guide
SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN CASE ANALYSES
The case method is a crucial learning tool in education by allowing students to “bring to life” events and conceptual materials that are difficult to understand without application. Case method also aids in integrating tools and concepts students have learned in previous coursework by applying that knowledge to relevant decision-making situations. The HBR cases selected for this course are issues and problems actually faced by managers, with supporting facts, opinions, and financial data on which decisions were based. In these “real-life” situations, case writers provide you with the relevant information that would have been available to the decision makers involved at that time. You might feel that the information presented is incomplete, but remember this is the way that managers would in reality have to make decisions based on limited information. Obtaining more information costs time and money, resources, or may not be feasible. Each case is unique and the environment may not be the same now. Since there is no one best procedure for solving problems or making decisions, there is no right or wrong answers in case analysis. Each of you will approach the case in a different manner. However, you can use the following procedure as a rough guide to your analysis which can be fine-tuned to personal preferences:
Thoroughly read the case. The first step is to understand the current situation. Read the case thoroughly and several times if needed. Get a good feel for what is going on in the case. Who are the major players? What types of information are given to you? Go back and read the case carefully again and pay particular attention to the available facts, figures, and diagrams. Do not confuse the symptoms with the underlying problems. Case writers will often flag important issues by emphasizing them (i.e., italics, headings, or questions at the end of the case).
SWOT Analysis—Do a concise analysis of the major
The case method is a crucial learning tool in education by allowing students to “bring to life” events and conceptual materials that are difficult to understand without application. Case method also aids in integrating tools and concepts students have learned in previous coursework by applying that knowledge to relevant decision-making situations. The HBR cases selected for this course are issues and problems actually faced by managers, with supporting facts, opinions, and financial data on which decisions were based. In these “real-life” situations, case writers provide you with the relevant information that would have been available to the decision makers involved at that time. You might feel that the information presented is incomplete, but remember this is the way that managers would in reality have to make decisions based on limited information. Obtaining more information costs time and money, resources, or may not be feasible. Each case is unique and the environment may not be the same now. Since there is no one best procedure for solving problems or making decisions, there is no right or wrong answers in case analysis. Each of you will approach the case in a different manner. However, you can use the following procedure as a rough guide to your analysis which can be fine-tuned to personal preferences:
Thoroughly read the case. The first step is to understand the current situation. Read the case thoroughly and several times if needed. Get a good feel for what is going on in the case. Who are the major players? What types of information are given to you? Go back and read the case carefully again and pay particular attention to the available facts, figures, and diagrams. Do not confuse the symptoms with the underlying problems. Case writers will often flag important issues by emphasizing them (i.e., italics, headings, or questions at the end of the case).
SWOT Analysis—Do a concise analysis of the major