Case Study

CASE STUDIES

There are three case studies in this course. Your submission must be in the form of APA formatted manuscript (title page, reference page, citations within the body of the paper to support your discussion, 12 size font, and 1” margins). APA requires that you write in the third person and you should be directing this to the company not to individuals in that company, it is not a report about the company it is narrative report TO the company. Such documents are written in the third person and must remain objective, unemotional, and impersonal. That means there should be no reference to you in any way shape or form and that there is no need to name any individual in the company, or for that matter, the company itself. It is inappropriate to repeat or summarize the case information. You should start by providing an analysis of, not repetition of, the case information and what you determine are the salient or critical corporate/strategic issues. Be careful to avoid gratuitous openings and closings. For these case studies an abstract is not required and abstracts never count towards a minimum word requirement. If you are comfortable writing an abstract make sure it addresses your proposals in the paper and does repeat or summarize the case itself.

Focus on demonstrating the ability to think analytically and synthesize by providing realistic and viable solutions and/or alternatives. Each submission should demonstrate careful analysis of the company and the current situation followed by specific and focused recommendations. Businesses must make decisions regularly with imperfect information that means it is inappropriate to suggest any additional analysis, study, survey, or additional company effort to reach a decision. The student must resolve the issues based on the information available. A well written case study should run approximately 500-700 words (2-3 pages, double-spaced) to earn full credit. Do not provide company histories and do not repeat or summarize case information.

Here is the format to follow:
Title Page (APA formatted)

I. Major Facts
(State here the major facts as you see them. Make statements clear and concise for your own understanding as well as for the understanding of the other students and the instructor.)

II. Major Problem
(State here the major problem as you see it. Emphasize the present major problem. You may wish to phrase your statement in the form of a question. In a few cases, there may be more than one major problem. A good problem statement will be concise, usually only one sentence.)

III. Possible Solutions
A. (List here the possible solutions to the major problem. Let your imagination come up with alternative ways to solve the problem.
B. Do not limit yourself to only one or two possible solutions. These solutions should be distinct from each other. You must include a minimum of three possible solutions.
C. However, you may wish to include portions of one solution in another solution, as long as each solution stands alone. Only in this manner will your subsequent choice be definitive.
D. Note advantages and disadvantages of each possible solution as well expected outcomes. This is an areas where outside support will help.

IV. Choice and Rationale
(State here your choice, A or B or ___ and the detailed reasons for your choice. You may also state your reasons for not choosing the other alternative solutions.) Explain the hopeful outcome of this alternative.

V. Implementation
(Prepare a plan to implement your choice (recommendation).

Reference Page (APA formatted) – every source listed should be cited within the text.

RUBRICCASE ANALYSIS

_____/5 Title Page/Headers (APA formatted)

_____/5 I. Major Facts
(State here the major facts as you see them. Make statements clear and concise for your own understanding as well as for the understanding of the other students and the instructor.)

___/5 II. Major Problem
(State here the major problem as you see it. Emphasize the present major problem. You may wish to phrase your statement in the form of a question. In a few cases, there may be more than one major problem. A good problem statement will be concise, usually only one sentence.)

_____/40 III. Possible Solutions
A. (List here the possible solutions to the major problem. Let your imagination come up with alternative ways to solve the problem.
B. Do not limit yourself to only one or two possible solutions. These solutions should be distinct from each other. Must include at least three.
C. However, you may wish to include portions of one solution in another solution, as long as each solution stands alone. Only in this manner will your subsequent choice be definitive.
D. Note advantages and disadvantages of each possible solution as well expected outcomes.

_____/15 IV. Choice and Rationale
(State here your choice, A or B or ___ and the detailed reasons for your choice. You may also state your reasons for not choosing the other alternative solutions.) Explain the hopeful outcome of this alternative.

_____/10 V. Implementation
(Prepare a plan to implement your choice).

____/10 Appendix (Answer assigned case study question(s)

___/10 APA format
References – every source listed should be cited within the text. Proper APA in text citations used. Font size, spacing, voice.

_______Deductions for grammar, spelling, sentence structure, formatting

_______Deductions for _______________________

TOTAL =