...sharply increased the intensity of competition in most industries. We will learn how leading firms have devised strategies, structured, and managed their organizations to achieve competitive advantage in this challenging environment. Strategic management deals with uncertainty and unstructured situations. You will learn tools and concepts for putting some structure into your analysis of strategic issues. But most strategic choices require judgment. Case studies enable us to test our judgment and learn vicariously from successful and unsuccessful managers in a variety of situations. Hence, class discussion of the cases is a central part of your learning experience. Methods: We will combine cases, lectures, individual and group papers and presentations. Pre-requisites: First semester of Core. Textbook: Jay Barney, Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, Fourth Edition. Case Packet will be available. Assignments and Grading: 1. Participation: (15%) Attendance is required. Please inform the instructor in advance if you need to be absent. Participation means active involvement in the discussion of the case with evidence of preparation. 2. Article File: (5% for 1 brief, 5 minute, presentation) Once during the term you will come to class prepared to make a short presentation of an article from a business publication that fits the topic of...
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...A Framework for Case Analysis Case analysis is a problem solving process. You are demonstrating in a systematic way how you have defined a key problem/issue, identified plausible, realistic alternatives (not necessarily limited by those suggested in the case), analyzed these alternatives using common criteria, and finally developed a complete set of recommendations. This process challenges your organizational and communication skills as much as your analytical and quantitative skills. Step 1. Situation Analysis. The first step in systematically analyzing an organization's marketing problems is to conduct a situation analysis. This is not part of the written case brief but it is needed before you can begin the problem solving process. Step 2. Define the Problem/Issue. Once you have conducted a thorough situation analysis, you can identify the problem(s) facing the organization. Be careful not to assume that the characters in the case are objective or accurate in identifying the problem or make a rush to judgment about the problem. Step 3. Identify plausible alternatives. What are reasonable options for solving the identified problem? While you should at least initially consider the options discussed in the case, do not assume that these are the best or even appropriate alternatives, especially if these options are not consistent with the problem. Alternatives should be plausible, not "straw men" that are just knocked aside in order to make a bee line for some obvious solution...
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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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...Analysis of Business Issues, Writing In the Disciplines (WID) BADM 2003W (95440): BADM_2003W.SEC.12 Tuesday Combined Class: SEMESTER: Spring 2014 LOCATION & TIME: Duques 353, Tuesday 11:10 AM-12:25 PM PROFESSOR: Dr. Bret Crane Department of Management Office: Funger Suite 315N Email: bretdcrane@gwu.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-2 PM or by appointment TEACHING ASSISTANTS: |Erin Vander Wall | | |Leigha McReynolds | | |Mark De Cicco | | |Tess Strumwasser | | |Daniel Berkhout | | |Sam Yates | | |Vicki Brown | | | ...
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...Analysis of Business Issues, Writing In the Disciplines (WID) BADM 2003W (93752): BADM_2003W.SEC.11 Monday Combined Class: SEMESTER: Spring 2014 LOCATION & TIME: Funger 209, Monday 2:20 PM-3:35 PM PROFESSOR: Dr. Bret Crane Department of Management Office: Funger Suite 315N Email: bretdcrane@gwu.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-2 PM or by appointment TEACHING ASSISTANTS & WRITING LABS: | | | |Section # |Begin |End |Day |TA |Email | |30 |08:00 AM |09:15 AM |Wed |Mark De Cicco |mdecicco@gwmail.gwu.edu | |31 |09:25 AM |10:40 AM |Wed |Mark De Cicco |mdecicco@gwmail.gwu.edu | |32 |10:50 AM |12:05 PM |Wed |Tess Strumwasser |tstrumwa@gwu.edu | |33 |12:15 PM |01:30 PM |Wed |Tess Strumwasser |tstrumwa@gwu.edu | |34 |01:40 PM |02:55 PM |Wed |Daniel Berkhout |berkhout@gwmail.gwu.edu | |35 |03:05 PM |04:20 PM |Wed |Daniel Berkhout |berkhout@gwmail.gwu.edu | |36 |04:30...
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...Management s374: General Management & Strategy The University of Texas at Austin - Summer 2015 Dennis S. Passovoy (Professor) (512) 471-2195 GSB 5.124G (in McCombs) via Canvas INBOX Davit Davtyan (TA) Phone: Office: E-Mail: Office Hours: M T W TH 1:00 – 1:45pm, or by appointment M T W TH 9:00 – 9:45am, or by appointment Class: #72305 (July 13 – August 14) M T W TH 2:00 – 3:45pm CBA 4.328 CBA 4.304A (in McCombs) via Canvas INBOX Prerequisites • • • • • • Upper-division standing Seventy-five semester hours of coursework, including: Management 336 or 336H Credit or registration for Finance 357 or 357H, and Marketing 337 or 337H And credit or registration for one of the following: Accounting 353J, 366P, Business Administration 353H, Finance 353, 366P, Management 353, 366P, Management Information Systems 353, 366P, Marketing 353, 366P, Operations Management 353, or 366P. May be counted toward the writing flag requirement. May be counted toward the independent inquiry flag requirement. Course Description This course is restricted to students in a McCombs School of Business major. It is designed to enable students to analyze business situations from the point of view of the practicing general manager. Addresses key tasks involved in general management, including strategic decisions that ensure the longterm health of the entire firm or a major division. Writing Flag This course carries the Writing Flag as well as the Independent...
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...Welcome to the Case Analysis Coach This tutorial is designed to start you down the road toward becoming an expert at analyzing business cases. You'll learn how to identify and define the business concepts raised by a case, as well as to develop analysis-based solutions, recommendations, and action plans. These skills will prepare you for class discussions and exams. You will have access to a complete real case, called Komatsu Ltd. and Project G., so that you can apply what you learn to a concrete example. You will also get other helpful resources, such as a Case Analysis Worksheet and samples of classdiscussion notes on the Komatsu case that were prepared by real students like you. In addition, smaller excerpts from other real cases are used to illustrate some of the steps in case analysis. 1 Introduction to Case Analysis Types of Cases The "case method" is an approach to learning that encourages students to extract useful lessons from the experiences of others ("cases"). Students study accounts of specific events in order to discover general principles that they can apply in other situations. Cases tend to fall into one of three categories that sometimes overlap: • • • Decision Cases describe a decision faced by the case protagonist. The student ultimately must choose among a finite set of distinct decision alternatives. Problem Cases require a student to diagnose a problem in a business case and to formulate possible solutions. Evaluation Cases illustrate a business...
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...ARCTIC MINING CONSULTANTS Case Synopsis Arctic Mining Consultants is a mining company that deals with mineral exploration. In this case study, the project given is staking 15 claims in Eagle Lake, Alaska. The project Manager was Tom Parker, who has a wide experience and specialized knowledge in all nontechnical aspects of mineral exploration. He is a geological field technician and field coordinator for Arctic Mining Consultants. He assigned his previous field assistants John Talbot, Greg Boyce and Brian Millar to help him complete the project. The job required them to stake at least 7 lengths each day in order to be completed on time. However, the whole team has became very tense and agitated, especially Tom Parker, as the deadline was just around the corner and there’s still many to be finished within the limited time. The problem became worse with the way Tom managed and treated his team. The only motivation to the team was the $300 bonuses promised by the company when the job is done on time, otherwise, they might wished to give up already. This happened because working as a field assistant and in long-working hours only giving them low wages, which is considered unreasonable compared to what they have to do. During the eight hard days, everything had actually proved the strengths and weaknesses of each of the team members, including Tom. Case analysis symptoms 1) What symptom(s) exist in this case to suggest that something has gone wrong? The symptom(s) to suggest...
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...1. Would a TNA be needed in this situation? Why or why not? If yes, who would you want to talk to? Training Needs Analysis is a formal process required for the purpose of identifying the training gap that is in existence and its related training need. Considering the IMP case analysis, training needs analysis is required since there are different sectors within the organization which require an individual to possess the necessary skills to perform the expected work within that department. In addition, training is also offered to people working within the ‘different sectors’ in that organization despite the fact that equality is not displayed while offering that form of training. Talking to the HR manager at North America International Airport’s about training needs analysis is a good idea since the HR manager is the one with the authority over the individual’s directly concerned with training such as Mr. Pettipas. 2. Based on the case as presented above, what KSAs need to be trained? From the case analysis at IMP, it is evident that there are several knowledge, skills and abilities that have to be addressed during training to all the employees within those departments. Leadership skills need to be addressed since the HR was not able to assist Ms. Dillman in her case which portrayed that he lacked the leadership skills. Technician skills required for the metal sheet shop needs to be trained since Ms. Dillman lacked knowledge on the requirement of a metal sheet shop technician...
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...✓ Materials Needed Performance Measurement & Control Systems for Implementing Strategy: Text and Cases, by Simons, Robert. Prentice Hall, ISBN #0-13-234006-2 Cases in Management Accounting & Control Systems 4th Edition, by Allen, Brownlee, Haskins and Lynch, Pearson-Prentice Hall, ISBN #0-13-570425-1 Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Harper Collins, ISBN#0-06-073132-X ✓ University Communication with Students All email communication from the University is sent to the student’s wsu.edu address. Please be sure that you have set up the link to forward your personal email address (aol, hotmail, etc.) or you will miss announcements and information that is very important to you. This is the email I use to contact you regarding class matters. If you change your email address, be sure to update again. ✓ Catalog Course Description with Prerequisitites 3credits: Managerial evaluation of budgeting, cost accounting, and financial analysis techniques; their utilization in control of operations. (pre-requisite acctg 550 or equivalent). Please note that pre-requisites are strictly enforced and that students will be disenrolled if they do not have course pre-requisites). ✓ Instructor Course Objectives Knowledge and Skill Expectations: Students should have the knowledge and skill level to record economic events, read and analyze financial information through the topic areas covered...
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...Title Page Course – MKTG 6300 Fall 2007 Service Marketing Student Name: Maria E. Kobayashi Individual Case Analysis Individual Case Summary: Ritz – Carlton Hotels 1. Key issues Ritz – Carlton (RC) wants to be perceived as the premier luxury hotel, with differentiated and personalized service, high levels of guest retention and guest recovery rates, and low levels of service defect incidence. The group wants to achieve this goal by optimizing the balance between human relationships and the systems. Nevertheless, the systems and databases RC had in place at the time of the case do not deliver the level of information needed to reach their objective. Moreover, they do not allow for smooth interaction with the RC team, who are able to gather highly valuable information regarding customers’ preferences, dislikes, or potential problems experimented by the guests. 2. Recommendations First of all, the Encore system should be modified to include real-time updating of customers’ preferences and of potential problems the guests might have experimented during their stay. This should be standardized across all RC properties. Guest categorization should also be standardized and input into the system. This system should be available in a user-friendly way to any member of the RC staff in convenient locations. It should also include a common defect reporting module with the functionality to cross data between different locations. After all these processes...
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...In the case, a man who goes by the name Moto is sent to Chicago to do business. Here his “responsibility was to hire a contracting company and check on the pricing details.” He works for an auto parts supplier, KKD, who had been researching American contracting companies for the past year and a half. They decided to use Allmack due to it having the best track record. Moto went to meet with a man who worked for the company and was shocked by his rudeness and unprofessional manner. He wasn’t prepared for this and had no idea what to think of it. Also, he was not so used to moving so quickly and rushing around. In America, people are very fast passed and try to get things done as quickly as possible. He presented Mr. Crowell with a gift and he just stated that his daughter would love it. When Crowell said this, Moto should have gone in to a discussion explaining what the dolls meant and the importance of them. This way he could have shown Crowell the value in the gift he was giving him and he would have taken back the comment about his daughter loving them. Throughout the case there are many differences that Moto is shocked by. One of these is the fact that he is used to being called by his last name. He was surprised when Crowell asked for his first name and began calling him by that instead. Also, he wanted proof that the Allmack group was actually as good as they say they are. He asked for records and one of the workers got offended and was wondering why he did not trust them...
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...to time to write a good CAR. So, once you “get” the Big Picture of the Case, and recognize the major analysis elements (focal system(s), main problem/Alternatives, etc.): o focus on analyzing those Alternatives and coming up with some significant Findings, and especially Recommendations. o As your analysis results “solidify,” focus more and more on Writing a Good CAR and submitting by the Due Date! • Cases can contain more than 1 major “track” for their analysis, allowing for alternative versions of a CAR. So, do NOT simply imitate this Example CAR blindly for its “specific content.” Worse, DO NOT simply copy any of its parts. • Instead, use this Example CAR by way of “Reverse Engineering:” See how its contents arise logically if our Case Analysis Method (Guide) is applied to the Case. This will help you understand how our analysis method works! Then, use the same general analysis method (actually, the Approach) on the Case assigned for your CAR. • Don’t just imitate the pattern of alternative found here! Analyse and find out what alternatives make most sense in the particular Case you are working on. • No Case contains ALL the facts you want to know for its analysis. So, when analyzing Cases, be pragmatic! Do not worry about any facts beyond the Case (unless specifically instructed). Instead, conduct the “best possible” analysis using available Case-facts. • Leave Enough Time to Write a GOOD REPORT based on your...
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...discussing “case” materials in light of theoretical arguments advanced in “readings.” Case materials include standard Harvard Business School cases, book chapters about individuals (Robert Moses and Henry Kissinger), corporations (e.g., Lehman Brothers and Time Warner), and industries (e.g., the auto industry), and in-class videos (e.g., a “Bill Moyer’s Journal” segment on David Rockefeller). COURSE REQUIREMENTS Final course grades will be based on student performance on three written assignments and on student participation in class discussions. Written Assignments. Each student will be expected to submit two individual case analyses that indicate what the student learned from reading and discussing the case in question. The case analyses should be one single spaced typewritten page long and should be submitted the week after the case that they address is discussed in class. Individual case analyses will be graded on a scale from 1-3 and together will comprise 10% of a student’s final grade. Each student should also form a group with three to four other students to complete a case study of a real organization. The research for this case study can be carried out using primary sources (e.g., participation observation and/or interviews) or secondary sources (e.g., books, articles, or prepared cases about a target organization). Thus, group members need not have worked in an organization to use it as the subject of their final case analysis. Other case analysis topics...
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...ZhiQing | Student ID No.: | 22012511 | Unit Code & Name: | MNG91002 | Campus: | MDIS | Tutor’s Name: | Frankie-Lim | Assignment No: | 1 | Assignment Title: | Case Analysis Research – Striving for Best Academic Practice | Word Count: | 1193 | Due Date: | 21 Apr 2014 | Date submitted: | 20 Apr 2014 | Declaration: I declare that this assignment is my own original work and has not been submitted for assessment elsewhere. I acknowledge and irrevocably agree that the assessor of this assignment may, for the purpose of assessing this assignment: * Reproduce this assignment and provide a copy to another member of faculty for review and comment, including whether the work is an original work; and/or * Provide a copy of this assignment to a plagiarism checking service for review so that it may determine whether the assignment is an original work. The checking service may retain a copy of the assignment on its database for the purpose of future plagiarism checking. I have read and understand the Rules relating to Awards (Rule 3.17) as contained in the University Handbook. I understand the penalties that apply for plagiarism and agree to be bound by these rules. CHEN ZHIQING 20 Apr 2014 Signature (please type) Date Tutor's comments: Paper Title: Case Analysis Research –...
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