Though students may not always love them, case analysis assignments are a popular, and effective, means of assessing how well a student can apply course concepts to real world examples. They’re used in many management classes, as well as ethics, political science and other fields. This post will focus exclusively on management assignments, such as Concordia’s COMM 401 case assignment (Strategy & Competition), though some of the principles are indeed universal to all case studies.
5. Read the Case Twice (at least)
For many assignments, including for COMM 401, professors expect students to exclusively use the information in the case. In such instances, bringing in outside information can even hurt your grade. Even if that’s not the case, it’s important to carefully consider what has been included in the case and why.
Though there is certainly information contained in cases that won’t be used, it’s very easy to get tunnel vision and focus only on certain information at the expense of others.
That’s why it’s essential to read the case at least twice. Doing so will make sure that you have taken note of all the important information and have not missed anything. To that end, I suggest taking notes as you read the case, especially the second time. This will make referencing back to the case much easier, and will save some much-needed time.
4. List and Use the Appropriate Models
Next, it’s important to consider the different models that will be used to analyze the case. This will depend on the class and the models and theories that have been demonstrated to you.
Remember, one of the primary reasons why this assignment is given is to assess how well students can apply the models and theories learned in class, so it’s important to make sure that all the appropriate ones are used.
Listing the models out before writing the assignment also helps to assess early how much space should be given to each model. Case assignments, including the COMM 401 case, often have strict word count limits. This makes it a challenge to include all the desired information in a concise manner. Listing out the models early will show which ones need to be prioritized most, and that will make it easier to determine which information should be included in appendices, and how much overall work and writing should go into each section.
3. Consider all Possible Alternatives
The whole point of a case analysis is the recommendation. But to get a great recommendation, you need compelling alternatives to assess. That means considering all of the different alternatives that could be relevant to the case.
Again, look back at what the professor has been teaching. Often the alternatives will reflect different strategies and options that you have been learning about in class. That’s why our COMM 401 tutoring, for instance, focusses on going over different strategies such as partnerships, licensing, changing corporate strategy and more.
Once you consider the possibilities covered in class, look at the ones that are most appropriate to the case. Ideally, alternatives should compare well to one another given a set list of criteria that is measurable and comparable. This will allow you to assess these different alternatives and clearly demonstrate why one has been chosen over another.
2. Make Recommendations Timely and Specific
Once recommendations are made, it’s important that they are presented in a way that’s timely and specific. This means showing exactly how the recommendation can be implemented by the company, how will long it will take, and who will do what.
Ultimately, this helps tie the whole case analysis together and demonstrates that the real-world implications and feasibility of the alternatives have been considered. Tying the recommendation back to any limits and constraints found in the analysis section is also a good idea.
Another important factor to consider is the budget, staffing and scheduling. Outline who will lead the project, how much it will cost, how the funds will be raised, what the expected return will be, and what goals are in place to make sure progress is moving forward. It’s also good to include contingency plans for what will be done if these goals are not met, as well as what the company will do after the recommendation is implemented (briefly).
One of the primary reasons why case assignments are given is to assess how well students apply the models and theories learned in class.
1. Make sure the case is properly formatted
Finally, once the writing is completed, review the document and make sure that it is properly formatted.
This means looking out for any spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as carefully checking the word count and ensuring that the case analysis is as concise as possible.
It also means ensuing that every is in appropriate sections, with clear headings for each section and subsection. The document should also begin with a table of contents outlining the location of each of these sections.
Depending on the professor’s instructions, a certain formatting style may be used. APA, MLA and Chicago are the most popular for management classes, but whatever the style, use a style guide to make sure citations, the bibliography, the cover page, the tables, the appendix and the table of contents are all in the appropriate sections.
If a grading rubric is included by your professor, make sure to check that as well. This will help make sure all necessary elements are included, and will show you approximately how long each section should be.
Lastly, regarding the appendix, this is a great place to put research and evidence that is not integral to the main analysis but is rather a complement to what has already been stated in the main text. For some assignments, like the COMM 401 case, it is essential to being able to include enough information in order to succeed.
You got this!
Following these tips should help ensure a successful case analysis assignment. That said, if you’re unsure about the models, theories or strategies covered in class, or about some of the specifics related to case analysis (both for your class and in general), do not hesitate to contact Montreal Tutoring for customized, one-on-one assistance.