W

I KEEP SIX HONEST SERVING MEN, THEY THOUGHT ME ALL I KNEW; THEIR NAMES ARE WHAT AND WHY AND WHEN AND HO

1.1 What is Business Case Analysis

If you attend business school, you can expect to read a lot of case studies. Professors love them
because they offer real-world examples of why businesses succeed and fail.
Business case analysis (BCA) can be defined as a decision support and planning tool that
projects the likely results and business consequences of an action or investment. The analysis
essentially asks:
What happens if we take this or that action?"

A business case is an argument, usually documented, that is intended to convince a decision

maker to approve some kind of action. The strength of the business case is every bit as
important as the value inherent in the business.

More comprehensively, business case analysis is a situational analysis of the facts to take actions
for solving a business problem or achieve a specific business objective.

1.2 Why use cases to practice Business Management?

A student of business with fact, absorbed many answers he lacked, but acquiring a job, he said with a
sob, how does one fit answer to fact? Prof. Charles Gragg
Cases help substitute for on-the-job experience by (1) giving you broader exposure to a variety of industries, organizations, and strategic problems;
(2) forcing you to assume a managerial role (as opposed to that of just an onlooker);
(3) providing a test of how to apply the tools and techniques of strategic management; and

(4) asking you to come up with

Session 1: Introduction to Case Analysis

pragmatic managerial action plans to

deal with the issues at hand.

Session Contents:

Meaning of Business Case Analysis

Why use cases to practice business management?
Objectives of Case Analysis
Why case studies are so important for business students?
Types of Business Case Studies

1.3 Objective of Case Analysis?

Using

cases

to

learn

about

the

practice of strategic management is

Learning Outcomes:

a powerful way for you to accomplish

After completion of this session participant will able -

five things:

to learn the meaning of case study

to learn the objectives of case analysis
to learn importance of case study in business studies
to learn the importance of case study in business management
to gain the knowledge of different types of business cases

1. Increase your understanding

of what managers should and
should

not

do

in

guiding

business to success.
2. Build your skills in sizing up
company resource strengths and
weaknesses and in conducting
strategic analysis in a variety of
industries

and

competitive

situations.
3.

Get

valuable

practice

in

identifying strategic issues that

need to be addressed, evaluating
strategic

alternatives,

and

formulating workable plans of

action.
4.

Enhance

your

sense

of

business judgment, as opposed

to

uncritically

authoritative

accepting
crutch

of

the
the

professor or back-of-the-book
answers.

5. Gaining in-depth exposure to different industries and companies, thereby acquiring

something close to actual business experience.

1.4 Why Case Studies Are Important for Business Student

Case studies prepare a business student to understand business consequences at different
situation. Moreover, it is important for business student at least for five reasons:
1. It establish expertise to identify and understand the real business facts.
2. It provides the learning of analysis different business situation.
3. It provides the student knowledge about how to take decision in a specific business
situation.
4. It creates scope for the student to use skills they gain from the study of different business
courses.
5. It provides a scenario of real business world to the students.

1.5 Types of Business Cases

There are basically four types of case studies are found, these are:

Illustrative case studies. These are primarily descriptive studies. They typically utilize
one or two instances of an event to show what a situation is like. Illustrative case studies
serve primarily to make the unfamiliar familiar and to give readers a common language
about the topic in question.
Exploratory (or pilot) case studies. These are condensed case studies performed
before implementing a large scale investigation. Their basic function is to help identify
questions and select types of measurement prior to the main investigation. The primary
pitfall of this type of study is that initial findings may seem convincing enough to be
released prematurely as conclusions.
Cumulative case studies. These serve to aggregate information from several sites
collected at different times. The idea behind these studies is the collection of past studies
will allow for greater generalization without additional cost or time being expended on
new, possibly repetitive studies.
Critical instance case studies. These examine one or more sites for either the purpose
of examining a situation of unique interest with little to no interest in generalizability, or to
call into question or challenge a highly generalized or universal assertion. This method is
useful for answering cause and effect questions.

More types of business case:

Session 2: How to Analyze a Business Case

Session Contents:

Process of analyze a case

Tools to analyze a case
Guideline to Analyze a case
Preparing a written case analysis

1. Short Case
2. Topic Base Cases
3. Subjective Cases
4. Strategic Cases

Preparing an Oral Presentation

5. Audio Cases

Learning Outcomes:

6. Video Cases etc.

After completion of this session participant will able to learn how to analyze a case
to learn how to write a case analysis
to learn using tools to analyze a case
to learn how to prepare an oral presentation

2.1 Process of Analyze a Case

2.2 Tools to Analyze Business Case

To identify strategic issues or key

problems go through whole the
case is very important.
To
identification
of
facts
surrounding the case we have
provide concentration on the
information in exhibit, figures,
table, graphs, and chart. We can
use
external
environmental
scanning,
resource
based
approach, and VRIO Analysis to
identify all the facts.
After
identifying
the
facts
surrounding the case we have to
identify strategic factors. By
using factors mapping technique,
we can identify which are the
factors are related with our
strategic issue or key problems.
In that steps we can prepare a
PEST and SWOT analysis.
To analyze the strategic factors,
we have to identify types of
factors, because on the basis of
the type of factors we have to
decide which tools we will use to
analyze.

For financial facts we can use Ratio Analysis, IRR,

ARR, Compare Historical Financial Data, Calculate
and Determine Changes in Percentages, z-value, and
index of sustainable growth.
For economic facts we can use GDP, and Inflation
Rate etc.
For competitive factors we can use BCG Matrix, GE
Matrix, Porter Five Forces Model, TOWS Matrix, USP
Analysis, Porters Diamond Model, Porters Four
Corner Model, and The ADL Matrix etc.
For marketing factors, we can use Marketing Mix, RFM Segmentation, Market Segmentation,
The Product Life Cycle, Customer Experience Mapping, Kellers Brand Equity Model, ANSOFF
Matrix, etc.
For manufacturing and operations factors, we can use Value Chain Analysis, Kaizen, Lean
Manufacturing, Kanban, JIT, 5s Model, The Innovation Circle, The RATER Model, The TOC etc.
For Quality Management factors, we can use TQM, Six Sigma, House of Quality, CTQ Tree,
Benchmarking, Zero Defects etc.

Identification of Case Motive, Identifying Step 1

strategic issues or business problems
Step 2

Identification of Strategic Factors

Identification of Facts Surounding the

case

Step 3

For further study on the tools strategic tools for business please read the e-book Strategy Tools:
Mapping Out Your Best Possible Direction, available in www.bluefairy.tk/books.html

Analyze the Strategic Factors

Step 4

2.3 Guideline to Analyze Business Case

Specify Alternative Courses of Actions

1. Skim the case rather quickly to get an overview of the situation it presents.
2. Read the case thoroughly to digest the facts and circumstances.
3. Carefully review all the information presented in the exhibits.
1. Decide what the strategic issues or problems in the case.
2. Identify the type of case.
3. Identify and List all the factors you found in the case.
4. Group the factors into internal and external.
5. Regroup the factors into strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
6. Decide the tools and techniques to analyze.
7. Analyze and develop a situation.
8. Develop appropriate alternative action plans to strategic issues or problems.
9. Evaluate each action plan with pros and corns
10.Choose an action plan, you can combine more than one action plan to support strategic
issues or solve the problems in the case.
11.Develop your recommendations
12.Give a plan to implement the action plan according to your recommendations

Evaluate Each Courses of Action

Decide the recommnedations

Step 5
Step 6
Step 7

2.3 Prepare a Written Case Analysis

1. Introduction of the organization
2. Highlight Strategic Issues or Problems
3. Present situation of the organization (Use SWOT analysis to present situation)
4. Provide your analysis and evaluation (Use tools according to type of information in the
case available)

5. Develop the action plan and provide your recommendation. Provide your recommendation
with cause and effect relationship. (Should be specific and never use I think, I believe use
study show or analysis shows, you can follow a format to provide your recommendation
like The company should do because)
6. Provide a propose plan to implement your recommendation

2.4 Prepare an Oral Presentation of Case Analysis

1. An opening slide covering the title of the presentation and names of the presenters.
2. A slide showing an outline of the presentation (If there are multiple presenters please
mention the name of presenter with each outlined topic)
3. One or more slides showing the key problems and strategic issues that management
needs to address
4. A series of slides covering the factors you identify to present the current situation of the
organization
5. A series of slides covering your analysis of the companys situation
6. A series of slides containing your recommendations and the supporting arguments and
reasoning for each recommendation -

one slide for each recommendation and the

associate reasoning has a lot of merit.

7. A series of slides containing a proposed plan to implement your recommendations