A brief summary of guidance to case analysis:
To practice strategic analysis and gain some experience in most courses in strategic management,
students use cases for actual companies’ to get flavor of reality. Generally, generating a situation,
events or facts in a written format is called case. If anything wants to learn about the practice of
management, it is that a storehouse of ready-made textbook answers does not exist. Each
managerial situation has unique aspects, requiring its own diagnosis, judgment, and tailor-made
actions. Cases provide managers with a valuable way to practice struggling problems of actual
companies.
Mainly, the case study approach analyzes strategic issues an exercise in learning by doing.
Because cases provide the students with detailed information about conditions and problems of
different industries and companies, their task of analyzing company after company and situation
after situation has the twin benefit of boosting their analytical skills and exposing them to the
ways companies and managers actually do things. Most college students have limited
managerial backgrounds and only fragmented knowledge about companies and real-life strategic
situations.
Cases help as substitute for on-the-job experience by (1) giving the students broader exposure to
a variety of industries, organizations, and strategic problems; (2) forcing them to assume a
managerial role (3) providing a test of how to apply the tools and techniques of strategic
management; and (4) asking them to come up with pragmatic managerial action plans to deal
with the issues at hand.
What students have to do to get ready for class discussion of a case is to study the case, reflect
carefully on the situation presented, and develop some reasoned thoughts. To prepare a case for
class discussion, students should skim the case rather quickly to get an overview of the situation
it presents, read the case thoroughly to digest the facts and circumstances, carefully review all
the information presented in the tables and charts, decide what the strategic issues are and start
analysis of the issues with some number crisis, among other important steps.
Classroom discussions of cases are sharply different from attending a lecture class. In a case
class students domost of the talking. The instructor’s role is to solicit student participation, keep
the discussion on trackand otherwise lead the discussion. The students in the class carry the
burden for analyzing the situation and for being prepared to present and defend their diagnoses
and recommendations. It is to be expected that the class as a whole will do a more penetrating
and searching job of case analysis than will any one person working alone.
Although each student should do their own independent work and independent thinking, they
should not hesitate before (and after) class to discuss the case with other students. In real life,
managers often discuss the company’s problems and situation with other people to refine their
own thinking.In participating in the discussion, students should make a conscious effort to
contribute, rather than just talk. They should by pass the use of “I think,” “I believe,” and “I
feel”; as an alternative, say, “My analysis shows —” and “Thecompany should do ______
because ______.” They must always give supporting reasons and evidence for their views; then
the instructor won't have to ask them “Why?” every time they make a comment.
The students should bring the notes they’ve prepared to class and rely on them extensively when
they speak. There’s no way one can remember everything off the top of their head specially the
results of your number problems. To show the numbers or to present all five reasons why,
instead of one, they willneed good notes.
Preparing a written case analysis is much like preparing a case for class discussion, except that
the analysis must be more complete and put in report form. Unfortunately, there is no concrete
procedure for doinga written case analysis. The instructor may assign the students a specific
topic around which to prepare their written report. Or, alternatively, they may be asked to do a
comprehensive written case analysis, where the expectation is that the students will (1) identify
all the pertinent issues that management needs to address, (2) perform whatever analysis and
evaluation isappropriate, and (3) propose an action plan and set of recommendations addressing
the issues identified.
The preparation of an oral presentation of cases has much in common with that of a written case
analysis. Both require identification of the strategic issues and problems confronting the
company, analysis of industry conditions and the company’s situation, and the development of a
thorough, well-thought out action plan. The substance of analysis and quality of
recommendations in an oral presentation should be no different than in a written report. As with
a written assignment, the students will need to demonstrate command of the relevant strategic
conceptsand tools of analysis and their recommendations should contain sufficient detail to
provide clear direction for management. The main difference between an oral presentation and a
written case is in the delivery format.
A case on strategic management can concern a whole industry, a single organization, or some
part of an organization; the organization involved can be either profit seeking or not-for-profit.
The essence of the student’s role in case analysis is todiagnose and size up the situation
described in the case and then to recommend appropriate action steps.
Mithun Saha