how to read case study
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Welcome to
Introduction to Business II
Administrative Studies
University of Winnipeg
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Getting to know each other
Networkinggetting to know people
and their interests, making connections,
acquaintances, friendships
will bevery helpful to your business career.
Therefore, everyone is expected to know
each and every fellow student in thisclass by name!
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Please introduce yourself
Where are you from, where have you lived?
What is your work experience?
What do you plan to major in at U of W?
What are your career plans?
What are your extra curricular activities?
Why have you chosen to take this course?What do you expect to learn from it?
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The Case Method
Pioneered at Harvard Business School
Learning through discussion of actual
business situations (case studies) from theassumed role of the actual decision maker.
What wouldyoudo in this situation and why?
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Shared Responsibility for
Learning in the Case MethodYou are responsible for achievingunderstanding of each case situation anddeveloping a plan to address it!
There is no one right answer BUT
that doesnt mean anything goes.
Every student must be involved in every class
Contributing analysis, ideas and insightsActively listening to learn from other students
Instructor only moderates the discussion!
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Learning with the Case Method
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Three Stages of Case Learning
Individual Preparation
Small Group Discussion
Full Class Discussion
Each stage takes learning to a higher levelThere are no shortcuts!
Each stage exhibits diminishing returns
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The Case Method Process
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How NOTto Prepare a Case
DO NOT dive right in and plow
through the case word by word
on your first time through!
DO NOT try to memorize
every detail about the situation!DO NOT crunch numbers
just because they are there!
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Individual Preparation
an effective way
Read opening and closing paragraphs
Examine tables and figures in exhibits
Examine headings in the case
Review case analysis guidelines
Read first sentence of each paragraphRead closely, highlight, make notes, etc.
Decide what you would do and why
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Small Group Discussion
Every group member must have done
thorough individual preparation
Limit group time
be aware ofdiminishing returns
Test assumptions, calculations,
be willing to modify your analysis
Group consensus is not necessary
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Full Class Discussion
Share your analysis, insights and
expertise with classmates
Listen thoughtfully to the contributionsof others
Relate your contributions to the ongoing
flow of discussion; build on thecontributions of others.
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Lets try it with
Universal Pulp and Paper
West Coast Division(Ivey case #9A99D012)
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Case Preparation, Step 1
Read first and last paragraphs of the case
Identify decision issue, and your role as
decision maker
Why has this decision issue arisen?
What is the challenge (problem oropportunity) to be addressed?
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Opening paragraph
Mike Garfield, the new plant managerof the West Coast Division of Universal
Pulp and Paper, had just received adisturbing telephone call from hissuperior located at the companys headoffice. The head office staff had
received several complaints fromcustomers supplied by the West CoastDivision.
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Opening paragraph (cont)
These complaints concerned inferior
product quality and increasingly late
deliveries. Given only two weeks inwhich to investigate and report back to
his superior, Mike Garfield wondered
what, specifically, could be done quicklyto improve the overall operating
efficiency and effectiveness of his plant.
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Closing paragraph
With demand for newsprint expected to
increase from three million tons of paper this
year to 3,680,000 tons next year, Mike knew
the current complaints might be a sign of worse
days ahead. As plant manager, Mike knew he
was ultimately responsible for the efficiency
and profitability of his plant. With this inmind, he set out to prepare his report to his
superior at head office.
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Pause for thought!
What is the decision issue here?
What is your role as the decision maker?
Why has this decision issue arisen?
What is the challenge (problem or
opportunity) to be addressed?
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Case Preparation, Step 2
Read each subheading of the case
Read the title of each exhibit
What kinds of information seem to be
available in the case?
Why is this information there? How mightit be useful?
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Subheadings in the text
The West Coast Division
The Consumer
The Production Process
Wood Processing
Pulp Production
Paper Production
The Complaints
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Exhibit(s) at end of text
Plant and Equipment Investment
(in millions of dollars)
Capacity Enhancement Cost Study
Results
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Pause for thought!
What kinds of information seem to be
available in the case?
Why is this information there?
How might it be useful?
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Case Preparation, Step 3
Reread entire first paragraph, readsubheadings and topic sentence of each
paragraph, and reread entire last paragraph
What seems to be going on in the situation?
What are we trying to accomplish?
What sort of analysis is likely to be useful?
What kind of alternatives are likely to arise?
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Opening paragraph
Mike Garfield, the new plant managerof the West Coast Division of Universal
Pulp and Paper, had just received adisturbing telephone call from hissuperior located at the companys headoffice. The head office staff had
received several complaints fromcustomers supplied by the West CoastDivision.
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Opening paragraph (cont)
These complaints concerned inferior
product quality and increasingly late
deliveries. Given only two weeks inwhich to investigate and report back to
his superior, Mike Garfield wondered
what, specifically, could be done quicklyto improve the overall operating
efficiency and effectiveness of his plant.
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The West Coast Division
(first subheading and topic sentences)
The West Coast Division was amanufacturing operation involved in the
processing of cut timer (wood) and theproduction of various paper products.
The West Coast Division was a fullyintegrated operation, in that it produced
and processed all of the wood pulp (rawmaterial) it required for its manufactureof paper products.
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The Consumer
(second subheading and topic sentences)
Although an endless number and variety
of paper products were sold at the retail
level, the West Coast Division plantsupplied companies that produced or
used paper products for two basic
purposes:
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The Consumer (cont)
(second subheading and topic sentences)
1. Approximately 95 per cent of the
plants production was newsprint, used
primarily in the production of dailynewspapers.
2. The remaining five per cent of the
plants production was used for specialtywriting paper products.
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The Consumer (cont)
(second subheading and topic sentences)
End consumers of these [specialty] paper
products tended to buy infrequently and
in small quantities.Mike Garfield recalled that, although the
West Coast Division plant was originally
designed primarily for the production ofhigh volume, low-to-medium quality
newsprint;
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)
The production process was quite
complex at the West Coast plant, but
could be simplified into three keycomponents: wood processing, pulp
production, and paper production.
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)
Wood Processing. The entire production
process began with the receipt of wood
logs.Once de-barked, the logs were moved to a
chipper machine.
The entire wood processing component ofthe production process could provide 730
tons of wood chips per hour.
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)Pulp Production. Pulp, the key raw materialfor the production of paper, was produced usinga complicated chemical process known as the
Kraft process.Upon leaving the digesters, the digested chipsentered a machine known as a blow tank.
The pulp production facilities were capable ofconverting as much as eight million tons ofwood chips into about four million tons of paper
per year.
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)Paper Production. The two paper-making machines in the West Coast plantwere extremely large and involved aninvestment of about $500 million each.
A paper-making machine had a wet end(where the diluted wood fibre pulp
entered the process), and a dry end (wherethe completed paper was wound onto verylarge rolls or logs of paper).
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)The paper-making process was highly
complex, and required the monitoring of many
variables such as temperature, chemical
content, and machine speed.
Mike Garfield recalled a report prepared by
the director of computer services indicating
that a computer program was available thatcould enhance the present system so that all 75
measurements could be computer-controlled.
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The Production Process (cont)
(third subheading and topic sentences)
If machine capacity was at the root of
the complaints, Mike knew that a report
recently prepared by the productionengineers would be most helpful.
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The Complaints
(fourth subheading and topic sentences)To better understand the source and
cause of the recent complaints, Mike
held a meeting with the chief productionsupervisor, Charlie Robertson.
Its not my fault! Its those idiots in
sales and marketing that keep sendingme those stupid, small fancy orders
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Closing paragraph
With demand for newsprint expected to
increase from three million tons of paper this
year to 3,680,000 tons next year, Mike knew
the current complaints might be a sign of worse
days ahead. As plant manager, Mike knew he
was ultimately responsible for the efficiency
and profitability of his plant. With this inmind, he set out to prepare his report to his
superior at head office.
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Pause for thought!
What seems to be going on in the casesituation?
What are we trying to accomplish as thedecision maker?
What sorts of analyses are likely to beuseful?
What kind of alternatives to address thissituation are likely to arise?
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For next class.
Do your individual preparation for theUniversal Pulp and Paper: West Coast
Division (case 6.10 in the text) using theabove context to guide your work.
For further information and helpful hintson the case method, read:
Learning by the Case Method, IB Web site
http://acsas.uwinnipeg.ca/introbus/IB2/ReadingsIB2/CaseMethod.htmhttp://acsas.uwinnipeg.ca/introbus/IB2/ReadingsIB2/CaseMethod.htm