Case Study Analysis - 3000 words

This means you have to ‘sell’ your report on the Executive Summary.

1.2 Content

The Executive Summary should include a summary of the ‘brief’, that is the objective(s) of the report and any special issues that you have been asked to investigate.

If the Report involves research, you should identify your methodology briefly. Don’t discuss it, just state it. If it involved telephone interviews or on-line research, say so. Give it an appropriate heading such as Research Methods.

Identify your main research findings. List them using numbering or bullet points. Keep your findings brief and totally relevant to the brief. Again, give this section a heading.

Do not use jargon. It is better to say Key Performance Indicators rather than KPI’s, as long as you do not have to use the phrase intensively. If you do, then introduce it in its long form, and after this (KPI).

2.0 STRUCTURE

2.1 Style

Your report should be:

· Easy to read

· Lucid, well written, with no typographical errors

· Visibly appealing

· Crisply worded

· Well structured with numbered sections

Use white space and avoid visually intense & long paragraphs. Separate paragraphs with a space.

Use bullet points as above to identify a number of issues or topics and then address them one at a time. This enables the reader to see your structure at a glance.

Keep your paragraphs short and crisp. Don’t drift away from your key argument. Don’t use ten words where five will do.

2.2 Numbering

You can use mathematical numbers in your text as this is a Business Report. It is not an essay.

Structure your report sensibly. For example, 1.2 is acceptable but 1.2.1 is unnecessary. Make sure your numbering is consistent throughout the Report.

2.3 Excessive detail

Give numbers in the main body of the report if they are necessary to follow the argument you are making. If they are merely supporting data, put them in the appendices.

Don’t give more detailed information than is necessary. In giving numerical data you may be advised to round large numbers to make them easier to absorb.

For example:

2006 Sales £3,768,789.45 is too complex.

2006 Sales £3,769k. or £3.8m. may be much clearer, where:

· £k. K means thousand

· £m. M means million

Make sure that you report the sector, market or demand statistics appropriately. For instance, if you are discussing the mobile phone market, if you report it in financial terms, that will not represent realistically the split by usage between smartphones and dumbphones. It would be better to report this market, for instance, in terms of units, and also in terms of revenue.

2.4 Using tables

It may be better to use tables or charts to give summary information. Don’t add more information (numerical data) than is necessary to illustrate your point. You can provide the full table as an Appendix.

3.0 COMMENTS RELATING TO THE BUSINESS STRATEGY REPORT

3.1 General points

Don’t lose sight of the purpose of this coursework. It is to show your understanding and real life application of competitive and strategic analysis.

Introduce the frameworks, tools, concepts etc as you use them. We need to see that you understand them but we don’t need to see a description of, for example, the meaning of Porter’s 5 forces or Ansoff’s matrix. We do need to see you apply them (if you feel they are appropriate). There is nothing to be gained by including analysis tools just for the sake of including them.

You should not need to describe any strategy jargon or methodologies.

3.2 The Word Count

Tables, charts, contents page & appendices are not part of the 500 or 3000 word count.

Markers have been asked by the university to take off marks if the word count is exceeded. This is also useful discipline for your business /professional life.

3.3 Relevance

Be ruthless in looking at your work to see if every paragraph is relevant. Does it add value or is it irrelevant ‘padding’. Are you using strategy theories, concepts, methods etc that do not have much to add to your analysis? If so, cut them out.

Lisa Blatch

N1588 Case Study module University of Sussex