COURSE PROGRESSION

Week Course introduction

1 Applicable laws and professional standards

Week Economics analysis

2 TA PRESENTATION : CASE STUDY REQUIREMENTS

Week
Market analysis
3

Week Industry analysis

4 ASSIGNMENT : CASE STUDY NO 1

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CASE STUDIES

• Groups comprise 3-5 students (with one spokesperson per group). Groups
should be formed ASAP (week 1/2) and get a group name on Moodle (please
use the provided list).
• Based on previous year experience from successful groups, each case study
takes between 10 to 20 hours to complete – make sure you start each case
early !
• Case studies are assigned at the end of classes to illustrate a specific theme
treated in the class. Students are asked to provide their own view – evaluation
of the case as if they were working as financial analyst.

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CASE STUDIES

• 4 case studies will be assigned through the semester (on average one case
every two-three weeks).
• 1 case study out of 4 is not mandatory. Students can turn it in in order to
either:
- (i) get a total of 3 graded case studies (if one case is missing).
- (ii) improve an existing grade (no penalty if the new grade is lower).
• Case studies should be returned to teaching assistant maximum two
weeks after being assigned (i.e. no delivery = no grading=0).

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CASE STUDIES – PURPOSE

• The purpose of case studies is several-fold:

- To build on concepts and content developed during the class.
- To write short quality report leading to potential investment decision.
- To analyze real data from sectors / companies and be able to take a clear
stance as to whether there is a potential investment opportunity.

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CASE STUDIES – DEADLINES

• After the relevant lecture, there is a maximum two-weeks deadline assigned

to turn in case studies (unless indicated differently). Case studies turned-in
after deadline will not be graded. Case studies not delivered result in a grade
of zero (0).
• Under specific circumstances, case studies delivered after deadline (tolerance:
maximum one week) might be graded, however one (1) point will be subtracted
on the grade of the paper (e.g. an assigned 4.5 grade will turn into a final case
study grade of 3.5).
• Case studies received over one week after assigned deadline will not be
graded and will be assigned a final grade of zero (0).

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CASE STUDIES – GRADING

• Case studies will be graded using a 1-6 scale, with 0.5 intervals.
• Case studies are graded individually by both the TA and the lecturer. Grades
assigned by the TA and the lecturer are then averaged. The lecturer can assign
a different final grade.
• Both format and content are graded. The final grade is normally based on a 70-
90% content – 10-30% format allocation
• Each graded case study is worth 10% of the final grade.
• A maximum number of three (3) case studies will be considered for the final
grade (i.e. a maximum of 30% of the final grade).
• Only the best three grades will be taken into consideration.

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CASE STUDIES – CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

Content requirements
• A brief description and related assignments will be provided for each case
study.
• Stick to command words and instructions provided for each case study.

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CASE STUDIES – DOCUMENT SETTINGS

• Stick to the default Microsoft Word settings (do not toggle margins or do any
fancy layout modifications to increase space).
• Fonts: only use Times New Roman, 12 points, standard interspacing.
• Name of the document: always add group name and case number.
- Example: Group N – Case study 1.pdf
• Only the “main analysis” section of the case study is considered in the total
maximum page number requirement (maximum 4 pages recto, or two pages
recto-verso).

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CASE STUDY FORMAT

• Mandatory sections:
- Cover page.
- Main analysis.
- Appendices.
- Bibliography.

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MANDATORY SECTION – COVER PAGE

Cover page (does not count as a page):

• Cover page should imperatively include the following information:
- Group name.
- Case study number and title.
- Students names.
• Relevant illustrations can be added on cover page but are not mandatory.

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MANDATORY SECTION – MAIN ANALYSIS

Main analysis:
• The main analysis should be comprised within a maximum number of 4
pages recto (or 2 pages recto-verso).
• Any case study longer than 4 pages / 2 pages recto-verso will not be
graded !!!
• The style should be concise and clear.
• Please stick to instructions and focus on stated topics / assignments.

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MANDATORY SECTION – APPENDICES

Appendices (does not count as page):

• Provide illustrations (tables, graphs, etc.) to reinforce the content of your work.
• Only provide relevant addendum - make sure all appendices relate to a specific
section in the main analysis – do not add general information.
• As much as possible, do personalize addendum content.

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MANDATORY SECTION – BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography (does not count as page):

• Relevant bibliographic references should be included in the paper.
• A clear reference (footnote, endnote, etc.) should link all bibliographic item to
the main content.

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SOLVING CASE STUDIES

Main phases:
• Prepare.
• Draft.
• Finalize.

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SOLVING CASE STUDIES – PREPARE

• Gather the content using any available resource:

- Internet.
- Books.
- Course material.
- …
• Choose what is pertinent (you only have 4 pages …).
• Choose supporting evidence to back your opinion (you have to be convincing
and defend your ideas).
• Identify overarching key problems.

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SOLVING CASE STUDIES – DRAFT

• Set the scene:

- Intro with background info.
- Relevant facts.
- Most important issues/characteristics.
- Your overall opinion.
• Summarize the outcome of your analysis in 1-2 sentences.
• Outline your solution/ideas and support everything with strong evidence.
• Always keep in mind the following questions:
- Who are you talking to?
- What are you talking about?
- How are you talking about it?

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SOLVING CASE STUDIES – FINALIZE

• Reread the draft and make sure there are no inconsistences or fallacies in your
reasoning.
• Make sure you answer yes to the following questions:
- Is your thesis statement clear?
- Is there supporting evidence for all your arguments?
- Is there every component of the analysis?
- Is the report structure correct?
• At this point your report should be proofread.

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – WHO

Who are you talking to?

• Write these reports as if the recipients of your report were the BoD, the CEO or
the CFO of your company, your direct supervisor, …, not just your lecturer and
your TA!
• Use a formal style (no colloquial language), be concise and stick to pertinent
information. All the supporting material should be left to the appendix.
• Remember that the reader is probably not as well informed as you on the
content, so you are responsible for providing the right amount of facts and
numbers in your analysis.

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – WHAT

What are you talking about?

• Avoid hypothetical language (would/could/may/might/maybe). Be bold! You
need to convince the audience of your opinion.
• Avoid the grey area, take a position, argue your case and support it.
• Refer to data coming from reliable source.
• Avoid speculation.

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – HOW

How are you talking about it?

• It’s a fine balance between detail and concision. Don’t waste space and
don’t overdo it!
• Using numbers is often a good strategy to highlight the point you’re trying to
make but be wary of the underlying assumptions used to come up with those
numbers!
• Don’t write your report in a question-and-answer style. It should be continuous
and flowing.
• Use a clear structure. If your ideas are all over the place, it’s hard to read,
understand and be convinced.

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THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Never make an argument fall from the sky: you need motivation and backing
evidence to support your story.
• Paragraphs and sentences have to flow with each other in a logical manner.
• Be concise, pertinent and clear. QUALITY ≠ QUANTITY
• There is no single solution, but there are weaker arguments! It’s imperative that
you provide strong solutions.

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QUESTIONS ?

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