Case Study Guidance
Read the text chapters indicated in the assignment.
Consider the following questions:
Where is the individual(s) and/or the organization(s) at the time that the mini-case was written?
Where does the individual(s) and/or the organization(s) need to go?
How should the individual(s) and/or the organization(s) get there?
Review the questions I provide in the assignment.
Do research on the company in question. What can you find out about its strategic direction, decisions, and financial and other performance? Do not use Wikipedia, Reddit, Quora, or similar web resources. Instead research business related publications.
Identify the problem(s) presented in the case. What issues and patterns can you identify? What are the relevant facts? How did they impact the organization? Who was responsible for the problems?
Evaluate the internal and external situation presented in the case study. What strategies were used?
What were other possible strategies that could have provided a solution? What would the company have needed to do to carry out the alternative strategies? Were they feasible?
Identify what solution you would have used if you were at the company. Why? What are the pros and cons of the solution?
Do NOT get caught up on side issues. If you have an alternative, consider whether it would have been a game changer.
To write the case study (3-5 pages, single space), the following is the structure:
Introduction: what are the key issues and problems in the case.
Thesis: summarize the outcome of your analysis in 1-2 sentences.
Background: what brought the company to the place it was at the point of the case. What was the state of the industry? What strategies did the company pursue? What were the results?
Alternatives: identify and evaluate three alternatives to the strategies that the company actually pursued in the case. What could they have done differently? Are the alternatives feasible? What are the constraints? Pros and cons of each?
Proposed Solution: make a recommendation as to what strategy you would have pursued. Why? Explain pros and cons. Back up the solution with solid support (research, concepts from the text, etc.)
Recommendations: give and explain three recommendations for action steps for the company that would have moved them towards your proposed solution.
Conclusion: make your final argument.
References: provide three references from the relevant chapters of the text AND three references from external resources.