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Business Case Studies

May 2014

Day 1

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

K. Samford

Housekeeping

Syllabus
Class

expectations
Action Items

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

What is a business case study?

Turn to a partner and brainstorm


ideas.
Now, share your ideas with the
class.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

The Case Method


Argument
-Oral
-Written
Knowledge
-Receive
versus
- Make

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

The Argument
The Argument consists of the following components:
What
+
Why
(Conclusion)
(Reason + Evidence)

Example:
(what)
The president is right to default on the countrys foreign debt.
+
(why)
Full repayment of debt will destabilize the economy.
(reason)
Debt payments take away from ability to fund domestic needs
such as healthcare and education.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

What is a CASE?

A simulation or imitation of a real situation

Must contain:

Significant business issue

Sufficient information on which one can base conclusions.

No stated conclusions.

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

What must the reader do?

Construct conclusions from information in the text

Filter out irrelevant or low-value information of the text.

Provide missing information from the text through


inferences.

Associate evidence from different parts of the case and


integrate into a conclusion.

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Types of Case Situations

Problem something happened important but dont


know why it did. (A significant outcome with no
explanation)

Decision look at options, criteria and evidence to make


a decision

Evaluation judgment about the worth, value or


effectiveness of performance, act or outcome.

Reader must determine which type of case s/he is


reading.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Process of Case Analysis

There are five phases to analyzing a case

1)
2)
3)

4)
5)

Situation
Questions
Hypothesis
Proof & Action
Alternatives
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Take a 10-minute break!

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Goals of Case Analysis

So, we have a case and weve read through it. Weve


temporarily decided what type of case it is.
So What?

Why do MBA programs use case studies?

Analysis: given a time limit, you have to come to a conclusion


Point of view: protagonist (main character) strengths,
responsibilities and blind spots.
Hypothesis: a tentative explanation that accounts for a set of
facts and can be tested by further investigation
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

An Example of Hypothesis

A protagonist must evaluate an individual she has hired a rising star, but someone who alienates many inside the
firm and cuts some corners in his relentless pursuit of
new business.
Her hypothesis is that the new hire should receive a
high rating despite some of his flaws in performance
To test it, shell have to develop a strong argument,
based on relevant criteria, facts and inferences that
support a positive evaluation but also recognizes poor
performance on other criteria.

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 1: Situation (5 mins)


What is the situation?
Read first and last sections of case to identify situation.
Decisions and Evaluations usually at the beginning
Problems in opening or ending
a) Is the situation a problem, decision or evaluation?
b) Do you have any idea about the framework or
criteria?
c) Will you have to make a lot of inferences because
information is scarce?
d) Are there any hints about causes, criteria or a
plausible decision or evaluation?
e) Are the hints reliable or there just to distract?
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 2: Questions (15 minutes)


Depending on what type of situation, ask the following questions:

Problem: Who or what is the subject of the problem? Am I


accounting for failure, success or something else? Whats the
significance of the problem to the subject? Who is responsible
for the problem?
Decision:What are the decision options? Are they strong or
weak? What are the possible criteria? What criteria seem
most important? Are any criteria discussed in the case?
Evaluation:Who or what is being evaluated? Who is
responsible for evaluation? What could be the most
important criteria for this evaluation? Are any criteria
discussed in the case?
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 3: Hypothesis (45 mins)


For Problem case:
Understand what problem needs to be diagnosed.
Think about the frameworks that seem most important
to the situation. Review if not sure.
Pursue diagnosis through lens of cause you are most
concerned about.
For each cause, look closely at evidence.
Assess quantitative information in relation to your cause.
If not a lot of quantitative evidence, find or create it.
Is the protagonist part of the cause? If so, how so?
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 3: Hypothesis (45 mins)


For Decision case:
Review criteria so far. Which do you have the most
confidence in?
Review decision options. Which are especially strong or weak?
Apply criterion that seems to identify the most evidence in the
case.
Investigate the strongest decision option with the criterion
you have the most confidence in.
Use most relevant quantitative evidence. If not a lot of
quantitative evidence, find or create it.
If protagonist is in a difficult position in relation to decision,
consider why that is.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 3: Hypothesis (45 mins)


For Evaluation case:
Review the criteria so far. Which do you have the most
confidence in?
What are the terms of evaluation going to be
(strengths/weaknesses, etc.)?
Do you already favor a bottom-line evaluation? If so,
what are your reasons? Pursue those reasons.
Apply criterion that seems most evident in the case.
Investigate the most positive or negative rating with the
criterion you are most confident in.
Use most relevant quantitative evidence. If not a lot of
quantitative evidence, find or create it.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 4: Proof & Action (40 mins)

What evidence do I have that supports the hypothesis?


What additional evidence do I need?
What is the strongest evidence?
Where is evidence missing?
How would you implement the decision youre
recommending?
What actions does your diagnosis or evaluation call for?
Think in practical, real-world term, not ideal-world.
Write down tangible actions in a logical order.

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Phase 5: Alternatives (15 mins)


What is the greatest weakness of the hypothesis? What is the
strongest alternative to it?

Problem: Can the problem be defined differently? Are there any


holes in the diagnosis? Could there be a cause missing? Whats the
weakest part of the diagnosis? Could an entirely different diagnosis
be made?
Decision:What is the biggest downside of the recommended
decision? How would you manage the downside? Whats the
strongest evidence against the decision? How would a case for the
major alternative look?
Evaluation: Have you been objective and thorough about evaluative
findings? Think of how a different overall evaluation might be
proved. Have you accounted for factors that the subject of the
evaluation couldnt control?

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

What if I am Wrong?!

A hypothesis is not wrong; it is unsatisfactorily argued.

Consider the evidence.

Is the evidence there, but you may have overlooked it?


Have you misused the information (evidence)?
How can you go back and better use the evidence to support your
hypothesis?

Consider the hypothesis.

Is the evidence simply not there to support this hypothesis?


What could an alternative hypothesis be? (Dont do a new case
study, just consider)

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Case Study Activity


In

groups of two, you will


brainstorm/recall at least 20 key
terms/phrases important or relevant to
business case study analysis.

Be

prepared to define and/or explain


your terms.
Created by Katherine Samford of the
Language Institute at GA Tech

Take the quiz!

Have fun!

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

Sources

Ellet,W. (2007) The Case Study Handbook: How to read,


Discuss and Write Persuasively About Cases. Harvard
Business School Press, Boston MA.

Created by Katherine Samford of the


Language Institute at GA Tech

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