WHAT IS CASE ANALYSIS?

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 competitive environment and charts the managers response which usually involves changing the business or corporate level strategy.

CASES PROVE VALUABLE

Experience of organizational problems that you probably have not had the opportunity to experience firsthand. They illustrate what you have learned. They provide you with the opportunity to participate in class and to gain experience in presenting your ideas to others.

 A case is a description of a situation involving problems to be solved. A case may be structured or unstructured

Case method of learning has the following objectives:

Description of the real business situation to acquaint the learner with the principles and practices obtained in work setting Introduction of realism into formal instruction Demonstration of various types of goals, problems, facts, conditions, conflicts, and personalities obtained in organizational settings Development of decision making abilities Development of independent thinking but cooperative approach to work in team situations

 The basic approach in a case analysis should be to get on the problem and provide its solution. Generally one needs a structured approach as:
Define the problem Identify the alternatives Analyse the alternatives Choice the alternatives Present the solution(s)

Detailed analysis of a case study

History development and growth of the Co. over time. The identification of the companys internal strengths and weaknesses. Nature of External Environment SWOT Analysis Corporate level strategy- Line of business, nature of subsidiaries, M&A, Traders or manufacturers. Business level strategy D, C, F, 5 forces Companys structure and control systems Recommendations

Points in favour of the case method

It fosters high involvement on the part of students The case, its lessons, are highly memorable and thus of value when one encounters a related problem in future It is realistic in mimicking the real world, rather than just theorizing about it. It compresses many career experiences into a short period of time The over abundance of material forces students to develop efficient time management techniques and to learn to choose what analysis to do and what to skip The nature of the case method requires active class participation, and thus develops presentation skills and the ability to think on ones feet. It thereby helps build confidence in oneself. It encourages students to think like general managers, examining a problem from an overall, big picture perspective

Points against the case method:

Inefficient for teaching theory It tends to overlook the human side of management It emphasizes analysis of problems rather than the structuring and implementation of realistic solutions It encourages ultra-competitive behaviour The packaged information in the cases hinders the need for students to go out and find or develop own data Not suited to technical disciplines like accounting