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LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SESSION

Understand the use of case studies in teaching business strategy

Provide a framework in which to analyse case studies

INTRODUCTION

Way of learning in which you actively participate using the skills and knowledge that you have gained

Bridges the gap between classroom theory and the real world

Strengthen your skills in analysing situations

Multi-disciplinary, holistic approach is needed

Can be demanding as they are unstructured (like the real world)

THE USE OF CASE STUDIES

Assessment of ability to diagnose problems, use problem solving skills and decision making skills to determine, present, justify and defend course of action

FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS – CASE FAMILIARISATION

Read case quickly to gain an overview.

Do not stop to re-readDon’t start to solve problems

Once you have read the case study, look at the instructions and questions you have been given

EXAMINE THE INFORMATIONRead case again….slowly Make notes in margins as things occur to you Consider points of theory you might like to use Highlight words or phases that appear to be key points

or that provide clues as to how the situation evolved Useful to develop a numbering or lettering system to

show areas that interrelate Identify underlying themes and decide how they may fit

with the questions posed Information will not be presented in a logical way…it

would be worth creating some sort of structure or order If there is numerical data, make sure you understand it,

how where the figures arrived at? What do they mean.

QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELPThe organisation What business is the organisation in? What business does the organisation want to be in? What facilities does the organisation have? What are the core skills of the organisation? Are the core skills the ones required for the business

the organisation wants to be in? What is the financial situation of the organisation? Are there any areas of conflict or potential conflict

within the organisation How is information communicated Is there a strong informal organisation underlying the

formal structure?

QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP

The charactersThe characters should be identified along with their responsibilities, characteristics, attitudes and relationships with other characters.

Make up an extended organisational chart of the firm in question.

QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELPThe situationHow has the situation developed over time

What were the conditions leading up to the situation Identify the stages of development or the sequence of

events Can a trend be identified?

What are the underlying themes and issuesHow critical is the situation

Does it require preventative or corrective action?What is the extent of the problem? Does it affect the whole organisation or just parts of it?

Are there any long term or underlying issues

QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELPThe contextAre there any constraints?What resources are available?What are the politics of the organisation?Are there any government policies which are pertinent to the situation?

DEFINING THE PROBLEMIdentify key indicators that show a

problem existsExamine productivity rates, market share, customer complaints, employee turnover, financial indicators

Terminology may indicate a problemWas not happy; showed concern = long term issues

Supposed to be; had not realised; private discussions = may say something about relationships or management styles

Distinguish between symptoms and underlying causes

Establish the root causeAre any problems connected?Use theoretical models to provide a framework

DETERMINE THE CAUSES

Causes need to be isolated and dealt with

To establish root causes need to sift through information.

Look for links and relationships between pieces of information

FISHBONE DIAGRAM

Effect

People Environment Methods

Plant Equipment Materials

MIND MAPPING

GENERATE SOLUTIONS

Identify objectivesThese may be set in the case study, or you will set them.

If you set them, consider what you feel the future situation should be . Identify what must be done and what is desirable. The objectives you set will determine the type of action required:

Corrective actionHolding actionMinimising, adaptive

EVALUATE SOLUTIONS

Optionsolution

Predicted outcome orimpact

Positive aspects or benefits

Negative aspects or costs

Reasoning or evidence

Training programme for operators

Increased productionFewer defects

Increase in moraleIncrease in skill levels

Disruption to productionCosts of training

Improve moral of workforcequality

EVALUATE OPTIONS

What is the organisations likely future environment in which solution will be operating

Will it work? Why or Why not?How will it be implemented: all at once or in stagesResources – what is available or needed Staff – who? Are they capable? Who or what might block or hinder? Money – what cost, where are the savings ? Time taken – how long to implement, when? What action will be taken What impact will the solution have on the organisation/environment? What are the benefits? What could go wrong?

Always consider the ‘do nothing’ option

MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations should be:Feasible within the resource constraints Imaginative but realisticPragmaticSpecificPrioritised with respect tot eh problem outlinedDefensible and justifiable courses of actionLucid, convincing and persuasiveBased on sound evidence

MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS

The what, why, when, where, how

PRESENTATION OF ANSWERS

Your answers should follow business conventions

The content should reflect the questions set…no extended introduction, no waffle

You can make assumptions, but state them clearly.

CHECK LIST FOR SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

Follow instructions and answer the questions given

Examine the facts as they are, not as they should be, not as they are said to be, and certainly not as you would like them to be.

Identify the real problem – resist the temptation to focus on symptoms

Separate the strategic issues from the operational basics

Look for cause and effectIdentify who owns the problemExamine all possible alternatives

CHECK LIST FOR SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY ANALYSISPresent a realistic, resourced implementation

planIndicate any assumptions madeRecommend specific courses of actionAvoid hasty judgementsSolutions based on fact are more powerful

and more likely to be accepted than those based on assumptions, beliefs or inferences

REMEMBER THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER – your answers must persuade the reader or marker that your solution is the best one