A case study provides you with a scenario in which to identify issues and apply your recent learning to a situation. It may simulate a real world problem, but the company may be fictitious. There are often no right or wrong answers. Rather, it is a chance to think critically in the context of your course to apply what you have learned to identify, analyze, and solve a problem. Following several steps will help you achieve the objectives of this assignment:
1. Read the case carefully to identify important details. Case studies may seem deceptively short, but they are dense with details about the organization, the issue, context, etc.
2. Identify the relevant details or issues and relate them to theories, processes, etc. that you have learned in class. In some cases, you may be applying a single method to practice a new concept. In others, such as final or capstone projects, you may be applying several theories and pulling together multiple ideas to address a fairly complex situation.
3. When you begin writing the analysis, follow any instructions your professor has given. In general, a case analysis will include several key sections:
a. A brief overview of the problem and its context.
b. An analysis of the problem: What kind of problem or challenge is at its core? How does it apply to your class or the business or management function you are studying? What decisions/circumstances have created the problem? This analysis will be your interpretation but rooted in established research and theory, or the context of your class or major or program.
c. Recommendations and a plan of action—again these will be your own, but based on what you have learned.
d. Evaluation—how will you evaluate the success or failure of your solution once it is implemented?
It is important that you not just state the facts of the case. Your instructor wants to know how you would critically frame the problem and solve it.
The need for research will depend upon your assignment. Be sure to follow any instructions that your professor has given you. In many cases, you will simply be using your class textbook and notes. In other cases, you may need to find and cite articles or other information to support your case analysis and solutions.
Should your assignment require outside research, the Business Source Complete database is a good place to start. However, it is unlikely that you will find research on the case study itself. Instead, search for:
Your research won’t provide you with the answers, but rather support your analysis and recommendations. Check out the Business and Management Research Guide for help in using library databases to find articles and company and industry information.
Below are just a few resources that may provide more guidance.
Case Study Handbook: How to read, discuss, and write persuasively about cases
by
