Research Methods in Business Management- 2 questions (300 words or more each)

Hello! I am looking for help on an assignment regarding how case study analysis is helpful in research. Each question needs to be 300 or more words and references listed in APA format. I attached the documents that the questions are refering to. I need this by January 22 which is a Tuesday I believe (a week for today).

300 words or more (references in APA style)

Consider the various materials in the attachments and discuss why case study analysis is an appropriate method of research. (Citations/references as necessary.)

300 words or more (references in APA style)

As you have continued your research with your selected topic (My topic is “motivation”- this is a business management course so it would be geared towards motivation in business) and are now working with case study analysis, what additional insights do case studies bring to the study of your topic? What do you learn/glean as a result of the use of case study analysis in your topic area that you might not otherwise obtain? (Citations/references as needed.)

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THE CASE METHOD: A CRITIQUE AND A CONCEPTUAL MENU FOR
EXCELLENCE

Dr. Yassin Sankar, Professor of Management, Dalhousie University, Canada

ABSTRACT

The Case Method as a major vehicle in management for teaching creative problem solving and
decision making skills has been perceived as limited in its effectiveness. This is primarily
because of its emphasis on reactive – vertical thinking and its visualization of the art of problem
solving as a sequential mechanical process hence the crisis of creativity in management and the
absence of critical thinking skills in our students. This paper examines the case method as the
enactment of a learning design. It focuses on (1) the essentials of learning, (2) problem solving
as a complex type of learning, (3) instructional objectives for the case method and (4)
pedagogical strategies for facilitating the transfer of learning through the case method.

Keywords: Critical thinking, learning typology, creative problem solving, case method.

INTRODUCTION

This Case Method as a major pedagogical vehicle has come under review in Business Week
(1986) with a rather incisive conclusion. Cases are perceived as “too narrow and superficial to
impart complex management concepts…it is difficult for a professor who may write eight or nine
cases in a year to rise above the obvious to do original research.” Bobele and Buchanan (1996)
argue that the weakness of the case method lies not in the method itself, but in the heavy
emphasis on convergent thinking in the three steps: (1) analysis or problem identification, (2)
generation of alternatives, and (3) decision regarding course of action. “We believe that the
already powerful case method can be enriched by including some divergent thinking processes,
especially in the generation of alternatives step.”

As a vehicle for learning, problem solving, and decision making skills the case method is limited
in two areas, firstly in the actual design of cases and secondly in the use of the case method as a
pedagogical strategy. In the programming of the case content, as Business Week notes, the case
writer may focus on the obvious, a management incident, an organizational problem, a scenario
of trivial cause-effect analysis and may, therefore, not contain the major parameters for effective
instruction. The content may not contain analytical concepts such as propositions, principles,
rules, generalizations, decision criteria, organizing conventions – substantive and syntactical
criteria that will enhance discovery learning and critical thinking as opposed to rote learning, On
the second point, the use of the case method as a pedagogical strategy, the problem is more
complex. As a pedagogical strategy the case method must articulate certain basic principles of
learning. The case method is not simply a sequential process involving problem definition,
analysis, generation of alternatives and problem solution but also a cognitive process that
involves learning and thinking. The case method as an instructional plan that teaches problem
solving, a complex cognitive skill, must visualize problem solving as a type of learning not
merely a sequence of activities. The case method must focus not only linear thinking and reactive

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thinking but also on lateral thinking if it is to achieve pedagogical excellence. We develop these
major themes in subsequent sections of the paper.

The Case Method: Instructional Design and Learning

Principles of Learning:

Every instructor who uses the case method is involved in the enactment of an
instructional plan based on a variety of decisions regarding the essentials of
learning.

The Case Method as an instructional plan is simply a strategy for managing the conditions of
learning. That is, when the instructional plan is viewed as a plan for learning and not merely as a
plan for listing bits of information re the sequence of content or describing the problems,
incidents or scenarios of an organization, additional considerations emerge regarding the
essentials of learning or the “psychological order” of learning. Neither the ideas nor the sample
of content in a case represent a teachable content: a sequence and a logical organization is only
partially established. The content needs to be arranged so that the dimensions of inquiry are in a
sequential order according to a feasible learning sequence. More important, the Case Method as
an instructional plan or learning program is a method of teaching thinking: a pathway for
developing generalizations inductively and for applying them: a way for establishing
relationships between ideas and facts; a model for processing and converting information though
inductive-deductive inquiry; a medium for the perception of complex interaction effects in a
phenomenon (Taba, 1996); and a framework for evaluating a learner’s capacity to interpret,
translate, apply, analyse, synthesize and evaluate the bits of information in the case. The design
of a learning program as illustrated in the case method then must be based on a set of strategies
that facilitate the effective management of the conditions of learning (Gagne, 1990).

Generally, a strategy is a way of organizing thinking about conditions that are important to the
design of a learning program (Sankar, 1984). These decisions are explicit in the following
questions. What are the major types of learning around which the Case Method is based? What
are the pre-requisite types of learning-conditions, skills and attitudes for facilitating each major
type of learning? Does the Case Method facilitate the development of projective thinking? Is the
Case Method more oriented towards reactive thinking? Does theCase Method facilitate problem
solving as a type of learning? Can learning through the mediium of the case method transfer to
creative problem solving on the job? Why is the dominant learning style of business students so
much oriented towards applications rather than critical thinking and discovery learning? A
design strategy should help identify what these points of crucial decisions are and the
pedagogical bases on which these decisions are made (Sankar, 1999).

Thinking, Information, and the Case Method

Often in using the Case Method it is assumed that information is more important than thinking.
Thinking is regarded as only a tool for assimilating information, classifying it and storing it and
retrieving it. Information is much easier to teach than thinking. One ton of information may
contain zero insight (SaiBaba, 2000). Insight is a penetrating mental vision. Vision is an idea
vividly perceived in the imagination. Imagination, therefore, is more powerful than knowledge.

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(Einstein, 1973) where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge, where is the knowledge we
have lost in information? (T.S. Eliot) Information within a closed system like the Case Method
may indeed seem to replace thinking. Thinking may even seen to be mere guessing. The
relationship between thinking and information can be considered in this situation. Data become
information only when they are looked at through the spectacles of an idea. “Einstein looked at
the data that had been seen through the Newtonian idea and by looking at them in a different way
came to a different conclusion” (DeBono, 1992). The constant play between information and
ideas cannot be neglected. Ideas are generated by the application of thinking to data. When we
collect information we collect data that have been organized by the old ideas. To improve those
ideas we need thinking, not just more information.

The crisis of creativity in management and the absence of critical thinking skills may be partially
attributed to the dominant mode of instruction, namely, the case method, used in all fields of
management with its minimum emphasis on insightful problem solving, creative visualization,
and ingenuity. The adaptive corporation needs a new kind of leadership. It needs “managers of
adaption” equipped with a whole set of new, non-linear skills (Toffler,1985). As the business
world becomes more complex, more uncertain, more changeable and more conflict ridden, so the
requirements of managers proliferate. Our ability to cope with all this should be enhanced by the
multiplicity of concepts and techniques – new paradigms of thinking…. Fixed state thinkers
believe there is an ideal condition, that, once put into place, will solve problems now and in the
future (Bennis et. al., 1995). No longer is it enough for a manager to have analytic or problem
solving skill. These are being increasingly met by computers, and by expert and knowledge-
based systems.

Perspective:
The crisis in creativity in management and the absence of critical thinking skills and
discovery learning in our students can be partially attributed to the dominant
instructional mode of learning used in management, namely, the case method.

My arguments that too much emphasis is placed on linear thinking or convergent thinking as
opposed to lateral thinking. Our thinking culture has always emphasized reactive thinking. With
the Case Method a problem is set out for us to solve and we react to the situation and solve the
problem using a sequential framework. In our critical frame of mind we look at something that is
being put forward and we react to it. As problem solvers we receive the problem and we set out
to solve it within a hierarchical framework. In contrast a projective thinker may only have a
starting point and a general direction. The learner then sets out to do something. One does not
need a bag of facts or numbers or variables to start thinking. The learner has to find his/her way
and generate his/her own information in projective thinking. Such activities as the assessment of
priorities, generating ideas not necessarily data or information, selecting alternatives, designing
scenarios, guessing and strategy are all part of projective thinking. The projective thinker will
build situations in his mind. He/she will enlarge his perceptions and alter his perceptions.
Perception is critical to learning. The perceptual field must be analyzed when creating an
instructional design for the Case Method. This design must focus on variables in the perceptual
field and must also emphasize projective thinking as opposed to linear thinking. While linear
thinking is intrinsic to the Case Method because of its sequential framework; projective thinking

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can be emphasized in the design through a Menu which facilitates a Random Query as illustrated
in my Computer Courseware for the Case Method (Sankar, 2000).

With reference to creative problem solving, lateral thinking may proceed in this manner. Instead
of proceeding step by step in the usual vertical mode, you take up a new and quite arbitrary
position. You then work backwards and try to construct a logical path between this new position
and the starting point. Should a path prove possible, it must eventually be tested with the full
rigours of logic. If the path is sound, you are then in a useful position which may never have
been reached by ordinary vertical thinking. Even if the arbitrary position do not prove tenable
you may still have generated useful new ideas in trying to justify it. The rigid sequential process
used in the Case Method promotes a high incidence of vertical thinking which inhibits creative
problem solving.

The Case Method and the Learning Typology:

Principles of Learning:
The Case Method as an instructional plan is based on a learning typology. The
typology is organized around problem solving at the apex which subsumes other
major types of learning such as rule learning, concept learning and discrimination
learning. These pre -requisite types of learning to problem solving must be
programmed in the use of the case method as an instructional plan.

Most Case Method applications in all fields of management involve some measure of problem
solving. Problem solving involves conventionally a sequence of activities such as definition of
the problem, delimiting major parameters of the problem, cause-effect analysis and generating
alternatives or outcomes. But problem solving is also a type of learning that subsumes other
types of learning such as rule learning, concept learning, and discrimination learning and so on
(Gagne, 1992). Therefore, any evaluation of problem solving which is critical in any Case
Method must focus on the prerequisite types of learning, subordinate skills and capabilities, and
information and major integrating concepts. Creative problem solving is a most complex
instructional outcome to evaluate in the instructor’s repertoire of learning objectives. To be
effective the Case Method must incorporate the types of learning that are subsumed under
problem solving. Too often this is not done in the application of the Case Method. Much that
passes for meaningful problem solving is simply a species of rote discovery learning. Insightful
problem solving, on the other hand, is a type of meaningful discovery learning in which problem
conditions are non arbitrarily and substantively related to existing cognitive structure. It involves
going beyond the information given in the case. It involves transforming information in the case
or database by analysis, synthesis, hypothesis formulation and testing, rearrangement,
recombination, translation and integration. Problem solving then constitutes a form of guided
discovery learning.

Gagne has offered a particularly comprehensive model of different types of learning and the
conditions necessary for them to occur. He has derived from this model the events of instruction.
His argument is that there are many kinds of learning and that it is the learner’s starting point that
distinguishes one kind of learning from another. “The attempt is made to show that each variety

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of learning described here begins with a different state of the organism and ends with a different
capability for performance.”

That is, the Case Method as an instructional design must focus on the types of learning and the
prerequisite conditions for facilitating that learning or combinations of learning. These
prerequisite conditions for learning reside in the Learner and the Learning Situation. These types
of learning must be reflected in the learning objectives of the Case. The prerequisite conditions
must be diagnosed and programmed. Another function of the learning typology is its role in
evaluation of learning. The instructor must make a set of decisions not only on the prerequisite
conditions for the various types of learning but also decisions regarding the evaluation of these
types of learning. For example, with reference to the types of learning, are we testing for simple
response learning, chaining of responses, concept learning, propositional (rule) learning? A
student may (a) rehash a definition, (b) repeat a generalization, (c) retrieving bits of information,
(d) recite the components of a data base and so on; this is testing at the lowest levels. The point is
that there must be a consistency between the learning objectives postulated for an instructional
plan and the criteria for the evaluation of these learning objectives. The relevant set of decisions
for instruction deriving from the definition of objectives are those that determine the type of
learning to be employed in attaining these objectives. Such decisions are critical for effective
instructional design.

Figure 1: The Case Method and Problem Solving

The types of learning are arranged
Hierarchically as follows:

C Problem Solving (Type 8)
A C
S O requires as prerequisites
E N
C Rule (Type 7)
M E DECISIONS
E P Re which requires as prerequisites
T T TYPES OF LEARNING
H U Concepts (Type 6)
O A PREREQUISITES
D L – Learner which requires as prerequisites
– Learning Situation

TRANSFER, RETENTION Discriminations (Type 5)
M & MOTIVATION
E which require as prerequisites
N
U Verbal associations (Type 4) or other
chains (Type 3) or which require as
prerequisites.

Stimulus -Response Connections (Type 2)

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With reference to typology of learning, Gagne makes the following observations. In describing
the conditions of learning, the distinction between external and internal conditions has been
given frequent emphasis. It will be evident that learning hierarchies pertain only to the internal
conditions, in other words to the capabilities that are to be learned and to the capabilities that are
prerequisite to these. A hierarchy may identify component capabilities which are rules, other
sub-ordinate to these which are concepts, or discriminations or, chains or even single S – R
connections. These capabilities, however, insofar as learning is concerned, represent only the
internal conditions – those subordinate capabilities that need to be recalled when a new higher-
level skill is about to be learned (Gagne, 1992).

Figure 2: The Case Method and Types of Learning

Instructional objectives often turn out to specify the learning of fairly complex skills, which
requires the prior learning of simpler skills in order to instruction to be effective. This is
particularly true according to Gagne if one begins instructional planning with an objective

Type of Learning: Learning Conditions
Simple

1. Discrimination Recall of S-R connections (“response”)
Repetition of situations presenting “same
and “different” stimuli, with feedback.
Emphasis on distinctive features.

2. Concrete Concept Recall of discrimination of relevant
object qualities.
Presentation of several concept instances,
varying in irrelevant object qualities.
Identification of concept instances by
student.

3. Defined Concept Recall of component concepts
Demonstration of the components of
the concept, or verbal statement of the
definition Demonstration of concept
by the student.

4. Rule Recall of component concepts of
subordinate rules
Demonstration or verbal statement of
the rule
Demonstration of the rule -application
by student

5. High-Order Rule Recall of relevant subordinate rules
Presentation of a novel problem
Complex Demonstration of new rule in
achieving problem solution

The Case
Method

Conceptual
Menu

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representing an intellectual skill such as a defined concept, or a problem solving task. The skills
to be learned in such tasks typically suggest a preceding sequence of objectives for simpler skills
and related information. Each type of learning has its own prerequisites. Instructional objectives
for these prerequisite must also be set for the Case Method as an instruction plan.

CONCLUSION

The complexity of today’s business environment creates increasing pressure on the organization
and on the role and functions of the manager. More creative problem solving skills could
enhance the effectiveness of the organization and the manager to cope with complexity, change,
and uncertainty in a global playing field. The learning principles we have designed in the
evaluation of the case method is a step forward in the visualization of the case method as a
mechanism for developing insightful problem solving, creative decision making skills, divergent
thinking and creative visualization. These principles also serve to enhance the effectiveness of
the case method as an instructional vehicle. A computer software designed for the case method,
with these principles of learning will enhance its effectiveness significantly as an interactive
instructional tool.

REFERENCES

1. Ausubel, D. (1992). Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View. New York: Holt Rinehart

and Winston.
2. Bennis, W.. Parikh, J. and Lessem. (1995). Beyond Leadership. London: Blackwell.
3. Bloom, B.. Hastings, J. and Madaus, G. (1992). Handbook on Formative and Summative

Evaluation of Student Learning. London: McGraw-Hill.
4. Bobele, K. and Buchanan, P. (1996). Training Managers to be Problem Solvers. Journal of

Creative Behavior.
5. DeBono, E. (1992). New Think. New York: Avon Books.
6. Gagne, R. (1992). Development in Learning Psychology: Implications for Instructional

Design and Development. Educational Technology.
7. Gagne, R. (1992). The Conditions of Learning. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
8. Sankar, Y. (1986). A Conceptual Model for Evaluating Training Program. Management

International Interview.
9. Sankar, Y. (2001). The Design of a Computer Courseware for the Case Methods. Working

Paper No. 3, Dalhousie University.
10. Sri Sathya Sai Baba (2001). Information to Transformation. Sanathana Sarathi: Puttarparthi.
11. Toffler, A. (1985). The Adaptive Corporation. New York: Bantam.

Description of Case Study Analysis

A case study is a written record of the events that occurred at a particular company. The details of the case vary; however, most cases consist of information about the company or project; goals, strategies, and challenges faced; and results and/or recommendations.

You may ask why this is so important for business courses. When you analyze a case, you are learning about real-life problems that occur in businesses. You will have the opportunity to analyze the steps other managers and leaders have taken and put your managerial problem solving skills to work. This is your opportunity to recommend alternatives that were not mentioned in the case based on your reading and experiences.

How to Analyze a Case Study

1. Read the case thoroughly before you try to analyze. You may have to read the case a few times to understand what has occurred. Know the case backwards and forwards before you begin the analysis.

2. Take notes as you are reading.

3. Do not let personal issues and opinions blur your judgment. Look at the issues from on objective point of view as if you were the manager.

4. Be analytical, not descriptive. What this means is to analyze what is going based on the theories in the text and how it applies to the case; not a description or recap of the case.

5. Give yourself enough time to write and proofread!

Tips on Analyzing from a Business Perspective

(Note: Not all tips will apply to every case. Read the questions that are assigned)

1. Analyze the company’s background (founding, structure, and growth).

2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company and situation.

3. Examine the competition within the industry.

4. Analyze the strategy from the corporate, business, and task level. The level of analysis will be based on the readings. You may only be able to analyze on one level; however, at the end of the course, you should be able to analyze on all levels.

5. Evaluate the structure, change, hierarchy, reward systems, conflicts, and other issues important to the company.

6. Make recommendations based on the readings and theories that are discussed in the chapters that are pertinent to the case. Each recommendation must be supported.

Eugene D. Fanning Center For Business Communication 00-06
Mendoza College of Business
University of Notre Dame

Analyzing a Case Study

Among the many tools available to business educators, the case study has become increasingly
popular. Professors use it to teach the complexities of many different, modern business
problems. That’s not a surprising development. Beyond the fundamentals, memorization and
description will take you just so far. The real test of whether you are ready to manage a business
will come when you are asked to assume the role of a manager, step into an authentic business
situation, make sense of the circumstances you see, draft a plan, and take action.

Why Study Cases?

Schools of law have studied cases for many years as a means of exploring legal concepts and
understanding the practices of the courts. Harvard Business School began inviting executives
and managers into their classrooms after the First World War, hoping to provide students with
some insight into the thinking of successful businessmen. Not long afterward, professors of
business began writing down the narratives of these business managers in an effort to capture the
ambiguities and complexities involved in the day-to-day practice of commerce and
administration.

The idea spread to other schools of business and migrated from graduate to undergraduate
programs. Today, many business educators use case studies because their narratives are so
valuable in developing analytic and critical thinking abilities, as well as organizational and
communication skills. You can memorize lists, procedures, and attributes. You can occasionally
guess successfully at the answer to a multiple-choice question. But you cannot memorize the
answer to a problem you have never encountered, nor can you guess at the options available to a
manager who must resolve a complex, difficult, often ambiguous situation.

Types of Cases

Although each case is different, you are likely to encounter three basic types of case studies,
depending on the subject you are studying: field cases, library cases (sometimes referred to as
public record cases), and armchair cases.

This teaching note was prepared from personal interviews and public sources by James S. O’Rourke, Concurrent
Associate Professor of Management, as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or
ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright ©2000. Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business
Communication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise – without permission.

Field cases. Field cases are written by professors and students of business with the cooperation
of managers and executives who experienced the events and problems described in the case.
They involve extensive interviews with people who are often identified by name as the narrative
unfolds. Information contained in these cases is known best – and sometimes only – to insiders
in a business. Newspaper accounts and descriptions of events contained in the business press
may play a role in establishing key facts, but the sequence of events, what was said to whom,
what each manager knew at the time, and which managerial options were open to the principals
of the case are often a mystery to the public-at-large.

Extensive interviews with employees, managers, and executives will often reveal more. Careful
examination of business records and data bases can provide background and context for the
events. And, frequently, the active cooperation of a company is the only way a case author will
ever know exactly what happened with any measure of certainty.

Field cases are often more extensive and thorough than other case types, but present a dilemma
for the case writer: what does the company have to gain by granting access to its premises, its
records, and its employees? Is this merely an attempt to make executives look good after the
fact? Are such cases an attempt at public relations when things go wrong in a business? Often,
to gain access to a business, a case writer must have some special relationship with those who
own or manage it, and must have a reputation for reporting on events in an accurate and fair
manner. One disadvantage of such cases is that, once they are published, they are difficult to
modify and may quickly become dated.

Library cases. Unlike a field case, library or public record cases do not involve special access
to the businesses being studied. They do not involve interview material or direct quotes which
are unavailable elsewhere. And they most often do not include figures, data, or information
which are not somehow a part of the public record, available to anyone with a library card and
basic research skills.

Companies that have failed somehow – blown a great opportunity, overlooked the obvious,
chosen the wrong path, or failed to act when they should – are understandably reluctant to permit
case writers to speak with their employees or look at the evidence. If they’ve done something
terribly wrong – committed a crime or imperiled the public welfare – a company may do all it
can to withhold, obscure, or cover up what has happened. That is precisely the challenge facing
most business reporters as they gather information for publication each day. Journalist David
Brinkley once said, “News is what you don’t want to tell me. Everything else is public
relations.”

Writers who produce library cases, however, have a wealth of information available to them. In
addition to stories produced for broadcast, print, and online news organizations, business case
writers can look to numerous government documents and other sources, particularly for publicly-
held firms. Annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as forms 10-Q
and 10-K, can be very helpful.

When one company declares its intention to acquire another, or is sued in Federal Court,
numerous documents relevant to the issues at hand may become a part of the public record.
When a company prepares to launch an IPO or float a bond offering, numerous public
disclosures are required. Case writers have a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of such
records, since the penalty for falsifying them may involve heavy fines or jail time.

Armchair cases. These are fictional documents about companies that don’t really exist and
events that have never really occurred. While they bear some resemblance to authentic cases,
they are often lacking in the richness of detail and complexity that accompany real events. They
may be useful, however, in introducing basic concepts to students or in provoking a discussion
about key issues confronting businesses.

Business educators produce armchair cases when they are denied access to the people and data
of real businesses, or when they wish to reduce very complex events to a series of simple
decision opportunities. Armchair cases are often useful to begin a discussion about change
management, the introduction of technology, or a rapidly-unfolding set of events in other
cultures. A principal advantage of these cases is that they can be modified and updated at will
without securing the permission of the fictional companies and managers they describe.

Producing a Case Solution

To produce a case solution that demonstrates you are ready for management-level responsibility
will involve the following steps:

Read the case. The first step to a successful case solution is to read the case, carefully and with
an eye for detail – more than once. Personality theorists tell us that some people are eager to get
to the end of a story quickly. “Don’t bother me with details,” they say. “Just tell me what
happened.” Such people, often dependent on Cliff’s Notes and executive summaries will bypass
the details of a case in order to reach a conclusion about what happened in the story. They are
often reluctant to read the case attachments and will frequently avoid tables of numbers
altogether. Many arrive at conclusions quickly and begin formulating responses before they
have all the facts. The less clever in this crowd see the details of a case as a nuisance; reading
the facts will only interfere with their preparation of a response.

After you have read and thought about the issues in a case, if you are uncertain about what to do,
read it again. As you mature in the experiences of business school, you will get better at this, but
at first, your best defense against being surprised or frustrated by a case is to read it thoroughly.

Take notes. College students typically want to either underline or highlight much of what is
contained in a book chapter, reprint, or essay. Case studies, however, are constructed a bit
differently. Textbook chapters are typically organized in a hierarchical fashion, with key points
and sub-points listed in order of importance, carefully illustrated and summarized. Not so with
case studies, which are often simply arranged in chronological order. Textbooks usually proceed
in logical fashion, with one concept building on others that came before it. Case studies, on the

other hand, are seemingly chaotic: many events happen at once, order and discipline are
sometimes missing, and key issues are not always self-evident.

Case studies may also contain substantial amounts of information in tabular form: annual
revenues, product shipment rates, tons of raw materials processed, or cost data organized by
business units. To know what such data mean, you will have to read the tables and apply what
you have learned about reading a balance sheet, or about activity-based costing. You may find
crucial information contained in a sequence of events or a direct quote from a unit manager.
Sometimes you will discover that the most important issues are never mentioned by the
principals in the case – they are simply ideas or tools that they weren’t clever enough to think of,
or didn’t think were important at the time.

Your notes should focus on the details you will need to identify the business problems involved
the case, the issues critical to solving those problems, as well as the resources available to the
managers in the case. Those notes will be helpful in producing a case solution.

Identify the business problem. In each case, at least one fundamental business problem is
present. It may be a small, tactical issue, such as how this company will collect money from a
delinquent customer. But the issue may be broader in nature: “How can they reduce accounts
receivable ageing to 30 days or less?” Larger, more strategic problems might involve the
company’s chronic, critical cash-flow difficulties. “If this company were no longer cash-starved,
what longer-term opportunities might open up?”

You may identify more than one problem in a case. Complex cases often involve several such
problems simultaneously. They may be technical in nature and involve accounting or cost
control systems. They may involve the use of technology. You might see supply-chain
problems in the business you are studying. You may identify marketing deficiencies. Or, you
might see human problems that involve supervision, communication, motivation, or training.

Specify an objective for the managers involved. Once you have identified one or more
business problems present in the case, think about the outcome(s) you would most hope to see
for the company and people you have read about. If you were asked to consult on this
company’s problems – and that is the role most business students are playing as they read a case
study – what results would you hope for? Don’t limit your thinking to what the company should
do, but what the most successful outcome would look like. Be specific about how the company
will know if they have succeeded. Quantify the desired results whenever you can.

Identify and rank order the critical issues. These issues are at the heart of the case. If you
miss a critical issue, you may not be able to solve the case to the satisfaction of your professor.

· Some issues are interdependent. That is, a solution to one issue might necessarily

precede or depend on another. In a product-contamination case, for example, a media
relations team can’t draft a press release until the production or packaging team knows
what’s wrong with the product. The team responsible for a new product launch can’t

make final advertising and promotion decisions until issues related to packaging,
transportation, and distribution have been solved.

· Some issues are more important than others. A company may have a great opportunity

to launch a product line extension, but not have sufficient market research data to support
the idea. More to the point, they may not have the talent on staff to understand and
properly use such data. Thus, hiring a market research chief might be more important
than simply contracting with an outside firm to find the data.

· Each issue has a time dimension. While two problems may be equally important to the

success of a company, one may be near-term in nature while the other is long-term.
Setting up a corporate web site may be important, but it won’t solve the longer-term issue
of marketing strategy: should we sell direct over the web or use retail partners to market
our products? Specify which problems must be addressed first, but think, as well, about
the duration of the solutions – how long will it take to fix this?

· Some issues are merely symptoms of larger or deeper problems. Two managers in open

warfare with each other about budget or resource issues may be symptomatic of more
serious, long-term budget problems, inadequate communication among the management
team, or perhaps a corporate culture that encourages confrontation over minor issues.
When Sears-Roebuck & Co. discovered that auto service managers in California were
charging customers to replace parts that were not yet worn out, the problem was deeper
than a few overzealous managers. After analyzing the complaints brought by the
California Attorney General, Sears realized that their compensation system rewarded
managers for selling more parts, and not for simply servicing customers’ vehicles.

Consider relevant information and underlying assumptions. Accept the fact that much of the
information contained in the case will not be useful to your analysis. You should also accept the
fact that you will never know all that you would like in order to produce a solution. Life is like
that. So are case studies. Identify the relevant facts contained in case and think carefully about
them. Identify additional information you might like to have – that might be part of your
solution – but don’t dwell on it.

Separate facts from assumptions. Recognize that there are some things you will know for sure
and others that you will not. Recognize further that you may be required to subjectively interpret
some evidence and to assume other evidence not directly stated in the case. The more
suppositions you make, however, the weaker your analysis becomes.

List possible solutions to the problem. Every problem lends itself to more than one solution.
Keep looking for good ideas, even when you have already thought of one that will solve the
problem. Listing possible solutions is a form of brainstorming that will later permit you to
assign values or weights to those ideas: is one solution less expensive than another? Will one be
more effective than another? Will one idea work more quickly? Will one of these ideas have a
more enduring effect?

Select a solution. After assigning weights and values to the various solutions you have thought
about, select the one you like best and prepare to defend it. Show why the ideas you have
thought about are superior and how they will work. If you have rejected other, more obvious
ideas, you may want to explain why.

Decide how to implement the best solution. Having good ideas is insufficient. You must be
able to put them to work. Graduate students of business are often praised by executives for
being theoretically well-grounded, but criticized for lacking practical application. “A team of
young MBAs told me that we needed to sell this division of my company,” said an executive in
the chemical industry. “But they couldn’t tell me what to do or how to go about it. All they
knew was that we should try to find a buyer. Interesting,” he concluded, “but not very helpful.”

Explain how to communicate the solution. In a management communication case study, you
will be asked to identify key audiences for your message. That means identifying which groups
you want to communicate with and the means you will use to reach them. Think carefully about
the broad range of stakeholders in the case: employees, customers, shareholders, business
partners, suppliers, regulators, and the marketplace-at-large. Identify exactly how you would
plan to transmit your message, assure that it has been received and understood, and how you
would analyze feedback from those audiences. You should think, as well, about timing and
sequencing of messages. Who should you speak with first? Who should send the message?
How should this particular audience hear about this particular message?

Write it up. Different professors will have different expectations about what they want from
you in a written case solution. They will probably not provide you with specific, detailed
instructions regarding their expectations, but they will certainly tell you if you’ve missed the
boat or have produced a solid response. Some will ask for wide-ranging responses that cover
many issues, while others will expect a more focused response. Just provide your professor with
your best thinking and be as detailed as you think you can within the page limits you’ve been
given.

What You Should Expect

If you have read the case thoroughly, identified the business problems, rank-ordered the critical
issues, proposed various solutions, and then identified how you will implement and
communicate them, you can expect to be more-or-less as well prepared for classroom case
discussion as your classmates. Here’s what else you should expect:

· An occasional cold call. Be prepared for your professor to ask you to provide key details

from the case, sometimes referred to as a “shred.” Simply explain what happened in the
case, identifying the business and its principals, and give your best thinking on critical
issues in two minutes or less. Don’t worry about providing a solution just yet. Your
professor is likely to want a more thorough discussion of the issues first. If you are
feeling especially confident, you may wish to volunteer.

· A logical, step-by-step approach. If classmates offer information that is useful but not

relevant or in line with the question the professor asks, expect the discussion to return to
the issues the professor thinks are most important before you move on.

· Different approaches from different professors. No two professors are exactly the same

in their approach or preferences. Virtually all of them, however, appreciate a bold, “do
something” approach over hedging, caution, and a reluctance to act.

What You Should Not Expect

· More information. From time-to-time, your professor will present you with a “B” case

that offers new or subsequent information. Such cases represent an extension of the facts
in the “A” case and usually provide another managerial decision opportunity. For the
most part, though, the information given in the “A” case is all you will have and you
must make do with that.

· A “right answer.” Because case studies are most often based on real events, no one can

say for certain what would have happened if your ideas or other, “better” ideas had been
implemented. Some solutions are clearly better than others, but many ideas will work.
Some of the very best ideas may not yet have been thought of or spoken aloud.

· An explanation of what “actually happened.” Many professors either don’t know what

happened to the managers and the businesses described in your case studies, or they don’t
think that your having that information will be useful or productive in the learning
process. Your own thinking may be limited or skewed if you focus on actual outcomes.

· A single discipline focus to each case. While some cases are principally about

accounting, they may contain issues related to finance, operations management, human
resources, or communication. Authentic business problems are rarely, if ever, uni-
dimensional. The more you are willing to think about other dimensions of business and
their interdependency, the more you will learn about how real businesses work.

· That your response will solve all of the problems in the case. Focus on the most

important, most urgent, and most relevant problems first. You may wish to identify
issues for further thought or investigation by the management team described in the case,
but you cannot and should not try to solve all the problems in the case.

In summary, your task is to read, identify and understand the business problems in the case. By
identifying, rank-ordering, and exploring the critical issues it contains, you should be able to
propose a workable solution, identifying how to implement and communicate it. From that point
forward, you must explain your choices in writing be ready to defend them in the classroom.

For Further Reading

Barnes, L.B.; C.R. Christensen; and A.J. Hansen, Teaching and the Case Method, 3rd edition.

Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1994.

Bouton, C. and R. Garth, eds., Learning in Groups. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1983.

Corey, R., “The Use of Cases in Management Education,” Harvard Business School Case No.

376-240.

Erskine, J.; M.R. Leenders; and L.A. Mauffette-Leenders, Teaching with Cases. London,

Ontario: School of Business, University of Western Ontario, 1981.

Gragg, C.J., “Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told,” The Case Method at the Harvard Business

School. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1954, p. 6.

McNair, M.P., “The Genesis of the Case Method in Business Administration,” The Case Method

at the Harvard Business School. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1954, pp. 25-33.

Penrose, J. M.; R.W. Raspberry; and R. J. Myers, “Analyzing and Writing a Case Report,”

Advanced Business Communication, 3rd edition. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College
Publishing, 1997.

Wasserman, S., Put Some Thinking in Your Classroom. Chicago, IL: Benefic Press, 1978.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

APPLIED MANAGEMENT AND DECISION SCIENCES/FINANCE CASE STUDY
Lori Solberg Soukup
Futurics; 2003; 27, 3/4; Research Library
pg. 26

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

The case for case studies in management research
Eric Patton; Steven H Appelbaum
Management Research News; 2003; 26, 5; ABI/INFORM Global
pg. 60

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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