Introduction to the Case Study
Introduction to the Case-Study Method rev. 2012
(Adapted from: Seperich, G.J, M.J. Woolverton, J. G. Beierlein and D. E. Hahn, eds., Cases in Business Management, Gorsuch Scarisbrick, Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ 1996)
The case-study method may be new to you. Experience has shown that case studies bring interesting, real-world situations into the classroom study of business marketing, finance and management.
As you discuss cases with your fellow students, you will learn that decision making is often a confrontational activity involving people with different points of view. Most important, you will learn how to work toward consensus while tolerating legitimate differences of opinion.
Decision making is what managers do. The decisions of managers directly influence revenues, costs, and profits of an business firm. If you are to be successful in a business career, you must learn to be a good decision maker. You must develop the ability to apply classroom training in business and economics to operations problem solving so that you can learn how to (1) make decision making easier, (2) improve the analytical quality of decisions, (3) reduce the time required to make decisions, and (4) increase the frequency of correct decisions.
After completing a few case studies, you should find them an interesting and rewarding way to learn. You will soon discover, however, that case studies require an approach that is different from normal homework assignments. Each case can have more than one right answer depending on how the problem is defined and which assumptions are made. Students commonly spend several hours preparing the solution for a case assigned for classroom discussion. The time you spend working on case studies will be well spent because it will prepare you to confidently take on a position in business in which decision-making challenges face you each day. Success in your career will be the real reward for the work you do in preparing case studies.
ATTACKING THE
(Adapted from: Seperich, G.J, M.J. Woolverton, J. G. Beierlein and D. E. Hahn, eds., Cases in Business Management, Gorsuch Scarisbrick, Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ 1996)
The case-study method may be new to you. Experience has shown that case studies bring interesting, real-world situations into the classroom study of business marketing, finance and management.
As you discuss cases with your fellow students, you will learn that decision making is often a confrontational activity involving people with different points of view. Most important, you will learn how to work toward consensus while tolerating legitimate differences of opinion.
Decision making is what managers do. The decisions of managers directly influence revenues, costs, and profits of an business firm. If you are to be successful in a business career, you must learn to be a good decision maker. You must develop the ability to apply classroom training in business and economics to operations problem solving so that you can learn how to (1) make decision making easier, (2) improve the analytical quality of decisions, (3) reduce the time required to make decisions, and (4) increase the frequency of correct decisions.
After completing a few case studies, you should find them an interesting and rewarding way to learn. You will soon discover, however, that case studies require an approach that is different from normal homework assignments. Each case can have more than one right answer depending on how the problem is defined and which assumptions are made. Students commonly spend several hours preparing the solution for a case assigned for classroom discussion. The time you spend working on case studies will be well spent because it will prepare you to confidently take on a position in business in which decision-making challenges face you each day. Success in your career will be the real reward for the work you do in preparing case studies.
ATTACKING THE