Case AnalysisGeneral Information
Definition: A case analysis is used to achieve a business
goal. It is a hypothetical, yet realistic, business situation that
is developed to give the student a sense of the types of business
situations a manager or business owner may encounter on a daily
basis; a case analysis prompt usually includes information on the
business’s
employees, goals and values. The situation requires a decision to
be made and a solution to be proposed. Through careful consideration
and examination of the information, students personally determine
what the best remedy for the problem that the business is facing
will be. There is no single solution to the problem, but there is
an array
of plausible solutions that depend strictly upon the characteristics
of the person (people) involved in the decision-making process.
Audience: Although the course instructor will be reviewing the case
analysis, he or she is not likely to be its target audience. The case
itself gives the student some direction toward the primary audience
of the case analysis. The primary audience is usually a business owner
or executive committee, and the student’s responsibility is
to write his/her case analysis in a way that is appealing to this
primary audience.
Purpose: Cases provide the student with more than
rote memorization of facts. They give the student background, so that
when placed in
similar circumstances, he/she will know how to effectively evaluate
the situation and arrive at a potential solution. Case analysis helps
students to acquire two skills:
- Applying theories to real situations
- Generating solutions to real
problems
REVIEW
What is the primary goal of a case analysis?
Continue to Case Analysis: Process
Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center and the
University of Houston-Victoria.
Created 2002 by Candice Chovanec Melzow. |
