Case Study 1: Tradition vs. Trend: A case study of team response to the secondary market Secondary Markets (Case Study )
Case Study 2: Is sport becoming too commercialised? The Houston Astros public relations crisis Communication and Public Relations (Case Study)
6. Presentation of Case Studies (NFL Secondary Ticket Market & Houston Astros Public Relations Crisis):
The Case Study Method
WHY CASE STUDIES ARE USED
The role of case studies in business education is to teach conceptual skills. Conceptual skills increase in importance as you move from junior to more senior management roles. It is estimated that a first line supervisor mainly needs technical skills but will need to have at least 12% of his or her skills mix as conceptual skills. A senior manager will in contrast need 40% of his or her skills mix in conceptual skills, about 43% in human and interpersonal skills, and the rest in technical skills.
A case study approach presents you with actual business situations, allowing you to examine them, apply your theory to explain corporate actions, and make assessments of alternatives. You may be asked to critically analyze a situation where a manager had to make a decision affecting the corporation in marketing, financial management, law, production, or management. This approach gives you some insight into how business really operates.
The following general guidelines may be used in preparation for written case analyses:
There may be several feasible courses of action regarding the solution to any case. It is more important to concern yourself with the process of problem definition and isolation, analysis and evaluation of alternatives, and the choice of one or more recommendations than to simply try to find a single answer. Very often, the right answer is the one that you can propose, explain, defend, and put into practice.
The Process of Analyzing a Case
A. Read and study the case thoroughly and efficiently. Read the case once for familiarity, noting issues that come to the forefront. Read it again. Get all the facts, making notes about symptoms of problems, root problems, unresolved issues, and roles of key players. Watch for issues beneath the surface.
B. Identify the problem(s). Get a feel for the overall environment by putting yourself in the position of one of the key players. Seek out the pertinent issues and problems.
C. Analyze and evaluate alternatives. Once the problems and issues are isolated, work at gaining a fuller understanding of causes. In what area of the unit do the problems exist? Why do the problems exist? What caused them? Examine and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the unit’s processes (communication, financial statements, sales reports, etc.). Check out the effectiveness of managerial competencies. Are the unit’s objectives and strategies compatible with its skills and resources?
D. Formulate a solid evaluation of the case.
Examine various alternatives. Weigh the pros and cons of each. Are they feasible? Decide which is most valid.
E. Make recommendations. Draw up your set of recommendations on what must be done and prepare an agenda of corrective actions. What recommendations would you make to the manager of this unit? What specific functions and activities does the unit have to perform in order to solve its problems? Are the recommendations workable? Affordable? A good rule of thumb to follow is to avoid recommending anything you would not do yourself if you were in management’s shoes. Give reasons for your recommendations.
