Homework answers / question archive / WMBA 6030 Global and International Business CASE STUDY ANALYSIS GUIDELINES PURPOSE OF A CASE STUDY The purpose of a case study is to provide students with experience from strategic problems that businesses, governments, and/or organizations face

WMBA 6030 Global and International Business CASE STUDY ANALYSIS GUIDELINES PURPOSE OF A CASE STUDY The purpose of a case study is to provide students with experience from strategic problems that businesses, governments, and/or organizations face

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WMBA 6030 Global and International Business CASE STUDY ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
PURPOSE OF A CASE STUDY The purpose of a case study is to provide students with experience from strategic problems that businesses, governments, and/or organizations face. The case study is valuable to you as a student as it provides you with the opportunity to experience problems you may not have had the opportunity to experience firsthand in conducting business in the global arena. Case studies highlight the theories and concepts discussed in your course. The meaning and implementation of theories and concepts from the course become clearer when applied in a case study. Building your analysis on theories and concepts from the course helps guide your detective work to identify the issues in the case and roundup the facts to support your solutions. Case study analyses test and improve your problem-solving abilities, which are valuable skills as you climb the corporate ladder. CASE STUDY NOTES Do not repeat large pieces of information from the case anywhere in the paper. Focus on connecting new information from outside sources and connecting textbook and lecture concepts and theories to relevant facts of the case.

STEP 1: PROBLEM(S) OR QUESTION(S) IDENTIFICATION Identification of the primary problem or question(s) is a necessary step for every case analysis. However, global business problems are messy, and problems are not labeled “problems.” It is your job to identify the problem(s) within the case. It is highly recommended that the problem or question(s) be stated as an agreement or disagreement statement. For example, “Is the proposed product launch date realistic based on the criteria in the case and knowledge gained from this course?” There are often sub-questions. For example, “What alternative product launch dates are also realistic based on the criteria in the case and knowledge gained from this course?” or “Who will have the authority to adjust the product launch date?” Without identifying the basic problem or question(s), a case built on symptoms will result in wrong conclusions and inappropriate recommendations. For example, poor sales are a symptom of a problem; however, the problem could be poor sales force personnel training, products that are not targeted to the proper market, poor promotional campaign, or external factors like the economy, etc. Copyrighted Material (2019) by Dr. Doreen Sams, Professor of Marketing, Georgia College & State University, CBX 011, Milledgeville, Georgia. Modifications made by Dr. Katia Galdino. 2 STEP 2: INTRODUCTION Preparation The introduction is the first part of the paper. You must plan for it early in the process by first reading the case and completing Step 1 (i.e., identifying the problem(s) that needs a resolution, etc. See Step 1 above). You must determine the relevant facts that address the real “problem(s)” in the case. Before writing the introduction, you must decide whose perspective you will take when presenting the case (i.e., persona – e.g., middle management, upper management, stockholders, employees, or other stakeholders). This decision is important as it gives you the ability to step into the key stakeholder’s shoes and identify strategic decisions from that person’s or group’s area of concern/interest. Think about the following carefully: Why do I, the stakeholder, care about this problem or situation?, How will it or has it impacted me? What are the relevant facts that brought me to that conclusion?, What would I do if it were up to me to resolve the problem or situation? Doing so also helps keep you focused when writing the case. It is on the introduction where you also determine the type of case (e.g., decision, problem, evaluation, or rule. See video.) Next, contextualize the case. For example, if it is an ethics case, put on your ethic’s cap, if it is a marketing case, use your marketing lenses. However, if it is a global business case, be ready to get out several hats. Writing the Introduction Write the introduction last. Briefly outline what the problem or situation is, how it developed historically, what the problem(s) or issue(s) were, and how you are going to approach them. Write up the introduction sequentially. For example: “This [ethics, global business, etc.] case is analyzed from the perspective of [your persona, e.g., middle management, upper management, or another stakeholder]”. Then, explain how the facts presented impact them [e.g., government (local, national, or regional), union members, management, etc.]. State that “the case is analyzed using a [type, e.g., decision, problem, evaluation, or rule] analysis methodology because [justify why]”. Then, present the structure of the write-up, e.g., “First, the relevant facts of the case are presented. In the second part of the analysis, the alternative solutions are presented”, and so forth. You should end with a statement that the resources used to analyze the case are detailed in the Reference List. STEP 3: PRESENTING THE FACTS Typically, cases come with a lot of information that is interesting, but not relevant. Learning what is relevant is very important to the successful analysis of the case. There are no short cuts to sifting through the information. Opinions have no place in a case analysis; you should always stick to the facts. Remember you have your own lens based on life experiences that can get in the way of facts; be sure to examine the pros and cons of an issue and have more than one reliable, valid, and relevant source to back up your claims. Copyrighted Material (2019) by Dr. Doreen Sams, Professor of Marketing, Georgia College & State University, CBX 011, Milledgeville, Georgia. Modifications made by Dr. Katia Galdino. 3 No matter which of the following approaches works best for you, pay particular attention to the human factors in the case. For example, an executive in their 50’s and 20 years of experience with a company is going to bring different experiences than an executive in their 50’s with little experience with the company but 20 years of industry experience. The individual’s rank within the company also plays a role (e.g., a line supervisor sees the day-to-day operations differently than the CEO). The value of the facts must be weighed. Whether in business or in the classroom, time is money and, thus, you do not have unlimited time to go over the facts. Below are two suggested means of tackling this daunting but very educational learning task in a timely fashion. Rank Order Facts Using the materials from this course or other related materials, rank order the facts by degree of importance. Start with what is most important and end with what is least important (which may end up being eliminated from the analysis). This is much like outlining a paper. Now, fill in the facts from your list that help you answer the question(s) or identify the problem(s). Be sure you are examining problems, not symptoms. Then, narrow the list by dispensing of any facts that do not help you answer the question(s) or solve the problem(s). Look over the list and ask, Can I logically align these facts with the question or problem? These decisions must be aligned with the type of case you identified in the introduction. When the facts have been completed and arranged in order, revise the list once again on the basis of logic and intuition. Finally, draw conclusions, identify recommendations, and begin to write the facts into the paper. Take A Systems Approach From a systematic approach, you should model the various systems or subsystems within the case study. Using a modeling tool or drawing on a paper, identify the relationships of the players to the problem(s) or question(s) and to other players within the case (e.g., the competition and/or industry). Model the factors affecting their decisions, focusing on both formal and informal institutional aspects (e.g., government and/or industry specific regulations, rules, and/or laws such as those governing competition, antitrust policies, etc., and culture, ethics, and norms) and both tangible and intangible resources (e.g., financial, physical, technological, organizational, human, innovation, brand, reputational, product line, markets, logistics, etc.). This approach allows you to visualize how inputs and outputs of the system match up to the objectives of the organization, are supported by the availability of resources both inside and outside the organization, and provides a clear picture of the problem(s) or question(s) in relation to the market, competition, and industry norms. Now draw conclusions, identify recommendations, and begin to write. If you feel it is imperative that you make an assumption in the absence of some extremely important fact, go ahead and make a reasonable assumption. Warning Assumption MUST be based on knowledge that you can back up. In other words, you must be able to support any claims based on assumptions. For example, “It is assumed that if the market Copyrighted Material (2019) by Dr. Doreen Sams, Professor of Marketing, Georgia College & State University, CBX 011, Milledgeville, Georgia. Modifications made by Dr. Katia Galdino. 4 were to go any further in decline, more jobs would be lost in the high-tech industry than in the service industry.” This assumption would have to be based on recent articles in reliable publications that support its logic (which must be cited appropriately in-text and on the reference list). Supporting Information Within the Case Some cases provide footnotes that refer to helpful readings. Other cases provide industry experts’ excerpts somewhere in the case (watch for biases). If the case presents financials, they are important in your analysis (or the authors would not have put them there). If financials are not included, it might help in drawing reasonable alternatives, recommendations, and conclusions to examine other similar companies’ financials as a benchmark. STEP 4: ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION What are Alternative Courses of Action for Each Problem? You may come up with several alternative courses of action or the case may present some. The key is to determine which alternatives are feasible and which are not. Any alternatives must be realistic in business practices, budget constraints, operating time frames, organizational goals, resources, industry regulations, etc. Any alternatives must have realistic and measurable objectives; however, they may not be in the case study itself. Reading carefully while tapping into your course knowledge will bring them to light. Alternatives must be presented along with details so that the reader can judge them as realistic and doable in light of risks and utility. What you do in these first four steps can make or break your case. (Please feel free to submit in the appendices of the paper any drawings, mind mapping, etc. that helped you come to your conclusions). STEP 5: YOUR DECISION AND REASONING From all of the alternative actions in Step 4, now is the time to provide the one that best answers the question(s) or problem(s). It is essential that you articulate why the chosen alternative is better than the others. Analytical skills, vital in management, are sought after by businesses all over the world. Case study analyses are an opportunity to hone those skills through the acquisition of facts and by applying concepts, theories, and terminology from the course that demonstrates business acumen derived through acquired knowledge and well-developed analytical skills. STEP 6: IMPLEMENTATION The last step is operationalizing the plan. Start by identifying what needs be done and in what order it must be done to carry out your decision. Then, identify who will be the responsible person(s) within the company and/or within the value chain for carrying out the action. Provide costs (i.e., realistic estimates including a budget). Although exact figures may not be possible, gross estimates are valuable. Copyrighted Material (2019) by Dr. Doreen Sams, Professor of Marketing, Georgia College & State University, CBX 011, Milledgeville, Georgia. Modifications made by Dr. Katia Galdino. 5 STEP 7: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Draw conclusions. Here is where the decisions from Steps 5 and 6 will be reported. You must write up the one alternative that will best resolve the problem(s) or issue(s) you identified for the case. Do not add any new information into this part of the paper. Do not go into great detail about things you have already presented in the paper. Elaborate and link your chosen alternative to facts relevant to the strategic decision and its implementation plan made by your persona (e.g., stakeholder, manager, etc.). State how the decisions will correct, eliminate, reduce, etc., the problem(s) found in the case study. FORMATTING GUIDELINES 1. Provide a title page following APA guidelines (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_sty le_guide/general_format.html) 2. Provide a Table of Contents (Automated using the feature available in Word®) 3. Body of the paper (following the steps outlined above): a) Introduction b) Facts, i.e., supporting evidence from the case, textbook and lectures, and from reliable and valid sources directly related to the case c) Alternatives (must be realistic, defendable, and based on verifiable, reliable, and relevant facts) d) Conclusions and Recommendations e) Reference List following APA guidelines (please see Useful Tools on GoVIEW). 4. Text should follow general APA guidelines (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_sty le_guide/general_format.html) 5. Text should be left aligned. Other Guidelines 1. MS Word or Rich Text ONLY (no PDFs). 2. Name you file LastName_FirstName_Case#.doc 3. Analysis must be interesting, must properly incorporate concepts and theories from the course, be logical, defendable, and based on facts, not on opinions. 4. Do not say “I think”, “I believe”, etc. 5. Do not write in the first person. 6. All references used in this case study analysis must be from relevant, reliable, quality, and valid sources appropriate for academic rigor (no blogs, Wikipedia, personal websites, etc.). Consult the professor if you are not sure of a citation’s reliability, validity, or quality. 7. Do not cite the case itself. 8. Paraphrase. No direct quotes should be used unless absolutely needed for emphasis or involving a table or chart (must be in quotation marks and include author, year, and page number in the citation at the end of the sentence). 9. Proper and correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc., count significantly. Copyrighted Material (2019) by Dr. Doreen Sams, Professor of Marketing, Georgia College & State University, CBX 011, Milledgeville, Georgia. Modifications made by Dr. Katia Galdino. 6 10. The analysis must be uploaded in the proper assignment dropbox. 11. Submit your case study analysis at least 24 hours prior to final submission, so Turnitin can check it giving you time to make any corrections needed prior to the due date. 12. Late assignments are not accepted.