CRISIS IN CYPRUS: WAS IT DIFFERENT THIS TIME?
Preparing a Written Case Analysis
Preparing a written case analysis is much like preparing a case for class discussion, except that your analysis must be more complete and put in report form. Unfortunately, though, there is no ironclad procedure for doing a written case analysis. All we can offer are some general guidelines and words of wisdom-this is because company situations and management problems are so diverse that no one mechanical way to approach a written case assignment always works.
Your instructor may assign you a specific topic around which to prepare your written report. Or, alternatively, you may be asked to do a comprehensive written case analysis, where the expectation is that you will (1) identify all the pertinent issues that management needs to address, (2) perform whatever analysis and evaluation is appropriate, and (3) propose an action plan and set of recommendations addressing the issues you have identified. In going through the exercise of identify, evaluate, and recommend, keep the following pointers in mind.
Identification It is essential early on in your paper that you provide a sharply focused diagnosis of strategic issues and key problems and that you demonstrate a good grasp of the company's present situation. Make sure you can identify the firm's strategy (use the concepts and tools in Chapters 1-8 as diagnostic aids) and that you can pinpoint whatever strategy implementation issues may exist (again, consult the material in Chapters 9-11 for diagnostic help). Consult the key points we have provided at the end of each chapter for further diagnostic suggestions. Review the study questions for the case on Case-TuroR. Consider beginning your paper with an overview of the company's situation, its strategy, and the significant problems and issues that confront management. State problems/issues as clearly and precisely as you can. Unless it is necessary to do so for emphasis, avoid recounting facts and history about the company (assume your professor has read the case and is familiar with the organization).
Analysis and Evaluation This is usually the hardest part of the report. Analysis is hard work! Check out the firm's financial ratios, its profit margins and rates of return, and its capital structure, and decide how strong the firm is financially. Table 1 contains a summary of various financial ratios and how they are calculated. Use it to assist in your financial diagnosis. Similarly, look at marketing, production, managerial competence, and other factors underlying the organization's strategic successes and failures. Decide whether the firm has valuable resource strengths and competencies and, if so, whether it is capitalizing on them.
Check to see if the firm's strategy is producing satisfactory results and determine the reasons why or why not. Probe the nature and strength of the competitive forces confronting the company. Decide whether and why the firm's competitive position is getting stronger or weaker. Use the tools and concepts you have learned about to perform whatever analysis and evaluation is appropriate. Work through the case preparation exercise on Case-TtrroR if one is available for the case you've been assigned.
In writing your analysis and evaluation, bear in mind four things:
You are obliged to offer analysis and evidence to back up your conclusions. Do not rely on unsupported opinions, over-generalizations, and platitudes as a substitute for tight, logical argument backed up with facts and figures.
If your analysis involves some important quantitative calculations, use tables and charts to present the calculations clearly and efficiently. Don't just tack the exhibits on at the end of your report and let the reader figure out what they mean and why they were included. Instead, in the body of your report cite some of the key numbers, highlight the conclusions to be drawn from the exhibits, and refer the reader to your charts and exhibits for more details.
Demonstrate that you have command of the strategic concepts and analytical tools to which you have been exposed. Use them in your report.
Your interpretation of the evidence should be reasonable and objective. Be wary of preparing a one-sided argument that omits all aspects not favorable to your conclusions. Likewise, try not to exaggerate or overdramatize. Endeavor to inject balance into your analysis and to avoid emotional rhetoric. Strike phrases such as "I think," "I feel," and "I believe" when you edit your first draft and write in "My analysis shows," instead.The Ten Commandments of Case Analysis
As a way of summarizing our suggestions about how to approach the task of case analysis, we have compiled what we like to call "The Ten Commandments of Case Analysis." They are shown in Table 2. If you observe all or even most of these commandments faithfully as you prepare a case either for class discussion or for a written report, your chances of doing a good job on the assigned cases will be much improved. Hang in there, give it your best shot, and have some fun exploring what the real world of strategic management is all about.
The Ten Commandments of Case Analysis
To be observed in written reports and oral presentations, and while participating in class discussions.
1. Go through the case twice, once for a quick overview and once to gain full command of the facts; then take care to explore the information in every one of the case exhibits.
2. Make a complete list of the problems and issues that the company's management needs to address.
3. Be thorough in your analysis of the company's situation (either work through the case preparation exercises on Case-TUTOR or make a minimum of l to 2 pages of notes detailing your diagnosis).
4. Look for opportunities to apply the concepts and analytical tools in the text chapters-all of the cases in the book have very definite ties to the material in one or more of the text chapters!!!!
5. Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the case. (To help you comply with this commandment, consult Table I in this section to guide your probing of a company's financial condition and financial performance.)
6. Support any and all off-the-cuff opinions with well-reasoned arguments and numerical evidence; don't stop until you can purge "1 think" and feel" from your assessment and, instead, are able to rely completely on "My analysis shows."
7. Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable time frame with the available resources.
8. Support each recommendation with persuasive argument and reasons as to why it makes sense and should result in improved company performance.
9. Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and issues you identified-any set of recommendations that does not address all of the issues and problems you identified is incomplete and insufficient.
10. Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesn't work out as planned; therefore, he as alert to the downside risks of your recommendations as you are to their upside potential and appeal.
Attachment:- Case.rar