...A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CASE STUDY ANALYSIS & CASE ANALYSIS REPORTS (CAR) Exemplar: ShopKo and Pamida System Triumph or Tragedy Philip Pun Lecturer in EB PLG406 (x8866) ©1st Term 2011/2012 1 WHY PERFORM CASE STUDY? Case study as a learning tool The best way to learn is to feel, to practice and to involve Philip Pun, First Term 2011/2012 2 WHAT IS A CASE STUDY? All case studies have one common goal: to help learn the subject matter in hand Cases allow learners to practice and apply their skills in their chosen disciplines so that they can do it better in real life A case study, as a microcosm of real life, gives the learner an opportunity to project himself or herself into a situation and interact with the information and the imaginary participants in the case The process of analyzing a case and discussing it with others is very much an integral part of the learning process Philip Pun, First Term 2011/2012 3 WHAT IS CASE ANALYSIS? Case analysis refers to a systematic process of examining all the available information related to the case and performing the following steps: Putting all of the information in the case together to produce a coherent picture or a “map” of the situation Evaluating the actions and plans of the subject , identifying and describing business problems Recommending a coordinated plan of action to correct business problems Providing a justification...
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...Case Analysis Courtesy of the Student Learning Centre, the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand | | |Introduction | |Case studies are used to test the ability to interpret real or factual situations. The particular situation will determine what | |kind of analysis should be done. The most common requirements in a case analysis are: | |problem identification and problem solving; | |comprehension of complex situations; | |identification of central issues; | |deduction or inference. | |You must decide what your approach to a particular case will be, and what skills you will need to use. To do that effectively, | |you must first read to assess the case. | |Case Assessment | |There are probably questions attached to the case - read these carefully...
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...How to Approach a Case This is not the only approach that exists, but it’s a worthwhile one to try as you get started. 1. GETTING ORIENTED It’s useful to think of a case analysis as digging deeper and deeper into the layers of a case. 1. You start at the surface, Getting Oriented and examining the overall case landscape. 2. Then you begin to dig, Identifying Problems, as well as possible alternative solutions. 3. Digging deeper, Performing Analyses you identify information that exposes the issues, gather data, perform calculations that might provide insight. 4. Finally, you begin Action Planning to outline short-, medium-, and long-term well-defined steps. Typically, you’ll need to repeat this process multiple times, and as you do, you'll discover new analytical directions, evolving your assessment of the case and conclusion. a. Case Analysis Overview Analyzing a case is not just about digging. It’s also about climbing back out to examine what you’ve unearthed, deciding what it means, determining what to analyze next, and digging some more. Often your examination of information about a problem will change your idea of what the real problem is and about what to analyze next. The process is similar to when a detective investigating a crime shifts his or her opinion about the most likely suspect as more clues come to light. Gather your materials and tools. These include the case and any other related materials to supplement your reading...
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...Case Analysis Courtesy of the Student Learning Centre, the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand | | |Introduction | |Case studies are used to test the ability to interpret real or factual situations. The particular situation will determine what | |kind of analysis should be done. The most common requirements in a case analysis are: | |problem identification and problem solving; | |comprehension of complex situations; | |identification of central issues; | |deduction or inference. | |You must decide what your approach to a particular case will be, and what skills you will need to use. To do that effectively, | |you must first read to assess the case. | |Case Assessment | |There are probably questions attached to the case - read these carefully first. What...
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...Citibank Case Analysis Citibank: Launching the credit card in Asia Pacific Country entry strategy Objectives of this case ... q To understand market evaluation, target market selection, and product positioning issues in services operations. q To appreciate globalization/country entry issues in financial products. q To understand the underlying economics of customer acquisition and retention. Key Strategic Issues qShould Citibank launch the card product ? Why ? Why not ? qGiven the upscale customer base , how should Citibank position its card, if it decides to launch it ? qWhich countries should Citibank enter first? Which countries should it avoid? Few More Operational Issues qHow should Rana Talwar convince his country managers and H.Q to accept the card product? What Organizational mechanisms does he have under his control? qIf you choose not to introduce the card, what do you do to achieve the $100 mio. earnings target by 1990? What kind of Branch banking products should the bank offer? Economic Analysis q How many card customers does Citibank need to break even on its investment ? Economic Analysis q First step is to ascertain the credit card revenue per customer of $163 (table B page 6) qOptions available: - assume Hong Kong experience as “typical” of the region. - If we have to target affluent with premium positioning you may use $250/ customer - for mass market strategy take $140/ customer Cost component of analysis qThree parts...
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...Outline for Case Reports: Please follow this outline for all written case reports. Please note that this follows the discussion below. 1. Situation Analysis 2. Assumptions and Missing Information 3. Problem Definition 4. Development of Alternatives 5. Evaluation of Alternatives and Recommendation to Management 6. Appendix – Used for exhibits such as pro-forma income statements and other detailed analyses. The Case Analysis Framework The case analysis framework presented here is a synthesis of the frameworks used by your professor and other marketing professors who use case analysis in their courses. It will provide a solid structure to organize the diverse information presented in a case. As you work your way through this framework, or a similar approach to case analysis, we offer the following hints to increase your probability of success: 1. No one can analyze a case after reading it only one time, or even worse, doing the analysis during the first reading of the case. You should read through the case once just to get an understanding of the nature of the case. During the second reading, you can begin to structure and classify the issues as they appear. A truly comprehensive case analysis will probably require at least three readings. 2. Don’t get trapped into thinking the “answer” to the case is hidden somewhere in the case text. There is never a single answer to a case just as there is never a single marketing strategy that is...
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...Professor Kay Lemon MK811 Helpful Notes for Case Analysis In case analyses in Marketing, we first try to get a good idea of the goals and obstacles facing the firm. Thenwe engage in analysis, followed by recommendations for action. What precisely are goals and obstacles? GOAL What the actors in the case (i.e., the firm) should be trying to achieve (improved profit, sales, customer lifetime value, market share, etc.). Note that goals are NOT a “decision to be made”, such as “what price should we choose?” What impedes or restrains them from achieving the goal. Obstacles are specific things or situations that may get in the way of the goal (company culture, new product development processes, competitors, government or environmental issues, customer education, etc.). OBSTACLES ANALYSIS Key issues underlying or affecting the goal and or obstacles. Analyses such as: competitor analysis, customer decision-making analysis, break-even analysis, quantitative analyses, channel analyses, SWOT analysis, etc. Recommended approach, based upon the analysis, that will overcome the obstacles and allow the firm to achieve the goal. Must show how the plan will overcome obstacles and achieve goal. ACTION PLAN 1 Professor Kay Lemon MK811 Guidelines for Case Analyses: (Or: How to save time understanding a case and getting at the key issues) 1. When you first read the case, have a pen and paper handy and jot down three columns of things as you go along: Goal – Obstacles...
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...Summary of a guide to case analysis The guideline provides an overall strategies for us to explore our insights and analysis ability. First of all, it explains the importance of using cases to practice strategic management. Learning by doing is a point that the author points out, which means that students are assumed as a part of the company, and dealing with various situation, solving problems by applying tools and concepts, have the ability to create an action plan. There are 7 key strategies are illustrated. The first strategy is objectives of case analysis. It means in a given case, identifying the company and understanding the company’s current situation first, and do judgments critically, apply the right strategy to lead the firm to success. The point here is discussion, case discussions will bring more opinions to the problem, and it also provides an opportunity for students to develop the skills of managerial judgments and diagnosing the business issues. The second strategy is preparing a case for class discussion. Basically, it requires students be prepared before class, so that students will involve in the class discussion and contribute some reasoned thoughts, views with classmates. Suggestion also provided in the guideline, such as skim the case quickly, read the case thoroughly and so on. The third strategy is participating in class discussion of a case. Students do a lot discussion during the class, the content includes students participate in discussion, and...
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...Analyzing Cases (the following material was derived, in part, from The Case Study Handbook by William Ellet) A case, at its simplest level, is a real-world situation in which you, the marketing professional, are expected to use your critical thinking skills to figure out what to do. As in most real-world situations, you have neither enough information or time to really address the problem, and you also have a million other things going on at the same time. So rather than thrashing about aimlessly, this mini-guide is intended to give you a skeleton of an approach that may be useful in analyzing these cases. The first step in any case analysis is to actively read the case. That means going through it carefully and making notes in the margins, highlighting, or whatever other methods you typically use to understand what is really going on in the case. Treat the case like a mystery novel – try to unravel the complex web of information (and sometimes disinformation) that is presented. Typically the cases will be tied to the chapter of the text we are currently reading, but that is not always the case. If appropriate, think about the principles we are discussing for that chapter and see if they apply to that particular case or not. The instructor (me) is not always good about fitting the cases and the chapters together, and these are general purpose cases not necessarily oriented to a Product Management course, so there may not be the perfect overlap that would happen in a...
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...From: Anton Saadeh Subject: Sensitivity Analysis for the 1st Quarter, 20X1 Scope and objective of the work performed We analyzed the Global Electronic Company’s budget for the first quarter. The analysis is included retained earnings, income statement and balance sheet. From the analysis of the paper, cash flow has changed because of the collections from sales on account during the first quarter. The company collects the cash in three months when the sale is made. The biggest amount was collected in the last month of the payment. Significance of the sensitivity analysis Sensitivity analysis is a method used to clarify how different values of an independent variable will impact a particular dependent variable under a set of assumptions. Sensitivity analysis helps us to understand how conditions changing in setting budget affected the financial statement of the company in order to avoid the company bankruptcy. There are five different models used for the sensitivity analysis. In this assignment I used sensitivity analysis and it helped me to recognize the changes in the income statement, statement of retained earnings, and the balance sheet under four scenarios. The first model contains the data from the original budget and financial statement and the other four types were from the case scenarios. Each spreadsheet shows different scenarios from the case. Assumptions I came out with my assumptions for this case which is that the economy will be the same; cost...
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...E.J. Ourso College of Business Flores MBA Program Introduction to Case Analysis & Discussion and How to Write Persuasive Recommendations 1 by Dr. Randle D. Raggio (fall 2009) Recommend reading: The Case Study Handbook, by William Ellet, from Harvard Business School Press ($25). Overview: Many of your MBA classes (e.g., BADM 7100) will feature very few lectures. Instead, case analysis and discussion will be the focus of several entire class sessions and require detailed preparation, whether or not a written recommendation or report is required. To benefit from these case discussions, it is essential that each student thoroughly prepare a case analysis prior to class. Merely reading the case, or developing only a superficial understanding of the facts is not sufficient. This document will give you a jumpstart on understanding how to effectively analyze, discuss and write about cases. The Case Method: Cases allow you to analyze real‐life situations that business executives have faced. Not only do you get to experience the situation as the executives encountered it, but you also get to make your own recommendations given the same set of information they had. What makes case‐based learning so exciting and effective is that you will hone your analysis skills by presenting and supporting your recommendations in front of your peers and professor. Your experience in the MBA program will differ substantially from the typical lectures that most ...
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...Case Analysis and Methodology Principles of Management (MGMT1120) Contents: 1. What is a business case? 2. Why use cases? 3. Is there an analysis framework to follow? 4. Case Analysis Model a. Problem Identification b. Environmental Analysis c. Creative/Practical Strategic Alternatives d. Decision Criteria e. Select Appropriate Alternative/New Strategy(s) f. Develop an implementation plan 5. Evaluate the results 1|P age 14 1. What is a business case? A business case is a “story” or “narrative” describing a problem or problems in an organization. The organization can be a profit, not-for-profit, or public sector organization. All organizations experience business problems which management must solve. Cases have been written on such organizations as Apple, Microsoft, Y.M.C.A and Royal Bank. Examples of cases are end of each chapter of your text. The “story” or “narrative” often contains additional information which gives insights into the causes of the problems. Sometimes, the case will actually propose possible alternative solutions to solving the problem. Many cases are written from the viewpoint of the manager/leader that recognizes the problem and is under pressure to find a solution. 2. Why use cases? At the JR Shaw School of Business, we take an applied approach to learning. As a student, you learn concepts/models and theories that are simplified representations of the “real world”. While it is not possible to illustrate real world issues...
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...CHAPTER 3 HO W TO A NA LYZE A C A SE A case is a text that refuses to explain itself. How do you construct a meaning for it? Start by recognizing some contextual factors that help limit and narrow the analysis. Cases are usually studied in a course.A marketing case requires you to think as a marketer, not a strategist or manufacturing manager. Courses are often divided into different modules or themes defined by certain types of situations and, often, concepts, theories, and practices appropriate for these situations.You can expect to encounter the themes in the cases that are part of the modules and opportunities to put to work the analytical tools and best practices you have learned. Past case discussions provide a foundation for thinking about a new case, and study questions can call attention to important issues.You should make use of all these contextual factors, but they don’t amount to a method for analyzing a case. STARTING POINT FOR UNDERSTANDING The case method is heuristic—a term for self-guided learning that employs analysis to help draw conclusions about a situation. Analysis is derived from a Greek word meaning, “a dissolving.” In English, analysis has two closely related definitions: to break something up into its constituent parts; and to study the relationships of the parts to the whole. To analyze a case, you therefore need ways of identifying and understanding important aspects of a situation and what they mean in relation to the overall situation. Each...
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...Cluster Analysis1 Cluster analysis, like reduced space analysis (factor analysis), is concerned with data matrices in which the variables have not been partitioned beforehand into criterion versus predictor subsets. In reduced space analysis our interest centers on reducing the variable space to a smaller number of orthogonal dimensions, which maintains most of the information–metric or ordinal– contained in the original data matrix. Emphasis is placed on the variables rather than on the subjects (rows) of the data matrix. In contrast, cluster analysis is concerned with the similarity of the subjects–that is, the resemblance of their profiles over the whole set of variables. These variables may be the original set or may consist of a representation of them in reduced space (i.e., factor scores). In either case the objective of cluster analysis is to find similar groups of subjects, where “similarity” between each pair of subjects is usually construed to mean some global measure over the whole set of characteristics–either original variables or derived coordinates, if preceded by a reduced space analysis. In this section we discuss various methods of clustering and the key role that distance functions play as measures of the proximity of pairs of points. We first discuss the fundamentals of cluster analysis in terms of major questions concerning choice of proximity measure, choice of clustering technique, and descriptive measures by which the resultant clusters can...
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...develop an appreciation for the usefulness of these theories for financial decision-making, • to develop the student's financial decision-making skills, • to provide an overview of current financial management theories and practices. Text Required: Corporate Finance by Ross, Westerfield and Jaffe, 9th ed., McGraw-Hill Irwin Supplemental: Financial Management, Concepts and Applications, 3rd ed., 1995, Ramesh K.S. Rao, SouthWestern Publishing Co., Cincinnati, a division of International Thompson. The required chapters will be made available to you (Blackboard and the readings package). Course Structure and Grading The course consists of lectures, homework assignments (not graded), class case discussions, a team-based take-home case final, and four in-class exams. Lectures: The lectures are designed to provide an understanding of the major elements of finance. The emphasis is...
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