1. GEB 4890 Business Strategy Fall 2000
Case Study Analysis
GEB 4890
Business Strategy
Fall 2000

2. Why use Case Study Analysis?
Provides you with experience not ordinarily available
Cases illustrate the theory and content of strategic management
Provides you with the opportunity to participate in class and present your ideas to others

3. Detailed Case Analysis
Eight Areas:
History, development, & growth of company
Identification of internal strengths and weaknesses
Analysis of the external environment
SWOT analysis
Type of corporate-level strategy pursued by the company
Nature of the company’s business level strategy
Company’s structure and control systems and how they match its strategy
Recommendations

4. Writing a Good Case Study- Additional Points
Do not repeat large pieces of factual information
Make your discussion flow logically and soundly
Avoid grammatical and spelling errors
Do a library and/or Internet search for information
Can use questions handed out by instructor

5. Position Papers Use Case Study Guidelines and Rubric from Syllabus
Collect information on the company

6. Financial Analysis in Case Analysis
Profit Ratios
Gross Profit Margin
Net Profit Margin
Return on Total Assets
Return on Stockholder’s Equity
Liquidity Ratios
Current Ratio
Quick Ratio

7. Financial Analysis in Case Analysis
Activity Ratios
Inventory turnover
Days Sales Outstanding
Leverage Ratios
Debt-to-assets Ratio
Debt-to-Equity Ratio
Times Covered Ratio

8. Financial Analysis in Case Analysis
Shareholder Return Ratios
Total Shareholder Returns
Price-Earnings Ratio
Market to Book Value
Dividend Yield
Cash Flow

9. Ten Commandments of Case Analysis
To be observed in written reports and oral presentations, and while participating in class discussions
From Thompson, A.A., Jr. & Strickland, A.J., III. (1995). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, Eighth Edition. Chicago: Irwin

10. Number One
Read the case twice, once for an overview and once to gain full command of the facts; then take care to explore every one of the exhibits

11. Number Two
Make a list of problems and issues that have to be confronted.

12. Number Three
Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the case.

13. Number Four
Look for opportunities to use the concepts and analytical tools you have learned earlier.

14. Number Five
Be thorough in your diagnosis of the situation and make an outline of your assessment.

15. Number Six
Support any and all opinions with well-reasoned arguments and numerical evidence. Don’t stop until you can purge “I think” and “I feel” from your assessment and, instead, can rely completely on “My analysis shows”.

16. Number Seven
Develop charts, tables, and graphs to expose more clearly the main points of your analysis.

17. Number Eight
Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an acceptable time frame with the available skills and financial resources. 1. 2. 3.

18. Number Nine
Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and issues you identified.

19. Number Ten
Avoid recommending any course of action that could have disastrous consequences if it doesn’t work out as planned; therefore, be as alert to the downside risks of your recommendations as you are to their upside potential and appeal.