How prepare a Case Study Analysis tutorial

Case Study Analysis Paper

Prepare a 1,400 to 1,750-word case study analysis paper
based on the University of Phoenix
Material, “Case Study for Student Analysis,” located in Week Two of the
COMM/215  page.

Below is a detailed description explaining how to
prepare a case study analysis paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Typically written in narrative form, a case sets forth,
in a factual manner, the events and organizational circumstances surrounding a
particular managerial situation. Placing the reader at the scene of the action,
the real events presented provide an opportunity to help evaluate alternative
courses of action.

Case analysis is used in academics to help you
demonstrate your ability to evaluate situations critically, to apply concepts
you have learned in a class, to solve problems, and to communicate your
findings and conclusions. The purpose of this exercise is to introduce you to
case studies and the analysis process, and to a proper format for writing the
case study analysis report.

Try not to worry about trying to find the “right
answer” to a case. Usually, there is no single right answer. Most cases
are intentionally ambiguous and can be viewed from many different perspectives.
Several feasible solutions are usually available to any give case. The best
solution is the one you can best support with thoughtful analysis, logical
arguments, and substantiating evidence from your research or your own
experience. Your goal in analyzing a case is to provide an effective solution
to the situation outlined and to support that solution with solid and
persuasive evidence.

Overview

Analyzing a case study can take several forms, and you
should check with your instructor on the specific approach or point of view
that he or she recommends. For example, you might analyze the case from the
perspective that you are the central character of the narrative and must
provide a report of what you would do in the situation. On the other hand, you
might play the role of an outside consultant hired to evaluate the situation
for which you provide a report.

Make sure you allow enough time for the various tasks
you must perform. These tasks are listed below and explained in more detail in
the following sections.

(Note: When writing a case analysis as an exercise in a
writing class, there will be no content-related course concepts (e.g.,
management or health care theories) that apply directly to the case. The
objective of the assignment will be to produce a well-written analysis. You
should check with your instructor to determine the expectations of content and
the amount of research required.

Analyzing the Case

1. 
Read and study the case thoroughly.

2. 
Define the problem(s).

3. 
Select a focus for your analysis by identifying
key issues and their causes.

4. 
Identify and apply course concepts in order to
identify possible solutions.

5. 
Evaluate alternative solutions and choose the
solution you believe is best.

Writing the Case Analysis

1. 
Determine how you want to present your views and
structure your paper.

2. 
Produce a first draft of your case analysis.

3. 
Revise and edit the draft.

4. 
Format and proofread the final report.

Analyzing the Case

1. 
Read and study the case thoroughly.

Read the case once for familiarity with the overall
situation, background, and characters involved, noting issues that you think
may be important. Read the case again, and highlight all relevant facts. Make
sure you understand the situation and have all the facts. Make notes about
issues, symptoms of problems, root problems, unresolved issues, and the roles
of key players. Watch for indications of issues beneath the surface.

2. 
Define the problem(s).

Identify the key problems or issues in the case. Case
studies often contain an overabundance of information about a particular
situation, not all of which may be relevant. Do not try to analyze every fact
and issue. Part of the skill of good case analysis is in determining which
facts are relevant.

3. 
Select a focus for your analysis by identifying
the key issues and their causes.

Determine how to focus your analysis. Narrow the
problem(s) you have identified to between two and five key issues. Do not try
to examine every possible aspect of the case. Identify the most important
issues that relate to the concepts you have been studying in the course (if
applicable).

Once you have focused on one or two key issues, try to
gain a fuller understanding of their causes. Why do these problem(s) exist?
What caused them? What is the effect of the problem(s) on the organization or
the relationships among individuals in the organization? Who is responsible for
or affected by the problem(s)?

4. 
Identify and apply course concepts in order to
identify possible solutions. (See previous note regarding writing a case
analysis as an exercise in a writing class.) This section is included so that
you become familiar with the application of case studies in context of applying
content-related course concepts.)

a. 
Identify and apply one or more concepts
discussed in class, covered in your readings, or learned from your own
experience that would apply to the case and provide some insight or guidance in
solving the problem(s).

b. 
Review your notes from class discussions and
your texts and other readings in the course, conduct outside research, and use
your own knowledge and experience to decide what concepts, theories, or ideas
could be relevant.

5. 
Evaluate alternative solutions and choose the
solution you believe best reflects the findings from your analysis.

Make certain you can support the solution you choose
with solid evidence from your case analysis. Weigh the pros and cons of each
alternative. Which solution is the most feasible? Make certain you can defend
that solution.

Now you are ready to proceed to the next step—determining
how to present your ideas and structure your paper.

Writing the Case Analysis

Written case analyses are short, structured reports.
Usually, the instructor will ask for between two and ten typed pages, depending
upon the complexity of the case. Some case studies are assigned as individual
efforts; others are group projects. Still others may be a partial group effort,
with the group collaborating in the analysis and each individual student being
asked to prepare a separate written analysis.

Your task, in writing your case analysis, is to combine
aspects of the case and key issues with your perceptions and supported
opinions. You must then examine alternatives, choose the most viable solution,
and provide evidence to support your views. You obtain this evidence from class
discussions, your text readings, outside research, and your personal
experiences.

1. 
Determine how you want to present your views and
structure your paper.

Most case studies follow a prescribed format and
structure and can vary depending upon the course in which it is used, such as
those discussed next. Check with your instructor regarding his or her
preference as to the sections of the case study analysis report. Case study
analyses are written as reports with headings, not as essays. The report should
clearly identify the relevant sections for the reader.

a. 
Title page

Use standard APA format to develop a title page.

b. 
Introduction

Determine a thesis. Summarize, in one sentence, the
principal outcome of your analysis. This is the thesis for your report and
should be clearly stated in the first few paragraphs. The introduction
identifies the central problem.

c. 
Background

Take the central problem, and place it in a context for
the reader providing background information about the case. Do not reiterate or
rehash the facts stated in the case. Rather, place the case in a research
context. The background section demonstrates to the reader that you have
conducted research, either academically or in the field, regarding the types of
problems that the case study describes. Be sure that your written presentation
focuses your diagnosis of the problems on the most important issues.

d. 
Key Problems

This is where you identify your thoughts about the
problems that exist. It is considered a very important part of the report.
Start with the “who-when-where-what-why-how” typical questions (Gerson &
Gerson, 2002). Ask yourself here as you ponder the situation: “What are the
problems at this company?” There certainly is usually more than one problem.
Identify the ones you see as being instrumental to the success of the company
or its project.

e. 
Alternatives

Now that you have conducted research and placed the
problem(s) into a context, you will have informed choices about the alternative
solutions to the problem(s).

You are not expected to analyze all possible
alternatives. However, you should have considered several alternatives when you
formed your opinion about the case. Discuss these alternatives and why you
rejected them in determining your solution to the case. Why are these viable
alternatives? What are the constraints (e.g. money, time, personnel, resources)
imposed and the reason that you do not recommend the alternative at this time?

f. 
Proposed Solution

Discuss your proposed solution providing support with
solid evidence. Generally, you should only provide one proposed solution. Keep
in mind that in the context of the case study, the characters or company can
only start on one solution at a time. Which one do you propose and why? Justify
why this solution is the best option through a logical argument supported by
research.

The proposed solution should be specific and realistic.

g. 
Recommendations

If appropriate, you may conclude your written analysis
with a discussion of the implications of the problems you identified on the functioning
of the organization or on the relationship among individuals in the case. You
may also want to make recommendations for further action that might be taken to
resolve some of these issues. Be specific about what should be done and who
should do it. This section discusses specific strategies that the individuals
in the case can do to accomplish the proposed solution.

Check with your instructor as to whether this section
should be included in your case analysis report.

2. 
Produce a first draft of your case analysis.

3. 
Revise and edit the draft.

4. 
Format and proofread the final report.

Case study reports are written in a structured format,
not as essays. Case study reports usually contain an Executive Summary that
contains brief summaries of the Introduction, Background, and Proposed Solution
sections of your report. The Executive Summary provides a quick, easy-to-read
summary of these three main parts of the case study. (Check with your
instructor to see if he or she requires an Executive Summary to be included
with your report.)

Tips for formatting the final report:

a. 
If an Executive Summary is to be included, it
should be single-spaced with relevant headings identifying the sections. The
Executive Summary should summarize those sections of the report, and not
contain any information not discussed by the report.

b. 
The case study analysis should be written as a
structured report, with relevant headings. The case study analysis is not an
essay.

5. 
Include any relevant appendices and references
in a proper APA format.

Case Study for Student AnalysisIn early April, Carl Robins, the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc., successfully recruited several new hires in spite of having been at his new job for only six months; this was his first recruitment effort.He hired 15 new trainees to work for Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor. He scheduled a new hire orientation to take place June 15, hoping to have all new hires working by July.On May 15, Monica contacted Carl about the training schedule, orientation, manuals, policy booklets, physicals, drug tests, and a host of other issues, which Carl would coordinate for the new hires. Carl assured Monica that everything would be arranged in time.After Memorial Day, Carl was at his office and pulled out his new trainee file to finalize the paperwork needed for the orientation on June 15. While going through the files, Carl became concerned. Some of the new trainees did not have applications completed or their transcripts on file, and none of them had been sent to the clinic for the mandatory drug screen. He then searched the orientation manuals and found only three copies with several pages missing from each.Frustrated, he went for a quick walk. Upon his return to the office, he decided to check out the training room for the orientation. There, he found Joe, from technology services, setting up computer terminals. Carl reviewed the scheduling log and found that Joe had also reserved the room for the entire month of June for computer training seminars for the new database software implementation.Carl panicked. He went back to his office, put his head on his desk, and thought to himself, “What am I going to do?”