Individual Case Analysis Instructions

We will be reading and analyzing several case studies throughout the course where you will be

required to prepare a case write-up. The purpose of a case write-up is to elicit and assess your

ability to understand complex business issues, analyze data, exercise professional and ethical

judgment, and develop conclusions and recommendations. This write-up should be two to three

pages in length (1.5 space, 12-font, with one-inch margins; not including cover page, tables,

exhibits, or figures). The write-up should provide answers to the case questions and they should

be written as if they would be presented to the top management team of the organization being

analyzed.

 

You should first carefully read the case text in order to frame the context and “make your case” to

be defended in your write-up. Keep in mind that there is no unique solution for any case, but rather

a set of alternative analyses and courses of action. The actual course of action taken by the case

protagonist does not constitute the “right answer” and might actually be a “suboptimal” solution.

What matters for this exercise is how you would have decided if you were the case protagonist.

Here are some general guidelines:

• Your analysis should only be supported by facts in the text. Please do not look up the case

on the internet. You will only use the information in the case text to make your arguments

unless otherwise noted.

• Use your experience and knowledge to make sense of existing facts. The mixture of your

perceptions and objective data will make your arguments stronger.

• Use concepts drawn from this and other courses to make sense of the data and facts.

• Consider the pros and cons of your recommended course of action, when applicable.

Students are expected to apply the statistical tools we discuss in the course. The Excel spreadsheet

with all the analysis should be uploaded along with the write-up.

In the main document, students should report tables and charts built from the data in order to

support the arguments made in the case analysis. Analysis not supported directly or

indirectly by the data or facts of the case will not be considered.