Case Analysis Guidelines The scope of your case will determine if all or only a few of the following steps will apply to your situation. If you have questions, contact me. Step 1: Introduce of the Organization When and how did the organization form? Milestones in its history Is the company public or private? Big or small; international? Diversified? What is the firm’s Vision and Mission? What is the firm’s basic business model? Strategic issues the company is facing Case Analysis Step 2 Identify Industry & Competitors Use other sources and classifications (SIC & NAICS) to guide thinking, but make your own assessment. Consider the question “Where would the firm’s customers go if the firm did not exist?” when determining competitors. Case Analysis Steps 3: Forces in the Macro environment Identify the specific political-legal, economic, social and technological forces that affect the industry. Apply Porter’s five forces model . What are the Driving Forces? What Opportunities or Threats are there? Identify any critical success factors (Focus on the industry, not the firm) Case Analysis Step 4: Internal Environment Analyze company financial, marketing, information technological, production/operations, human resources Identify company culture Identify company Strengths and Weaknesses Can these be easily imitated by competitors? Are they sustainable? VRIO: Value? Rare? Imitable? Organization? Case Analysis Steps 5: SWOT Analysis Opportunities and threats must be rooted in earlier macro environmental or industry analyses. Strengths and weaknesses come from the analysis of the firm’s resources and capabilities. Case Analysis Step 6: Identify the Current Strategy What is the corporate strategy? What is the Business Strategy? Discuss the uniqueness of the strategy, including how it differs from competitors that might employ the same generic strategy. Does it fit the Business Plan? Does it produce superior results? Case Analysis Step 7: Functional Area Strategies The Marketing Strategy The Financial Strategy Production and Purchasing Strategies HR and Information System Strategies Case Analysis Steps 8: Strategic Alternatives What strategic alternatives are available? Realistic? Implementable? Affordable? Evaluate the pros and cons of each alternative. Refer back to SWOT Select one or more alternatives to implement and explain the rationale in detail, including why others were rejected. Case Analysis Step 9: Strategy Implementation How will the recommended strategic alternatives be implemented? What major changes it entails? Be specific and identify foreseeable problems that might occur. Case Analysis Step 10: Strategic Control Apply the strategic control model based on the recommended alternatives. Be specific. Case Analysis Step 11: Future Prospects Outline the future prospects for the firm if the recommendations are adopted. What do you expect to happen if the recommendations are not adopted? Case Analysis Guidelines And finally…. There are no right and wrong answers. Facts and your analysis/reasoning counts. If you cannot support your recommendations with facts or reasoning, your recommendations will be rejected. Ten Commandments of Case Analysis To be observed in written reports and oral presentations, and while participating in class discussions. 1. Go through the case twice, once for a quick overview and once to gain full command of the facts. Explore the information in every one of the case exhibits. 2. Make a complete list of the problems and issues that the company’s management needs to address. 3. Be thorough in your analysis of the company’s situation (make a minimum of 1 to 2 pages of notes detailing your diagnosis). 4. Look for opportunities to apply the concepts and analytical tools in the text chapters—all of the cases in the book have very definite ties to the material in one or more of the text chapters!!!! 5. Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the case. (Financial Ratios are very useful here.) 6. Support any and all off-the-cuff opinions with wellreasoned arguments and numerical evidence. Purge “I think” and “I feel” from your assessment and, instead, rely completely on “My analysis shows.” 7. Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable time frame with the available resources. 8. Support each recommendation with persuasive argument and reasons as to why it makes sense and should result in improved company performance. 9. Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and issues you identified—recommendation set that does not address all of the issues and problems identified is incomplete and insufficient. 10. Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesn’t work out as planned; be as alert to the downside risks of your recommendations as you are to their upside potential and appeal

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