Business Strategies and Policies
Dr. Turton
June 4, 2008
Case Study Analysis Summary
The definition of a case study analysis is an integral part of a course in strategic management. It is used to teach students about the problems that real businesses deal with regularly. Case studies gives a detailed summary of what happened to businesses or industries over periods of time. They are extremely valuable for students because they present situations to students that they have not yet been able to experience. Cases also show theory and content of strategic management and gain experience in presenting ideas to peers. Case studies are supposed to allow students the opportunity to apply the concepts of strategic management when analyzing the problems of specific companies. A detailed analysis usually has eight main points to hit, which are the history , development, and growth of the company over time; the identification of the company’s internal strengths and weaknesses; the nature of the external environment surrounding the company; a SWOT analysis; the kind of corporate-level strategy that the company is pursuing; the nature of the company’s business-level strategy; the company’s structure and control systems and how they match its strategy and recommendations. A written case analysis is usually required in a course. The main guideline for writing a case analysis is to follow the instructions of the instructor. Some other basic guidelines are to not repeat in summary form large pieces of factual information from a case, and avoid grammatical and spelling errors. There is also a financial analysis section of a case study analysis. Doing background homework on the company’s financial position is extremely useful in the writing of a case study analysis. Cash flow of a company is important. If a company has poor cash flow, then a student can easily point out the weaknesses when providing the written case analysis. Be sure to