2. Case study - Purpose 2 To provide students with experience of the management problems that actual organizations face A case study presents an account of what happened to a business or Industry over a number of years It Chronicles the events that managers had to deal with, and charts the manager’s response Manager’s responses involved changing strategy either at business level or corporate level
3. Case study - Benefits 3 Case study analysis is valuable in management courses – Provide experiences of organisational problems that one probably have not the opportunity to experience firsthand. In a short period one can appreciate and analyse the problems faced by many different companies and understand how managers tried to deal with them
4. Case study - Benefits 4 Cases illustrates the theory and content of management. The meaning and implications are made clearer when they are applied to case studies. The theory and concepts help reveal what is going on in the companies studied and to evaluate the solutions that specific companies adapted to deal with their problems
5. Case study - Benefits 5 Case study can be used as a conceptual tool to probe what happened and what or who is responsible and to provide solutions Remember: No one knows what the right answer is All that managers can do is to make the best guess In uncertain time, managers can use cases to see how theory can be put into practice.
6. Case study - Benefits 6 Case study provide an opportunity to participate in class and gain experience in presenting ideas to others Case study help managers to organise views and conclusions Others may have different views. Be prepared to debate
7. Analysing a Case study 7 Examine the confronting issues closely Read the cases several times - once to grasp the overall picture of what is happening to the company and then several times to discover and grasp the specific problems Generally, detailed analysis should include eight areas:
8. Analysing a Case study 8 The history, and growth of the company over time The identification of – internal strengths & weaknesses The nature of the external environment A SWOT analysis The kind of corporate-level strategy pursued The nature of business-level strategy The company’s structure and control system & how they match its strategy Recommendations
9. Writing a case study analysis 9 Structure of report is critical First part: All reports begin with an introduction to the case Outline briefly what the company does, how it developed historically, what problems it is experiencing, and how you are going to approach the issues Discuss the strengths & weaknesses, identify external environment, & companies business strategy and corporate level strategies
10. Writing a case study analysis 10 Second part: Do the SWOT analysis Analyse & discuss the nature of problems of the company’s business level and corporate level strategies Analyse its structure & control system Use headings and subheadings to structure the analysis Tailor the sections and subsections to the specific issues in the case
11. Writing a case study analysis 11 Third part: Present solutions & recommendations Be comprehensive and ensure synergy with the previous analysis The recommendations section will reveal – how much work is put into the case Do not repeat in summary large pieces of factual information from the case. Avoid being descriptive, Be analytical
12. Writing a case study analysis 12 Sections & subsections of discussion should flow logically and smoothly from one to the next Avoid grammatical and spelling errors In some cases, latest information may not be available. If possible do research and provide updated information Sometimes questions are provided. Use these questions as a guide for writing a case analysis
13. The role of Financial analysis 13 A careful analysis of the financial condition of the company’s immensely improves a case write-up Financial data represents the concrete results of the company’s strategy & structure Analysing financial statement can be quite complex A general idea of a company’s financial condition can be determined using ratio analysis
14. The role of Financial analysis 14 Five groups of ratios: profit ratio, liquidity ratio, activity ratio, leverage ratio & shareholder’s return ratios These ratios are compared with the industry average or the company’ prior years of performance Deviation from norms – may be bad or simply warrants further investigation Cash flow position is of critical importance
