Case Study Analysis Essay
You have written the first draft of an essay which analyzes the case study Internet Development, CCS, and Customers.
First, you provide information on the critical events in the case study. you also state that “The top management may have failed to effectively communicate to the employees the expectations and responsibilities that will enable the organization to work effectively” and recommend that McGuire’s department and the development department should find a new way of solving the issue.” Next, you argue that Trent should apply the general procedural model to help address the problem and that he should involve top management. Then, you discuss the benefit of the departments brainstorming ideas for solving the problems and writing a report to help put solutions into effect. After that, provide information on systems theories and stress the need for open communication systems between the departments and between the organization and customers. Additionally, you discuss critical theory and apply this information to the case study. You also explain how the grapevine comes into play in the case and contributes to the issues. Finally, you conclude that “the top management should be involved but in the implementation stage.
PRAISE: Thank you for sharing the first draft of your Case Study Analysis Essay with me. It is clear that you have worked hard applying information from the readings to your analysis of the case.
Thesis/Focus: You identify some of the problems that you feel contribute to issues in the case in your first paragraph including that the departments are not working dependently, CCS is not informed of changes and cannot effectively assist customers, and top management is unaware of the issues. You also highlight one of the solutions you propose in your essay: McGuire’s department and the development department should find a new way of solving the issue.”
Development: I agree with your recommendation that McGuire “needs to call a meeting with the two departments, and if possible, top management should be included in the discussion.” It is clear that McGuire must begin by opening up the lines of communication. Also, by involving top management, he forms a strong guiding coalition. Great idea,
I also think you have a good start applying information from systems and critical theories to your analysis. As you indicate in your sixth paragraph, “The company cannot thrive or even survive without interdepartmental communication.” You also explain how the abuse of power has contributed to the issues in the case study in your tenth paragraph. Again, nice start applying these concepts to your discussion.
RECOMMENDATIONS & STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT:
Thesis: In your Critical Self-Reflection form, you request help with your thesis/focus. As you work on your next draft, I would try to develop a clear and concise single-sentence thesis statement that highlights the main causes and solutions you discuss in the body of your essay.
According to the Writing Center at UNC (https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/),
A thesis statement:
tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
makes a claim that others might dispute.
is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
It might help to use the “Suggested Thesis Model” to help you craft a concise thesis statement for your next draft:
SUGGESTED THESIS MODEL
Trent McGuire’s communications department has failed to clearly communicate with the internet services department because ______________________________________; (list as many causes as you discover) therefore, he should____________________________________ (list as many recommendations as you are offering in your final section) in order to establish effective communication, restore morale within the division, and raise customer satisfaction.
You can also revisit the strategies I discussed and modeled in my last letter to you:
After your first draft is written: REVERSE OUTLINE a.k.a. IDEA MAP
Number your paragraph and write down the main idea of each paragraph of your essay. Combine your main points into a single, strong, argument—now you have a thesis!
GETTING TO THE POINT
Circle the keywords in your introduction and/or topic sentences. Then, combine them into a single concise sentence. Make sure this sentence explains a process or concept, or argues a fact, a policy, or a judgement.
For example:
Trent McGuire’s communications department has failed to clearly communicate with the internet services department because the departments are not communicating and are working independently from each other, top management is unaware of the situation, and issues of power between departments results in the withholding of information. Therefore, McGuire should work with the internet development department and top management to apply the general procedural model to identify issues, brainstorm solutions, develop a report, and put the developed plan into action.
This thesis is not perfect and will change as you develop and revise your draft, but I hope it shows how you can use the strategy above to develop a thesis statement that reflects the main points discussed in your draft.
Paragraphs: You also request help with your paragraph structure. To begin, you want to arrange your essay using the Rhetorical Arrangement provided in the Assignment Guidelines. For example, your essay should begin with an “Executive Summary.” The heading “Executive Summary” should be in bold and centered at the beginning of this section.
The guidelines also provide details about this part of your essay:
One to two paragraphs in length
Summarize the critical events from the case that will be covered in the analysis
Briefly identify the major problems facing the main player
Summarize the recommended plan of action and include a brief justification of the recommended plan
The section that follows should be labeled “Key Stakeholders” and should:
Identify the key players in the case
Include stakeholders who are impacted because of the critical events
For each key player, identify events in the case that the stakeholder finds troublesome and would consider a problem; in doing so, quote the case
Thus, as you work to develop and organize your next draft, you want to use the headings from this arrangement as well as the bulleted points under the “Guidelines” to help guide your essay. You also want to make sure you include every section in your draft.
Essentially, your essay should look like this:
Executive Summary
One to two paragraphs in length
Summarize the critical events from the case that will be covered in the analysis
Briefly identify the major problems facing the main player
Summarize the recommended plan of action and include a brief justification of the recommended plan
Key Stakeholders
Identify the key players in the case
Include stakeholders who are impacted because of the critical events
For each key player, identify events in the case that the stakeholder finds troublesome and would consider a problem; in doing so, quote the case
Statement of the Problem
State the problems facing the main player
Identify and link the symptoms and root causes of the problems
Differentiate short-term from long-term problems
Conclude with the decision facing the main player
Causes of the Problem
Provide a detailed analysis of the problems identified in the Statement of the Problem
In the analysis, apply theories and models from the text and/or readings
Support conclusions and /or assumptions with specific references to the case and/or the readings
Suggestions for Solutions
Identify criteria to evaluate these solutions (i.e. time for implementation, communication strategies, acceptability to management)
Explain each criteria in 1-2 sentences
Brainstorm two or three possible suggestions for solutions
Evaluate the pros and cons of each suggestion against the criteria listed
Suggest additional pros/cons if appropriate
Using models and theories, identify why you chose these suggestions, how they would work, and why
Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification
Identify who, what, when, and how in your recommended plan of action
Solution and implementation should address the problems and causes identified in the earlier sections
Evaluate the recommended plan via the criteria in the previous section
Include a contingency plan(s) to back up the ‘ideal’ course of action
Describe the difficulties you expect to encounter in actually implementing the course of action under consideration, including any new problems
Thus, as you work on your next draft, you want to take the information you have in your current draft and arrange it and develop it using the organizational model above.
As you work on this, you might find the strategy “The Shuffle” helpful:
THE SHUFFLE
Create a set of index cards, with one card for each paragraph in your essay. Write one idea per index card. If you have more than one idea in each paragraph, write the second (and third, etc.) idea on a separate card. Now, shuffle the cards. Inspect the order. Try rearranging the cards to deliver your focus, ideas and overall message more effectively.
For example, you take the information in your second-fifth paragraphs and develop your ideas in the “Recommended Solution, Implementation, and Justification” section of your next draft. You discussion on Systems and Critical theories could also be integrated into your analysis of the “Causes of the Problem.”
Does that make sense? If you have questions as you work on this, please let me know.
WRAP-UP: Thank you for your hard work on this essay,
Does what I wrote in this letter of analysis make sense to you?
Do you need assistance understanding any writing strategy presented here?
Do you have other questions about writing or about this assignment?