NSC Sipro Plastics Industries Market Penetration Question

Case Analysis TemplateCase: _______________________
Student: _______________________
Preliminary Step:
Choose Your Role or character for the case: ________________________
Determine which key character you want to be in the case. Choose an executive or
manager by name or position in the case. You are learning to become a
manager. Do not choose a customer.
Conduct the entire analysis from the point of view of your character. Make sure that all
of the alternative solutions you list (see below) are things from your role’s perspective
and things within the power of your character to do. If you don’t have a name, identify a
job title.
Do not list alternatives that other people in the case have; only list the options
facing your chosen role. You are making your character’s decisions and no one
else’s.
Step 1 – Identify the Problem/Opportunity.
Identify the major problem or opportunity from your “character’s” perspective in one or
two sentences or a short paragraph.
Step 2 – Identify the Causes of the Problem/Opportunity.
Identify the causes of the major problem or opportunity from your “character’s”
perspective in few sentences or a short paragraph. Both internal and external
environmental factors should be examined. Causes of problems or opportunities tend to
be historical in nature. You should consider:
1. Why did the problem/opportunity occur?
2. When did it begin?
3. Where does it occur?
4. Where doesn’t it occur?
5. What effective management practices should the organization be using?
6. What has the organization failed to do?
Step 3 – List at least three (3) Alternative Solutions to the Problem (or
ways to take advantage of the opportunity).
1) Proposed alternatives should be consistent with the problem(s)/opportunity(ies) and
cause(s) identified above in Steps 1 and 2.
2) Develop at least three possible alternative solutions. You may list both short-term
and long-term solutions.
3) Though you might list information gathering (surveys, marketing research, a
consultant, etc.) as an implementation step in Steps 5 and 6, information
gathering/research is not an acceptable alternative solution.
4) Explain the pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of each of your
alternative solutions.
5) Note: Your alternative solutions must be things that you (your character) can do in
the future. You can’t change the past. Therefore, do not list the things that should
have been done in the past. That’s water under the bridge.
6) Also, use “could” instead of “should” during this step. Pass judgment in Step 4.
a. Alternative Solution 1 ( be sure to describe and discuss the pros and cons of
each alternative solution)
b. Alternative Solution 2
c. Alternative Solution 3
d. Alternative Solution 4
e. Etc.
f. XXXX
g. XXXX
h. XXXX
Step 4 – Select the Best Alternative Solution.
Justify why you chose a particular solution and why it will best resolve the problem(s) /
opportunity(ies).
Step 5 – Implementation Steps.
1) Develop appropriate action plan steps to implement your solution to the
problem/opportunity.
2) Specify, as much as possible, what should be done, by whom, when, where, and in
what sequence.
3) Also, indicate follow-up procedures to monitor the implementation of your solution to
ensure that the intended actions are taken and that the problem is corrected–or that
the opportunity is maximized.
NOTE: Information gathering fits very well in this step. It could be a way for you to
monitor the implementation of your best solution in order to determine whether to
continue with Plan A or to switch over to your Back-up Plan B.
1. XXXX
2. XXXX
3. XXXX
4. XXXX
5. XXXX
6. XXXX
7. XXXX
8. XXXX
9. XXXX
10. XXXX (Your last step should explain how you will know your action plan has
been successful. Explain how you will measure success. When will you know
you need to go to your Back-up Plan B?)
Step 6 – Plan B.
Develop a step-by-step back-up action (contingency) plan including implementation
steps just in case your best solution doesn’t go well. You should be as detailed as in
Step 5 above.
1) This is your back-up action (contingency) plan in the event that Plan A (Steps 4 and
5) does not work out.
2) Plan B’s solution is NOT information gathering (surveys, marketing research,
consultants, etc.), though information gathering may be an implementation step in
Plan B.
3) Plan B must follow Plan A. It is not simply your second best alternative solution.
4) Feedback from the follow-up procedures you included in your action plan in Step 5
will help you decide whether to continue with Plan A or to switch to Plan B.
1. XXXX
2. XXXX
3. XXXX
4. XXXX
5. XXXX
6. XXXX
7. XXXX
8. XXXX
9. XXXX
10. XXXX (Your last step should describe how you will know your back-up action
plan was successful. Explain how you will measure success. What will you do if
your back-up action plan is unsuccessful?)