Topic 01 - B1. How To Analyze A Case Study

How to Analyze a Case Study1
A case study analysis must not merely summarize the case. It should identify key issues and problems, outline
and assess alternative courses of action, and draw appropriate conclusions. The case study analysis can be
broken down into the following steps:
1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

2. Identify the key issue or issues.
3. Specify alternative courses of action.
4. Evaluate each course of action.
5. Recommend the best course of action.
Let's look at what each step involves.
1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

Read the case several times to become familiar with the information it contains. Pay attention to the
information in any accompanying exhibits, tables, or figures. Many case scenarios, as in real life,
present a great deal of detailed information. Some of these facts are more relevant than others for
problem identification. One can assume the facts and figures in the case are true, but statements,
judgments, or decisions made by individuals should be questioned. Underline and then list the most
important facts and figures that would help you define the central problem or issue. If key facts and
numbers are not available, you can make assumptions, but these assumptions should be reasonable
given the situation. The "correctness" of your conclusions may depend on the assumptions you
make.
2. Identify the key issue or issues.

Use the facts provided by the case to identify the key issue or issues facing the company you are
studying. Many cases present multiple issues or problems. Identify the most important and separate
them from more trivial issues. State the major problem or challenge facing the company. You should
be able to describe the problem or challenge in one or two sentences. You should be able to explain
how this problem affects the strategy or performance of the organization.
You will need to explain why the problem occurred. Does the problem or challenge facing the
company comes from a changing environment, new opportunities, a declining market share, or
inefficient internal or external business processes? In the case of information systems-related
problems, you need to pay special attention to the role of technology as well as the behavior of the
organization and its management.
Information system problems in the business world typically present a combination of management,
technology, and organizational issues. When identifying the key issue or problem, ask what kind of
problem it is: Is it a management problem, a technology problem, an organizational problem, or a
combination of these? What management, organizational, and technology factors contributed to the
problem?
o To determine if a problem stems from management factors, consider whether managers are
exerting appropriate leadership over the organization and monitoring organizational
performance. Consider also the nature of management decision-making: Do managers have
sufficient information for performing this role, or do they fail to take advantage of the
information that is available?
o To determine if a problem stems from technology factors, examine any issues arising from the
organization's information technology infrastructure: its hardware, software, networks and
telecommunications infrastructure, and the management of data in databases or traditional
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files. Consider also whether the appropriate management and organizational assets are in
place to use this technology effectively.
o To determine the role of organizational factors, examine any issues arising from the
organization's structure, culture, business processes, work groups, divisions among interest
groups, relationships with other organizations, as well as the impact of changes in the
organization's external environment-changes in government regulations, economic
conditions, or the actions of competitors, customers, and suppliers.
You will have to decide which of these factors—or combination of factors—is most important in
explaining why the problem occurred.
3. Specify alternative courses of action.

List the courses of action the company can take to solve its problem or meet the challenge it faces.
For information system-related problems, do these alternatives require a new information system or
the modification of an existing system? Are new technologies, business processes, organizational
structures, or management behavior required? What changes to organizational processes would be
required by each alternative? What management policy would be required to implement each
alternative?
Remember, there is a difference between what an organization "should do" and what that
organization actually "can do". Some solutions are too expensive or operationally difficult to
implement, and you should avoid solutions that are beyond the organization's resources. Identify the
constraints that will limit the solutions available. Is each alternative executable given these
constraints?
4. Evaluate each course of action.

Evaluate each alternative using the facts and issues you identified earlier, given the conditions and
information available. Identify the costs and benefits of each alternative. Ask yourself "what would
be the likely outcome of this course of action? State the risks as well as the rewards associated with
each course of action. Is your recommendation feasible from a technical, operational, and financial
standpoint? Be sure to state any assumptions on which you have based your decision.
5. Recommend the best course of action.

State your choice for the best course of action and provide a detailed explanation of why you made
this selection. You may also want to provide an explanation of why other alternatives were not
selected. Your final recommendation should flow logically from the rest of your case analysis and
should clearly specify what assumptions were used to shape your conclusion. There is often no single
"right" answer, and each option is likely to have risks as well as rewards.

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How to Analyze a Case Study1

1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

Let's look at what each step involves.

1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.

2. Identify the key issue or issues.

3. Specify alternative courses of action.

4. Evaluate each course of action.

5. Recommend the best course of action.

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