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What is a Case Study?

A case study is a detailed account of a company, industry, person, or project over a given amount of time. The content within a

case study may include information about company objectives, strategies, challenges, results, recommendations, and more. Abusiness school case study may be brief or extensive, and may range from two pages to 30 pages or more.

Why Case Studies

Business Schools use case studies to teach students how to assess business situations and make decisions based upon thoseassessments. Students may work with as many as 800 case studies during a two-year MBA program.

Acase studyis a written record of the events that occurred at a particular company or within a particular industry over a numberof years. The details included in a case study may include, but are not limited to:

Information about a company, industry, or project Objectives, strategies, and challenges established and encountered Responses, results, and recommendationsThe Benefits of Case Study Analysis

Case studies are often used to not only illustrate what a student has learned and retained in class, but also to provide students withvaluable hands-on experience.

When analyzing a case study, you will have an opportunity to learn about the types of problems that many companies andindustries encounter. You will also have an opportunity to analyze the steps other managers have taken to correct specific

problems and concerns. This will put your problem solving skills to the test and allow you to engage in exciting discussions withclassmates and professors.

How to Analyze a Case Study

If you want the case study analysis to be professional and accurate, you must have a clear understanding of the issues that thecompany or industry faced. Read the case thoroughly before you start. Feel free to take notes as you read and when you havefinished, consider re-reading the case just to make sure you havent missed

How to write a Case study Analysis

When writing a case study analysis, you must first have a good understanding of the case study. Before you begin the stepsbelow, read the case carefully, taking notes all the while. It may be necessary to read the case several times to fully grasp theissues facing the company or industry.

Once you are comfortable with the information, begin the step-by-step instructions offered below to write a case study analysis.

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

1. Investigate and Analyze the Companys History and Growth.A companys past can greatly affect the present andfuture state of the organization. To begin your case study analysis, investigate the companys founding, critical incidents,structure, and growth.

2. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses Within the Company. Using the information you gathered in step one, continueyour case study analysis by examining and making a list of the value creation functions of the company. For example, thecompany may be weak in product development, but strong in marketing.

3. Gather Information on the External Environment. The third step in a case study analysis involves identifyingopportunities and threats within the companys external environment. Special items to note include competition within the

industry, bargaining powers, and the threat of substitute products.

4. Analyze Your Findings. Using the information in steps two and three, you will need to create an evaluation for thisportion of your case study analysis. Compare the strengths and weaknesses within the company to the external threats andopportunities. Determine if the company is in a strong competitive position and decide if it can continue at its current pace

successfully.

http://businessmajors.about.com/od/casestudies/a/casestudybas.htmhttp://businessmajors.about.com/od/casestudies/a/casestudybas.htmhttp://businessmajors.about.com/od/casestudies/a/casestudybas.htmhttp://businessmajors.about.com/od/casestudies/a/casestudybas.htm

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5. Identify Corporate Level Strategy.To identify a companys corporate level strategy for your case study analysis, youwill need to identify and evaluate the companys mission, goals, and corporate strategy. Analyze the companys line ofbusiness and its subsidiaries and acquisitions. You will also want to debate the pros and cons of the company strategy.

6. Identify Business Level Strategy.Thus far, your case study analysis has identified the companys corporate level strategy.To perform a complete analysis, you will need to identify the companys business level strategy. (Note: if it is a single

business, the corporate strategy and the business level strategy will be the same.) For this part of the case study analysis,you should identify and analyze each companys competitive strategy, marketing strategy, costs, and general focus.

7. Analyze Implementations. This portion of the case study analysis requires that you identify and analyze the structure andcontrol systems that the company is using to implement its business strategies. Evaluate organizational change, levels ofhierarchy, employee rewards, conflicts, and other issues that are important to the company you are analyzing.

8. Make Recommendations. The final part of your case study analysis should include your recommendations for thecompany. Every recommendation you make should be based on and supported by the context of your case study analysis.

Tips:

1.

Know the case backwards and forwards before you begin your case study analysis.

2. Give yourself enough time to write the case study analysis. You don't want to rush through it.3. Be honest in your evaluations. Don't let personal issues and opinions cloud your judgement.4. Be analytical, not descriptive.5. Proofread your work!

What You Need:

A case study Instructions from your professor Writing tools Quiet time

Case study samples can inspire you and help you decide where to start your project. Here is a list of websites that offer free case

study samples.

1.Business Case Studies

This site includes hundreds of case studies for business in a PDF format. Each case study can be viewed in its entirety and is agreat reference for anyone looking for detailed case study samples.

2.CasePlace.org

CasePlace.org is a free service for business school students. Members of CasePlace.org can view sample case studies that havebeen categorized by topic and discipline. This site also contains a nice reference section and a spot to bookmark cases of interest.

http://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.htmhttp://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.htmhttp://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.htmhttp://www.caseplace.org/http://www.caseplace.org/http://www.caseplace.org/http://www.caseplace.org/http://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.htm

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3.The Times 100 Case Studies

This site contains an interesting selection of case studies examples that apply real business theories. Recognizable companiesround out the case study library that offers studies of various lengths and topics.

4.Schroeder IncThis is the site of a private firm of consultants who have provided examples of some of the case studies that they have done for

various organizations. Topics include: Business Planning, Growth Planning, Organizational Instruction, Integrating Acquired

Companies, Operational Planning, etc.

5.Usability Case Crawler

This site contains a small selection of interesting case studies from companies or organizations interested in HCI education. Youcan also use the search function to quickly find examples specific to your project.

http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.phphttp://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.phphttp://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.phphttp://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.htmlhttp://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.htmlhttp://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.htmlhttp://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp?button=2%20http://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp?button=2%20http://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp?button=2%20http://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp?button=2%20http://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.htmlhttp://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.php