Written assignment must be formatted to APA standards. Minimum of pages, a cover page, references, and headers to clearly identify each section of your paper.Additional instruction : Each student reads, researches and analyzes the attached case using the principles and concepts studied in this course. To assist you in this quest, please make sure you download the AMA 8-Step Case Study Guide as it will show you what to look for when analyzing the case. Additionally, remember the case should be written in APA format with sound critical thinking.Strategic
Case Analysis
Using the AMA (American Management
Association) 8 step case analysis process
Compiled
by: Deb Patten, Davenport University
1. The Basic Problem Solving or Case
Analysis Process
2.
Applying the Process
The Basic Problem Solving or Case
Analysis Process
You have all
engaged in the process of basic problem solving numerous times in your life as
well as in your academic career.
However, since you will be utilizing this process extensively in this
course, it is appropriate to spend some time reviewing and discussing it. Whether this process is being applied to a
simple, routine decision or an immensely complex decision the steps are the
same. It is what one does within each of
those steps that vary. To begin, let’s
review the process.
Step 1 – Recap and analyze the
relevant facts
In this step
look at the information you have and the information you can gather that is
relevant to the situation. The relevancy
component is key. Often, cases that are
presented in texts, and certainly the information that is available through
outside sources, contain additional material that is related but not
relevant. As a manager that is
strategically analyzing a situation (case), the first step is to figure out
what you need to pay attention to and what you don’t. That is relevance. For example, you are presented with a
scenario involving employees who are chronically late for work and the
information you have mentions that it is snowing. Is the fact that it is snowing relevant or
not? It may or may not be. It could just be extra “stuff” that
is included, but not relevant. On the
other hand, if this group of chronically late employees all happen to travel
the same road that is notorious for multi-car pile-ups when it snows, then the
fact that they are late when it is snowing is relevant. This also points out that in many situations
trying to work from only the facts presented is not enough. The manager must be astute enough to
recognize when additional information, and what type of information is
required, in order to assess the relevance of a particular piece of data. At the same time he or she must know when to
make the decision with the information at hand. Often this step is concluded
with a SWOT analysis which further extrapolates the most important issues out
of the overall situation analysis. This
helps to zero-in on the root problem.
Step 2 – Determining the Root Problem
& Step 3 – Identifying the Problem Components
The most
difficult and important part of the process is identifying the problem. You
must have a clearly stated, concisely worded problem to generate usable
information. The objective is to separate symptoms from the actual problem. If
there is an underlying reason for what you have identified, it is a symptom and
not the problem itself (Hatten, 2006). You should be able to state the root
problem in a sentence. It may then be
necessary, and in a comprehensive case or in more complex situations a given,
to elaborate on any identifying component portions of the problem. Often it is necessary to prioritize or
identify which components need to be addressed first, second, and so forth at
this stage of the process.
Step 4 – Generating Alternatives (THE
WHAT/Setting Objectives)
This is the
brainstorming step. It is here that a
variety of alternative courses of action are identified and articulated. This step is where you list the strategies
you might pursue. This is an important
point. If it isn’t listed here, you can’t choose it as your preferred course of
action. While it isn’t possible to list
every possible course of action, there should be a variety of things to
do. This is where you put your creative
powers to work. In this part of the process,
you should engage in brainstorming.
Remember that in brainstorming you simply generate ideas – save the
evaluation of those ideas for later. That isn’t to say that in critical
strategic case analysis you want to include every idea you came up with in the
final report. In actual business
strategic planning, reports have been produced that simply refer to the process
and the number of ideas that upon initial screening were determined not
plausible or viable. The objective of
this process is not to do a full analysis of every idea that was generated
while brainstorming but rather to conduct an initial screening and narrowing of
the choices down to those that seem most likely to succeed if implemented.
Step 5 – Evaluating Alternatives
When the case
analysis report is written, it often appears as if steps 4 and 5 were done
simultaneously. That should not be the
case. Once the list has been narrowed
down to those choices that are most likely to succeed, the information that was
gathered and analyzed in the first step should be applied to these
alternatives. Articulate the most probable
outcome based on the information collected, personal experience, education, and
expertise. It is important to support
selected outcomes with analysis. As an
example, it is not enough to say, âDo nothing – situation will not
improve.â While this may be true in many
situations, it lacks credibility because the decision is not supported by
facts. When writing this section, make
sure the alternatives are clearly differentiated from each other with the use
of headings and subheading and offset with bold type or underlining, etc.
Remember, in business writing you
are trying to convey information and the reader needs to be able to pick
the pieces out quickly and easily when working back and forth through the
report!
Step 6 – Choose an Alternative
Once the
possible consequences of the narrowed down alternatives have been considered,
it is time to make a decision. It is important that the final decision is
clearly stated with choice of strategy or strategies selected.
Keep in mind that your readers
are not as immersed in this as you have been. What seems obvious to you may not be to
them. Don’t assume – articulate the
reasoning behind your choice.
Step 7 – Implementation Plan (THE HOW)
While in many
cases, people stop at step 6, in order to complete the process, two more steps
are needed. The implementation plan portion of strategic case analysis is where
it is explained how the decision is going to be implemented. This is where
tactical details are outlined. In the
business world, this stage will often involve operational action plans that
state the name of the person responsible for carrying out specific tasks and a
precise date by which the tasks will be completed. In a course based setting, it isn’t possible
to take it to that depth. However, it is
necessary to complete a basic tactical plan that outlines the major tasks that
must be undertaken and a logical timeframe within which they are to be
completed. For example, let’s imagine
for a moment that the chosen strategy involves some type of expansion. Expansion requires money and the financial
reports do not show the organization to be particularly cash heavy. Therefore, in order to carry out the
expansion, the firm must borrow money.
Break that down into the necessary steps â i.e.: determine amount needed
within 2 weeks; determine if needed funds should be borrowed; a bond issued,
stock issued, etc. within 4 weeks, and so forth. This is a rudimentary example, but it should
give you the idea. This portion of the
business plan (strategic case) is often presented in the form of a table with
columns for the action, the area of the firm responsible, and a time frame for
completion. Without this section of the
case analysis, the plan is not complete; and often neither will student course
work be considered complete!
Step 8 – Alternative Choice
Finally, as
with any plan, it is necessary to set up an evaluation point. How and when will the strategy be checked on
to determine whether it has been successfully implemented? Is the firm getting the return on investment
it expected?
Obviously, in the scope of an
academic course, you will not actually carry out the implementation step
or the evaluation of results, but you will need to state how and when this
will take place. You also need to
state what action is required in the event that the results are not as
desired. Would you start the
process over? Would you choose some
other alternative that you’ve already identified and evaluated? Those are the decisions you must make.Make sure you have a concluding
paragraph.