Case Study Analysis

Case Study Analysis
Hands-on Guide:
A case study helps students learn by immersing them in a real-world business scenario
where they can act as problem-solvers and decision-makers. The case presents facts about a
particular organization. Students are asked to analyze the case by focusing on the most
important facts and using this information to determine the opportunities and problems
facing that organization. Students are then asked to identify alternative courses of action to
deal with the problems they identify.
A case study analysis must not merely summarize the case. It should identify key issues and
problems, outline and assess alternative courses of action, and draw appropriate
conclusions. The case study analysis can be broken down into the following steps:
1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

2. Identify the key issue or issues.
3. Specify alternative courses of action.
4. Evaluate each course of action.
5. Recommend the best course of action.
Let's look at what each step involves.
1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

Read the case several times to become familiar with the information it contains. Pay
attention to the information in any accompanying exhibits, tables, or figures. Many
case scenarios, as in real life, present a great deal of detailed information. Some of
these facts are more relevant than others for problem identification. One can
assume the facts and figures in the case are true, but statements, judgments, or
decisions made by individuals should be questioned. Underline and then list the
most important facts and figures that would help you define the central problem or
issue. If key facts and numbers are not available, you can make assumptions, but
these assumptions should be reasonable given the situation. The "correctness" of
your conclusions may depend on the assumptions you make.
2. Identify the key issue or issues.

Use the facts provided by the case to identify the key issue or issues facing the
company you are studying. Many cases present multiple issues or problems. Identify
the most important and separate them from more trivial issues. State the major
problem or challenge facing the company. You should be able to describe the
problem or challenge in one or two sentences. You should be able to explain how
this problem affects the strategy or performance of the organization.
You will need to explain why the problem occurred. Does the problem or challenge
facing the company comes from a changing environment, new opportunities, a
declining market share, or inefficient internal or external business processes? In the
case of information systems-related problems, you need to pay special attention to
the role of technology as well as the behavior of the organization and its
management.
Information system problems in the business world typically present a combination

of management, technology, and organizational issues. When identifying the key
issue or problem, ask what kind of problem it is: Is it a management problem, a
technology problem, an organizational problem, or a combination of these? What
management, organizational, and technology factors contributed to the problem?
o To determine if a problem stems from management factors, consider

whether managers are exerting appropriate leadership over the organization
and monitoring organizational performance. Consider also the nature of
management decision-making: Do managers have sufficient information for
performing this role, or do they fail to take advantage of the information that
is available?
o
o To determine if a problem stems from technology factors, examine any issues
arising from the organization's information technology infrastructure: its
hardware, software, networks and telecommunications infrastructure, and
the management of data in databases or traditional files. Consider also
whether the appropriate management and organizational assets are in place
to use this technology effectively.
o
o To determine the role of organizational factors, examine any issues arising
from the organization's structure, culture, business processes, work groups,
divisions among interest groups, relationships with other organizations, as
well as the impact of changes in the organization's external environment-
changes in government regulations, economic conditions, or the actions of
competitors, customers, and suppliers.
You will have to decide which of these factors—or combination of factors—is most
important in explaining why the problem occurred.
3. Specify alternative courses of action.

List the courses of action the company can take to solve its problem or meet the
challenge it faces. For information system-related problems, do these alternatives
require a new information system or the modification of an existing system? Are
new technologies, business processes, organizational structures, or management
behavior required? What changes to organizational processes would be required by
each alternative? What management policy would be required to implement each
alternative?
Remember, there is a difference between what an organization "should do" and

what that organization actually "can do". Some solutions are too expensive or
operationally difficult to implement, and you should avoid solutions that are beyond
the organization's resources. Identify the constraints that will limit the solutions
available. Is each alternative executable given these constraints?
4. Evaluate each course of action.

Evaluate each alternative using the facts and issues you identified earlier, given the
conditions and information available. Identify the costs and benefits of each
alternative. Ask yourself "what would be the likely outcome of this course of action?
State the risks as well as the rewards associated with each course of action. Is your
recommendation feasible from a technical, operational, and financial standpoint? Be
sure to state any assumptions on which you have based your decision.
5. Recommend the best course of action.

State your choice for the best course of action and provide a detailed explanation of
why you made this selection. You may also want to provide an explanation of why
other alternatives were not selected. Your final recommendation should flow
logically from the rest of your case analysis and should clearly specify what
assumptions were used to shape your conclusion. There is often no single "right"
answer, and each option is likely to have risks as well as rewards.
This guide has been adapted from Pearson Education.

Case Study Analysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study Analysis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study Analysis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Case Study Analysis

1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

Let's look at what each step involves.

1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

2. Identify the key issue or issues.

Information system problems in the business world typically present a combination

o To determine if a problem stems from management factors, consider

3. Specify alternative courses of action.

Remember, there is a difference between what an organization "should do" and

4. Evaluate each course of action.

5. Recommend the best course of action.

This guide has been adapted from Pearson Education.

You might also like