The Art of Case Writing
Transcript of The Art of Case Writing
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Case Writing
Presentation by
A V Vedpuriswar
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Objectives
Develop problem diagnosis, alternatives identification
& evaluation skills:
Learning by doing. Simulates real life problems and
puts the students in the shoes of the decision maker.
Improving industry knowledge & developing analytical
skills
The process of finding the answer is more important
than the answer itself
An inefficient but effective learning process.
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Types of Cases
Teaching cases
Decision Focus
Illustrate Theory
Often Incomplete
Students learn to make assumptions
Cases for Research
Descriptive
Test Theory
Develop/Generate Theory or Propositions
Demonstration Cases
Descriptive & Explanatory,
Dissemination of best practices
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Types of Cases (cont)Library Cases
Secondary Data
Field Cases
Primary Data
The Pros & Cons
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The case development process
Case Theme: Issue/Concept/to be taught
Prior preparation
Data Collection
Writing: Draft to Final
Sign off: Obtaining Clearances in case of field
case
Testing: Does the Case Meet Stated Objectives?
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Key issues in case writing
How do I choose my case?
What concepts am I seeking to illustrate, and
what conclusions do I want to draw?
How should I deal with other sources of
evidence as they come up or if events change
dramatically?
How do I write the case?
In addition to teaching the case what other
outcomes are expected?
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Topic selection
Familiarity
Interest
Open/Shut?
Multiple options
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Arriving at a structure
H R
Operations
Marketing
Strategy
Finance
Parts A & B
Moving back in time
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Coverage
Multi dimensional
Cross functional
Focus
Turning points
Exhibits
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Developing a case on Corporate Social
Responsibility
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Flora & Fauna
Future Generation Local Communities
Special Interest GroupsMedia
Politicians Government
Competitors Industry
Traders Employees
Environment
Firm
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Style
Simple
Narrative
Reader friendly
Avoid reader dissonance
- Going back and forth
- Contradictory sentences
- Too many figures/names
- Repetition of ideas
- Leaps of abstraction
Quotations
Avoid analysis
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Case Opening
Indias largest fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company
Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL)s, disappointing results announcedin mid-2004, underscored the difficulties the company was
facing in generating growth. HLLs major top management
reshuffle in April 2004, undertaken at the instance of parent
company, Unilever, was the most visible admission of the
challenges being faced by the company. Even as analysts
debated whether HLL could return to the heady days of the mid-
1990s, when double digit growth had come so easily, stock
market operators had hammered down HLLs stock price. On
May 2, 2000 when M S Banga had taken over as HLLChairman, the HLL share (face value = Rs. 10) was quoting at
Rs. 2,190. In April 2004, the share (face value = Rs. 1) price was
only Rs. 150. What could HLL do to get back to double digit
growth and regain the confidence of investors?
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Case Ending
In mid-2004, the evolving business environment posed newchallenges for HLL. Penetration levels in most FMCGcategories had become saturated. Increased spending onconsumer durables, education, health care and travel seemedto be having an impact on sales of consumer non durables.
Meanwhile, many analysts were expecting cheaper regional
brands to offer stiff competition to HLL. Evidence of thiscame from Anchor, a toothpaste brand in the west andCavinKare a company based in the south with promisingbrands such as Chik and Fairever. Various factors hadcontributed to the rise of regional brands. In many product
categories, technology was easily available, unlike in the pastwhen it was the preserve of multinationals. The smallerbrands were also delivering on the quality front and it hadbecome increasingly difficult for the larger brands to claimthat their quality was superior.
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The regional brands were also managed by more
entrepreneurial teams who seemed willing to experiment and
learn from mistakes. As organized retailing grew in India,there were also concerns that private labels and store brands
would increase in importance. In the leading grocery chains
like Foodworld and Nilgiris, private labels were becoming
increasingly popular.
HLLs Power Branding strategy had come under attack.
Some analysts felt than in the process of rationalizing and
restructuring the brand portfolio, smaller brands that could
be potential winners in the long run, had been thrown down
the drain. But Banga believed that this view was not correct.
What could HLL do to get back to the double digit growth
path of the 1990s? This was the question which taxed the
minds of HLLs top management as they adjusted to the new
management structure announced in April 2004.
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Editing a Case
Has all the available information been tapped? Indeed, it is
not a bad idea to prepare the list of references beforewriting the case.
Is enough information provided for students to take
positions and discuss the case in the classroom?
Are all the facts presented accurately?
Have references been given to quotes and factual
information?
Have the exhibits been referred to in the text?
Has the case writer biased the reader with his or her own
views?
Are there important learning lessons for the students?
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The Final Test
Reader friendliness
Insights
Learning value
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DOs and DONTs
Have some idea of the learning objectives before startingthe case. Accordingly, identify the issues that should be
covered in detail.
Have a thorough understanding of the situation being
covered. This may include technology, markets and therelevant management concepts. Without a thorough
understanding, we will not be able to collect the relevant
information in a systematic way.
Select the most important issues and cover them in detail
instead of trying to cover too many issues.
Cont
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Do not start writing the case before the collected
material has been thoroughly studied and copious notes
taken.
Use past tense to the extent possible. This will bring a
timeless quality to the case.
Do not refer to an event such as, say, a court case and
fail to explain how it ended. i.e., events should not be
left hanging.
Never offer your opinion on a decision. However, theopinion of company executives/analysts/ competitors
can be given as quotes.
Cont
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Choose quotes carefully. Powerful statements should be
given as quotes. Otherwise, it is more appropriate to
use your own words. Quotes should also not be too long.
Otherwise, they tend to be boring.
All factual information, quotes, etc should be
referenced. Good cases invariably have excellent
footnotes. Difficult terms must be explained using
footnotes.
A case should not have too many details. Otherwise, it
will become unmanageable. There should be enough
data to generate multiple action plans but not so muchas to confuse.
Cont
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The case must have some controversy to liven it up.
A case should not be too long. Students should find it
convenient to prepare the evening before the class and
finish the discussion in the time allotted.
Drama should be built into the case using characters.But care must be taken not to include too many sub
plots, which will confuse the students.
It is useful to follow a few conventions consistently. For
example, characters in the case may be referred to by
last names. Titles should not be put in capital letters.
Cont.
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All exhibits should be numbered. They should be
referred to at an appropriate point in the text.
Without such references, the exhibits may not be
used at all by students.
Too many headings can fragment the case and lead to
repetition of ideas. Too few headings make the caseless readable and make it difficult for the student to
relocate the material later, if required.
The opening paragraphs of the case must be written
very carefully to build interest in the case. It is often
a good idea to write the opening paragraph at the
end.
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Taking precautions
Chemistry Lab syndrome
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar syndrome
Kalidas syndrome
When in doubt, assume you do not know
Check, recheck, re recheck
Have a dictionary by your side
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Thank You