PART ONEHow to Analyze a Case Study Knowing how to anal.docx

PART ONE:
How to Analyze a Case Study
Knowing how to analyze a case will help you attack virtually
any business problem.
A case study helps students learn by immersing them in a real-
world business scenario where they can act as problem-solvers
and decision-makers. The case presents facts about a particular
organization or decision. Students are asked to analyze the case
by focusing on the most important facts and using this
information to determine the opportunities and problems facing
that organization, the people within the organization or
decision. Students are then asked to identify alternative courses
of action to deal with the problems or decision they identify.
A case study analysis must not merely summarize the case. It
should identify key issues and problems, outline and assess
alternative courses of action, and draw appropriate conclusions.
The case study analysis can be broken down into the following
steps (FICER):
Facts- select the most important facts surrounding the case.
Issues-identify the most important issues in the case
Courses of action-Specify alternative courses of action.
Evaluate- each course of action.
Recommend- the best course of action.

Let's look at what each step involves.
Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.
Read the case several times to become familiar with the
information it contains. Pay attention to the information in any
accompanying exhibits, tables, or figures. Many case scenarios,
as in real life, present a great deal of detailed information.
Some of these facts are more relevant than others for problem
identification. One can assume the facts and figures in the case
are true, but statements, judgments, or decisions made by
individuals should be questioned. Underline and then list the
most important facts and figures that would help you define the
central problem or issue. If key facts and numbers are not
available, you can make assumptions, but these assumptions
should be reasonable given the situation. The "correctness" of
your conclusions may depend on the assumptions you make.
Identify the key issue or issues.
Use the facts provided by the case to identify the key issue or
issues (or decision) facing the person(s) or organization. Many
cases present multiple issues or problems. Identify the most
important and separate them from more trivial issues. State the
major problem or challenge facing the company or person(s).
You should be able to describe the problem or challenge in one
or two sentences. You should be able to explain how this
problem affects the strategy or performance of the organization
or person(s). You will need to explain why the problem
occurred.
Specify alternative courses of action.
List the courses of action the company or person(s) can take to
solve its problem or meet the challenge it faces. For instance,
for information system-related problems, do these alternatives
require a new information system or the modification of an

existing system? Are new technologies, business processes,
organizational structures, or management behavior required?
What changes to organizational processes would be required by
each alternative? What management policy would be required to
implement each alternative?
Remember, there is a difference between what an organization
"should do" and what that organization actually "can do". Some
solutions are too expensive or operationally difficult to
implement, and you should avoid solutions that are beyond the
organization's resources. Identify the constraints that will limit
the solutions available. Is each alternative executable given
these constraints? Be practical in your approach to selecting
courses of action.
Creating courses of action requires thinking outside the box. To
do this think about all the people (company as well) involved in
the action, what stake they may have in the action, and how best
to meet their objectives. Sometimes “walking around in
everyone’s shoes” will give you a new insight to the situation or
issue and thus lead to a new course of action.
Evaluate each course of action.
Evaluate each alternative using the facts and issues you
identified earlier, given the conditions and information
available. Identify the costs and benefits of each alternative.
Ask yourself "what would be the likely outcome of this course
of action? State the risks as well as the rewards associated with
each course of action. Is your recommendation feasible from a
technical, operational, and financial standpoint? Be sure to state
any assumptions on which you have based your decision.
Recommend the best course of action.
State your choice for the best course of action and provide a

detailed explanation of why you made this selection. You may
also want to provide an explanation of why other alternatives
were not selected. Your final recommendation should flow
logically from the rest of your case analysis and should clearly
specify what assumptions were used to shape your conclusion.
There is often no single "right" answer, and each option is
likely to have risks as well as rewards.
Quick Summary
FICER
Adapted From: Pearson How to analyze a case study
wps.prenhall.com/bp_laudon_essmis_6/21/5555/1422312.../inde
x.html
PART TWO:
Writing in the third person is a must for all of your projects. In
case you have a hard time understanding the difference here is a
short article that will help explain the differences. The article
contains good examples of the way to use each voice of speech.

steps (FICER):

occurred.
courses of action.

Quick Summary
FICER
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PART TWO:
HYPERLINK

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FilesContent.Outlook3BP6DXB7How to Analyze a Case
Study" The Three Persons of Speech
PART ONE:
steps (FICER):

occurred.
courses of action.

Quick Summary
FICER
x.html
PART TWO:

HYPERLINK
"C:Userspbeckenholdt1AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindo
wsTemporary Internet
FilesContent.Outlook3BP6DXB7How to Analyze a Case
Study" The Three Persons of Speech
Joseph Dunn is the owner and general manager of Dunn’s Ski
Emporium. In business for twenty-five years, Dunn’s Ski
Emporium is known for its state-of-the-art ski equipment and
repairs offered under one roof. It offers moderate prices to
skiers in the bustling town of Vail, Colorado. Dunn’s Ski
Emporium has a cozy ambiance, with a Western décor and a
two-story fireplace with large windows that overlook the Rocky
Mountains. Catering to skiers, the sporting goods store helps
many skiers with their broken or challenged ski equipment.
They specialize in hourly turn-around times on repairs and one
day pick up adjustments on new equipment. This fast service
has set Dunn’s sporting goods store way above their competitors
in the area for return business both from locals and visitors.
Skiers can ski right to their door and leave from their back door
to get back on the slopes. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable,
and local. Most of them work year round.
Dunn has decided to expand his business. For some time, Dunn
noticed that the Deli next door picks up a lot of his business
from the waiting repair customers and he has seen the Deli
customers step in to purchase gloves, goggles, and other
merchandise after eating at the deli. The Deli would make an
interesting addition to his future business plans. The Deli, like
Dunn’s Ski Emporium, has always done a brisk business
especially in season. Designed in a similar western motif, Dunn

thought he would be able to expand easily to include the Deli
into his Emporium. The cross traffic might even increase
business. However, Dunn knows nothing about the Deli
business. The deli’s owner, George Atkins, knows and loves his
business a great deal.
Dunn has known George for years and he is aware that George
is thinking of retiring in the next few years. If he buys the Deli
now and can get George to stay on at the Deli, George could
train and mentor a new managerial staff comprised of some of
Dunn’s staff and return employees who work the seasonal rush.
The trick to the merger’s success would be to get everyone on
board including George. Dunn wondered how he could ensure
George’s best efforts to make the transition stable while Dunn’s
Ski Emporium grows, and more specifically, Dunn is concerned
that if George is no longer the owner of the Deli (because the
Deli would now be a department within Dunn’s Ski Emporium),
George will begin to resent Dunn and this might impair the
merger of the two businesses into one. The future is bright for
both businesses and Dunn wants to keep it that way.
Dunn has decided that his best-selling point to George is to
design an organizational structure based on George’s vision and
mission. Dunn realizes that the design must reflect George’s
relative importance within this acquisition and merger yet must
empower the staff of both the new Deli Department and the
current employees of Dunn’s Ski Emporium to grow the
business.
Assignment 1: (Week 4) The Role of the Leader
Purpose:
In the past weeks, students have learned about leaders and their
role in the organization. They have been exposed to the idea
that a leader is the social architect of the organization.
Definitively, leaders are those members of the organization who
create the flow of decision making and environment from which

organizational goals and values are set forth. Social architects
create vision, strategic direction, shape culture and values, and
lead change. Leaders align the people’s behavior with the goals
and direction of the organization.
This assessment is designed for students to demonstrate
knowledge of the material covered in weeks 1 – 4. Students are
asked to not only show an understanding of the role of the
leader within an organization but to apply leadership concepts
and ideas to a real-world situation. Students will delve into the
details of the case study and the course readings but must also
look at the situation from a strategic point of view since Dunn
wants a sustainable business.
Outcomes Met:
· use leadership theories, assessment tools, and an
understanding of the role of ethics, values, and attitudes to
evaluate and enhance personal leadership skills
· evaluate the culture and policies of an organization to
recommend and implement improvements that support its
vision, success, and sustainability
Perspective:
In this assessment, students will act as Joseph Dunn, the leader
of Dunn’s Ski Emporium. Dunn want to purchase The Deli, so
there is a lot of work to do before entering into the possible
addition of a business that little is known about. Write from a
leader’s perspective. So, you ask, “What it means to write from
a leader’s perspective?”
Writing from the leader’s perspective means approach Dunn’s
vision through a people centric viewpoint. Focus on how the
two businesses will meet the vision through the decision making
flow and grouping of people within the organizations. How
does a leader best use the people to meet the vision? Even
though it is tempting to write in the first person, a plan is
written in the third person for which a story will unfold. Dunn
is essentially telling a story of how he is going to purchase the

Deli and bring George and the business in as part of the Dunn
Ski Emporium. Dunn will need to figure out how he is going to
combine these two businesses and use his leadership skills to do
so. Remember, write from the leader’s perspective but do not
attempt to solve problems but create and develop an
environment in which problems will be resolved by those who
make the business run.
Dunn plans on designing an organizational structure that fulfills
his vision, one that he believes George has for The Deli, and
one that will fulfill its mission. The organization must be open
to change and possess a culture that empowers its employees to
follow the vision created. Like all good social architects, the
building must start with a design that suites the purpose of the
business and seeks to make it the best building for the job.
Students are expected to be creative but realistic in completing
the assignment. For example, feel free to assign names and
roles to the people in the business. In being creative, students
may not change the facts in the plan. Dunn will present his
ideas to George Atkins once Dunn sits down with him to begin
negotiations, so be sure that the final product is polished. Also
to make sure questions can easily be addressed, write in the
active voice and support the reasoning behind the ideas using
the material from the course. Dunn wants to demonstrate a
thorough knowledge of the leadership material, so a wide range
of the readings will be used.
Instructions:
This assignment is the first of three assignments. In completing
this assignment, students will analyze a case study scenario and
apply the concepts learned in weeks 1-4 using the format
described below. In completing the assignment, students will
answer the questions in narrative form and will follow the steps
provided below:
Step 1: Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 4
Content.
Step 2: Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document

that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be
between 3-5 pages in length excluding the title page and
reference page.
Step 3: Review the assignment grading rubric.
Step 4: Follow this format:
· Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s
name;
· Introduction paragraph
· Body, in paragraph form using section headings
· Summary paragraph
Step 5: In writing a case study, the writing is in the third
person. What this means is that there are no words such as “I,
me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of
“you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to
write in the third person, view this
link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/firs
t-second-and-third-person
Step 6: In writing this assignment, students are asked to
support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list.
A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an
associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample
APA paper under Week 1 content
Step 7: In writing this assignment, students are expected to
paraphrase and not use direct quotes. Learn to paraphrase by
reviewing this
link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html
Step 8: Read critically and analyze the scenario provided under
Week 4 Content.
Step 9: Jot down or highlight key facts from the scenario.
Consider making an outline to capture key points in the paper.
Step 10: In your paper, respond to the following elements of
leadership and plan design:
· Evaluate the business status, purpose and goals as well as its
requirements to be successful in the new venture. For example,
what do the businesses do to make money? What is required in
terms of the type of people who need to run the day-to-day

operations? Discuss the critical elements that must be in place
for Dunn to be successful in this new venture
· Joseph Dunn as a social architect. Discuss the elements Dunn
must evaluate to successfully accomplish the alignment of
people and business.
· Dunn selects and designs a business structure that will align
people with business purpose, vision, and mission. Explain the
reasons behind the choices made. Chart the structure and
address the role of George Aitkin.
· Dunn selects and designs a culture for the new venture.
Discuss reasons for selection and how it can aligned with
structure after applying the OCAI.
· Joseph Dunn is change agent for the business environment.
What steps should Dunn take for short-term change? For long-
term change? How does the culture and structure provide for
change?
Step 11: Create the introductory paragraph. The introductory
paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper but is typically
written after writing the body of the paper (Questions students
responded to above). View this website to learn how to write an
introductory
paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.h
tml
Step 12: Write a summary paragraph. A summary paragraph
restates the main idea(s) of the paper. Make sure to leave a
reader with a sense that the paper is complete. The summary
paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper.
Step 13: Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read
through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.
Step 14: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical
issues, and third person writing.
· Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a first
measure;
· Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof
the paper;

· Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing
Center (EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need
improvement.
Step 15: Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.

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