CASE METHODOLOGY

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CASE METHODOLOGY CASE DISCUSSION
By- Prof. Bholanath Dutta Department of MBA CMR
Institute of Technology
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THE CASE METHOD

• How the Case Method Works
• When students are presented with a case, they
  place themselves in the role of the
  decision-maker as they read through the situation
  and identify the problem they are faced with. The
  next step is to perform the necessary analysis -
  examining the causes, considering alternative
  courses of action - to come to a set of
  recommendations.

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THE CASE METHOD

• To get the most out of cases, students must read
  and reflect on the case and then often meet in
  small study groups before class to "warm up" and
  discuss their findings with other classmates. In
  class - under the questioning and guidance of the
  professor - students probe underlying issues,
  compare different alternatives, and finally,
  suggest courses of action in the light of the
  company's objectives.

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THE CASE METHOD

• As a case study unfolds in class, students do
  85 of the talking, as the professor steers the
  conversation by making occasional observations
  and asking questions. This classroom interaction
  is enriched by the 80-90 individuals from diverse
  industries, functions, countries, and
  experiences.

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THE CASE METHOD

• During the course of their management education,
  students study and prepare hundreds of cases - a
  transforming experience that helps them to
  recognize the unique aspects of different
  situations, define problems, suggest further
  avenues of analysis, and devise and implement
  action plans. Once they finish the program,
  management graduates have the confidence they
  need to go off and tackle the many business
  challenges they will face in their careers.

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CASE STUDY IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION

• In a manner similar to that used in law and
  medical education
• May deal with an organization or a sub-unit
• Multi-functional Diversification, merger,
  restructuring, corporate planning
• Functional Human resources management,
  interpersonal skills, organizational behavior,
  accounting/ finance, marketing
• Fosters critical thinking
• Facilitates structured learning in groups

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WHAT IS A CASE?

• Narrative of an actual or realistic situation or
  problem (in written or filmed form), which needs
  a decision
• A case for teaching usually presents information,
  but not analysis
• It is an exercise in building analytical bridges
  between theory and actual or simulated real
  life situation
• Cases are written to highlight specific aspects
  of a situation to serve as a manageable teaching
  aid

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WHY CASES?

• Simulates events in the corporate world
• Provides practical orientation and value addition
  to theory
• Not possible to have extended internships
• Management is a very vast field with many
  divisions
• More comprehensive coverage of subjects

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MORE ON WHAT IS A CASE?

• Information supplied in the case is frequently
  partial and, at times, even misleading or biased
• Alternatively, the sheer volume of information
  given is overwhelming
• To further complicate matters, the problems
  presented are both ambiguous and complex (and so
  are real life situations too)
• Generally, a case has no single correct answer.
  There are only choices, and the reasons behind
  them some better and some worse than the others

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LEARNING THROUGH CASES

• Requires working together in a group to analyze
  and solve a problem
• Unlike lectures, case discussion demands your
  ideas and active participation (from passive
  listener to active contributor)
• One cannot learn driving by listening to a
  lecture about it. Likewise, analyzing and
  decision making have to be learnt through practice

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LEARNING THROUGH CASES...

• Requires more intensive effort, particularly on
  the part of the students, but offers
  corresponding rewards
• Repeated exposure to cases improves skills in
  analyzing and dealing with ambiguous situations
  and incomplete information there may be no
  easy, definite or correct solutions
• Encourages participative learning, learning from
  alternative opinions presented by others
  listening and articulating

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SOME DOUBTS ABOUT CASES

• Students may ask
• What are we supposed to do?
• What are we learning?
• Why doesnt the teacher teach?

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RESPONSES TO THE DOUBTS

• Case method advocates student-centered learning
  rather than instructor-centered teaching
• Student experience as a process of continuous
  discovery
• Creates a context for learning
• Orchestrates targeted, yet flexible discussion
• Motivates and elicits student participation
• Synthesizes student-generated ideas
• Faculty plays the role of devils advocate

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TYPES OF MANAGEMENT/BUSINESS CASES

• Specific evaluation cases
• Describes what a company has done.
• Purpose to understand and evaluate the companys
  actions.
• Specific decision cases
• Company faces a specific problem.
• Purpose to consider alternative actions and
  arrive at a decision.
• General evaluation and appraisal cases
• Case includes unstructured information.
• Purpose evaluation, appraisal and recommendation.

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CASE LEARNING PHILOSOPHIES

• Provides a context in which students can use and
  test analytical tools and models.
• Not just about description but understanding
  underlying patterns.
• Interest should be in concepts, tools and models
  rather than chunks of reality.
• Don't learn cases, learn with cases!

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ARRIVING AT A SOLUTION

• Depends on the nature of the case.
• Quantitative problems require specific solutions.
  
• Subjective/judgmental matters may not be solved
  by one unique outcome/decision.
• When the class is struggling with the case it
  sometimes helps to hear the teachers view.
• For some cases the teacher may know what the
  company actually did.
• It is very important that the recommended course
  of action is consistent with the analysis.

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PREPARING FOR A CASE

• Get a quick sense of the whole case from the
  title, headings, outline, introduction
  conclusions
• Does it require a decision, if so by whom, about
  what and with what objectives? Who are the other
  parties in the case and what are their
  objectives?
• Now re-read the case carefully, underlining or
  highlighting the main facts
• Identify key problems or issues on paper. Then
  sort out relevant information for each problem
  and the resources constraints associated with
  each
• Identify and rank alternative policies/decisions,
  possible courses of action and their consequences

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CASE ANALYSIS

• Real life situations are multi-faceted avoid
  being confined to a few symptoms understand the
  problems and issues in their totality
• The obvious solution could be based on
  assumptions not validated, and may be quite
  superficial
• Evaluate backgrounds and behavior of significant
  people, deduce limitations imposed by the
  environment, question assumptions, consider
  alternatives, weigh pros and cons of each
  possible action before deciding on specific
  actions

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PROBLEM SOLVING

• Comprehend and capture the core information and
  issues
• Reflective observation Stand back and assess the
  situation without premature value judgment or
  fixing blame
• Draw upon relevant theories and concepts to place
  the data in a conceptual framework and put
  boundary limits on the problem
• Develop and test alternative hypotheses to arrive
  at possible decisions and solutions

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IMPORTANT FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED

• Nature of industry/product and technology
  involved
• Size of the organization
• Type of ownership/management - its culture/style
• The informal and formal organization structure
• Resources in terms of money, people, etc.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the organization and
  individuals
• Organizational and individual objectives
  conflicts, if any
• Competition, business environment other
  external factors

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CASE DISCUSSION

• Be prepared to present your views with conviction
• Be prepared to listen to others with an open mind
• Complete the discussion on one point, before
  moving on to the next.
• Try to link your comments to those of others
  minimize repetition
• Ensure that the discussion moves forward towards
  a constructive solution. Stay focused
• Give opportunity for all to contribute
• Do not hesitate to admit confusion, seek
  clarification or simply be wrong
• Avoid over dominating and mundane comments

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CASE PRESENTATION

• Identify important points, organize them
  logically, and state them succinctly while noting
  important assumptions
• Provide supportive evidence and persuade others
  to accept your positions
• Be willing to answer questions, respond to
  criticism
• Consider new evidence and be prepared to modify
  an earlier position when warranted

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WORKING AS ATEAM MEMBER

• Ensure that the division of labour is equitable
• Communicate with your other team members
• Work as a team
• Plan and structure team meetings

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 1

• GAINING FAMILIARITY
• Determine who, what, when, where, how why
• Identify places, persons and activities of the
  organization
• Recognize the degree of certainty/uncertainty of
  the available information

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 2

• RECOGNIZING PROBLEMS/SYMPTOMS
• List issues/problems
• Ensure that symptoms are not assumed to be the
  problems

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 3

• IDENTIFYING THE GOALS
• Identify critical statements by major parties
• List all goals that can be reasonably inferred

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 4

• CONDUCTING ANALYSIS
• (a) Decide which models/ideas/theories seem
  useful
• (b) Apply these conceptual tools to the situation
• As new information and insights are revealed,
  loop back to items (a) and (b) above

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 5

• MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS
• Identify goal inconsistencies
• Identify problems discrepancies between goals
  and performance
• Prioritize problems

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EFFECTIVE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Step 6

• ACTION PLAN
• Specify and prioritize criteria used to choose
  action alternatives
• Discover/invent alternatives
• Examine the consequences of each alternative
• Select a course of action
• Design an implementation schedule/plan
• Create a plan for assessment of the plan to be
  implemented

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CAUTION( to be followed in both written and oral
case analyses, discussions and presentations and
also in real life situations)

• Avoid overstatements, emotionally laden words or
  premature value judgments that may cloud ones
  perceptions
• Avoid dealing with broad generalizations or
  policy issues rather than the specifics of the
  case
• Avoid impractical statements that would require a
  sudden personality or behavioral change
• Go beyond the obvious, look for cues or nuances
  that may suggest other approaches. Avoid quick
  fix solutions
• Dont be superficial, examine alternatives, think
  carefully

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CAUTION( to be followed in both written and
oral case analyses, discussions and presentations
and also in real life situations)

• Avoid looking for who is to blame rather than
  trying to understand why people behaved as they
  have. Most people are well intended and try to do
  their best under the given circumstances
• Avoid the temptation to fire someone,
  reorganize or form a task force. These things may
  prove useful after analysis, but are often used
  to avoid the needed analysis

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