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Case Study Analysis

Contents:
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History of the case study

Introduction of Business Case Study

What is Case Study? Objectives of the Case Study method

Types of Case study

Steps to solve case study Tools/ Techniques for Case Analysis

History of the case study

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The case-study method was first introduced into social science by

Frederic Le Play in 1829 to analyze statistics in his studies of family budgets. (Les Ouvriers Europeens-2nd edition,1879)
The use of case studies for the creation of new theory in social

sciences has been further developed by the sociologists Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss who presented their research method, Grounded Theory, in 1967.
Case studies have also been used as a teaching method and as

part of professional development, especially in business and legal education.

Introduction of Business Case Study

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The year was 1911. In the history of the famous Harvard Business

School (HBS), surprisingly, for the first time, they got a lawyer as the Dean of HBS. He was surprised to find that the Case Method was not used at HBS. He invited the entire faculty and informed that in Law Schools, the case method is an accepted norm and why it cannot be used in Business Schools. He requested all the faculty members to compile data on various organizations and develop cases in their areas of specialization which can be used for learning by the students. For the first time the Case Method came to be used in HBS.

Contd.,
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The management education in India started some time in the early

1960 with the setting up of IIM-Kolkata. This was followed by IIM Ahmedabad and later at Bangalore, Luck now, Kozhikode and Indore. Till 1978, most of the cases used by IIMs and better known BSchools in India were borrowed from the HBS. They had to pay a certain royalty for the use of the same. The cases were quite lengthy, sometimes, going into as many as 30 pages and more.

What is Case Study?

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A case is defined by Reynold as, a short description in words

and numbers, of an actual management situation. A case study is a research methodology common in social science. A Case is a description of an organization at a certain period of time, containing its history, its external environments and internal operations. It exposes issues, problems and aspirations at a particular stage. It could be in any functional area of management. A business case is a document that illustrates a business or policy situation to be solved and includes information for classroom discussion and other study.

Objectives of the Case Study method

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Analytical skills Problem solving skills Decision making skills Application skills Creative skills Communicative skills Social skills Self-analysis skills

Types of Case study

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Analytical case Issue case Illustrative case Application case Incident case Data case Dialogue case

Steps to solve case study

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Brief facts of the case Identification of problems/ key issues SWOT Analysis Listing of alternative courses of action that could be taken. Evaluation of alternative courses of action. Recommendation/ Suggestion of the best course of action. Conclusion
References : (write at the end if any primary research or secondary research data has been added, articles, personal views of resource person etc.,)

Tools/ Techniques for Case Analysis

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Strategic Management SWOT analysis BCG Product Portfolio Matrix McKinsey 7-S frame work GE market attractiveness model Porters model on competitive forces Porters model on competitive advantage of nations Ansoff model on generic growth strategies Root cause analysis

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Marketing Sales analysis with respect to products, territories and end users. Market share analysis Marketing expense analysis, marketing ratios etc., Consumer behavior theories Product life cycle Strategic marketing (STP) Marketing audit

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Finance Financial ratio analysis Inter firm comparison Break even analysis Capital budgeting Investment appraisal techniques

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Behavioral analysis Maslows hierarchy of needs Herzbergs motivational theory McGregors theory X & Y Theory Z Managerial grid Situational leadership

Dos and Don'ts

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1. Do not repeat in summary all factual information from the case, rather make salient points. Beyond the brief introduction to the company, you must avoid being descriptive; instead, you must be analytical. 2. Make sure the sections and subsections of your discussion flow logically and smoothly from one to the next. 3. Avoid grammatical and spelling errors. They make the paper sloppy. 4. In some instances, cases dealing with well-known companies they dont include up-to-date research because it was not available at the time the case was written. If possible, do a search for more information on what has happened to the company in subsequent years.

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Thank You