Business Economics
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WritingtheFirstCaseStudy-CaseStudyStyle1.pptx
How to Write Case Study 1- Case Study Style
1
What Is Case Study Style
We have been using case study style writing in the discussion and many of you are really getting the hand of it, but there can be some challenge when you try to do the case study style on a paper calling for research. So what is the trick? Case study style is really about how to present substance, not about whether the format is APA or Strayer Style
The key, break each topic in to short case study segments similar to a discussion. For example if you are asked to compare and contract something, begin with the answer. The English and Dutch auction both are about seeking to find the value of an item, but each has its strength and weakness…….
That is it break the writing process down into a series of short discussion presentations.
Here is a more complete example
Here is a more complete example, from the week 2 discussion in which you essentially has to compare and contract economies of scale and scope. Here is how that assignment may be written in case study style.
The primary benefits gained by Strayer and Capella in their merger arose from economies of scale. Universities themselves are primarily created out of economies of scope. Each university is composed of a collection of different products/types of majors, degrees etc. By adding different programs and degrees to the university, it grow output by adding new products and services that appeal different student populations. But, when two universities join together, to reduce the mutually shared overhead of administration, the result are gains from classic economies of scale. Administrative functions have been merged, paring down IT, finance, marketing, and other management systems.
In conclusion, both economies of scale and scope lower average cost. While economies of scale arise from spreading overhead/fixed cost over more unit of output of the same product, educating students, economies of scope spread overhead/fixed cost over output of similar product like educational programs and degrees. The predominant force lowering average cost in the Strayer Capella merger was economies of scale.
Case Study 1: Auctions
The goal of case study one is to investigate how auctions help discover value. We need to understand why we have auctions, what are the different types of auctions and which auctions work best at uncovering value in which circumstances.
The goal of this case study is to evaluate auctions as a pricing strategy tool and how and where it has the potential to enhance profits.
Be sure to view the video, the link is on the assignment, Auctions as price discovery mechanisms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kWuxfVbIaU
Putting together all we have done in weeks 1-5 and how that leads us to the idea of discovering value.
Back to Vickery: See the Weekly Live Session on the Week 6 Page
Here was the problem about the value of a trip between a and b as explained by Vickery “It turned out that for each additional car making a daily trip that contributes to the dominant flow, during the peak hour, an additional investment of $23,000 was projected. In other words, a man who bought a $3,000 car for the purpose of driving downtown to work every day would be asking the community, in effect, to match his $3,000 investment with $23,000 from general highway funds.” (Vickrey 1963, p. 456) “Pricing in Urban and Suburban Transport.” American Economic Review 52, no. 2: 452–465.
As something of a futurist, Vickery suggested that cars could come with an electronic device that could record usage, sending a bill for use to the owner every month.,
But let’s look at how an auction could determine the optimal allocation of highway use. Now like the Van Gogh painting, it is unlikely that anyone will volunteer what they are willing to pay, but we know the trip at rush hour has higher value to some than others. In fact what we would like to know is the schedule of times and amounts people are willing to pay for those times. (Similar to airline pricing and very like the ad spot problem on the internet.)
What if we could auction off times for travel? If we could discover what toll each user is willing to pay for a given time for unimpeded travel, the use of the road would be optimized by allocating the limited resource to those with the most intense preference or highest value.
You can read more about William Vickery and Auctions at https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Vickrey.html
Now Let’s Look at the Assignment
Case Study 1: Auctions and Dynamic Pricing
The following video describes auctions as price discovery mechanisms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kWuxfVbIaU
Use the video on auctions and at least 3 academic and/or high-quality business publications, see definitions below, to answer the following questions in 5-7 pages:
1. There are many types of auctions each with strengths and weakness at uncovering the real price/value of an item. Compare and contrast how each uncovers value:
a) the English and Dutch auctions; and,
b) the sealed bid first price auction and the Vickery Auction.
2. Compare and contrast surge versus congestion pricing? Give an example of each currently in use.
3. Auctions are widely used in finance, e-commerce and in e-games. Identify 3 examples of auctions used in finance, e-commerce and/or e-games. Explain in depth the:
a) need for an auction to uncover value in the product or service; and
b) how is the type of auction used to uncover the value of the product or service better at uncovering value that other types of auctions.
4. Auctions are also widely used to generate revenue for not-for-profit organizations. What are the advantages/disadvantages of auctions as revenue generators for not-for-profit organizations?
5. Suggest ways in which for-profit company, i.e. the company for which you work or a company for which you aspire to work, can use auctions or dynamic pricing to better uncover value and increase revenue.
Let’s break this Up into a Case Study Approach
Remember the keys to a case study, you are the protagonist, you are telling a story that advocates for something. In this case what you are to advocate for those cases where auctions present a tool for enhancing profits. So we must first answer the question which auctions are best at uncovering value is which circumstances. That is question 1.
Question 1 is about compare and contrast a) English v Dutch actions, what are they, what are their strengths and weakness in discovering value; b) first price v Vickery, what are they, what are their strengths and weakness in discovering value. The video link included in the assignment will be a great help on this question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kWuxfVbIaU
Question 2 is to compare and contrast surge and peak load/congestion pricing
Question 3 say to identify and describe 3 examples of industries/markets in which auctions are used. We are searching for specific example. For example, in financial markets and example of an auction is the auction new issues of US Treasury Securities. Then answer the question, why would an auction be used to set the value.
Questions 4 and 5 are asking you to demonstrate how an auction can improve revenue for the specific cases of non-profit organizations/government agencies and for for-profit enterprises
Remember the research is in the background. Avoid direct quotes. You, of course, must still cite your sources, but make the information your own in your own words. The research is in the background, you are the one explaining a policy position. You are the authority.
Research Help
Use the resources and the help of librarians at the ECO550 library page. You will find the link with the preparation for the assignment. I have sent this to you on multiple occasions, but here is the link.
https://strayer.libguides.com/ECO550
If you Google for resources, you will get the same sources everyone else sees. You will have low quality references and you will have a paper that will not have originality.
Research Requirements and Expectation
The definition of a high-quality professional business publication is one which is primarily a publication directed to reporting and/or analysis of the workings of business. Examples are: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters…etc. Avoid general news publications such as USA Today, Washington Post, NY Times.
PLEASE DO NOT RELY ON WIKIPEDIA, INVESTOPEDIA OR ANY OTHER PEDIA AS A REFERENCE AT ANYTIME IN THIS COURSE. Points will deducted for use of these non professional references.
Format, presentation and citation
We encourage you to use the Strayer Writing Standard which is very like the case study writing we have been encouraging. Here is more information and you can find this on the Course Info page.
In the class shell you will also find a separate tab for the Strayer Writing Standard and there are sample papers.
In many respects this standard is not that different from APA and if APA is what you are comfortable with you may use the APA format.
Use of, and reporting of, references remains required.
AVOID GRAPHIC DECORATION ON THE COVER PAGE, SAFEASSIGN CAN SOMETIMES NOT PROCESS THESE AND THEY ARE NOT APA ACCEPTABLE.
Submission rules
You are allowed only one submission. All papers will be checked for similarity using the designated analytic tool, SafeAssign. The instructional team will assess the report to determine if any plagiarism has occurred. In the event that there is evidence of plagiarism the instructional team will make a referral of the paper to Academic Integrity. If the plagiarism is unintentional, you will be notified and you may re-write the paper for up to 80% of credit. If the plagiarism is deemed intentional, you will be notified and you may re-write the paper for up to 50% of credit.
Please note the following special circumstances. One, if you are using a paper which was previously submitted in ECO550. You may re-use the paper unless that paper was deemed as plagiarized. Two, you may NOT submit a paper written for a class other than ECO550.
Avoiding Similarity
The problem if similarity is a little different from the problem of plagiarism. A high similarity score can arise from a couple of sources. You can and must make an effort to control similarity. Here are a couple of quick tips.
Be original in your title and you heading for the subsections of the paper. Remember part of writing a case study is you present YOUR solution or advocacy as an expert. Make you title for the case study ANYTHING BUT Case Study One Auctions.
Do not repeat the questions asked in the assignment in your paper. Do not use the questions as the subsection titles. Make the original.
Avoid using direct quotes. You are the expert. The authority of another author rarely adds any weight to the argument.
Above all make sure that you summarize any works used in your own words. High level of paraphrasing even if cited lack originality. We want to know your insights.
It is also recommended that you use Grammarly help edit your paper. You will find Grammarly under the Tutoring Link. You will sign in using your Strayer sign in
Citation and plagiarism
Put your research into you own words. That means read, digest and summarize. You must avoid paraphrasing, a process whereby you to keep the majority of someone else’s structure of explanation. Think about how to explain the core of the idea to a friend who may not be very interested. What is the heart of the idea. Then go back and expand around the core to fill-in important points. Make it your own.
When in doubt, cite in the text, the source. The reader should never be in doubt of the source of the material presented.
To pre-check you paper for possible plagiarism, use Grammerly. You will find Grammerly under the tutoring link. Grammerly is fast and gives you feedback for changes grammar, spelling, punctuation, and possible plagiarism. Once you get the document back, go through and complete the editing, read and change the work.
