How to present a case study

1. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
How to present a Case Study
Faculty development initative by department of business administration
Presented by – Mr. Saud Ahmed khan

2. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Contents :
1. A Quick Bite At case Study
2. Introduction
3. A Good case study should have
4. Types of Case study
5. Examples of Case study
6. Developing a Case study
7. Writing a Case study report

3. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
A Quick bite at Case
study
Case studies are a valuable way to study
and learn about a person, group, place,
event, a company or an organization.
Famous Case Studies –
1. Apple Computer
2. Ryanair
3. Tylenol Scandal
4. Workplace Drug Abuse
5. Hickory Farms

4. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Significance of case studies in Business Administration
• As BBA Students – They should get professional experience
• Real time exposure to historical situation
• Real problems
• Help develop analytical and cognitive skills
• Stimulates thinking process among students
• Develop Creativity
• Develop Critical thinking
• Strengthen Team building activities and cooperation among students

5. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Introduction
• A case study is an account of an activity, event or problem that contains a real or
hypothetical situation and includes the complexities you would encounter in the
workplace. Case studies are used to help you see how the complexities of real life
influence decisions.
• Analyzing a case study requires you to practice applying your knowledge and your
thinking skills to a real situation. To learn from a case study analysis you will be
"analyzing, applying knowledge, reasoning and drawing conclusions" (Kardos & Smith
1979).

6. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
What Makes a Good Case Study
According to Kardos and Smith (1979) a good
case has the following features:
• It is taken from real life (true identities may be
concealed).
• It consists of many parts and each part usually
ends with problems and points for discussion.
There may not be a clear cut off point to the
situation.
• It includes sufficient information for the reader
to treat problems and issues.
• It is believable for the reader (the case contains
the setting, personalities, sequence of events,
problems and conflicts)

7. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Types of Case study
Types of case study
Historical case study
Your course may include all the information you require for the case study and in this case all students
would be analyzing the same case study. This may take the form of an historical case study where you
analyze the causes and consequences of a situation and discuss the lessons learned. You are essentially
outside the situation.
Example Take a recent company collapse (e.g. HIH, FROGGY, ENRON) and analyze what went
wrong.
Problem orientated case study
This type of case studies require you to imagine or role play that you are in the situation and to make
plausible recommendations to senior management or ministers. Some case studies require you to solve
a problem by developing a new design. These types of case studies are problem orientated.
Example : Using cost benefit risk analysis, determine the current and future market opportunity of
company X in country Y.

8. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Examples of Case study

9. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Apple Computer
Story : Everyone knows Apple, Inc. If you don't own an iPhone, you know twenty
people who do. But did you know that Apple once was only known as a computer
company? Apple began as Apple Computer, and they were mostly known for their
Mac, or Macintosh computers. However, while the Mac was a successful and
valuable computer, it could never compete with the personal computer, or PC, for
market share. Therefore, Apple wanted to branch out and start selling new tech
products such as the iPod and the iPhone. They would still make their iconic Mac's
and MacBook's, but the company believed the future lied in handheld devices.
Result / Decision : When Apple Computer changed its name to Apple, Inc., non-
computer products already amounted to half of their revenues. The name change
allowed it to break away from being a computer company. After all, would you want
to buy a phone from a computer company?
Key Takeaway: If you can't beat a competitor head-on, find other routes to increase
company revenue.

10. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Ryanair
Story : Ryanair is a discount airline company located in Ireland. It was started by two brothers, the
Ryan's, who wanted to take on the large airline companies. However, the airline business is extremely
competitive with very little profit margin. Ryanair knew in order to compete, they would have to offer
cheaper flights than other airline companies. To do this, they cut costs wherever they could, and
passed that savings onto their customers. At first this wasn't popular. They cut all food service on
planes, and removed small comforts such as pillows and blankets. They started to sell advertising and
placed ads on seat backs. The airline seats didn't recline, and there were no seat-back pockets. This
led to less garbage and the ability to clean the planes quicker.
Result / Decision : Eventually, the promise of low fares won over the public. Their prices were so low
that they were able to gain customers who normally could only afford to travel by ferry or train.
Ryanair is now the largest airline company in Europe, and the largest international airliner.
Key Takeaway: Focusing on a single business model and streamlining costs can help a company
challenge competitors.

11. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Workplace Drug Abuse
Story : The Amber case study detailed employee drug abuse. "Amber" was an
administrative assistant at a large company. When she started she was an excellent
employee. But over time, her behavior changed and her work product suffered. She
started arriving late to work, and would offer call in sick. She would borrow money
from coworkers, and fail to pay it back. She started treating customers poorly..
Result / Decision : Eventually, she was found using cocaine in the bathroom, and
promptly fired This termination left a vacancy in the company that took months to
fill.
Key Takeaway: Identifying employee drug issues as early as possible are better for
the employee and employer.

12. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Hickory Farms
Story : Most people of a certain age in USA know of Hickory Farms. There were famous for their holiday
gift baskets, and their expensive holiday catalogs. They sold meats, such as sausage and ham, as well as
cheese and other food products. However, as the use of the Internet increased, Hickory Farms started to lose
sales. People weren't using catalogs as often, and it was costly Hickory Farms millions to maintain
inventories of products that weren't selling. The company was in danger of bankruptcy.
Result / Decision : In order to change this around, Hickory Farms slashed the number of products they sold.
Originally they sold over 2500 products, but dropped that to just 300 products. They also modernized their
visuals and packaging, and completely redid their website so it would be easier for shoppers to use their
website.
• Key Takeaway: It is important to change with the times and stay modern.

13. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Developing the Business Case Study
Why would a business develop a case study? There could be
numerous reasons, but one of the most popular is to help with
sales.
For example, imagine a small software company that sells a
product that streamlines the human resources departments of
small companies. They want to find better ways to increase
sales of their human resources computer program.

14. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Developing a business case study is basically the same as developing any type of case study, and will
follow the same steps.
1. What is the background of the case study? Why does the business world need this case study? Also,
how much will the case study cost?
2. What is the problem that needs a solution? What is the situation, and what are the risks? This is the
key part of the business case study. These studies exist to show other businesses how to better manage
their companies, and how to be more successful.
3. What questions are required to analyze the problem? What questions might the reader of the study
have? What questions might colleagues have? To proceed with the study the researcher must have a list of
questions that could be answered through the process of the study.
4. What tools are required to analyze the problem? Is data analysis necessary? Will the study require
quantitative analysis or qualitative analysis, or both?
5. What is your current knowledge about the problem or situation? How much background
information do you need to procure? How will you obtain this background info? This will vary depending
on the writer's relationship with the company. Some companies do their own internal case studies, while
some outsource it to outside research companies.
6. What other information do you need to know to successfully complete the study? Will interviews
be necessary? Will it be necessary for the researcher to observe the subjects?
7. How do you plan to present the report? Will it be a simple written report, or will you add
PowerPoint presentations or images or videos? When is the report due? Are you giving yourself enough
time to complete the project? How will the report be distributed?

15. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Writing the Business Case Study
1. The Title – The title should be short and to the point. You want the title to be compelling and focus on the most important accomplishment.
For example, which of the following titles do you think is most effective?
Examining the effect of the Internet on women's clothing catalog sales. Or
What happens when a company that sells women's clothing via a catalog starts to lose money, and how to find ways to turn that around.
The first title is obviously much better. The title doesn't need to tell a story. It just has to clearly explain what the study is about.
2. The Executive Summary – The executive summary is a short paragraph of about 2-4 sentences that sums up the entire case study. You will want to accompany the summary with bullet points
that demonstrate successes or failings.
3. About – The about section should introduce the reader to the company or business, as well as the key people involved with the organization. Write a paragraph about each key person, including
their background and why they are needed or relevant to the study.
4. Challenges – This section should be about a page long, and should clearly detail all the challenges faced by the business. This could be about declining sales, employee retention, or any of
many other business issues.
5. Solutions – This section should be about a page long, and should clearly detail all solutions found during the case study. Each solution should be listed, as well as how that solution was
discovered. The solutions don't all have to be successful. In fact, just as much can be learned from unsuccessful solutions as successful ones.
6. Results – This section should be about a page long, and should clearly lie out the results of the study. This is where you prove to the reader that you had a problem and found a solution to it.
7. Visuals or Supporting Documents – This section should include any relevant images, charts or graphs that will help the reader better understand the goals of the case study. However, do not
overuse images.
8. Conclusion – The conclusion should be about a paragraph or two, and should cleanly wrap up the case study. The reader should finish the study understanding the problem posed, and the
solution offered.

16. © COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION JAZAN UNIVERSITY
Any Queries ?
Thank you