CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN

I N T E R N AT I O N A L B U S I N E S S

How to solve
business cases
What is a business case
study and why using it?
 What is a business case?
• A business case provides
justification for undertaking a
project, programme or
portfolio.
• It evaluates the benefit, cost
and risk of alternative options
and provides a rationale for the
preferred solution.
(APM Body of Knowledge 7th
edition)
• A business case study
summarizes a real-life business
issue faced by a company and
looks at how it may affect
society within a business
context.
(The University of Auckland
(2022))
https://www.librar y.auckland.ac.nz /guides /business /business
-case-
studies#:~:text=Business%20case%20 studies%20are%20usu
ally,a%20business%20 situation%20or%20dilemma.
 Why case study methods?
❑ HBS believe the case method is the best way to prepare
students for the challenges of leadership.
• Over 80 percent of cases sold throughout the world are
written by HBS faculty, who produce approximately 350
new cases per year.
❑ Companies want to place students in the role of the
decision maker
• To make a decision i.e. to start or continue, a new
project, major product development or feature
enhancement.
 Why case study methods?

Both academia and companies believe “case

study” is the best way to develop “problem
solving” ability in most real scenarios.
Structure of
a business case study
 Structure of
a business case study

1. Introductory Information 7. Dependencies Plan

2. Project Objective 8. Competitive Benchmarking
3. Problem/ Opportunity 9. Alternatives & Comparison
4. Solution Strategy 10. Solution
and
5. Strategic Fit Recommendation
11. Appendix
6. Key Assumptions
 Types of company problems

1. Strategy (Strategic - Tactical - Execution)

2. Root cause (Internal - External)
3. Resources (Human - Finance - Time - Tech)
4. Risk related (Macro - Industry - Firm itself)
5. Company stage (Startup - Acceleration - Maturity) So on
A framework to solve
a case study
 Step 1: Identify
the problem statement
But, in most cases, we must dive deep to break down the problem statement and
identify the potential causes.
For example: The problem statement was (summary):

Should a large-scale oil refinery firm diversify into EV charging stations? If

yes, suggest an execution strategy.

Here, we identified the problems through secondary research (reports from

consultancy firms) and primary research (customer surveys).
Our methods of identifying problem statements are Focus Groups, Customer
Interviews, Journey Analyzers, BCG matrix, Value Chain Analysis, PESTEL,
SWOT(W part), Porter's Five Forces, Annual Reports, etc.
 Step 2: Propose solutions
with a pinch of creativity
• After establishing that the firm needs to diversify, we set the KPI
for the solution as - increment in business generated due to
portfolio diversification.
• Then, we did a VRIO analysis to identify the competitive advantage
(CA), available resources, and capabilities of the firm. SWOT
analysis can also be done to get a bird's eye view.
 Step 3: Establish the scale and
impact of the solution
• You must look at financial reports and funding rounds to
estimate the budget. Then, you can utilize the data to calculate
ROI using guesstimates as accurately as possible (use published
data).

• You can also do a cost-benefit, NPV- IRR, break-even point,

cash-flow analysis, etc.
 McKinsey 7-step
problem solving process
Key components in
a student presentation
Structure of a presentation

1. Executive summary
2. Analysis of the situation
3. The problem statement
4. Recommendation & proposal
5. Cost-benefit analysis
Heineken case study
 Problem statement
• Does inflation affect operating costs and
consumer purchasing power of Heineken?
• How can Heineken successfully execute evergreen
strategy?
• What can Heineken do next to deal with new 2022
challenges such as supply chain disruption and
the rise in energy prices?
• What are solutions Heineken need to have if the
expectations of consumers change significantly?
Problem statement
• What should Heineken do to firmly secure
the place in the market and thrive in the
VUCA world?
• 1. Which competitive forces are likely to impact the
global beer industry and its overall appeal in the
foreseeable future?
• 2. Which macro-environmental factors are likely to
impact the global beer industry and major players in the
foreseeable future?
• 3. How can unforeseen international crises affect
industries and companies in both the short and long term?
• 4. What opportunities and threats can be identified for
HEINEKEN in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous) world as it recovers from the Covid-19
pandemic?