How to Write Business Case Studies

ByMaxwell RanasinghePresentation made to

“Marketing Department ‘s Lecturer’s Forum” University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

At Hotel Royal Park29-07-2016

Outline of the presentationTypes of Case studies Importance of case studiesUndergraduate/ MBA level case studiesGuideline for case study writing Developing a plotWhere to get information How to get commitment from a company to

write a real case studyStructure of a case studyQ & AComments of Harvard’s “Nike” case study Discussion

We write assignments/case studies for testing of knowledge and skills of students

We usually write two types of scenarios as follows:◦1. Find the answer through given facts◦( analysis based assignments)◦2. Request students to answer by

collecting further information from the market place

◦( tasks based assignments)

The first option where you provide information in the case study itself and let student answer it without referring to any other material (but with logical assumptions)These case studies can be given in an exam, where student write the answer on his own

The second option is a kind of exploratory, observational or research type of tasks. These case studies can be given as individual or group assignments.

A business case study puts the student in to real life scenario.

It challenges student to apply theory he or she has learnt in the class to a practical situation.

The case study should be a story that changes the student’s view point to a business manager’s

Student should feel that he is the principal character( protagonist-ප් ‍ර�ෝටැ) who is given the responsibility of solving the problem in the case.

He should also feel that the body of knowledge that he had acquired through academic work and experience can be used to handle the case.

Therefore, a good case study should be written to create a real life kind of situation with a well crafted story to intrigue the student.

Undergraduate level case studies

Case study writers who write cases for undergraduate level or diploma Level students should bear in mind that the answer expected could be provided well with the level of knowledge and experience that those students posses.

Case study should not be complicated and it should have one central decision point or dilemma ( bear in mind that this is not an MBA case)

MBA Level case studiesThese case studies may have one or more

core issues and could be complicated.Therefore the case writer should be in a

position to describe a scenario that has many facets to the problem

Case writer has to mix different areas of the problem to form a challenging situation

Individual related areas could be thought separately and it has to be mixed together by superimposing each other to have a one single story. It is a challenge !

Layers to be thought separately and superimposed Internal layer( staff relations, resource

constraints and corporate culture etc.)Operational layer(Suppliers,

Intermediaries, Competitors- Direct and Indirect ,Customers of a business/marketer, Publics)

External layer ( PESTEEL factors)It is important to note that they are

not written in sequence but throughout the story

Lets start with undergraduate case study to illustrate

Case should have a proper problem within the facts of the case.

Student should not feel that he can answer the case study without going through the facts of the case but referring to the class notes or any other material outside of the case.

The nature of the situation should be clearly apparent once the case is read.

Most importantly the case writer should not write too much of background details which may not have much bearing on the problem.

In marketing case studiesCase writers should be careful when making the plot of the story not to end up in asking the student to write a marketing plan as it has become a common feature of many marketing case studies.

There is no proper format for case studies but it is always better to have a logical format so that the case writer will be directed to include the main ingredients of a case study.

Have you got to follow Harvard, Princeton or Yale University styles ? No

Have your own style. Then only you will get creative and objective.

Can we have a simple guideline in writing case studies ? Yes

Guideline 1. Decide what you need to test in students through the case study.

2. Develop a plot3. Structure the case 4. Find information and data to fill the structure

5. Provide symptoms of the situation

6. Let student analyse the symptoms and find out the central problem.

7. Ask questions to provide answers to the central problem or problems

Decide what you need to test in students through the case study.Most importantly the case writer should know the level of knowledge and experience that the student posses

At least the course content and the syllabus should be known to the case writer

Case writer should not write a problem that he has to face in his business which may not be suitable to check on students at this level or in the subject that the case is given

Case writer should know the areas of studies done by the student where the practical application is very important

Those are the areas that he should test through a case study.

Then the student will also appreciate about the importance of the case study

Developing a plotHere the case writers creativity comes to

play ( copying from other exam papers or case books are not recommended….. be creative ??????)

He can have any kind of logical formats (where the facts that he is going to relate

will have a bearing on finding the symptoms of the problem that would finally pave the way in finding the central problem)

The plot should provide a “fine idea” “ big idea” to be structured and developed

Where to get informationInternet is a great sourceNewspaper articles MagazinesStudents’ assignmentsYour own experienceMany other secondary sources

If you are indicating actual information of a company, please take proper authority to indicate them in your case studyIf a business case employs insider

information, written permission must be obtained from the company to use, publish, and market the case study.

Organizations can be notoriously frustrating to work with in this regard—especially large, complex organizations with sophisticated legal and marketing departments.

Once the case is complete, it can take months (or longer) to obtain permission and approvals. So many drafts may have to be written

It is best to let the organization know up front that you are writing a case study that will be used in teaching and published for use in institutions of higher learning.

Assembling the right team of advocates for the case study is a critical task, and the team should include representatives from the company.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE FEATURED ORGANIZATION? The role of the Featured

Organization is to provide information and data, to check for accuracy/completeness, and to assist in final review and release of the case.

Most importantly, the Featured Organization must provide legal permission to use the case for educational purposes upon completion of the case.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A FEATURED ORGANIZATION?1. Being a Featured

Organization is both a practical and altruistic role. The organization will play a significant role in helping tomorrow’s business leaders become better prepared to face complex decisions in the constantly-changing world of business.

2. The organization will also gain broad exposure to thousands of future graduates who are likely to seek out the organization for employment.

( Students with diverse experience may come out with fine answers)

3. Many Featured Organizations use the completed case study in their internal training programs.

4. Employees within the Featured Organizations benefit from sharing the importance of their roles and tasks in the case study’s business situation.

Structuring the case studiesTitle and introductionCompanyIndustryCompetitorsSymptoms of the problemChallengesProblems to be answered

Structuring the case studies….Title and IntroductionIt is always better to have a

creative title so that the student will feel he is not reading another note

Even a journalistic title should create interest in student to read

In a case study written in English can even have a title in your own mother tongue

IntroductionWithin the first paragraph, identify the

protagonist. ( main character) Within the first few paragraphs, present—

from the protagonist’s point of view—the decision point. Identify other major players, if relevant.

Provide the context for the situation. Include the situation’s time frame, location, the purpose of the company or organization, relevant business factors, and the goal of the protagonist.

Structuring the case studies…

Background Case writers often add extraneous

information in this section in a deliberate effort to lead students astray.

Case writer should bear in mind that he should provide the relevant information only to set up the foundation to build his story

Structuring the case studies…Company and products

A brief historical setting of the company, its product lines, brands, status in the market place, market share etc.

Consider depicting the structure, culture and resources of the of the company or organization, if it has any bearing on the story that you are going to present

- IndustryBrief introduction of the industry, size, nature and the trends should be provided depending on the problem that you are going to write in the case study

If any PESTEEL factor would be relevant to your case you may write about it too

.

Competitive environment- Major competitors, market share, products, challenges posed and strategies adopted can be discussed depending on the case

Structuring the case studies…Symptoms and the problems

The important part of the story begins hereBear in mind that you are writing a story. It

should not be totally technical or colloquial.

A fine blend will make the case interesting for the reader

It is always better to bring the main character here into play so that students will read in his point of view

Structuring the case studies…Bit of his background, character

and the dilemma faced by him should be introduced

The writer should describe what has happened to create an emotional attachment by the reader to the central character of the story

Structuring the case studies… Readers who have both an

emotional connection to the Central Character of the story will be more motivated to find actionable solutions to the problems depicted in the case.

Keep this section complex enough that students cannot come to an easy decision.

Structuring the case studies…Write the symptoms supported by data, sales, profits, tables, graphs to show the status where the student can analyse and find out the trend .

( should not be able to get the trend or problem by just reading the figures)

Structuring the case studies…Connect the background in this

section to the current situation, including underlying causes and current results.

• Deal more deeply into the context and possible consequences of the decision point, dilemma faced.

Include the consequences for the central character as well as for company or organization.

Tell what has the principal character done in order to remedy the situation and what is the status after such action

Clearly state the current statusWhat finally matters in your story is

to provide information to the student to analyse and find out the underlying reason/reasons for the central problem.

Structuring the case studies…ChallengeThrow the challenge of finding the

underlying problem to the student on behalf of the Central Character of the case study

Students should be looking at problems from a systemic perspective and trying to solve problems based on the complexities of the environment, resource constraints, availability of information, and a general understanding that the main characters situation is challenging

Structuring the case studies…

Problem to be answered

At the conclusion of this section, include the degree of urgency involved in the decision-making or the timeline for the decision to be made

Offer him the chance of suggesting the proper course of action or task to be done in order to remedy the situation

Tables and ExhibitsYou could have tables such as

market share, financial information etc. in the body of the case study or at the end

Exhibits such as advertisements, paper articles, reports etc. should come at the end of the case study.

Links to video clips, websites etc.

Do not issue case studiesWithout going through you draft

several times to ensure it is in line with your plot.

Without checking spelling and grammar

Without developing your own answer before it is issued to the students.

Without being moderated by a Senior Lecturer/ Professor/ practitioner

The only way to learn is to commence writing at least small case studies. Then you will develop the art of writing case studies

Good Luck

Email: maxran1@yahoo.com