Case Study Analysis

Prof (Ms) Vaishali Chaudhari

What is Case Study?

A case study presents an account of what happened to a business or industry over a number of years. It chronicles the events that managers had to deal with, such as changes in the competitive environment, and charts the managers' response, which usually involved changing the business- or corporate-level strategy.

Why Case Study?

1. Cases provide experience of organizational problems that you probably have not had the opportunity to experience firsthand. 2. In a relatively short period of time, you have the chance to appreciate and analyze the problems faced by many different companies and to understand how managers tried to deal with them. 3. Cases illustrate what you have learned 4. Case studies provide you with the opportunity to participate in class and to gain experience in presenting your ideas to others. Also you learn to look at second side of the coin.

ANALYZING A CASE STUDY

Small Cases Big Case Case with or without Questions ____________________________________ HR Marketing Logistics Finance Crisis Mgt. General Mgt. Others

Steps in solving a Case

1. Define the problem

2. Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem 3. Select an approach to resolve the problem
4. Verify if the problem has been resolved or not 5. Plan the implementation of the best alternative (this is your action plan)

Step 1 : Defining The Problem

List down the facts in the case study Analyze the facts to identify SWOT Make & state assumptions if required Define symptoms, & Sub problems

Ask yourself What can you see that causes you to think there's a problem? Why is it happening? If you feel you have reached the problem, check whether by correcting this problem, situation get resolved. If not, you have not reached main problem, continue with your sub problems to find the root cause.

Step II : Identifying Alternatives

Look at potential causes for the problem: Write down a description of the cause of the problem and in terms of what is happening, where, when, how, with whom and why. This description in light of SWOT will help to identify alternatives. For big cases more information about the company/industry/competitor is collected to gain better insights. Various strategies(Plans of Action) to resolve the problem are listed. Assumptions are stated very clearly here.

Step III : Selecting Best Alternative

When selecting the best approach, consider: a. Which approach is the most likely to solve the problem for the long term? b. Which approach is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Do you have the resources? Are they affordable? Do you have enough time to implement the approach? c. What is the extent of risk associated with each alternative?

Step IV : Verify if the problem has been resolved or not

Step V : Plan the implementation of the best alternative

A. Carefully consider "What will the situation look like when the problem is solved?" B. What steps should be taken to implement the best alternative to solving the problem? What systems or processes should be changed in your organization, for example, a new policy or procedure? C. How will you know if the steps are being followed or not? (these are your indicators of the success of your plan)

D. What resources will you need in terms of people, money and facilities? E. How much time will you need to implement the solution? Write a schedule that includes the start and stop times, and when you expect to see certain indicators of success.
F. Who will primarily be responsible for ensuring implementation of the plan?

Sample Case 1
Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), the Rs. 10,600 Cr. FMCG giant, played the rural card with the blend of science & nature. Its third toothpaste launched after Close Up & Pepesodent is Aim, which has neem & calcium. The paste is being positioned as a product with unique blend of nature & science. Competitively priced at Rs. 15.50 for 100 Gm pack, the target of Aim is to convert toothpowder users to toothpaste. So what is such great about this product? Havent we seen enough of neem toothpastes? Currently only 18% of population use toothpaste while about 29% use toothpowder. Further in rural market penetration of toothpaste is very less. The company wanted to increase market size itself. Hll commands an overall market share of 35.4% in oral care market of which close up has 19.5% share while Pepsodent has about 15.9%.

The marketing strategy for this product also expected to undergo radical change form conventional positioning of toothpaste brand image. HLL publicized Aim using wall posters, Handouts & other visibility enhancing material in rural areas. HLL launched the new toothpaste by poisoning the benefits of neem & calcium. The brand name has been selected for easy pronouncability & absence of regional significance. The brand was targeted to Northern & Western part of India, but the brand did not appeal to rural mindsets. Was it a mistake in the product itself or in pricing, or even in Brand Communication? The brand failed miserably in the rural market & finally HLL had to withdraw the product in 2001.