CASE STUDY METHODOLOGY

A few golden rules and a basic outline

Golden Rules

Generally, the quality of a case study will depend on :

Quality of the analysis Clarity Coherence Ability to make and justify decisions Persuasiveness

More specifically, this means :

Presenting work like a report or

presentation for your superiors Be convincing (use key arguments) Make fully-justified recommendations Do not give a detailed presentation of the firm

Be clear, precise, concise and persuasive :

Use short sentences Give sources of reference when needed Dont get tied up in detail Use tables, diagrams, graphs when possible

Basic outline
5 MAIN STAGES
1 analysis and diagnosis 2 identify the main issues 3 define objectives 4 evaluate possible strategies and make a justified choice 5 marketing plan

1 ANALYSIS AND DIAGNOSIS

This stage serves two purposes. (1) understand the market, the firm, its product(s) in a competitive environment (2) highlight the elements which need to be acted on in the recommendation phase.

Analysis is therefore required :

For all elements, possible implications need

to be considered and intermediate conclusions drawn Throughout the analytical stage, try to identify possible strategic options The analysis must be structured (e.g., sector, market, segment etc.).

The external analysis will highlight the OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS in the environment Whereas the internal analysis will highlight the STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES of the firm.

This analysis will lead to a DIAGNOSIS of the situation by insisting on the most pertinent points and identifying possible action areas.

2 IDENTIFY THE MAIN PROBLEM

Identify the main problem the company is facing Be clear, precise and to the point

3 DEFINE OBJECTIVES
This means GLOBAL OBJECTIVES, not intermediate objectives. Such global objectives may be for example, market share, growth, margin

Any objective must be :

MEASURABLE QUANTIFIED DATED

It is also at this stage that any constraints must be mentioned.

4 EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE STRATEGIES AND MAKING A CHOICE

If several strategies can be used to reach the objectives, then it will be necessary to evaluate the strategies and chose the most efficient one. However, do not confuse STRATEGY and MEANS.

5 MARKETING PLAN
The action plan will be presented at this stage. It should run parallel to the objectives over a period of time. For each measure :

Explain the objective(s) Justify Budget.

Basically, this means : The goal being targeted (WHAT?) Why it wants to be achieved (WHY?) The means to be used (HOW?) The cost (HOW MUCH?)

Finally
The marketing plan will have 4 Parts : The target(s) Positioning The mix The forecasted profit and loss account.