case sheet 4

Case Preparation Worksheet

Case Assignment #4 – StarTech.com

Prepared by: (Insert Student name)

Case Question:

If you we in the position of Stephen Hoffer, Director of Sales for North American Operations for StarTech.com, what is your analysis of the situation described, what action would you take and why?

Short Cycle Process:

(Scan the case first to get the top level, first impression info. NOTE you haven’t yet read the whole case in detail here. These are some things you should be thinking of. Completing this section after a first scan of the case can improve your overall analysis immensely. Please take the time to complete this Short Cycle Process. No marks are associated with this activity.

Step 1: Read opening and ending paragraphs

Step 2: Identify who? What? Why? When? How? Related to the issue or challenge at hand

Step 3: Take a quick look at the case exhibits

Step 4: Take a quick look at all the subtitles in the case

Step 5: Skim the body of the case (read first and last sentence of each paragraph)

Step 6: Read the assignment questions and take some time to reflect

Long Cycle Process:

(Read the case in detail. Much, much deeper analysis is required here. This is the section I look at extensively to generate your grade for this effort.)

Part 1: Read the case fully

Part 2: Analyze the case

Step 1: Define the issue at hand

Step 2: Analyze the case data

Step 3: Generate alternatives

Step 4: Select your decision criteria

Step 5: Assess the alternatives you have chosen based on your decision criteria

Step 6: Select your preferred alternative

Step 7: Develop an action and implementation plan

Step 1: Define the issue at hand

Issues	Immediate?	Strategic?	Urgent Important Quadrant? (I,II,III,IV from guide below)

Issue Analysis Guide (put relevant # in chart above)
Importance Urgency	LOW	HIGH
LOW	I	II
HIGH	III	IV

Problem Statement:
From all the issues listed above, what is the “Big Deal” issue? What is the overall strategic problem? One problem only!!

Step 2: Analyze the case data

Cause of key problem & effect on company if not addressed?
Related CRM theory (VIP!) Failure to use what we’ve learned about CRM will result in zero for whole case worksheet. NOTE: This section is where you note which theories you are using to evaluate this case. It is not the place where you summarize all the text book info about those theories. Reciting textbook will not get any marks. Here you note which theories you will use -- and for the rest of this analysis, you will demonstrate the use of those theories to assess the case material.
Internal Analysis: What’s going on inside this company? Strengths, weaknesses and constraints
What is going on in the external environment that is relevant to the issues above? (Opportunities and Threats)
Conclusions on this whole section?

Step 3: Select your Decision Criteria (with CRM focus)

Each criteria must help you to evaluate the problem but must not favour one solution over the other. Each must be mutually exclusive. Finally, you should have a mix of qualitative and quantitative.

What is your criteria? (The alternative that I choose here must……) (The alternative that I choose here should…..)	Quantitative criteria? (Yes/No)	Qualitative criteria? (Yes/No)
1.
2.
3.
4. Add more rows if necessary

Step 4: Generate Alternatives

Each alternative should be strategic in nature, and propose a distinctly different way forward to solve the problem posed in the case. The most important aspect of comparing alternatives is a detailed and balanced assessment of the merits and tradeoffs of each alternatives. This includes how well each alternative satisfied key decision criteria and fits with key insights from your analysis above.

Alternative	Pros	Cons
1.
2.
3. Add more rows if necessary

Step 5: Assess the alternatives you have chosen based on your decision criteria (with CRM focus)

A table provides an efficient overview of the merits of each alterative in relation to criteria. However, you must also include a discussion of the decision matrix chart.

Alternative analysis matrix	Alternative 1 (+,N,-)	Alternative 2 (+,N,-)	Alternative 3 (+,N,-)	Etc. (+,N,-)
Criteria 1
Criteria 2
Criteria 3
Etc.
Etc.
Total (Go/No Go?)

Discussion of Alternative analysis matrix

Step 6: Select your preferred alternative (with CRM focus)

Which alternative do you choose?
Why? (how does this best meet your decision criteria)
How will this best solve the challenge posed above in Issues section?
How does it address CRM Challenge(s) at hand?

Step 7: Develop an action and implementation plan (with CRM focus)

· Who? What? When? Where? How?

· Timeline for all actions to be taken

· Every implementation plan should have at least 1 strategic overall direction and 5 related tactics which are actionable for the next 6-12 months

· This section should be lengthy. Remember in case analysis, you ARE the decision making in the case so you must take action after the decision is made. You cannot be vague. You will need specific people to do specific things – not just tomorrow, but for the next 6-12 months.

·

Tactic	Details	Date(s) for Implementation (CRM often has multi-step tactics)

Missing Information:

Assumptions:

Rubric:

Criteria

Level 3 - Acceptable with good level of critical thinking and fully complete 5 points

Level 2 - Some evidence of critical thinking and/or not fully completed 2.5 points

Level 1 - Unacceptable/incomplete 0 points