13 Sep You can assume that for each case you work for the firm in question and report to the case protagonist. They have assigned you the task of researching the situation and providing gui
Graduate case analysis, 3 pages.
-Identifying the problem
-An analysis
– And recommendations
*must include exhibits and or tables to help support
Case Analysis
|
Case Analysis |
||||
|
Criteria |
Ratings |
Pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFormat Font: 12 point, Times New Roman Style: Double-spaced, Headings (Problem, Analysis, Recommendations) Exhibits: Placed in separate section at end of report; 1 exhibit per page, numbered and titled |
|
5.0 pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClarity of Writing Your marks for this criteria will be based on your writing skills. Poor grammar, lack of punctuation, spelling errors, and lack of organization in your thoughts will have a major impact on this grade. Remember that you are creating this report for your boss. |
|
10.0 pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnalysis The analysis grade will be based on both qualitative and quantitative elements. You will need to analyze all aspects of the situation without bias. Look at both the pros and cons of your options. The analysis section should focus on addressing the issue you outlined in your Problem Statement.
|
|
20.0 pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRecommendations It does not matter if I agree with your recommendation or not. What matters is does the evidence you presented in your analysis section supports your recommendation(s). Your goal here is to have the boss read your report and them approve your recommendations. |
|
15.0 pts |
||
|
Total Points: 50.0 |
,
Preparing a Case Report
Case Report Deliverables
Case reports consist of a report and exhibits (when applicable). Case reports may not exceed three double-spaced pages, excluding exhibits (which are unlimited within reason). I use a blind grading system which means I do not know whose report I am reading. To ensure that this system works only place your N number on your report. Your name should not be included anywhere in your report.
Case Format
You can assume that for each case you work for the firm in question and report to the case protagonist. They have assigned you the task of researching the situation and providing guidance. As such, your report must be factual, concise, and well written. You can come up with a great solution only to be rejected all because the ideas were not well presented. A good case analysis follows a Problem, Analysis, Recommendation format. I will outline each of these below.
Problem: Most of the cases contain several problems; some are more important than others. State what you perceive to be the key problem(s) and why. This section should be brief, being no longer than 1 paragraph.
Analysis: The analysis section will vary depending on the specifics of each case. Some cases will provide you with various alternatives that the company is considering while other cases require you to develop the alternatives. In general, you will need to examine all the elements and information contained in the case to ensure that you are taking into consideration all critical data. The analysis section is the critical part of your case report as it will guide the reader to accept or reject your recommendations. You can take a stance of analyzing the alternatives, weighing one against another. One method that may help you analyze your alternatives is by using the Evaluation Matrix found below. You should not include this type of matrix with your report; it is merely to help you think about the alternatives. The analysis section requires you to utilize all of your analytical skills, including quantitative and qualitative analysis tools.
Recommendations: State how each of the problems you have identified should be resolved based on your analyses. Briefly explain your rationale for choosing that particular recommendation. If appropriate, discuss contingency plans that managers need to consider. You should keep in mind critical issues that the company may face, such as availability of capital, financial risk, competitor reactions, etc. Where applicable, provide a pro forma statement, budget, or other forms of quantitative analysis to help the manager determine the appropriateness of your recommendation.
It is important to remember that a case analysis is not a summary of the case facts. Your reports will be graded based on the thoughtfulness and insight provided by your analysis and how well your recommendations reflect this analysis. Additionally, clarity in your writing is well rewarded. A well-written paper should be able to effectively communicate your points in a grammatically correct and concise way.
Exhibits
The purpose of exhibits is to provide your reader with a “quick” overview of the key elements of your analysis and/or to support your recommendations. Exhibits should add value to the report by being valuable for your reader. Exhibits should be easily read and not filled with calculations. Your reader should be able to examine an exhibit and fully understand what information you are trying to convey. Little thing such as limiting the use of borders, keeping the font size and type the same as in your paper, and limiting the use of abbreviations, all contribute to creating quality exhibits. If you feel the need to explain your calculations, or what exactly the figures indicate, you can use a footnote just below the exhibit. Footnotes should use a smaller type size so that it does not take away from the exhibit itself.
Each exhibit should be individually labeled (e.g., Exhibit 1, Table 2, etc.) and given a titled (e.g., Breakdown of Sales Volume by Region) that is representative of its content. See the example below. The overall design of your Exhibits is entirely up to you. The exhibits should be a “portrait” format, rather than in “landscape.” In some cases, it may be necessary to use “landscape,” but this will be a rare situation.
In the body of your paper, direct readers to the proper exhibit. You could, for example, write something like, “As shown in Exhibit 1, growth in the East region is expected to grow to $166.4 million by 2019.” This example is giving the reader what they need, while also directing them to the source of this information. A poor example would be something like “See Exhibit 1 for projected sales growth.”
Case Grading Criteria
Format – 10% Clarity of writing – 20% Analysis – 40% Recommendation – 30%
General Guidelines
1. Do not repeat facts from the case in your report.
2. Your job is to sell your recommendations to your boss.
3. Write in a clear, professional manner.
4. Proofread your paper for issues of clarity and to ensure it is free from typographical errors.
5. Do not throw around “buzz words” or mention concepts that you are not 100% clear.
6. Critical errors can kill your credibility (and your career).
1. Never misspell the name of the company and/or brand name.
2. Do not misstate key information such as sales figures, market share levels, etc.
Below is one approach that you can use in preparing a case.
1. Skim the case - Get a basic overview of the case by quickly skimming the case. Get a feel for the situation that the company is facing. Make sure to read it from the perspective of the protagonist.
2. Read the case again - The goal with this reading is to fully digest the facts and circumstances that the company is facing. Make sure that you examine all the pertinent information contained in the case. Highlighting key quantitative and qualitative data is helpful at this stage. Do not overlook information contained in exhibits from the case.
3. Determine the key strategic issue - You should start to gain a full understanding of the pressing issue (or problem) of the case. Make sure that the problem is market focused and feasible for the company. Do not confuse symptoms (i.e., declining sales) with the actual problem (i.e., price cut by a competitor). Reexamine your idea of the key strategic issue as you proceed with your analysis.
4. Conduct preliminary analysis - With your problem statement firmly in place, the next step is to determine what information would be helpful to you as you begin to recommendations. This often requires you to crunch numbers the information you would like to have is not readily available. However, you typically have enough data to come up with the information you want Do not disagree with the facts in the case, but you can “read between the lines” and question opinions expressed by people in the case.
5. Formulate alternatives - Alternatives are ways in which you can address the “problem.” Often, the case will provide you with several alternatives, and you should examine them as to how well they will address the problem. However, you are not limited to the alternatives given in the case, and you can offer independent solutions. When the case provides no alternatives, your goal is to develop strategically sound (i.e., plausible) solutions. No matter the source, alternatives must be fully vetted (examined). The analysis you conduct here is critical as it will serve as the support and justification of your recommendation.
6. Outline your recommendations - Based on your analysis of the alternatives, explicitly state what course of action you recommend. You should reiterate the key reasons for making this recommendation, but you do not need to repeat everything you wrote in your analysis. The primary question you should ask yourself here is – does the recommendation address the problem you proposed earlier? If appropriate, you should outline a course of action that the company should follow when implementing your recommendations. Remember, managers will need to be fully convinced about the feasibility of your recommendation. Use your analysis section and exhibits to provide the necessary evidence. The key thing to remember here is that no matter how good your ideas if you can’t provide enough justification, the likelihood of receiving the “go-ahead” is doubtful.
1
Fundamentals of Case Analysis
Why Cases?
Cases….
build familiarity with marketing and management problems.
develop your ability to think like a manager
Enable understanding of the link between problems and analysis (market research)
Build communication skills
1
2
2
Cases
Snapshot of specific event(s)
Realistic
Self-contained
Require action by managers
Recommendations must be defended
Selected for a reason
Step 1: Read The Case
Skim get a feel for the situation
perspective
critical dates
Read carefully highlight key points (different colors)
margin notes
3
4
3
Step 2: Determine the Major Problem
Where to look
Symptoms versus problems
Market focused and actionable
Psychological traps Posing the wrong question: The Framing trap
Over-relying on first thoughts: The Anchoring trap
Your problem diagnosis determines alternatives, criteria and ultimate choice of a solution.
“If I had but one hour to save the world, I would
spend 55 minutes defining the problem.”
5
6
4
Step 2: Determine the Major Problem
Identify the essential elements of the problem Determine major versus minor problems Establish a scope for your analysis
Reexamine your problem definition as you go. Even after a lot of effort and defining the problem,
you may find that as you dig into the solution, your perceptions of the original problem may change
With more information, you may need to revise your problem definition
It is very much an iterative process
Step 3: Analysis
What analysis will help solve the problem?
Discuss pros and cons of each alternative BUT Don’t invent alternatives (no “straw man”)
Provide a balanced perspective Qualitative and quantitative
Translate key data into meaningful information
Don’t overlook tables, charts, exhibits, footnotes
Equal and unbiased evaluation of all alternatives
7
8
5
1. How well is the Air Zoo fulfilling its mission? 2. Who are the customers of the Air Zoo? What drives each group
to visit? 3. How realistic are the estimates that Bob presented? 4. What other information would be beneficial to Bob in making this
decision? 5. Given that the estimates Bob made are correct, what will be the
financial impact of the free admission promotion? 6. Would you recommend that the Air Zoo enact the Free
Admission promotion for the 4-month summer season? Why or why not?
Discussion Questions
Step 3: Analysis
Be sure to note relevant situation factors BUT you don’t need a separate SWOT analysis
Understand uncertainty and risk How much is your decision based on fact and how
much is it based on assumptions What are the risk factors and what is the risk tolerance
capability of the organization
Assumptions, opinions, and premises Justify Separate facts from assumption, opinions, premises Consider the reliability and validity of sources
9
10
6
Step 4: Recommendation
Be explicit but concise
Discuss the risks (if any) that are involved with your decision?
Discuss the sensitivity of your decision
Do not: Fire the owner/president of the company
Propose to “invent” a miraculous new product
Step 4: Recommendation
Do not: Propose to “do nothing” unless strong justification
can be made that no problem exists, status quo will be most profitable, or firm is helpless to react
Present recommendations that are not economically feasible (buy Google to hedge against market cycles)
Propose non-marketing alternatives
Investing all available cash in lottery
In general, R&D is not a marketing issue
11
12
7
Common Mistakes in Case Analysis
Rehashing information in the case!!!!!! Concluding the data are inadequate to reach a
decision. Failing to provide adequate qualitative analysis. Failing to provide adequate quantitative
analysis. Failing to be decisive. Be convincing. Avoid “maybe” and “possibly” Avoid “I feel”
Common Mistakes in Case Analysis
Writing Check spelling Pronoun agreement (it vs. they) Overall readability (no paragraph > 1 page) Word confusion (affect vs. effect, whether vs.
weather) Plurals (medium vs. media) Avoid colloquialisms and trite phrases Avoid writer pronouns (I and We) Be cautious about judgmental language
For example, excess profit
13
14
8
Common Mistakes in Case Analysis
Content Numerical calculations should be justified, supported,
and in exhibits
Use common sense with numerical calculations and writing numbers Write $1.37 million, rather than $1,372,345.34
Do not reproduce any exhibits from the case
Avoid vague solutions (Target how? Segment how?)
No SWOT is required
Have I mentioned there is no need to repeat case facts?
Restating Case Facts
From the case: “Demand for raw grapes is expected to increase
25% in 2009.”
Restating a case fact: “The grape market will be 25% higher next year.”
Using case facts: “Because demand for grapes is expected to
increase by 25% in 2010, an aggressive pricing strategy will not be necessary.”
15
16
9
Common Mistakes in Case Reports
Don’t assume the reader knows what you (should) know, about the case. Intended reader (boss) knows the general issues
of the case, but gave you the assignment to analyze and report back to them
There is no case to refer to.
Common Mistakes in Case Analysis
Terminology – Be Precise Contribution margin is not the same thing as profit
Revenue is not the same thing as profit
Positioning is not the same thing as target strategy
Market share is not the same thing as market coverage
Be specific i.e., profit margin is expected to increase to 13.8%
Avoid vague terms i.e., “Sales will increase by a huge amount.”
17
18
10
Format – Body of Report
Follow the correct format 3 page max, double spaced
1” margins (MS Word default is 1.25”)
Time New Roman – 12 point
Provide your recommendation(s) to the company Strong evidence should be given to support your ideas
Exhibits are expected, separate page for each
Exhibits should be labeled (i.e., Exhibit 1)
Exhibits should be titled (i.e., Shurr-Glide Customer Segments)
Format – Writing Style
Keep in mind who is the intended reader. Generally your boss
Information that is not relevant to the report should not be included in your write-up
You do not need to tell the boss what his position is or how long he has worked in the company (hopefully he knows this).
Never, ever, misspell critical names (company, brand, etc), nor should you miss key facts
19
20
11
Format – Exhibits
Exhibits are used to convey information in a simplified format. Should be new information
Do not create exhibits from the cases
Should be neatly typed
Calculations are not needed
If explanation of exhibit is needed, use footnotes
Recreate in Word, rather than cutting and pasting from Excel
Grading Criteria
• Format – 5 points • Clarity of writing – 10 points • Analysis – 20 points • Recommendations – 15 points
21
22
,
CASE
Benali Corporation
On Friday, January 7, 2010, Christina Fairchild, the newly appointed Product Man-
ager for hand and body lotions at Benali Corporation, was faced with her first de-
cision one day after her promotion. She had to decide whether to introduce a new
package design for the company’s Silky Smoothe Shaving Gel. The major questions
were whether a 5.5-ounce or a 10-ounce aerosol container should be introduced
and whether she should approve additional funds for a market test. Timing was crit-
ical because the incidence of women’s shaving would increase during the spring
months and reach its peak during the summer months.
Silky Smoothe Shaving Gel is marketing by Benali corporation, a manufacturer of
women’s personal-care products with sales of $225 million in 2009. The company’s
line of products includes facial creams, hand and body lotions, and a full line of
women’s toiletries. Products are sold by food-and-drug stores through rack jobbers.
Rack jobbers are actually wholesalers that set up retail displays and keep them
stocked with merchandise. They receive a margin of 20 percent off the sales price
to retailers.
Silky Smoothe Shaving Gel was introduced in the spring of 1996. The
product was viewed as a logical extension of the company’s line of hand and body
lotions and required few changes in packaging and manufacturing. The unique di-
mension of the introduction was that Silky Smoothe was positioned as a high-qual-
ity women’s shaving gel. The positioning strategy was successful in differentiating
Silky Smoothe Shaving Gel from existing men’s and women’s shaving creams and
gels at the time. Moreover, rack jobbers were able to obtain product placement in
the women’s personal-care section of drug and food stores, thus emphasizing the
product’s positioning statement. Furthermore, placement apart from men’s shavi
Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteEdu. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Fill in all the assignment paper details that are required in the order form with the standard information being the page count, deadline, academic level and type of paper. It is advisable to have this information at hand so that you can quickly fill in the necessary information needed in the form for the essay writer to be immediately assigned to your writing project. Make payment for the custom essay order to enable us to assign a suitable writer to your order. Payments are made through Paypal on a secured billing page. Finally, sit back and relax.
Do you need help with this question?
Get assignment help from WriteEdu.com Paper Writing Website and forget about your problems.
WriteEdu provides custom & cheap essay writing 100% original, plagiarism free essays, assignments & dissertations.
With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.
Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.