A business case study is a written account of the specific events or details that may have occurred within a business or specific industry over a period of time. If you are a business student, this will be a foundational step in your studies and in your career. Not only will you need to understand how to analyze business case studies, but you will also need to make sure that you can effectively analyze other students’ projects. Being able to perform an intelligent analysis will not only impress your professors, but it will also offer you the opportunity to engage in stimulating discussions with your fellow students. This is what will happen in the business world, so learning how to do this now will set you up for future success.
Here’s how you can use a case study analysis to make sure you are writing the best paper possible, and also so that you can fully and thoroughly analyze your fellow students’ projects and presentations.
Here’s your handy guide on how to analyze a business case study.
Know what you’re talking about
If you want to sound professional and prepared, then you should make sure that you have done your homework. Read the case study presented to you or listen extremely carefully to your classmates’ presentations. This same care should go into your own work. Know the issues and be able to very clearly articulate them. Take notes throughout the process and re-read anything necessary to create clear connections.
Identify the questions that the case study poses
Analyze the case study and determine what problems you (or the writer) are trying to solve. If the question posed is unclear, then it is not posed correctly.
Determine what the thesis of the paper is
The thesis should be outlined within one to two sentences at the beginning of the case study.
Make sure that background information is included
The scene of the case study should be established early on, meaning that the reader should know exactly what the important issues and relevant facts are for this particular case. You should have and know the background information on the business and this should be presented clearly and accurately in the course of the study.
See that the evidence is clearly used
The evidence used in a business case study needs to clearly back up the thesis. The evidence can be gathered and presented in a variety of ways. One can use class resources, data, diagrams, statistics, and facts to demonstrate the point that is being made. If you are writing the study, then you need to be sure and include these. If you are analyzing someone else’s study, then you need to look at the evidence posed critically and determine if it effectively supports the thesis.
A solution should always be proposed
The point of the case study is to determine and implement solutions to specific problems that the study determined exist. These solutions should be realistic, and the audience/reader should clearly be able to understand its implications. It should be apparent why that solution was chosen above the others by supporting it with concrete evidence. Then, in addition to simply posing a solution, one must discuss specific strategies for making sure that the said solution is implemented effectively. Determine what the business needs to do and how it can go about actually doing it.
Check for inconsistencies
Before presenting your study or when analyzing someone else’s, be sure to extensively scan the study for any inconsistencies. Make sure that it is clearly written and that all evidence is applicable. Are there holes in your analysis or in the study that you are reading or listening to? It is important to be able to determine where inconsistencies exist not only to get a better grade but also to make sure that the solutions posed are indeed adequate to solve the problems that the case study found.
Approach your analysis from different perspectives
Put yourself in various positions to be sure that your business case study analysis or those of your classmates have been adequately explored. Put yourself in the position of the CEO to determine if your company’s faults and strengths are adequately felt and represented. In addition, put yourself in an opposing stance to your paper: what weaknesses would you identify? Try and rip your own paper apart to make sure that your thesis is airtight.
Being able to effectively analyze a business case study is crucial for making sure that you can write and present one that is compelling and that provides solutions to a business or industry’s problems. Additionally, it is necessary to fully analyze your classmate’s studies to start a conversation about what effective solutions look like, and how one analyzes problems to come up with these solutions. As a business student, you will undoubtedly be assigned a business case study writing at some point in your college career. If you can effectively analyze them, you will not only improve your grades and engage in crucial conversations with classmates, but you will also set yourself up for future career success.
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