the art of case writing

8/6/2019 The Art of Case Writing

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Case Writing

Presentation by

A V Vedpuriswar


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Objectives

Develop problem diagnosis, alternatives identification

& evaluation skills:

Learning by doing. Simulates real life problems and

puts the students in the shoes of the decision maker.

Improving industry knowledge & developing analytical

skills

The process of finding the answer is more important

than the answer itself

An inefficient but effective learning process.


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Types of Cases

Teaching cases

Decision Focus

Illustrate Theory

Often Incomplete

Students learn to make assumptions

Cases for Research

Descriptive

Test Theory

Develop/Generate Theory or Propositions

Demonstration Cases

Descriptive & Explanatory,

Dissemination of best practices


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Types of Cases (cont)Library Cases

Secondary Data

Field Cases

Primary Data

The Pros & Cons


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The case development process

Case Theme: Issue/Concept/to be taught

Prior preparation

Data Collection

Writing: Draft to Final

Sign off: Obtaining Clearances in case of field

case

Testing: Does the Case Meet Stated Objectives?


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Key issues in case writing

How do I choose my case?

What concepts am I seeking to illustrate, and

what conclusions do I want to draw?

How should I deal with other sources of

evidence as they come up or if events change

dramatically?

How do I write the case?

In addition to teaching the case what other

outcomes are expected?


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Topic selection

Familiarity

Interest

Open/Shut?

Multiple options


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Arriving at a structure

H R

Operations

Marketing

Strategy

Finance

Parts A & B

Moving back in time


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Coverage

Multi dimensional

Cross functional

Focus

Turning points

Exhibits


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Developing a case on Corporate Social

Responsibility


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Flora & Fauna

Future Generation Local Communities

Special Interest GroupsMedia

Politicians Government

Competitors Industry

Traders Employees

Environment

Firm


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Style

Simple

Narrative

Reader friendly

Avoid reader dissonance

- Going back and forth

- Contradictory sentences

- Too many figures/names

- Repetition of ideas

- Leaps of abstraction

Quotations

Avoid analysis


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Case Opening

Indias largest fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company

Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL)s, disappointing results announcedin mid-2004, underscored the difficulties the company was

facing in generating growth. HLLs major top management

reshuffle in April 2004, undertaken at the instance of parent

company, Unilever, was the most visible admission of the

challenges being faced by the company. Even as analysts

debated whether HLL could return to the heady days of the mid-

1990s, when double digit growth had come so easily, stock

market operators had hammered down HLLs stock price. On

May 2, 2000 when M S Banga had taken over as HLLChairman, the HLL share (face value = Rs. 10) was quoting at

Rs. 2,190. In April 2004, the share (face value = Rs. 1) price was

only Rs. 150. What could HLL do to get back to double digit

growth and regain the confidence of investors?


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Case Ending

In mid-2004, the evolving business environment posed newchallenges for HLL. Penetration levels in most FMCGcategories had become saturated. Increased spending onconsumer durables, education, health care and travel seemedto be having an impact on sales of consumer non durables.

Meanwhile, many analysts were expecting cheaper regional

brands to offer stiff competition to HLL. Evidence of thiscame from Anchor, a toothpaste brand in the west andCavinKare a company based in the south with promisingbrands such as Chik and Fairever. Various factors hadcontributed to the rise of regional brands. In many product

categories, technology was easily available, unlike in the pastwhen it was the preserve of multinationals. The smallerbrands were also delivering on the quality front and it hadbecome increasingly difficult for the larger brands to claimthat their quality was superior.


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The regional brands were also managed by more

entrepreneurial teams who seemed willing to experiment and

learn from mistakes. As organized retailing grew in India,there were also concerns that private labels and store brands

would increase in importance. In the leading grocery chains

like Foodworld and Nilgiris, private labels were becoming

increasingly popular.

HLLs Power Branding strategy had come under attack.

Some analysts felt than in the process of rationalizing and

restructuring the brand portfolio, smaller brands that could

be potential winners in the long run, had been thrown down

the drain. But Banga believed that this view was not correct.

What could HLL do to get back to the double digit growth

path of the 1990s? This was the question which taxed the

minds of HLLs top management as they adjusted to the new

management structure announced in April 2004.


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Editing a Case

Has all the available information been tapped? Indeed, it is

not a bad idea to prepare the list of references beforewriting the case.

Is enough information provided for students to take

positions and discuss the case in the classroom?

Are all the facts presented accurately?

Have references been given to quotes and factual

information?

Have the exhibits been referred to in the text?

Has the case writer biased the reader with his or her own

views?

Are there important learning lessons for the students?


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The Final Test

Reader friendliness

Insights

Learning value


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DOs and DONTs

Have some idea of the learning objectives before startingthe case. Accordingly, identify the issues that should be

covered in detail.

Have a thorough understanding of the situation being

covered. This may include technology, markets and therelevant management concepts. Without a thorough

understanding, we will not be able to collect the relevant

information in a systematic way.

Select the most important issues and cover them in detail

instead of trying to cover too many issues.

Cont


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Do not start writing the case before the collected

material has been thoroughly studied and copious notes

taken.

Use past tense to the extent possible. This will bring a

timeless quality to the case.

Do not refer to an event such as, say, a court case and

fail to explain how it ended. i.e., events should not be

left hanging.

Never offer your opinion on a decision. However, theopinion of company executives/analysts/ competitors

can be given as quotes.

Cont


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Choose quotes carefully. Powerful statements should be

given as quotes. Otherwise, it is more appropriate to

use your own words. Quotes should also not be too long.

Otherwise, they tend to be boring.

All factual information, quotes, etc should be

referenced. Good cases invariably have excellent

footnotes. Difficult terms must be explained using

footnotes.

A case should not have too many details. Otherwise, it

will become unmanageable. There should be enough

data to generate multiple action plans but not so muchas to confuse.

Cont


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The case must have some controversy to liven it up.

A case should not be too long. Students should find it

convenient to prepare the evening before the class and

finish the discussion in the time allotted.

Drama should be built into the case using characters.But care must be taken not to include too many sub

plots, which will confuse the students.

It is useful to follow a few conventions consistently. For

example, characters in the case may be referred to by

last names. Titles should not be put in capital letters.

Cont.


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All exhibits should be numbered. They should be

referred to at an appropriate point in the text.

Without such references, the exhibits may not be

used at all by students.

Too many headings can fragment the case and lead to

repetition of ideas. Too few headings make the caseless readable and make it difficult for the student to

relocate the material later, if required.

The opening paragraphs of the case must be written

very carefully to build interest in the case. It is often

a good idea to write the opening paragraph at the

end.


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Taking precautions

Chemistry Lab syndrome

Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar syndrome

Kalidas syndrome

When in doubt, assume you do not know

Check, recheck, re recheck

Have a dictionary by your side


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Thank You

the art of case writing

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