Guidelines on How to Approach and Answer Case Studies

GUIDELINES ON HOW TO APPROACH AND ANSWER CASE STUDIES 2012

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October 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Purpose of the guide 1. Defining case studies 2. The case method as a learning tool 3. How to approach a case study 3.1 Preparing case studies for class discussions and assignments

3.1.1 Introduction 3.1.2 Preparing a case study

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3.2 Preparing for and writing a case study exam

3.2.1 Exam writing skills 3.2.2 Exam strategies 3.2.3 Answer formats 3.2.4 Case study processes during the exam 3.2.5 How to write a case study

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4. Conclusion References Annexure A: Case studies and their solutions (attached as pdf. documents):  Trane  Classic Airlines  IT Organisation  Service Offering in Solution Marketing  Developing a Rural Market e-hub

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PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE As you will be using case studies in many of the IMM GSM’s postgraduate courses, it is important that you get off to a good start by learning the proper way to approach and answer them. This guide is a compilation of many renowned practical publications on the subject of case studies which are acknowledged in the list of references. 1. Defining case studies

A case study is a description of an actual administrative situation involving a decision to be made or a problem to be solved. It can be a real situation that actually happened just as described, or portions have been disguised for reasons of privacy. Most case studies are written in such a way that the reader takes the place of the manager whose responsibility is to make decisions to help solve the problem. In almost all case studies, a decision must be made, although that decision might be to leave the situation as it is and do nothing. A case study presents an account of...