Note on Case Analysis and Classroom Discussion

INTRODUCTION

Many management courses use the case study method. At Babson most management instructors use cases as
opportunities for you to place yourself – as a manager – in situations such as the ones you will face in your
current or future jobs. Cases can be used as examples of good (or bad) practices, “history lessons,” or as the
basis for exercises in applying specific techniques.

In future job situations you will have to make the best decisions you can, using the analytic and managerial
tools available, despite incomplete information and considerable uncertainty. To prepare for this, your task as
a student is to immerse yourself in each case in the same way you would immerse yourself in a similar
problem in your job. In this role you will do everything you can to creatively solve the problem and create a
realistic plan for implementing your solution. Then you will present your ideas in class and learn from others
– thereby developing the analytic and presentation skills you will need to be an effective manager. The
purpose of this note is to provide four sets of “tips” that may assist you in learning how to prepare for
classroom discussion of cases and participate effectively in the class.

I. CASE REALITY

Cases are descriptions of real events, and are intended to be studied and discussed as representations of
reality. Specifically, cases are generally not intended as examples of good or bad management practices.
Rather, they place you in a role of the manager who must make a decision. It is up to you to analyze
management’s actions and plans to date, determine which you believe are sound and worth continuing and
which you would change. Finally, you must create action plans to implement your decisions.

If the casewriter states a fact about an industry or company, you should believe that the data is “correct.”
But you must still question whether the data is relevant or useful. When the casewriter says that “Mr. Jones
believed...” or that “Miss Smith proposed...”, it means exactly that: They believed or proposed. But that does
not mean their beliefs were correct or their proposals sound. It is your task to question their beliefs and
proposals. When you have reason to believe your own views are better informed, you should create your
own analysis and action program based on your insights. Most of the time you will find that you can improve
upon even the best proposal or plan presented in the case.

In short, cases are meant to present the reality of everyday managerial life. Each day managers confront data
and opinions that sometimes turn out to be wrong, incomplete, or inadequate. It is your task to determine
which data to revise, reject or investigate before a decision can be made. Working on cases helps improve
these key skills.

II. LEARNING FROM CASES

Learning from cases requires three specific actions:

1. Thorough Preparation. Effective class discussion requires that every participant is thoroughly
familiar with the key facts of the case, has identified and considered options, made calculations and
analyses, reached a conclusion, and is ready to share these findings with the class as a whole.

2. Participation. In class you will review situations, establish alternatives and then creatively identify
additional ways to proceed, before seeking consensus on viable solutions. Effective participation is
critical and requires presenting, listening to others, and evaluating and modifying ideas until
conclusions are reached. This requires taking an engaged assertive role in class.

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 Also you may find by listening to others that you have made errors in your analysis. This is what
class is for; to take risks, try out new approaches and to use feedback from others to modify your
ideas and try again. As discussion leaders, the faculty will assist you in trying out your ideas. They
will evaluate you principally on how well you learn from trying – not on how “right” you are.

3. Periodic Rethinking/Integration. The greatest benefit of the case method comes from going back
and thinking about a group of cases, to see how they illustrate a process or a way of thinking. By
analyzing the ways in which a process or analytic technique is modified to meet the needs of a variety
of situations, you will acquire the skill of understanding how to adapt problem solving to the
demands of new situations.

III. CASE PREPARATION

The quality in which you and your classmates prepare a case significantly determines how much you learn
from a case. If you are “well-prepared,” you will feel more confident to volunteer and start the class
discussion by providing a 5 to 10 minute review of what is happening, what problems or issues arise, and
what alternatives you see for resolving these issues. You may even be prepared to offer a recommendation
based on your analysis. The faculty will expect you to come to class prepared to do this. Please review the
following four key elements to good preparation:

1. Knowing the Key Facts. This sounds obvious, but it isn’t. After all, which facts are “key?” Key
facts are those that will significantly influence future action. Specifically:
o What business are we in? What do we do in that business? Are we a major player or a
newcomer? What are our major strengths and weaknesses?
o How competitive is this business? What are the major trends and outside influences
affecting it?
o Is this an important decision? Why does it matter? What is at stake?
o What are the economics of this decision? Are costs fixed or variable? Will changes in sales
have a major impact on profits? How?

2. Identifying the Issue. A case “issue” is a management question that requires an answer that will
lead to action. The key facts help define this issue. Often a general form of the issue is stated in the
first or last paragraph of the case – or in the case assignment. Sometimes you have to search for it.
Even if you do find a general statement of the issue quickly and easily, an important part of your
problem-solving process will be to keep on refining your statement of the issue to make it more and
more precise.

3. Evaluating Alternatives. In any complex situation there are many possible actions. You can’t fully
assess all of them.

4. Recommending Action. When making a recommendation, you should consider how to explain
your view of the situation, analyses, and recommendations to others.

o Establish the key facts in a simple explanation or diagram.

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These are the skills you will need to be a successful manager. Our task at Babson is to help you work through
cases with the objective of making the process so automatic that you can and do rely upon it as a manager.
Many students find that it is very helpful to use a study group as part of the process. An effective study
group will require that you come prepared by having read the case. In the study group you can analyze the
case, state your views, listen to others, and work together to refine your ideas. Then you can seek consensus
and go to class knowing that some other students in your group have views similar to your own.

IV. PRESENTING YOUR VIEWS

There are several ways in which class discussion of cases provides a format to present your views. This
provides important opportunities for you because as a manager you must be able to inform and convince
others to share your view of a situation or recommendation. The case classroom is an excellent place to learn
to do so.

The person who starts the class discussion has the greatest opportunity to shape the class. If you go first you
may be expected to lay out key aspects of the entire situation, suggest alternatives and analyses, and structure
a direction for the class. Sometimes this initial comment will take the class all the way to a recommendation.
More often it will set the stage and open up possibilities and analytic directions. If this opening is well
structured and clearly presented, the class will progress more rapidly.

Faculty may ask questions at this point to encourage you to express your ideas with greater clarity, or to
encourage you to provide more support for the model or course of action you are proposing.

As the class progresses there will be times when you will want to propose actions or analyses that are quite
different from those being proposed by others. Give those who are advocating an idea a chance to finish.
Wait a moment until their ideas have been well explored. Then you can introduce a new idea and carefully
present your own new approach. Take the time to make sure that your idea or proposal is well understood.

Near the end of the class discussion there are usually opportunities to revise what has been said earlier and to
sum up and create a reasonable consensus position. This too is good practice for your future role as a
manager.

Everything that occurs in the case classroom is designed to help you learn and internalize the process. Solid
preparation and class participation will speed up your own learning and sharpen your skills as a future
manager. Periodically reflect on what you are doing as a participant, why and how you are doing it, and how
it serves your goal of becoming a better manager. Remember to think about your own case participation and
you will speed-up and enhance your own learning.

Copyright 1997 Professor Larry Isaacson, Revised and updated by H. David Hennessey 2007.
This note was prepared by Professor Isaacson as an aid to students preparing for case discussion.