Notes On Case Analysis (Page 3 of 6) in pdf

o Understand that there’ll be some problems that you won’t have room or time to

address

• Once all the possibilities have been laid out, go back and test the merits of, and objections to

each one.

As you discuss possible solutions, be sure to stay at a strategic, “big picture” level with proposals

such as: “Make a new marketing mix to appeal to a new group of customers” rather than a minute

detail of implementation such as: “We could offer 50 cent coupons.” For each option, it’s a good

idea to develop some approximate numbers: How much will each proposal (such as product

development, heavy mass media advertising) cost? What is the payoff likely to be? Make some quick

“back of the envelope” rough-number calculations.

Achieving Consensus

If you are writing an individual brief, or just preparing for in-class discussion of a case, the good

news is that you don’t have to agree with your study group members on either which is the most

important problem, nor on the best solution. So there’s no need to waste time (and hurt feelings) on

arguing to the death for a particular point-of-view.

Of course, if the task is to make a group presentation or to write a group brief, you’ll need to come

to a consensus on the major approach to the case. Usually, it’s fairly easy to achieve a common

point-of-view. However, if you are engaged in a head-to-head battle, it’s worth revisiting the reasons

for and against each position to see whether something has been overlooked (is there a definitive

objection to one proposal, for example).

The one thing that you must avoid is attempting to begin to write while there are still opposing

views as to the approach your group will take—the result will be illogical and ineffective. Remind

one another that there’s no “right answer”—cases are deliberately set up so that a case can be made

for one of several courses of action. There are a few strategies that are clearly wrong (e.g., heavy

promotional expenditures when the firm has run out of cash), you can usually craft a good strategy

(and earn a high score!) by any one of several possibilities. So, get on board with the consensus and

see how to promote that approach.

The Third Reading

Now you are ready for the third, very careful, final reading of the case. By now you’ll know your way

around the case so you’ll be able to go quite quickly. You will be looking for specific facts (such as

margins, Cost of Goods Sold ratios, etc.) On a group project, it’s often quite efficient to do the third

reading together; for individual projects, since you don’t need to agree with your group, you can

disperse and do this reading on your own.

Develop the financial models to show that your proposed solution is the best. A good tip is to “turn

on Excel before you turn on PowerPoint or MS-Word.” There’s nothing worse than a group that

Notes On Case Analysis Page 3