1. MASTERS INDUCTION USING A CASE STUDY

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SESSION Understand the use of case studies in teaching business strategy Provide a framework in which to analyse case studies

3. INTRODUCTION Way of learning in which you actively participate using the skills and knowledge that you have gained Bridges the gap between classroom theory and the real world Strengthen your skills in analysing situations Multi-disciplinary, holistic approach is needed Can be demanding as they are unstructured (like the real world)

4. THE USE OF CASE STUDIES Assessment of ability to diagnose problems, use problem solving skills and decision making skills to determine, present, justify and defend course of action

5. FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS – CASE FAMILIARISATION Read case quickly to gain an overview.  Do not stop to re-read  Don’t start to solve problems Once you have read the case study, look at the instructions and questions you have been given

6. EXAMINE THE INFORMATION Read case again….slowly  Make notes in margins as things occur to you  Consider points of theory you might like to use  Highlight words or phases that appear to be key points or that provide clues as to how the situation evolved  Useful to develop a numbering or lettering system to show areas that interrelate  Identify underlying themes and decide how they may fit with the questions posed  Information will not be presented in a logical way…it would be worth creating some sort of structure or order  If there is numerical data, make sure you understand it, how where the figures arrived at? What do they mean.

7. QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP The organisation  What business is the organisation in?  What business does the organisation want to be in?  What facilities does the organisation have?  What are the core skills of the organisation?  Are the core skills the ones required for the business the organisation wants to be in?  What is the financial situation of the organisation?  Are there any areas of conflict or potential conflict within the organisation  How is information communicated  Is there a strong informal organisation underlying the formal structure?

8. QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP The characters  The characters should be identified along with their responsibilities, characteristics, attitudes and relationships with other characters.  Make up an extended organisational chart of the firm in question.

9. QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP The situation  How has the situation developed over time  What were the conditions leading up to the situation  Identify the stages of development or the sequence of events  Can a trend be identified?  What are the underlying themes and issues  How critical is the situation  Does it require preventative or corrective action?  What is the extent of the problem? Does it affect the whole organisation or just parts of it?  Are there any long term or underlying issues

10. QUESTIONS THAT MAY HELP The context  Are there any constraints?  What resources are available?  What are the politics of the organisation?  Are there any government policies which are pertinent to the situation?

11. DEFINING THE PROBLEM Identify key indicators that show a problem exists  Examine productivity rates, market share, customer complaints, employee turnover, financial indicators Terminology may indicate a problem  Was not happy; showed concern = long term issues  Supposed to be; had not realised; private discussions = may say something about relationships or management styles  Distinguish between symptoms and underlying causes  Establish the root cause  Are any problems connected?  Use theoretical models to provide a framework

12. DETERMINE THE CAUSES Causes need to be isolated and dealt with To establish root causes need to sift through information.  Look for links and relationships between pieces of information

13. FISHBONE DIAGRAM Effect People EnvironmentMethods Plant Equipment Materials

14. MIND MAPPING

15. GENERATE SOLUTIONS Identify objectives  These may be set in the case study, or you will set them.  If you set them, consider what you feel the future situation should be. Identify what must be done and what is desirable. The objectives you set will determine the type of action required:  Corrective action  Holding action  Minimising, adaptive

16. EVALUATE SOLUTIONS Option solution Predicted outcome or impact Positive aspects or benefits Negative aspects or costs Reasoning or evidence Training programme for operators Increased production Fewer defects Increase in morale Increase in skill levels Disruption to production Costs of training Improve moral of workforce quality

17. EVALUATE OPTIONS What is the organisations likely future environment in which solution will be operating Will it work? Why or Why not? How will it be implemented: all at once or in stages Resources – what is available or needed  Staff – who? Are they capable?  Who or what might block or hinder?  Money – what cost, where are the savings ?  Time taken – how long to implement, when?  What action will be taken  What impact will the solution have on the organisation/environment?  What are the benefits?  What could go wrong? Always consider the ‘do nothing’ option

18. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations should be:  Feasible within the resource constraints  Imaginative but realistic  Pragmatic  Specific  Prioritised with respect tot eh problem outlined  Defensible and justifiable courses of action  Lucid, convincing and persuasive  Based on sound evidence

19. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS The what, why, when, where, how

20. PRESENTATION OF ANSWERS Your answers should follow business conventions The content should reflect the questions set…no extended introduction, no waffle You can make assumptions, but state them clearly.

21. CHECK LIST FOR SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY ANALYSIS Follow instructions and answer the questions given Examine the facts as they are, not as they should be, not as they are said to be, and certainly not as you would like them to be. Identify the real problem – resist the temptation to focus on symptoms Separate the strategic issues from the operational basics Look for cause and effect Identify who owns the problem Examine all possible alternatives

22. CHECK LIST FOR SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY ANALYSIS Present a realistic, resourced implementation plan Indicate any assumptions made Recommend specific courses of action Avoid hasty judgements Solutions based on fact are more powerful and more likely to be accepted than those based on assumptions, beliefs or inferences REMEMBER THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER – your answers must persuade the reader or marker that your solution is the best one