What else can go wrong
Project description
This is a case from the book Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace by Iris Varner and Linda Beamer. Pg. 484 We must answer the 4 questions on pg. 487. I am attaching how he wants us to analyze the cases.
How to Analyze a Case Study
A case study helps students learn by immersing them in a real
–
world business scenario where they
can act as problem
–
solvers and decision
–
makers. The case presents facts about a
particular
organization. Students are asked to analyze the case by focusing on the most important facts and
using this information to determine the opportunities and problems facing that organization. Students
are then asked to identify alternative courses
of action to deal with the problems they identify.
A case study analysis must not merely summarize the case. It should identify key issues and
problems, outline and assess alternative courses of action, and draw appropriate conclusions. The case
study ana
lysis can be broken down into the following steps:
1.
Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.
2.
Identify the key issue or issues.
3.
Specify alternative courses of action.
4.
Evaluate each course of action.
5.
Recommend the best course of action.
L
et’s look at what each step involves.
1.
Identify the
most important facts surrounding the case.
Read the case several times to
become familiar with the information it contains. Pay attention to the information in any
accompanying exhibits, tables, or figures. Many case scenarios, as in real life, present a
great deal of detailed information. Some of
these facts are more relevant that others for
problem identification. One can assume the facts and figures in the case are true, but
statements, judgments, or decisions made by individuals should be questioned. Underline
and then list the most important f
acts and figures that would help you define the central
problem or issue. If key facts and numbers are not available, you can make assumptions,
but these assumptions should be reasonable given the situation. The “correctness” of your
conclusions may depend
on the assumptions you make.
2.
Identify the key issue or issues.
Use the facts provided by the case to identify the key issue or issues facing the company you
are studying. Many cases present multiple issues or problems. Identify the most important
and se
parate them from more trivial issues. State the major problem or challenge facing the
company. You should be able to describe the problem or challenge in one or two sentences.
You should be able to explain how this problem affects the strategy or performan
ce of the
organization.
You will need to explain why the problem occurred. Does the problem or challenge facing the
company come from a changing environment, new opportunities, a declining market share,
or inefficient internal or external business process
es?
It is important to consider not only the
marketing mix
(product
, promotion, pricing and distribution),
but also
the major variable
issues within the international marketplace such as economic, socio
–
cultural, political, legal
and competition. The use o
f technology within the internal marketplace should also be
considered
in both the problem and solution where applicable.
Many
problems in the business world typically present a combination of management,
technology, and organizational issues. When identif
ying the key issue or problem, ask what
kind of problem it is: Is it a management problem, a technology problem, an organizational
problem, or a combination of these? What management, organizational and technology
factors contributed to the problem?
o
To determine if a problem stems from management factors, consider whether
managers are exerting appropriate leadership over the organization and monitoring
organizational performance. Consider also the nature of management decision
–
making: Do managers have
sufficient information for performing this role, or do they
fail to take advantage of the information that is available?
o
To determine if a problem stems from technology factors, examine any issues arising
from the organization’s information technology in
frastructure: its hardware,
software, networks and telecommunications infrastructure, and the management of
data in databases or traditional files. Consider also the whether the appropriate
management and organizational assets are in place to use this tech
nology
effectively.
o
To determine the role of organizational factors, examine any issues arising from the
organization’s structure, culture, business processes, work groups, divisions among
interest groups, relationships with other organizations, as well a
s the impact of
changes in the organization’s external environment
–
changes in government
regulations, economic conditions, or the actions of competitors, customers, and
suppliers.
You will have to decide which of these factors
–
or a combination of
these or
other factors
—
are
the
most important in explaining why the problem occurred.
3.
Specify alternative courses of action
.
List the courses of action the company can take to
solve its problem or meet the challenge it faces. For information system
–
related problems,
do these alternatives require a new information system or the modification of an existing
system? Are new technol
ogies, business processes, organizational structures, or
management behavior required? What changes to organizational processes would be
required by each alternative? What management policy would be required to implement each
alternative?
Remember, there i
s a difference between what an organization “should do” and
what that organization actually “can do.” Some solutions are too expensive or operationally
difficult to implement, and you should avoid solutions that are beyond the organization’s
resources. Ide
ntify the constraints that will limit the solutions available. Is each alternative
executable given these constraints?
4.
Evaluate each course of action
.
Evaluate each alternative using the facts and issues you
identified earlier, given the conditions and in
formation available. Identify the costs and
benefits of each alternative. Ask yourself “What would be the likely outcome of this course of
action? State the risks as well as the rewards associated with each course of action. Is your
recommendation feasible
from a technical, operational, and financial standpoint? Be sure to
state any assumptions on which you have based your decision.
5.
Recommend the best course of action.
State your choice for the best course of action and
provide a detailed explanation of
why you made this selection. You may also want to provide
an explanation of why other alternatives were not selected. Your final recommendation
should flow logically from the rest of your case analysis and should clearly specify what
assumptions were use
d to shape your conclusion. There is often no single “right” answer,
and each option is likely to have risks as well as rewards.
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