Understanding the issues that the firms and individuals in the case are facing

Understanding the issues that the firms and individuals in the case are facing

Format for case analysis

1. Your case write-up should begin with a very short executive summary that highlights your stand on the case. This summary should be no longer than two sentences. The remainder of the case write-up should present in greater detail the analyses which support your conclusions.

2. The case is designed to get you to think about issues. In analyzing and writing up the case, adopt the perspective of a consultant who has been hired by the company to succinctly advise it on the critical issues at hand. Stitch together the arguments in a smooth way in your write-up.

3. Be sure to use the data in the case when appropriate. Write-ups which ignore relevant data are incomplete. However, note that just because some data is presented in the case, it does not necessarily mean that the data is crucial or relevant to the solution you propose. Good strategists know what data to use, and how that data must be used.

Effective case writing Below are some issues to consider when crafting your case analysis:

Analysis (Understanding the issues that the firms and individuals in the case are facing) • Does the paper contain analyses of the major issues? • Do the analyses properly incorporate the relevant tools? • Do the analyses show the relationships among issues? • Are assumptions made in the analyses stated explicitly? • Do the analyses isolate the underlying causes of problems?

Recommendations (Developing and evaluating alternative courses of action) • Are criteria for making recommendations stated/appropriate? • Are a broad range of feasible options thoughtfully considered? • Are the recommendations clearly articulated? • Is the action plan integrated in a logical way to the analysis? • Is the action plan specific, complete, and feasible? • Are timing (short term, long term phasing) issues addressed? • Are the expected benefits of the recommendations stated?

Overall Criteria (Presenting ideas in a coherent, articulate and professional manner) • Are the analyses in the exhibits (if any) done correctly? • Do the exhibits (if any) support and add to key points in text? • Is the paper logically consistent and effectively structured? • Is there a high likelihood that the recommendations will achieve their desired results? • Does the choice of words, spelling, grammar, and other elements of style improve the quality and clarity of the analyses and recommendations? ————