Session #4
Strategic
Management
Dr. Mark H. Mortensen
Sessions 211 and 212
M-W PA 407
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You Will be Prepared for Today
Iff You:
Have the book – Does anyone NOT have
a book?
 Have read Chapter 1
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Today’s Material
Introduction to Case Study Methodology
 Chapter 2 – Corporate Governance
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Introduction to
Case Study
Methodology
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Case Study Analysis Document
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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8.
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10.
Title page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Problem Identification and Analysis
Statement of Major Problems
Generation and Evaluation of Alternatives
Recommendations(s)
Implementation
Bibliography
Appendices
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3. Executive Summary/Abstract
Brief overview of the case, setting the
scene and noting any important
assumptions made
 Give a synopsis of the case report, noting
very briefly the major problems identified
and the recommended solutions
 Approximately one page.
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What to Include …
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The history, development, and growth of the company
over time
The identification of the company’s internal strengths
and weaknesses
The nature of the external environment surrounding the
company
A SWOT analysis (or another kind of analysis)
The kind of corporate-level strategy pursued by the
company
The nature of the company’s business-level strategy
The company’s structure and control systems and how
they match its strategy
Recommendations and implementation plan
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4. Problem Identification and
Analysis
In this section, identify all of the major
problems in the case
 Try to get underlying causes of problems,
not just symptoms
 You should link each problem identified to
relevant theory and also to actual
evidence in the case
 Remember you must integrate theory and
reference all non-original work.
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5. Statement of Major Problems
Identify the problems – don’t try to solve
them here
 Chose a small number of major items –
two or three problems or issues – that
must be solved first
 Short, concise statement of the problems
you are going to solve in the remainder of
the case
 Half a page is adequate.
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6. Generation of Solutions
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Identify and evaluate a number of the more
appropriate solutions (at least two or three for
each major problem identified)
Each alternative solution should be briefly
outlined and then evaluated in terms of its
advantages and disadvantages (strong and
weak points)
It is not necessary to make a statement in this
section as to which alternative is considered
best – this is stated in the next section
Do not integrate or recommend theory in this
section. Practical solutions to the problem are
required.
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7. Recommendations
State which of the alternative solutions
(either singly or in combination) identified
in previous sections are recommended
 Justify your choice, explaining how it will
solve the major problems identified in
section 6
 Recommend precise courses of action that
the company needs to take.
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A Warning
Don’t confuse Findings, Conclusions, and
Recommendations
 Findings are factual and verifiable statements of
what happened or what was found.
 Conclusions are your own ideas that you deduce
from your findings.
 Recommendations are what you want done.
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8. Implementation
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Write your recommendations in the form of a action
plan. It is good to include a timetable of what should be
done when.
Explain how you would implement the recommended
solutions:
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What should be done
by whom
When
In what sequence
What it will cost (rough estimates) and other such issues
Remember, if a recommended solution cannot be
realistically implemented by that company, in a
reasonable amount of time, then it is no solution at all.
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Doing a Case Study -1
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Read the case thoroughly. Read the case
thoroughly. Read the case thoroughly.
 The
first time to get an overview of the industry, the
company, the people and the situation.
 Read the case again more slowly, making notes as
you go.
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Define the central issue. Many cases will involve
several issues or problems.
 Identify
the most important problems and separate
them from the more trivial issues
 After identifying what appears to be a major
underlying issue, examine the related problems.
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Doing a Case Study - 2
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Define the firm’s goals (only if applicable)
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Inconsistencies between a firm’s goals and its performance may
further highlight the problems discovered in step 2
Identifying the firm’s goals will provide a guide for the remaining
analysis.
Identify the constraints to the problem (only if applicable)
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The constraints may limit the solutions available to the firm
Typical constraints include limited finances, lack of additional
production capacity, personnel limitations, strong competitors,
relationships with suppliers and customers, and so on.
Constraints have to be considered when suggesting a solution.
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Doing a Case Study - 3
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Identify all the relevant alternatives
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The list should include all the relevant alternatives that could
solve the problem(s) that were identified
Use your creativity in coming up with alternative solutions
Even when solutions are suggested in the case, you may be
able to suggest better solutions
Select the best alternative
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Evaluate each alternative in light of the available information
Resist the temptation to jump to this step early in the analysis
You will also need to explain the logic you used to choose one
alternative and reject the others.
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Doing a Case Study - 4
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Develop an implementation plan
 Plan
for effective implementation of your
decision. Lack of an implementation plan,
even for a very good decisions can lead to
disaster for a firm and for you
 Don’t overlook this step. It is important as a
future manager to be able to explain how to
implement the decision.
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Doing a Case Study - 5
Write it all down
 Write Sections 1-3
 Check for spelling and grammar
 Check for readability
 Ask yourself “If I read this, would I
understand it? Would I be impressed?
Would I be convinced?”
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References
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Davies, Dr. Martin, Case Study Analysis
and Case Study Method, University of
Melbourne, 2005.
http://tlu.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/pdfs/crals/Lecture%205-Case%20Study%20Method.pdf
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Reminder for Next Class
(Weds.)
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DUE: nothing
If you haven’t, read Chapter 1
Read Chapter 2
If you haven’t, buy the required case studies
from Harvard Business School web site and
scan through the Apple Case Study.
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