case study2
MANDY17
WhyUseCasestoPracticeStrategicManagement_.pdf
2/15/22, 1:20 PM Why Use Cases to Practice Strategic Management?
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WHY USE CASES TO PRACTICE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT?
A student of business with tact
Absorbed many answers he lacked.
But acquiring a job,
He said with a sob,
“How does one fit answer to fact?”
The foregoing limerick was used some years ago by Professor Charles Gragg to
characterize the plight of business students who had no exposure to cases. The
facts are that the mere act of listening to lectures and sound advice about managing does little for anyone’s management skills and that the accumulated managerial
wisdom cannot effectively be passed on by lectures and assigned readings alone. If
anything had been learned about the practice of management, it is that a storehouse of ready-made textbook answers does not exist. Each managerial
situation has unique aspects, requiring its own diagnosis, judgment, and tailor-made
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actions. Cases provide would-be managers with a valuable way to practice wrestling
with the actual problems of actual managers in actual companies.
The case approach to strategic analysis is, first and foremost, an exercise in learning by doing. Because cases provide you with detailed information about
conditions and problems of different industries and companies, your task of
analyzing company after company and situation after situation has the twin benefit of boosting your analytical skills and exposing you to the ways companies and
managers actually do things. Most college students have limited managerial
backgrounds and only fragmented knowledge about companies and real-life strategic situations. 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 pragmatic managerial
action plans to deal with the issues at hand.
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Objectives of Case Analysis Using cases to learn about the practice of strategic management is a powerful way for you to accomplish five things:
If you understand that these are the objectives of case analysis, you are less likely to
be consumed with curiosity about “the answer to the case.” Students who have
grown comfortable with and accustomed to textbook statements of fact and definitive lecture notes are often frustrated when discussions about a case do not
produce concrete answers. Usually, case discussions produce good arguments for
more than one course of action. Differences of opinion nearly always exist. Thus, should a class discussion conclude without a strong, unambiguous consensus on
what to do, don’t grumble too much when you are not told what the answer is or
what the company actually did. Just remember that in the business world answers don’t come in conclusive black-and-white terms. There are nearly always several
feasible courses of action and approaches, each of which may work out
satisfactorily. Moreover, in the business world, when one elects a particular course of action, there is no peeking at the back of a book to see if you have chosen the
best thing to do and no one to turn to for a provably correct answer. The best test
of whether management action is “right” or “wrong” is results. If the results of an
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1. Increase your understanding of what managers should and should not do in guiding a 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 accepting
the authoritative crutch of the professor or “back-of-the-book” answers.
5. Gain in-depth exposure to different industries and companies, thereby acquiring something close to actual business experience.
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action turn out to be “good,” the decision to take it may be presumed “right.” If
not, then the action chosen was “wrong” in the sense that it didn’t work out.
Hence, the important thing for you to understand about analyzing cases is that the managerial exercise of identifying, diagnosing, and recommending is
aimed at building your skills of business judgment. Discovering what the company
actually did is no more than frosting on the cake—the actions that company managers actually took may or may not be “right” or best (unless there is
accompanying evidence that the results of their actions were highly positive).
The point is this: The purpose of giving you a case assignment is not to cause you
to run to the library or surf the Internet to discover what the company actually did
but, rather, to enhance your skills in sizing up situations and developing your managerial judgment about what needs to be done and how to do it. The aim of
case analysis is for you to become actively engaged in diagnosing the business
issues and managerial problems posed in the case, to propose workable solutions, and to explain and defend your assessments—this is how cases provide you with
meaningful practice at being a manager.
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Preparing a Case for Class Discussion If this is your first experience with the case method, you may have to reorient your study habits. Unlike lecture courses where you can get by without preparing
intensively for each class and where you have latitude to work assigned readings
and reviews of lecture notes into your schedule, a case assignment requires conscientious preparation before class. You will not get much out of hearing the
class discuss a case you haven’t read, and you certainly won’t be able to contribute
anything yourself to the discussion. What you have got to do to get ready for class discussion of a case is to study the case, reflect carefully on the situation presented,
and develop some reasoned thoughts. Your goal in preparing the case should be to
end up with what you think is a sound, well-supported analysis of the situation and
a sound, defensible set of recommendations about which managerial actions need to be taken.
To prepare a case for class discussion, we suggest the following approach:
1. Skim the case rather quickly to get an overview of the situation it presents. This
quick overview should give you the general flavor of the situation and indicate
the kinds of issues and problems that you will need to wrestle with. If your instructor has provided you with study questions for the case, now is the time
to read them carefully.
2. Read the case thoroughly to digest the facts and circumstances. On this reading, try to gain full command of the situation presented in the case. Begin to
develop some tentative answers to the study questions your instructor has
provided. If your instructor has elected not to give you assignment questions, then start forming your own picture of the overall situation being described.
3. Carefully review all the information presented in the exhibits. Often, there is an
important story in the numbers contained in the exhibits. Expect the information in the case exhibits to be crucial enough to materially affect your
diagnosis of the situation.
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4. Decide what the strategic issues are. Until you have identified the strategic
issues and problems in the case, you don’t know what to analyze, which tools and analytical techniques are called for, or otherwise how to proceed. At times
the strategic issues are clear—either being stated in the case or else obvious
from reading the case. At other times you will have to dig them out from all the information given; if so, the study questions will guide you.
5. Start your analysis of the issues with some number crunching. A big majority of
strategy cases call for some kind of number crunching—calculating assorted financial ratios to check out the company’s financial condition and recent
performance, calculating growth rates of sales or profits or unit volume,
checking out profit margins and the makeup of the cost structure, and understanding whatever revenue-cost-profit relationships are present. See
Table 1 for a summary of key financial ratios, how they are calculated, and
what they show.
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TABLE 1 Key Financial Ratios: How to Calculate Them and What They Mean
Ratio How Calculated
Profitability
ratios
1. Gross profit
margin
2. Operating
profit margin
(or return on
sales)
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Ratio How Calculated
3. Net profit
margin (or
net return on
sales)
4. Total return
on assets
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Ratio How Calculated
5. Net return
on total
assets
(ROA)
6. Return on
stockholder’s
equity
(ROE)
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Ratio How Calculated
Liquidity ratios
7. Return on
invested
capital
(ROIC)—
sometimes
referred to as
return on
capital
employed
(ROCE)
8. Earnings per
share (EPS)
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Ratio How Calculated
1. Current ratio
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Ratio How Calculated
Leverage ratios
2. Working
capital
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Ratio How Calculated
1. Total debt-to-
assets ratio
2. Long-term
debt-to-
capital ratio
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Ratio How Calculated
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Ratio How Calculated
3. Debt-to-
equity ratio
4. Long-term
debt-to-
equity ratio
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Ratio How Calculated
Activity ratios
5. Times-
interest-
earned (or
coverage)
ratio
1. Days of
inventory
2. Inventory
turnover
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Ratio How Calculated
Other important
measures of
financial
performance
3. Average
collection
period
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Ratio How Calculated
1. Dividend
yield on
common
stock
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Ratio How Calculated
2. Price-
earnings
ratio
3. Dividend
payout ratio
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Ratio How Calculated
4. Internal cash
flow
5. Free cash
flow
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Ratio How Calculated
6. Apply the concepts and techniques of strategic analysis you have been
studying. Strategic analysis is not just a collection of opinions; rather,
it entails applying the concepts and analytical tools described in Chapters 1
through 12 to cut beneath the surface and produce sharp insight and understanding. Every case assigned is strategy related and presents you with an
opportunity to usefully apply what you have learned. Your instructor is looking
for you to demonstrate that you know how and when to use the material presented in the text chapters.
7. Check out conflicting opinions and make some judgments about the validity of all
the data and information provided. Many times cases report views and
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As long as you are conscientious in preparing your analysis and recommendations, and have ample reasons, evidence, and arguments to support your views, you
shouldn’t fret unduly about whether what you’ve prepared is “the right answer” to
the case. In case analysis, there is rarely just one right approach or set of recommendations. Managing companies and crafting and executing strategies are
not such exact sciences that there exists a single provably correct analysis and
contradictory opinions (after all, people don’t always agree on things, and
different people see the same things in different ways). Forcing you to evaluate the data and information presented in the case helps you develop your powers
of inference and judgment. Asking you to resolve conflicting information
“comes with the territory” because a great many managerial situations entail opposing points of view, conflicting trends, and sketchy information.
8. Support your diagnosis and opinions with reasons and evidence. The most
important things to prepare for are your answers to the question “Why?” For instance, if after studying the case you are of the opinion that the company’s
managers are doing a poor job, then it is your answer to “Why?” that
establishes just how good your analysis of the situation is. If your instructor has provided you with specific study questions for the case, by all means
prepare answers that include all the reasons and number-crunching evidence
you can muster to support your diagnosis. If you are using study questions provided by the instructor, generate at least two pages of notes!
9. Develop an appropriate action plan and set of recommendations. Diagnosis
divorced from corrective action is sterile. The test of a manager is always to convert sound analysis into sound actions—actions that will produce the
desired results. Hence, the final and most telling step in preparing a case is to
develop an action agenda for management that lays out a set of specific recommendations on what to do. Bear in mind that proposing realistic,
workable solutions is far preferable to casually tossing out off-the-top-of-your-
head suggestions. Be prepared to argue why your recommendations are more attractive than other courses of action that are open.
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action plan for each strategic situation. Of course, some analyses and action plans
are better than others; but, in truth, there’s nearly always more than one good way to analyze a situation and more than one good plan of action.
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Participating in Class Discussion of a Case Classroom discussions of cases are sharply different from attending a lecture class. In a case class, students do most of the talking. The instructor’s role is to solicit
student participation, keep the discussion on track, ask “Why?” often, offer
alternative views, play the devil’s advocate (if no students jump in to offer opposing views), and otherwise lead the discussion. The students in the class carry the
burden for analyzing the situation and for being prepared to present and defend
their diagnoses and recommendations. Expect a classroom environment, therefore, that calls for your size-up of the situation, your analysis, what actions you would
take, and why you would take them. Do not be dismayed if, as the class discussion
unfolds, some insightful things are said by your fellow classmates that you did not
think of. It is normal for views and analyses to differ and for the comments of others in the class to expand your own thinking about the case. As the old adage
goes, “Two heads are better than one.” So it is to be expected that the class as a
whole will do a more penetrating and searching job of case analysis than will any one person working alone. This is the power of group effort, and its virtues are that
it will help you see more analytical applications, let you test your analyses and
judgments against those of your peers, and force you to wrestle with differences of opinion and approaches.
To orient you to the classroom environment on the days a case discussion
is scheduled, we compiled the following list of things to expect:
1. Expect the instructor to assume the role of extensive questioner and
listener.
2. Expect students to do most of the talking. The case method enlists a maximum
of individual participation in class discussion. It is not enough to be present as
a silent observer; if every student took this approach, there would be no discussion. (Thus, expect a portion of your grade to be based on your
participation in case discussions.)
3. Be prepared for the instructor to probe for reasons and supporting analysis.
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There are several things you can do on your own to be good and look good as a
participant in class discussions:
4. Expect and tolerate challenges to the views expressed. All students have to be
willing to submit their conclusions for scrutiny and rebuttal. Each student needs to learn to state his or her views without fear of disapproval and to
overcome the hesitation of speaking out. Learning respect for the views and
approaches of others is an integral part of case analysis exercises. But there are times when it is OK to swim against the tide of majority opinion. In the
practice of management, there is always room for originality and unorthodox
approaches. So while discussion of a case is a group process, there is no compulsion for you or anyone else to cave in and conform to group opinions
and group consensus.
5. Don’t be surprised if you change your mind about some things as the discussion unfolds. Be alert to how these changes affect your analysis and
recommendations (in the event you get called on).
6. Expect to learn a lot in class as the discussion of a case progresses; furthermore, you will find that the cases build on one another—what you learn
in one case helps prepare you for the next case discussion.
Although you should do your own independent work and independent thinking,
don’t hesitate before (and after) class to discuss the case with other students. In real life, managers often discuss the company’s problems and situation with
other people to refine their own thinking.
In participating in the discussion, make a conscious effort to contribute, rather
than just talk. There is a big difference between saying something that builds the
discussion and offering a long-winded, off-the-cuff remark that leaves the class wondering what the point was.
Avoid the use of “I think,” “I believe,” and “I feel”; instead, say, “My analysis shows _____” and “The company should do _____ because _____.” Always
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give supporting reasons and evidence for your views; then your instructor won’t
have to ask you “Why?” every time you make a comment.
In making your points, assume that everyone has read the case and knows what
it says. Avoid reciting and rehashing information in the case—instead, use the data and information to explain your assessment of the situation and to support
your position.
Bring the printouts of the work you’ve done on Case-TUTOR or the notes you’ve prepared (usually two or three pages’ worth) to class and rely on them
extensively when you speak. There’s no way you can remember everything off
the top of your head—especially the results of your number crunching. To reel off the numbers or to present all five reasons why, instead of one, you will need
good notes. When you have prepared thoughtful answers to the study questions
and use them as the basis for your comments, everybody in the room will know you are well prepared, and your contribution to the case discussion will stand
out.
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Preparing a Written Case Analysis Preparing a written case analysis is much like preparing a case for class discussion, except that your analysis must be more complete and put in report form.
Unfortunately, though, there is no ironclad procedure for doing a written case
analysis. All we can offer are some general guidelines and words of wisdom—this is because company situations and management problems are so diverse that no one
mechanical way to approach a written case assignment always works.
Your instructor may assign you a specific topic around which to prepare your
written report. Or, alternatively, you may be asked to do a comprehensive written
case analysis, where the expectation is that you will (1) identify all the pertinent issues that management needs to address, (2) perform whatever analysis and
evaluation is appropriate, and (3) propose an action plan and set of
recommendations addressing the issues you have identified. In going through the exercise of identify, evaluate, and recommend, keep the following pointers in
mind.
Identification It is essential early on in your written report that you
provide a sharply focused diagnosis of strategic issues and key problems and that you demonstrate a good grasp of the company’s present situation. Make sure you
can identify the firm’s strategy (use the concepts and tools in Chapters 1– 8
as diagnostic aids) and that you can pinpoint whatever strategy implementation
issues may exist (again, consult the material in Chapters 10– 12 for diagnostic
help). Consult the key points we have provided at the end of each chapter for
further diagnostic suggestions. Consider beginning your report with an overview of the company’s situation, its strategy, and the significant problems and issues that
confront management. State problems/issues as clearly and precisely as you can.
Unless it is necessary to do so for emphasis, avoid recounting facts and history about the company (assume your professor has read the case and is familiar with
the organization).
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Analysis and Evaluation This is usually the hardest part of the report. Analysis is
hard work! Check out the firm’s financial ratios, its profit margins and rates of return, and its capital structure, and decide how strong the firm is financially.
Table 1 contains a summary of various financial ratios and how they are
calculated. Use it to assist in your financial diagnosis. Similarly, look at marketing, production, managerial competence, and other factors underlying the
organization’s strategic successes and failures. Decide whether the firm has
valuable resource strengths and competencies and, if so, whether it is capitalizing on them.
Check to see if the firm’s strategy is producing satisfactory results and determine
the reasons why or why not. Probe the nature and strength of the competitive
forces confronting the company. Decide whether and why the firm’s competitive position is getting stronger or weaker. Use the tools and concepts you have learned
about to perform whatever analysis and evaluation is appropriate. Work through
the case preparation exercise on Case-TUTOR if one is available for the case you’ve been assigned.
In writing your analysis and evaluation, bear in mind four things:
1. You are obliged to offer analysis and evidence to back up your conclusions. Do not rely on unsupported opinions, over-generalizations, and platitudes as a
substitute for tight, logical argument backed up with facts and figures.
2. If your analysis involves some important quantitative calculations, use tables and charts to pre-sent the calculations clearly and efficiently. Don’t just tack
the exhibits on at the end of your report and let the reader figure out what they
mean and why they were included. Instead, in the body of your report cite some of the key numbers, highlight the conclusions to be drawn from the
exhibits, and refer the reader to your charts and exhibits for more details.
3. Demonstrate that you have command of the strategic concepts and analytical tools to which you have been exposed. Use them in your report.
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Recommendations The final section of the written case analysis should consist of a
set of definite recommendations and a plan of action. Your set of
recommendations should address all of the problems/issues you identified and analyzed. If the recommendations come as a surprise or do not follow logically
from the analysis, the effect is to weaken greatly your suggestions of what to do.
Obviously, your recommendations for actions should offer a reasonable prospect of success. High-risk, bet-the-company recommendations should be made with
caution. State how your recommendations will solve the problems you identified.
Be sure the company is financially able to carry out what you recommend; also check to see if your recommendations are workable in terms of acceptance by the
persons involved, the organization’s competence to implement them, and prevailing
market and environmental constraints. Try not to hedge or weasel on the actions you believe should be taken.
By all means state your recommendations in sufficient detail to be meaningful—get down to some definite nitty-gritty specifics. Avoid such unhelpful statements as
“the organization should do more planning” or “the company should be more
aggressive in marketing its product.” For instance, if you determine that “the firm should improve its market position,” then you need to set forth exactly how you
think this should be done. Offer a definite agenda for action, stipulating a timetable
and sequence for initiating actions, indicating priorities, and suggesting who should be responsible for doing what.
In proposing an action plan, remember there is a great deal of difference
between, on the one hand, being responsible for a decision that may be costly if it
4. Your interpretation of the evidence should be reasonable and objective. Be
wary of preparing a one-sided argument that omits all aspects not favorable to your conclusions. Likewise, try not to exaggerate or overdramatize. Endeavor
to inject balance into your analysis and to avoid emotional rhetoric. Strike
phrases such as “I think,” “I feel,” and “I believe” when you edit your first draft and write in “My analysis shows” instead.
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proves in error and, on the other hand, casually suggesting courses of action that
might be taken when you do not have to bear the responsibility for any of the consequences.
A good rule to follow in making your recommendations is: Avoid recommending
anything you would not yourself be willing to do if you were in management’s
shoes. The importance of learning to develop good managerial judgment is indicated by the fact that, even though the same information and operating data
may be available to every manager or executive in an organization, the quality of
the judgments about what the information means and which actions need to be taken does vary from person to person.
It goes without saying that your report should be well organized and well written. Great ideas amount to little unless others can be convinced of their merit—this
takes tight logic, the presentation of convincing evidence, and persuasively written
arguments.
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Preparing an Oral Presentation During the course of your business career it is very likely that you will be called upon to prepare and give a number of oral presentations. For this reason, it is
common in courses of this nature to assign cases for oral presentation to the whole
class. Such assignments give you an opportunity to hone your presentation skills.
The preparation of an oral presentation has much in common with that of a
written case analysis. Both require identification of the strategic issues and problems confronting the company, analysis of industry conditions and the
company’s situation, and the development of a thorough, well-thought-out action
plan. The substance of your analysis and quality of your recommendations in an oral presentation should be no different than in a written report. As with a written
assignment, you’ll need to demonstrate command of the relevant strategic concepts
and tools of analysis and your recommendations should contain sufficient detail to provide clear direction for management. The main difference between an oral
presentation and a written case is in the delivery format. Oral presentations rely
principally on verbalizing your diagnosis, analysis, and recommendations and visually enhancing and supporting your oral discussion with colorful, snappy slides
(usually created on Microsoft’s PowerPoint software).
Typically, oral presentations involve group assignments. Your instructor will
provide the details of the assignment—how work should be delegated among the group members and how the presentation should be conducted. Some instructors
prefer that presentations begin with issue identification, followed by analysis of the
industry and company situation analysis, and conclude with a recommended action plan to improve company performance. Other instructors prefer that the presenters
assume that the class has a good understanding of the external industry
environment and the company’s competitive position and expect the presentation to be strongly focused on the group’s recommended action plan and supporting
analysis and arguments. The latter approach requires cutting straight to the heart of
the case and supporting each recommendation with detailed analysis and
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persuasive reasoning. Still other instructors may give you the latitude to structure
your presentation however you and your group members see fit.
Regardless of the style preferred by your instructor, you should take great care in preparing for the presentation. A good set of slides with good content and good
visual appeal is essential to a first-rate presentation. Take some care to choose a
nice slide design, font size and style, and color scheme. We suggest including slides covering each of the following areas:
You and your team members should carefully plan and rehearse your slide show to
maximize impact and minimize distractions. The slide show should include all of
the pizzazz necessary to garner the attention of the audience, but not so much that it distracts from the content of what group members are saying to the class. You
should remember that the role of slides is to help you communicate your points to
the audience. Too many graphics, images, colors, and transitions may divert the audience’s attention from what is being said or disrupt the flow of the presentation.
Keep in mind that visually dazzling slides rarely hide a shallow or superficial or
otherwise flawed case analysis from a perceptive audience. Most instructors will tell you that first-rate slides will definitely enhance a well-delivered presentation, but
that impressive visual aids, if accompanied by weak analysis and poor oral delivery,
still add up to a substandard presentation.
An opening slide covering the “title” of the presentation and names of the
presenters.
A slide showing an outline of the presentation (perhaps with presenters’ names by each topic).
One or more slides showing the key problems and strategic issues that management needs to address.
A series of slides covering your analysis of the company’s situation.
A series of slides containing your recommendations and the supporting
arguments and reasoning for each recommendation—one slide for each
recommendation and the associated reasoning will give it a lot of merit.
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Researching Companies and Industries via the Internet and Online Data Services Very likely, there will be occasions when you need to get additional information
about some of the assignee cases, perhaps because your instructor has asked you to
do further research on the industry or company or because you are simply curious about what has happened to the company since the case was written. These days, it
is relatively easy to run down recent industry developments and to find out whether
a company’s strategic and financial situation has improved, deteriorated, or changed little since the conclusion of the case. The amount of information about
companies and industries available on the Internet and through online data
services is formidable and expanding rapidly.
It is a fairly simple matter to go to company websites, click on the investor information offerings and press release files, and get quickly to useful information.
Most company websites allow you to view or print the company’s quarterly and
annual reports, its 10-K and 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and various company press releases of interest. Frequently, a
company’s website will also provide information about its mission and vision
statements, values statements, codes of ethics, and strategy information, as well as charts of the company’s stock price. The company’s recent press releases typically
contain reliable information about what of interest has been going on—new product
introductions, recent alliances and partnership agreements, recent acquisitions, summaries of the latest financial results, tidbits about the company’s strategy,
guidance about future revenues and earnings, and other late-breaking company
developments. Some company web pages also include links to the home pages of industry trade associations where you can find information about industry size,
growth, recent industry news, statistical trends, and future outlook. Thus, an early
step in researching a company on the Internet is always to go to its website and see what’s available.
Online Data Services LexisNexis, Bloomberg Financial News Services, and other
online subscription services available in many university libraries provide access to
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a wide array of business reference material. For example, the web-based LexisNexis
Academic Universe contains business news articles from general news sources, business publications, and industry trade publications. Broadcast transcripts from
financial news programs are also available through LexisNexis, as are full-text 10-
Ks, 10-Qs, annual reports, and company profiles for more than 11,000 U.S. and international companies. Your business librarian should be able to direct you to the
resources available through your library that will aid you in your research.
Public and Subscription Websites with Good Information Plainly, you can use a
search engine such as Google or Yahoo! or MSN to find the latest news on a company or articles written by reporters that have appeared in the business media.
These can be very valuable in running down information about recent company
developments. However, keep in mind that the information retrieved by a search engine is “unfiltered” and may include sources that are not reliable or that contain
inaccurate or misleading information. Be wary of information provided by authors
who are unaffiliated with reputable organizations or publications and articles that were published in off-beat sources or on websites with an agenda. Be especially
careful in relying on the accuracy of information you find posted on various
bulletin boards. Articles covering a company or issue should be copyrighted or published by a reputable source. If you are turning in a paper containing
information gathered from the Internet, you should cite your sources (providing the
Internet address and date visited); it is also wise to print web pages for your
research file (some web pages are updated frequently).
The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Barron’s, and Fortune are all good sources of articles on companies. The online edition of The
Wall Street Journal contains the same information that is available daily in its print
version of the paper, but the WSJ website also maintains a searchable database of all The Wall Street Journal articles published during the past few years. Fortune and
Bloomberg Businessweek also make the content of the most current issue available
online to subscribers as well as provide archives sections that allow you to search
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for articles published during the past few years that may be related to a particular
keyword.
The following publications and websites are particularly good sources of company and industry information:
Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (contains company 10- Ks, 10-Qs, etc.)
http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch
Google Finance
http://finance.google.com
CNN Money
http://money.cnn.com
Hoover’s Online
http://hoovers.com
The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
www.wsj.com
Bloomberg Businessweek
www.businessweek.com and www.bloomberg.com
Fortune
www.fortune.com
MSN Money Central
http://moneycentral.msn.com
Yahoo! Finance
http://finance.yahoo.com/
Some of these Internet sources require subscriptions in order to access their entire databases.
You should always explore the investor relations section of every public company’s
website. In today’s world, these websites typically have a wealth of information
concerning a company’s mission, core values, performance targets, strategy, recent
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financial performance, and latest developments (as described in company press
releases).
Learning Comes Quickly With a modest investment of time, you will learn how to use Internet sources and search engines to run down information on companies
and industries quickly and efficiently. And it is a skill that will serve you well into
the future. Once you become familiar with the data available at different websites mentioned above and learn how to use a search engine, you will know where to go
to look for the particular information that you want. Search engines nearly always
turn up too many information sources that match your request rather than too few. The trick is to learn to zero in on those most relevant to what you are looking for.
Like most things, once you get a little experience under your belt on how to do
company and industry research on the Internet, you will be able to readily find the information you need.
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The Ten Commandments of Case Analysis As a way of summarizing our suggestions about how to approach the task of case analysis, we have put together what we like to call “The Ten Commandments of
Case Analysis.” They are shown in Table 2. If you observe all or even most of
these commandments faithfully as you prepare a case either for class discussion or for a written report, your chances of doing a good job on the assigned cases will be
much improved. Hang in there, give it your best shot, and have some fun exploring
what the real world of strategic management is all about.
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TABLE 2 The Ten Commandments of Case Analysis
To be observed in written reports and oral presentations, and while participating in
class discussions:
1. Go through the case twice, once for a quick overview and once to gain full
command of the facts. Then take care to explore the information in every one of the
case exhibits.
2. Make a complete list of the problems and issues that the company’s management
needs to address.
3. Be thorough in your analysis of the company’s situation (make a minimum of one to
two pages of notes detailing your diagnosis).
4. Look for opportunities to apply the concepts and analytical tools in the text
chapters—all of the cases in the book have very definite ties to the material in one or
more of the text chapters!!!!
5. Do enough number crunching to discover the story told by the data presented in the
case. (To help you comply with this commandment, consult Table 1 in this
section to guide your probing of a company’s financial condition and financial
performance.)
6. Support any and all off-the-cuff 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, are able to rely completely on “My analysis shows.”
7. Prioritize your recommendations and make sure they can be carried out in an
acceptable time frame with the available resources.
8. Support each recommendation with persuasive argument and reasons as to why it
makes sense and should result in improved company performance.
9. Review your recommended action plan to see if it addresses all of the problems and
issues you identified. Any set of recommendations that does not address all of the
issues and problems you identified is incomplete and insufficient.
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10. 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.
