...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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...BUSINESS BUILDER 7 HOW TO ANALYZE PROFITABILITY zions business resource center 2 how to analyze profitability Although pride of ownership and career satisfaction are healthy goals, generating profit is the most likely reason you started your business. This guide introduces you to several methods for analyzing your company’s operations and calculating the profitability of your business. What You Should Know Before Getting Started Profitability Ratios • Gross Profit Margin • Operating Profit Margin Ratio • Net Profit Margin Ratio • Other Common Size Ratios 3 4 6 7 7 7 Break-Even Analysis • What is Break-Even Analysis? • Break-Even Analysis for Sales • Using Break-Even Analysis for Profit Planning • Break-Even Analysis for Units Sold 9 9 9 11 12 Calculating Return on Assets and Return on Investment • Return on Assets • Return on Investment 13 13 14 Checklist Resources 15 16 how to analyze profitability 3 what to expect Many entrepreneurs start their business, at least in part, because of pride of ownership and the satisfaction that comes from being their own boss. In addition, of course, you almost certainly started your business to generate profits. This Business Builder will introduce you to several methods that will help you analyze your company’s operations and compute the profitability of your business. Among the tools to which you will be introduced are profitability ratios, break-even analysis, return on assets and return...
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...How to Analyze a Case An Introduction to the Case Method For many of you, this will be the first course using cases that you have ever taken. The fact that this form of learning is new to you will naturally cause you some concern, and early on, some difficulty. Cases give you the chance to look at the present situation facing an organization, and after a systematic analysis, make recommendations that will produce a change in the results or outcomes. While you cannot be certain what that outcome will be, through the discussion and critique of your suggestions by fellow students and your professor, projections can be made about the foundation for the probable success of your recommendations. In this course you will have the opportunity to see how well you can assess and address a business issue or problem. The role of the case is to provide you with the opportunity to utilize the knowledge you have gained to this point to evaluate and make recommendations to enhance the performance of real organizations. This is not a substitute for real world experience in a job with an organization, but it is the type of learning that helps prepare you to begin using the business knowledge you have acquired. Analysis Frameworks There are several benefits in having a framework to use for analyzing situations. The first is that a framework provides comprehensive coverage of the topics and issues involved. Without a framework, the analyst may overlook some issues. For example...
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...How to analyze a case study 1. Examine and describe the business environment relevant to the case study Describe the nature of the organization under consideration and its competitors. Provide general information about the market and customer base. Indicate any significant changes in the business environment or any new endeavors upon which the business is embarking. 2. Describe the structure and size of the main business under consideration. Analyze its management structure, employee base, and financial history. Describe annual revenues and profit. Provide figures on employment. Include details about private ownership, public ownership, and investment holdings. Provide a brief overview of the business's leaders and command chain. 3. Identify the key issue or problem in the case study. In all likelihood, there will be several different factors at play. Decide which is the main concern of the case study by examining what most of the data talks about, the main problems facing the business, and the conclusions at the end of the study. Examples might include expansion into a new market, response to a competitor's marketing campaign, or a changing customer base. 4. Describe how the business responds to these issues or problems. Draw on the information you gathered and trace a chronological progression of steps taken (or not taken). Cite data included in the case study, such as increased marketing spending, purchasing of new property, changed revenue streams, etc. 5. Identify...
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...How to Analyze a Business Situation Real business situations are complex and confusing. They’re often more difficult to analyze than most problems you confront in academic life. To make sense of them and come to conclusions that will help you succeed in the long run, it helps to develop a discipline in sorting out facts. This handout is designed to help you create that discipline. The basic process outlined here will help you prepare for discussion of a case in class, prepare an essay on an exam, prepare a paper on a business question, or prepare to present a recommendation or make a decision in many (probably most) real-world business situations. The process described here parallels that described in Hill & Jones’ text, Strategic Management Theory, pp. C2-C9 (at the back of the text), and that may be reviewed for further guidance. Start by stating clearly (to yourself) what question you are trying to answer. Write it at the top of the page or computer file where you are taking notes. For analysis of a case in a business school class, it is appropriate to select one of the “study questions” from the syllabus that is most interesting to you. Step 1. Analyze the history and development of the company and the situation. You are likely to receive information on the situation from confusing sources. Many different facts and dates will be out of chronological order. Usually the best first step for understanding the situation is simply to list the key events...
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...Instructions Analyze and review your company's past growth and financial statements. Looking at past growth numbers can help you determine your marketing goals and objectives. Review the past marketing strategies and tactics, and make a note of which strategies produced the highest return on investment. Identify your company's strengths and weaknesses. Develop a list of key differentiators for your company and areas you would like to improve upon. For example, your company may excel at customer service, but your prices may be perceived as high by your customers. Make a list of opportunities and threats in the market. For example, your business may be expanding into the business-to-business sector in the following year, which represents a significant opportunity for growth for your company. Or, you may have a competitor opening several new offices in the coming year, which represents a threat to your company. Analyze the data you compiled. This step is where you really put "rubber to the road" when writing your marketing case analysis. First, review the strengths and weaknesses of your company, and compare them to the external threats and opportunities. The key here is to determine two or three key differentiating factors you can use in your marketing materials. Identify these factors and use them to write the first part of your marketing case analysis, which are your objectives. For example, "The purpose of this marketing case analysis is to communicate how AB Industries...
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...Case report: Venture Capitalist evaluations of potential Venture opportunities What are the main requirements that these four VC look for when evaluating a new venture opportunity? These VCs have analyzed and come to realize that the most important factor when evaluating a new venture is that there is an opportunity in a large market which is growing. VCs always ask and want to know where a company will be in the next 3-5 years. Usually, for a company to be successfully starting-up, they will have a constant revenue of a minimum of 100 million with a market potential of going up to 500 million dollars. This is for company’s with non-software based companies. When it comes to software based companies, investment can be lower in size. The market size is very important for venture capitalists. They want the size of the markets to range between 500 million and 1 billion dollars to have enough potential to be interesting and worth taking the risk. Venture Capitalists also primarily look for a key factor that seperates a company and its product apart from others. These factors can range from an advance in technology/ design/ engineering to having a tool that people are used to, a list of consumer’s in specific sectors, but scientific related start-ups are usually kept away from because consumers in general wait for new creations to be tested and aware of them before generating big amounts of interest. Investors don’t only want a good idea with specific advantages to make...
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...During Odysseus’ Revenge, one could see multiple themes within the small section that could be used to analyze his revenge arc in the Odyssey. A cluster of three samples of methods to use to analyze this piece, which will be shown through the essay, are gender stereotypes/sexuality, structuralism, and rationalism. To explain and make connections for the support of the analyzing methods, examples from previous chapters of the textbook will be brought in and cited to help make the points and contrasts from the selected text. Beginning with the gender stereotypes analysis, the most obvious example is of the female slaves when they greet Odysseus after his revenge. The women were seen kissing and wrapping their arms around Odysseus lovingly (Steele...
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...Before the War of 1812, the “War Hawks” forced political, economical, and social changes within the “War Hawks” conquest of Canada that changed America. The “War Hawks” forced several political changes to the American society in the “War Hawks” conquest of Canada such as the War Vote in the House of Representatives 1812 with the majority of America voting for war in 1812 (Doc. O). Next, in 1814, at the Hartford Convention, New England demanded amendments in their report of politics like No state shall be admitted into the Union by Congress and other amendments that New England told in the report to the Federal Constitution (Doc. M). The “War Hawks” changed the American society by changing politics. The “War Hawks” forced several economical...
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...Assignment 1 Upon reading Woodrow Wilson's 14 points speech, i've found multiple points that directly relate to the war and the war's outbreak.Points two, seven, eight, and eleven are the ones that I've found to be the most important. Point two directly relates to the involvement of the United States in this war. When Woodrow Wilson said "Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war..." he is referring to the Germans sinking of the Lusitania. In point seven Wilson states that Belgium should be evacuated of all foreign powers and restored. This helped lead to WWI because in the Schlieffen plan, created by the Germans, called for German soldiers to cut through Belgium and attack the French...
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...Abstract This paper explores the communication surrounding the Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), from public concept, popular media, and personal stories, in order to understand how the disorder is perceived within American culture. The discussion approaches public misgivings and beliefs about ADHD, metaphors surrounding the disorder, and narratives from patients themselves. These topics will assist to analyze the implications of messages surrounding ADHD. Introduction Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, present in 6% to 9% of all children (Cassels, 2013). For several decades, ADHD was mostly considered a childhood disorder. Symptoms of ADHD in children, however, continue into adulthood in approximately half of all cases, and current estimates of adults with ADHD indicate an incidence rate of 4% to 5% among adults (Kessler et al., 2006). Studies show that the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD is increasing, but it is unclear why. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive sometimes, but for children with ADHD, these behaviors are more severe and occur more often. To be diagnosed with the disorder, a child must have symptoms for 6 or more months and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age (Park, 2013). Scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although many studies...
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...ECE 2980 – Inventing an Information Society Second Essay Assignment Analyze how regionalism and nationalism are related to different modes of listening to the radio in the United States from 1920 to 1980. For long it has been discussed how the radio changed the American people – but this analysis is far too diverse and particular to each individual, since the United States have a wide arrange of ethnicity, religions, races, generations and other remarkable differences between different people. This essay will therefore focus on how the different modes of listening to the radio brought together different nation feelings to society in different timings and places. A Cornell scholar, Benedict Anderson, while reflecting about the emerge of nationalism in one country said one day that it had to be imagined, since all the nation elements and individuals may never meet one another and “yet in the mind of each lives the image of their communion”. The first notable change in general knowledge and feeling about a nation was conceived on the newspaper, that would allow several people to read the same stories about the nation and its people at the same time. The newspaper was the first proof of a country to a regular citizen that through it, would get to know people from distant lands with whom he would share his first sense of non-local community. The importance of the radio wasn’t shadowed by the newspaper’s prior timing. Radio added one more sense to the world...
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...2005, Zara had developed into Spain’s the most famous fashion brand and the leading brand of Inditex (Kumar, 2006). Zara is one of the most outstanding apparel retail businesses in the world today. Although it is not the biggest, its marginal profits and rates of growth are leading the industry. The purpose of this essay is to analyze what sort of innovation Zara used on its way to success and make comparisons of competing products or processes with its competitors. By analyzing and comparing, it is obvious that the company's success depends on conducting a series of innovations at each one of the parts in the business: fashion-forward design, unique branding strategies, in-house production processes and centralized distribution system. Basically, this essay has been divided into four parts: the first part focus on describing how Zara makes its designs more innovative compare with other appeal retailers. Then, what sort of innovation used in their branding strategies will be discussed. Next, it will consider Zara’s innovation of production process and show an apparent difference of this process among Zara, H&M and the Gap. Finally, it will look at how Zara promotes innovation on their distribution process in to become more fast. It is those innovations that set challenges for rivals since Zara’s business model is extremely difficult to imitate or equal and also it is this realization that makes Zara get reliable and sustainable competitiveness. According to Ghemawat (2006)...
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...This paper will explain how good management practices of planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling are implemented into the workplace. It will analyze the application of these management concepts to the workplace. Including specifics of how five functions are practiced in the workplace. Applying the five functions can only improve any business that is willing to accept changes. At the time it was not known that the Boutique was using the five functions. The course made it clear that the owner was utilizing the five functions and the contribution it will offer to the business when practiced during operation. MANAGEMENT PRACTICE Effective Management Practices in the Workplace A good, effective management practice to use in any workplace is the five functions: planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling (Reilly, 2011). A successful workplace has to have a great staff working to help it move forward. A great leader (owner) will ensure that employees are organized, informed of the planning, leading, staffing, and controlling to reach the goals of the organization. Working in the clothing industry is tough so applying the five-functions in the workplace will work when it is applied properly. To be successful managers and owners need to know the five functions, and how to implement them into the workplace. Success will be reachable and achievable when all five functions are taken seriously and applied into the business as a team effort. ...
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...CITY OF ATLANTA BUREAU OF DRINKING WATER Water Service Adjustment Request DATE: Dear Customer Service: We have received a high water bill for service at Account Number: leak was discovered which has been repaired by I understand that it is my responsibility to furnish proof that the leak existed and that repairs have been made. Date of repair(s) Location of repair(s) I have enclosed a purchase receipt and/or statement from repair person. a plumber’s receipt report A/an ; Please approve the maximum credit to adjust my account. Name: Mailing Address: Service Address: Phone Street Street City City State State Zip Zip Work: Home: OFFICE USE ONLY: Cycle Customer Service Personnel Date City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management 55 Trinity Avenue, S.W Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Phone # 404-658-6500 Fax 404-602-4402 CITY OF ATLANTA BUREAU OF DRINKING WATER Water & Sewer Appeals Request Date: Name: Service Address: Mailing Address: City: Home Phone: Billing Date(s) of Disputed Bill NATURE OF APPEAL State: Business Phone: Zip Account No.: Note: All current charges and any past due amount that is not in dispute must be paid in order to avoid interruption of water service. Please return this form within five (5) days of receipt to: Bureau of Drinking Water Attn: Water & Sewer Appeals Request Customer Service Division 651-14th Street N.W Atlanta, Georgia 30318 City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management 55 Trinity Avenue SW Atlanta, Georgia...
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