How to Tackle a Case Study

It is almost inevitable that during your time as a business student, a company or industry case study will be thrown your way to analyze. As this is a skill you may not have previous acquired, here are a few tips to help you on the way to earning those top marks.

 

What is it?

A case study is a description of a situation involving a decision to be made or a problem to be solved. It can be a real situation, partially true with areas disguised for privacy reasons or could be a completely fictional case. Most are presented in such a way that the reader takes the place of a manager or advisor whose responsibility is to make decisions or propose solutions to the problem at hand.

Top tips:

• Mindset: Think of your case analysis as if it were really happening.
• Question Assumptions: When reading and reflecting on the case, continually question your own and others' assumptions and assertions.
• Be Creative: Be adventurous and push industry boundaries - do not merely copy competitor's actions or strategies.
• Read case frequently: as it is a work in progress, you don't want to overlook details.

Group work:

• Divide: When preparing a case analysis as a group, divide into teams to work on the case study - it is very hard to all work on the project at the same time.
• Capitalize on the strengths of each member: be sure to volunteer your services in your areas of strength.

 

Stage 1: Introduction/Company Background/Historical Analysis

For the rest of the case study to fall into place you must initially demonstrate a good knowledge of the company's present situation.

• Begin with an overview: Of the company's situation and its strategy
• State such clearly and precisely

 

TOP TiP: KEEP Focused

Unless it's necessary, avoid recounting facts and history about the company

 

 

Stage 2: Analyzing Case Data

This is usually the hardest part of the Case Study:

• Identify strategic issues: Do this early on in your paper along with key problems, demonstrating a good knowledge of the company's present situation. Be sure to pick up current topical areas such as CSR, current economic climate and effects of new legislation.
• Be thorough: In your analysis of the situation.
• Be objective: Not ‘I think...' but ‘the analysis shows...' therefore always offer analysis and evidence to back up your conclusions.
• Develop charts, tables, and graphs: Exposing main analysis points

 

TOP TiP: THEORETICAL APPLICATION
Demonstrate that you have command of the strategic concepts and analytical tools to which you have been exposed.

• Ask why or how did these issues arise: Try to determine cause and effect for the problems identified. It may be helpful to consider the companies: resources, people and processes.
• Financial Health: Check out financial ratios, profit margins, rates of return, and capital structure, and decide how strong the firm is financially.
• Competence: Look at factors underlying the organization's strategic successes and failures. Including whether the firm is capitalizing on its valuable resource strengths and competencies.
• Competitive position: Is it getting stronger or weaker?

 

 

Stage 3: Strategic options

Here you must highlight different ways in which the problem can be resolved.

TOP TiP: INNOVATIVE THINKING

• Competitor Analysis: Look at and always consider competitors actions upon the company and each proposed strategy.
• Relevant stakeholders: Who will be affected by the decisions to be made?

 

TOP TiP: BE REALISTIC

• Internal knock on effects: Always think of consequences of actions and affects on other aspects of company operations.
• Keeping your current strategy: Minor adjustments are viable as long as this is fully justified.
• Do not make two clearly undesirable alternatives to make your final recommendation appear more viable: This will be obvious and show very little imagination.

 

TOP TIP:  Remember there may not be a single best answer

 

 

Stage 4: Recommendations

Once the options have been identified, they must be evaluated to arrive at a decision:

• Relevant: Your set of recommendations should address all of the problems/issues you identified and analyzed.
• Constraints and opportunities: Resources are normally a constraint, and hence priority allocations must be made.
• Don't be too risky: Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesn't work out as planned.

 

TOP TiP: Feasibility

Make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable timeframe with the available skills and financial resources within the current market.

 

• Actionable: Offer a definite agenda for action...

 

 

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