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Case Analysis & Methodology
Module 5: Problems with case analysis
Content of the module
Analysis of problems in management case studies, how to deal with missing information
from the cases study, advantages of case study method, problems / limitations of case
study method.
Analysis of Problems in Management Case Studies
The case can be analyzed from different points of view. Usually there are four parties
involved in the case, viz., the proprietor or top management, the middle management
departmental heads, the employees or workers and finally the society in general (it
includes consumers, distributors, investors, potential employees and those who are
directly or indirectly affected by the organization), which is mostly disguised. While
analyzing and suggesting solutions, the student should try to look at the case from these
different points of view and try to pin point violation of rules, regulations, code of
conduct or precedents in vogue. The solution to be suggested must be in the larger
interests of safeguarding the provisions of laws, code of conduct, rules and regulations to
restore the normal positron. The solution should be in the interests of the organization,
the weaker sections of the organization and society in general.
While analyzing the case, the social, economic and political environment should also be
taken into consideration, e.g. the background of poverty of workers, illiteracy in the
country, outside political interference in trade union activities, lack of job opportunities
in the country for labour mobility, liberalization of the economy, impact of democratic
principles on workers etc. Many times, the problem in the organization is created due to
such outside factors. If the student is aware of these factors/situations, he will be able to
analyze the case in its proper perspective and suggest a practicable solution.
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The student should quote or give definitions of the authorities in Management Science or
Economists in support of the suggested solution. The related provisions of various labour
legislations should also be given correctly. The references to various theories and their
inferences e.g. Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of needs etc. will certainly improve the
quality of the analysis and the suggested solution.
Case study method for personnel problems presents some typical difficulties. It is always
difficult to get the facts – people in the same situation interpret and present them in
different ways depending on their attitude and background.
Skill is required to inquire into what has happened or what people really want. The
issue is frequently not clear for want of defined policies or procedures. It may also be
difficult to establish objectives. People within the organization, including the top
management, very often do not know what they want. Their needs are obscure and
need to be defined. The case contains too much information, which is to be analyzed.
There is every possibility that the analysis may be useless. Judgment is necessary to
study the evidence and to decide relevant points. Where human beings are concerned,
symptoms cannot be easily separated from causes.
It is always necessary to take into consideration the past decisions, because there may
be precedents. But there is much danger in being too concerned about past decisions.
With the change of time, the circumstances also change. Decision should be made in
the light of an objective analysis of the facts, not simply by reference to what has
gone before.
It is always difficult to ignore the precedents but at the same time the wrong decisions
in the past need not be continued. Precedents are important when dealing with
personnel and industrial relations problems and care should be taken not to create a
bad precedent for the future.
Personnel problems cannot be solved in a clear-cut manner. Situations involving
people can rarely be seen in black-and-white terms. While solving personnel
problems adopt an analytical approach to decision making but, in the end, you will
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have to rely upon your judgment in deciding on a course of action, which seems to be
the best alternative available.
The case study serves two purposes:
Firstly, the students or trainee executives have to face similar cases in future life as
executives. The case will tell them how incidents lake place, how there may be deep
causes underlying the apparent expressions of happiness, distress or unconcerned
altitudes and what can be done, as well as when and how to rectify the situation.
Secondly, the case study provides lest material where the student can apply the
principles he has studied so far, and test their validity. It gives confidence to the student,
which will be of vital importance to him as an executive.
How to deal with missing information from the cases study
Case study method deals with ambiguity. It takes complex situations and weights up
conflict. Just as in business, sometimes information is missing from the cases. The
instructor should constantly encourage students to drive toward specific actions in spite
of incomplete information, ambiguity, uncertain circumstances, and unclear problems in
a case study.
Case studies reflect the reality of managerial decision-making in the real world, in that
students must make decisions based on insufficient information. Cases reflect the
ambiguity and complexity that accompany most management issues.
However, when it is impossible or impractical to gather all of the helpful information
(usually), students have to make appropriate assumptions relating to missing and
insufficient information, upon which to rely when making decision. In business, you
have to make all sorts of assumptions about the environment, personnel turnover,
channel relationships, etc. In cases, you can make assumptions based on something read
in the text, or trends that you see in exhibits. You should assume that everything is
pretty normal/ typical in the organization unless specifically stated otherwise in the case.
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If you believe you do not have all of the information, you have to decide:
what information you need,
why you need it,
where it can be found,
how much time and money it will take to acquire or produce it, and
if it will make a significant enough difference to affect your decision.
Another option to deal with missing information from the cases study is collecting the
insufficient and missing information from the primary and secondary sources. The
timely availability information are the basic input to any decision making process in a
business. The primary data are those which are collected afresh and for the first time, and
thus happen to be original in character. It is collected through an interviewing,
administrating the questionnaire, which contained relevant queries on missing
information in a case study as well as pertinent; industry related questions. The
secondary data refers to the data which have already been collected and analyzed by
someone else. Secondary data is the information which already exists. Secondary data is
collected from newspaper, magazines, internet, journals, books, brochures etc.
Sometimes the information is readily available from a government source such as the
Department of Commerce, or even from your competitors via promotional material.
Advantages of case study method
The great advantage of the case method is that it brings real life into the classroom in
concentrated form (a sort of virtual apprenticeship) and gives students the opportunity to
participate actively in their own learning. The teacher’s questions not only generate
dialogue, they encourage students to build on each other’s comments, probe each other’s
assumptions and hypotheses, communicate with one another, and reach consensus on
recommendations for action. The advantages of case study method of learning are as
follow:
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Develops analytic and problem solving skills in students. Analytical skills such as
problem identification skills; data handling skills; and critical thinking skills cab be
developed through case method.
Cases allow students to learn by doing. They allow students to step into the shoes of
decision-makers in real organizations, and deal with the issues managers face, with
no risk to themselves or the organization involved. Thus case method allows student
to apply his knowledge and skills such as decision making.
Cases improve the students ability to ask the right questions, in a given problem
situation. Their ability to identify and understand the underlying problems rather than
the symptoms of the problems is also enhanced.
Case studies expose students to a wide range of industries, organizations, functions
and responsibility levels. This provides students the flexibility and confidence to deal
with a variety of tasks and responsibilities in their careers. It also helps students to
make more informed decisions about their career choices.
Cases studies strengthen the student's grasp of management theory, by providing real-
life examples of the underlying theoretical concepts. By providing rich, interesting
information about real business situations, they breathe life into conceptual
discussions.
Cases provide students with an exposure to the actual working of business and other
organizations in the real world. Case studies enable the students to visualize real life
situations in the organization and facilitate the students in making trial and error
attempts to sole the issues.
Case studies improve creativity and innovations in decision making. Case studies
simulate organizational situations, requiring strategic as well as tactical decisions.
Case studies fix the minds of the students in a specific situation and facilitate them to
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develop the art of making smart decisions by practicing. The case studies enable the
management students to evaluate comparatively various options and decide upon how
the resources can be deployed effectively to solve the immediate problem.
Case studies require the students to position themselves amidst the given situation
and demand their wisdom to come out. Knowledge is awareness on various aspects of
a particular object while wisdom is all about application of that knowledge.
Knowledge can be acquired by extensive learning while extensive practicing can
develop wisdom. In management studies, while text books help acquiring more
knowledge, case studies help in developing wisdom. The case studies give lot of
scope for application of knowledge and mind which is the crux of wisdom.
When working on a case study in a group, students must also be able to understand
and deal with the different viewpoints and perspectives of the other members in their
team. This serves to improve their oral and written communication skill and
interpersonal skills.
Case studies provide an integrated view of management. The managerial decision-
making involves integration of theories and concepts learnt in different functional
areas such as marketing and finance. The case method exposes students to this reality
of management.
It provides students with authentic situations in which to explore and apply a range of
behaviors and information that can strengthen the transfer of learning.
When students participate in analysis and discussion of alternative solutions they
better understand difficult or complicated issues and analyze them more effectively.
Case method allows the students to explore of solutions for complex issues.
Case study as a lab experiment – Science subjects require laboratories for the students
to experiment and learn. Arts subjects require models as the basis for students to
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practice. The management studies being both science and arts, can be learnt better by
analyzing different situations and understanding why and how important decisions
were taken. Case study method is more relevant to management studies in the context
of functioning as a platform for visualizing different situations and learning by
practicing solving various problems.
Consequences of Student Involvement with the Case Method
1. Case analysis requires students to practice important managerial skills--diagnosing,
making decisions, observing, listening, and persuading--while preparing for a case
discussion.
2. Cases require students to relate analysis and action, to develop realistic and concrete
actions despite the complexity and partial knowledge characterizing the situation
being studied.
3. Students must confront the intractability of reality--complete with absence of needed
information, an imbalance between needs and available resources, and conflicts
among competing objectives.
4. Students develop a general managerial point of view--where responsibility is
sensitive to action in a diverse environmental context.
(Source: C.C. Lundberg and C. Enz, 1993, A framework for student case preparation,
Case Research Journal 13 (summer): 134.)
The case method can help you develop your analytical and judgment skills. Case analysis
also helps you learn how to ask the right questions-that is, the questions that focus on the
core strategic issues included within a case. Students aspiring to be managers can
improve their ability to identify underlying problems, rather than focusing on superficial
symptoms, through development of the skills required to ask probing, yet appropriate,
questions. The particular set of cases your instructor chooses to assign the class can
expose you to a wide variety of organizations and managerial situations. This approach
vicariously broadens your experience base and provides insights into many types of
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managerial situations, tasks, and responsibilities. Such indirect experience can help you
make a more informed career decision about the industry and managerial situation you
believe will prove to be challenging and satisfying. Finally, experience in analyzing
cases definitely enhances your problem-solving skills.
Problems / Limitations of Case study Method
Undoubtedly, the Case method is a good tool in learning. However, it suffers from the
following Problems / limitations:
The cases can become outdated. Cases are not "real" - they are accounts, not the real
thing; can grow dated; and ignore actual "real world" experience. For example, a case
written in early 70’s on Typewriters will have no relevance today as the product has
become obsolete with the advent of computers. Also, the Balance Sheet given say for
the year ended 2008 may not be of much use because two more years of Balance
Sheets will now be available. It may not be possible to keep on updating the cases
regularly.
Case study method requires serious involvement both from the teacher as well as the
students; unless everyone takes it seriously, the outcome cannot be productive. At
times, it may turn counter-productive.
A number of frustrations commonly faced by decision maker or case analyst or
student, while analyzing the case study are
1) A shortage of information on which to base decisions.
2) A shortage of time in which to make those decisions
3) Students may not see relevance to own situation
4) Insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results
5) Not appropriate for elementary level
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To conduct the case analysis, students require to have certain amount of knowledge
of management concepts, theories and methods in different functional areas of
management. Without the basic knowledge of management concepts, theories and
methods, case analysis will not so effective.
Case analysis requires some domain knowledge of the industry it covers. So students
are required to be equipped with some general knowledge about the industry.
Optimal solutions are always dependant on resources available at that point of time.
Decisions may need to be modified at a later date because there is bound to be some
change in the resources which are dynamic.
It is always easier said than done. It is very easy to stand off and suggest on matters
which do not affect us immediately; but it is very difficult to make even simple
decisions when we are under tense situations, pressuring our minds which may not
work at times of real crisis.
Every case is unique and more so the solutions. It is dangerous to generalize and
apply them universally.
Serious problems in real life situations need serious attention and enormous thinking;
solutions may not be that much simple, which can be arrived at by theoretical
analysis.
The secondary data on the industry covered may not be available easily. In that case,
the students tend to base their arguments only on the data given in the case. This
could be inadequate.
In spite of these limitations, the Case Method is one of the best ways of learning in B-
Schools. Managers make decisions in real and not hypothetical situations. But under case
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study approach, students involved in case analysis and take decision and design
implementation plan under hypothetical situations. Participant or student may not be
aware of real new and complex situations, business houses faces because of the ever
changing environment and people around them. Moreover, the situations do not present
themselves in neat clean shapes, but unfold slowly. Decision-makers, therefore, needs to
improve their knowledge and skills in understanding new and complex situations, even
though information may be inadequate and future outcome uncertain.
Evaluating Student Performance in a case-driven course
The evaluation of a student's performance in a case-driven course can be based on some
or all of the following factors:
Participation in classroom case discussions (quality and extent of participation).
Written case analyses (logical flow and structuring of the content, language and
presentation, quality of analysis and recommendations, etc.).
Case presentations (communication skills, logical flow and structuring of the content,
quality of analysis and recommendations, etc.).
Case study writing assignments or similar projects.
Case-based examinations.
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