Comm 101 Tutorial
Section 101
Week 4
Week 4
Agenda
Case Skills
Lieber Case
Business Plan
Questions
Discussion (if time)
Week 4
Case based learning - Why
• Apply tools and concepts to real-world
scenarios
• Engage critical thinking skills
• Fantastic learning tool for students
• Reinforce the connection between analysis
and recommendations/solutions
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
3
Discussion
Week 4
Case based learning - How
•
•
•
•
Issues, Analysis, Recommendations
Approach
Prioritizing
Framing your response
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
4
Discussion
Week 4
Issues, Analysis, Recommendations
1. Issues: important problems, decisions or issues.
2. Analysis: analysis of underlying causes of issues, and
alternative actions considered, selectively supported by
relevant concepts and frameworks as you learn them.
3. Recommendations: a set of clear recommendations,
supported by your analysis.
•
Because cases are complex, yet the memos (or class
discussion opportunity) brief, you will face the challenge and
discipline of organizing your thinking well and writing/talking
concisely.
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Stages of learning in cases
•
•
•
•
Individual Preparation
Small group discussion
Large group (class) discussion
After case personal reflection
L
LG
SG
Ind.
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
t
Discussion
Week 4
Approaching a Case
• Skim the case quickly to “get a feel”
• Look to see if a specific decision point is
identified (typically in the first or last
paragraph)
• Then, read the case carefully and make
notes (but do not take too long)
• Can you identify the issues?
• How are they linked?
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
The Case Preparation stages
A) Identify Issues
B) Analysis
C) Alternative Generation
D) Decision Criteria
E) Alternative Assessment
F) Recommendation
G) Action & Implementation
H) Assumptions
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Prioritizing Issues
•
•
•
•
•
Importance & Urgency of Issues
Cause & effect diagram (fishbone)
SWOT framework
Comparative data
Financial analysis
Your list will grow as you progress through your degree
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Prioritizing Issues
Fishbone analysis: cause & Urgency/importance
quadrant
effect
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Decision Criteria
– What decision criteria could you use to screen
alternative options?
– Hint: list under qualitative and quantitative
• Provide examples relevant to the practice case
• $ Return, aligns with strategy, etc.
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Framing your response
• Know your audience – report/memo
• What are the issues?
• “What” course of action should be taken.
– Without this you risk listing lots of items but
failing to commit to one
• “Why” reflects your evidence, directly from
the case and distilled from your analysis
• “How” is the implementation plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Framing your response
• Memo
– Not everything from your prep will fit in the
memo constraints
– Check each set of instructions
– Be selective in what you choose to present
– Develop your own style and “voice”
– Learn from exemplars
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Recap of case fundamentals
• Make
a decision based on the information
at hand
– Issues
– Analysis
– Alternative solutions
– Recommendation
• Persuasion and argument in support of the
Decision
– “my analysis shows” beats “I think.”
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Student Myths
• MYTH: I have an advantage because I know this
company
You will only learn the keys to success if you can
“abstract” away from the case
-this means getting beyond the detail or specific
situation to recognize and deal with the broader
principles
Also, your knowledge may post-date the case!
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
More Student Myths
• MYTH: I will have an advantage if I go to the
company’s web site and spend a lot of time doing
research on this company
• In fact, you may be wasting your time. All the
information you need for the assignment is in the
case.
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Conclusion
• There is no single right answer to a case
• With practice you can become good at tackling
–
–
–
–
–
New industries
Complex data
Ambiguity
Building your “toolkit” and making good tool selections
And characterize problems and opportunities
• PROCESSING the situation via
– ISSUES
– ANALYSIS
– RECOMMENDATIONS
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
• What are we being asked to do?
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
18
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
• What are we being asked to do?
• Evaluate whether or not we can afford to
drop our price by 20%
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
19
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
• How do we do that?
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
20
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
• How do we do that?
• We are going to look at the profit we make
off of each unit sold and check to see if it
covers our fixed operating costs
• Let’s look at the numbers
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
21
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
Exit Presentation and double-click object
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
22
Discussion
Week 4
Lieber Case
• Questions?
Lieber
Case Skills
Biz Plan
Questions
23
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
• Each team selects one business plan
– No duplicates – register on form through
assignment guidelines pdf
• Identify elements of a business plan – do
not analyze the business plan
• Note the assignment specs on the pdf
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
24
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment - Rules
• Maximum 1000 words
– Include word count
• Don’t submit late
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
25
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
26
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
27
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
28
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
29
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
30
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
31
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
• You are NOT analyzing the business plan
• Just show your knowledge and
comprehension of the business plan
• Access Bloom’s taxonomy to ensure you are
not over-analyzing
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
32
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
33
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
34
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
35
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
Biz Plan
Case Skills
Lieber
Questions
36
Discussion
Week 4
Business Plan Assignment
• Questions?
Questions
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
37
Discussion
Week 4
Discussion
Discussion
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
38
Week 4
Discussion
Discussion
Case Skills
Lieber
Biz Plan
Questions
39