Read the case twice. First read the case without taking notes, working to get the general sense of the case. (You should, however, look up words you don’t know—your job here is to understand the meaning of what you are reading.) For the second read, you should read the case in detail and take careful notes. Your task in this round is to identify problems in the case, formulate recommendations to solve these problems, and write up your analysis using the four following sections:
- Summary of the facts presented.
- Analysis of the problems.
- Recommendations for solutions to the problems.
- Implications your recommendations will have on the functioning of the organization.
The use of outside sources in a case analysis is not required, but doing so will almost certainly improve your analysis. If you do use outside sources, you must provide a list of references both in text and at the end of the analysis. Please type and single space the case throughout.
Summary
Start your write-up with a concise synthesis of the facts in the case, under the heading “Summary.” Stick to three to four sentences and do not add any discussion of problems or recommendations for solutions in this section.
Analysis
The most important section of your case analysis comes next, under the heading “Analysis.” This section should be the longest, and most thorough section of your write-up—several full paragraphs at the very least, but also no more than one and a half single spaced pages. Managers cannot solve problems unless they can first identify them. Recognizing problems and then understanding the nature of the problems is the proper beginning of all managerial action. Solutions generally fall in place relatively easily once problems are recognized and understood. There are often several viable solutions to problems in a case, but you cannot implement any of them if you cannot identify the problems.
- Your analysis will need to include a model. A model in this case is the method, or set of concepts (ideas), you will be using to analyze the case. Your model will be derived from the concepts presented in the Cooper and/or Boatright texts and/or from your notes on the lectures. You may also incorporate elements from outside sources you discover in your own research if you wish.
- It is up to you to decide what model to use. You want to try to find the best ideas and concepts from various sources that work best for the problem presented. This will require some creative thinking. In essence, you will be inventing a different model for each case.
Recommendations
Next, write your recommendations on to how to solve the problems in a section titled “Recommendations.” Put the solutions in order of priority.
Implications
Finally, in your “Implications” section you should elaborate what implications your recommendations will have on the operation of the organization in the short and long term and what broader policy implications your recommendations might have. In other words, if your recommendations are implemented, what changes will the organization and the business community in general have to make in the way they do things now and in the future?
References
As you write your case analysis, you must include appropriate references to the core texts and to any outside sources that you use. Your references should be in the following formats:
- For books and articles — (Brandenburger & Nalebuff, 1996. P. 126). Do not include chapter numbers, just the date and page numbers.
- If you are reading on a Kindle or other e-readers that do not show page numbers, use the location number — (Brandenburger & Nalebuff, 1996. Location # 25540).
- For any books, chapters of books, articles, blogs and any other material you access on the web — (www.charleswarner.us/articles/BUDGETS.html. July, 2012). The date in the reference is the month you accessed a website.
Source: Adapted from the file at: www.charleswarner.us/HowWriteUpCaseAnalysis.doc
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