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Solving A Case Study | Part II

Presenting a case to a teacher is same as presenting it in front of a jury. You need to have structured and solid arguments to convince the jury (teacher, in your case) and prove your point. If you are an excellent lawyer, you can even convince the jury that your defendant is not guilty even if he is (not ethical, of course). The bottom line is: you need to structure your case analysis. Although every case analysis more or less follows the same pattern; there is a slight variation depending on the nature of the case study. Basically there are two types of case studies: Open-ended and close-ended. Close-ended may have one or more questions at the end of the case for the reader to solve. Open-ended, on the contrast, may not contain any questions but require the reader to derive the problem statement and suggest a solution (thus, open). We will first look at the pattern for the Open-ended case type: Introduction / Overview. Although an optional part, it will give a professional look to your analysis. Overview would contain just 3-4 lines on what the case is about. Example: The case describes the situation of a sales manager Jim Howard whose company’s value statement claims to treat customers with dignity and respect; however, he finds that the exact opposite is being done. He wants to rectify the situation but is prevented by his boss. It basically illustrates how an employee is made helpless by his top management even when he has the power. Summary. Ideally, the summary should be 1/4th of the case. In general terms, it should be limited to one and a half page. The summary should contain very basic details of the case and shouldn’t include quotes and figures. Also, I’ve seen many students copying the exact same sentences from the case. Don’t do it. Trust me, it gives a very bad impression. Rephrase the sentences. SWOT Analysis. In case it’s a case about a company, list down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company in bullet points. Write complete sentences and not fragment statements. Example: Strengths:

1. SDI produces superior products with a differentiated strategy.
2. SDI is the only company to introduce solar technology in bird feeder.

Problem Statement. Every case revolves around a particular problem that a company may be facing. Sometimes, the problem is very explicit but at other times, you need to locate the problem from several causes, symptoms and reasons. There may even be more than one problem; they may come under the Sub-Problems category. However, the main problem would only be one. Example: The biggest problem of ABC Airways is its lack of market research because of which ABC Airways remains aloof of customers’ changing demands; hence, leaving space for its competitors to fill in the gap. In some cases, there is not a problem statement but an Opportunity Statement. Example: ABC Airways needs to decide whether it has to continue its competitive strategy or change its course of action. At the same time, it has an opportunity of expansion into European market. Considering the pros and cons, should it enter this market? Alternatives. Alternatives are mainly the list of possible solutions. You need to suggest at least three alternatives and discuss pros and cons of each; the assessment of which would lead you to choose the best one. Best Alternative. As the name suggests, this would describe the best possible alternative. Here, you would support your solution by reasoning why you’ve chosen this alternative. You can go a step further by explaining how this particular company can achieve its goal or resolve its problem with the help of this alternative. Scared? Don’t be. You already go through all these steps while doing the analysis. The only difference is that we have broken them down into headings so that they look more organized and neat. Plus, this would not only help you organize the information but also give you further ideas that you might miss out if everything was mixed up. Now, we take a look at the format for Close-ended case studies. Don’t worry, this one doesn’t have all those steps. Introduction / Overview. Again optional. Summary: Same as above Questions and Answers. This is the most important step in close-ended case studies. Here is where you need to convince your audience that what you say is right (even if it’s not). Extract evidence for your answers from within the case. But don’t write long paragraphs and DON’T repeat the same thing over and over again. It gives an impression you’re just trying to fill up pages in hope that your teacher doesn’t read it all and assumes what you’ve written must be correct. Wrong! Believe me, they’re far smarter than you! Conclusion. Instead of best alternatives, in the close-type case studies, you need to write the conclusion. It is better to write just a few paragraphs (1-2) in which you can summarize your answer as a total, give your opinion and recommendations. Example: “The conclusion I have drawn from this case is that one becomes powerless when is under the influence of someone else and is forced to alter his own personal ethical values and beliefs according to the beliefs of the ones having power. Thus, ethics becomes secondary when one is under the power like the CPA in this case. However, there are some exceptions i.e. until and unless one is determined to stay firm on his ethical values, no one can force him to be his puppet. Hence, it depends on the willpower of one’s own self; how strongly he believes in his values and how earnest he is to stay put on them. He may face obstacles in the short-term; however, in long-term, he is bound to get the reward.”