Part I – Identify the Key Issues in an Executive Summary
In this section you should read the case and ask yourself, “What’s happening here right now?” What are the issues that the firm faces within the context of the case? In many cases there are issues that involve more than one business function. For example, are there marketing issues, management issues, organizational issues, competitive issues, financial issues, etc.? Why do think the case is being written right now? Your executive summary should briefly identify the key issue(s) at hand and describe how you will come up with your solution. Briefly mention your key strategies. This section should be one page max – preferably half a page. It might help to write this as your last section.Briefly mention your key strategies. This section should be one page max – preferably half a page. It might help to write this as your last section.cases there are issues that involve more than one business function. For example, are there marketing issues, management issues, organizational issues, competitive issues, financial issues, etc.? Why do think the case is being written right now? Your executive summary should briefly identify the key issue(s) at hand and describe how you will come up with your solution. Briefly mention your key strategies. This section should be one page max – preferably half a page. It might help to write this as your last section.section you should read the case and ask yourself, “What’s happening here right now?” What are the issues that the firm faces within the context of the case? In many cases there are issues that involve more than one business function. For example, are there marketing issues, management issues, organizational issues, competitive issues, financial issues, etc.? Why do think the case is being written right now? Your executive summary should briefly identify the key issue(s) at hand and describe how you will come up with your solution. Briefly mention your key strategies. This section should be one page max – preferably half a page. It might help to write this as your last section.
Parts II and beyond…
REMEMBER – You are not writing a “report.” You are writing an analysis. You should take the information in the case, THINK about it, and then report YOUR thoughts. You should be comfortable saying “I think….” and be comfortable making bold statements. Think of yourself as a consultant hired by the firm to give them strategic advice. They already know what it’s in the case – they want your take on the situation.
Part II – Identify Internal Strengths
What is the firm doing well internally? Why is it doing these things well? And more importantly how do the strengths of the firm tie to theory and concepts? What led to the success of the firm in the past (or present)? What strengths of the firm will lead to future value? Why are the strengths you identified really strengths?
Part III – Identify Internal Weaknesses
What is the firm doing poorly internally? Why is it doing these things poorly? What lead to these poor tactics? How do the weaknesses contradict “good” marketing theory and concepts? Why are the weaknesses, weaknesses?
Part IV – Identify External Opportunities
What is going on in the firm’s external environment that the firm can use to its advantage? For example – if you are analyzing a case on McDonald’s an external opportunity might be the fact that the Atkins Diet has run its course and people are eating carbs again. These are not strategies here – those will come later (Part VII). In this section, focus on the external variables the firm can take advantage of.
Part V – Identify External Threats
What is going on in the firm’s external environment that the firm needs to defend against? Analyze competitors. Competition is certainly one external threat. Maybe government regulation is another. Possibly the taste of the target market is another. For example – if you are analyzing a case on Amtrak, one major threat is the growth of Southwest airlines and cheap, national air travel.
Part VI – Other issues/Metrics
What other issues are going on in the case? How does the firm’s financial situation look? If financial or related data are given, what are the trends you see? Does anything you see “jump out” at you? Is there a lot of debt? Any expenses seem odd?
Are there any other issues out there that didn’t quite fit in Parts II – V? Discuss them here.
Part VII – Strategies
Based on all the issues that you identified in Parts II – VI – what do you recommend that the firm do now? Be specific as possible. General strategies like “sell more products” or increase operations in China are superficial and add little to your analysis. You have to think deep here. How can the firm use its strengths to take advantage of external issues? How might the firm have to defend itself against threats? How can the firm shore up weaknesses? Again, think of yourself as someone hired to help this firm. What do you tell them and why? What are the risks and short/long term implications of what you suggest? THIS SHOULD BE YOUR LONGEST SECTION.
Remember – this is NOT a report. It is not about whether you read the case or not. You need to take the key issues and think about them within the context of the information provided in the case. The key here is think about what you would do if you were in this situation – with justification. Integrate and synthesize theory from class and the readings into your case analysis. This is key to producing a superior analysis.