Read the case study ‘The Simkin Cafe Chain'. The case or a link to the case can be found on Blackboard and the full reference for this case study is:

Corbett, J. M. (1994) Critical cases in organisational behaviour (Palgrave/Macmillan), pp. 201-2 (Case 41).

Answer the following question:

Outline and analyse the problems facing the Simkin Café Chain in the short and long term and offer recommendations for their resolution.

Further guidance:

Please note that you should draw upon material from any or all sections of the OB unit as appropriate. This is a case that says a lot about organizational structures and cultures and processes of managing change (as well as motivations and power) and which also invites you to examine these issues in some depth (although choices about how much breadth and depth to go into will inevitably have to be made due to the word limit).

For further detailed guidance, please make sure you read very carefully the attached Guide to Analyzing OB Case Studies, which sets out at the end how the case study will be marked. Your answer should use the case study format outlined in that guide and should be 2,000 words in length (inclusive of references, etc).

A GUIDE TO ANALYSING OB CASE STUDIES

Using Case Studies

Cases are intended to provide vicarious experience based on real situations, allowing you to ‘observe' the internal affairs of organisations and to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Whether based on real organisations or more simulated, they require the application of relevant theoretical concepts and models to the analysis of organisational and management problems. Often, they require you to explore a range of issues in a holistic way, drawing upon more than one aspect of the course (e.g. motivation, structure, culture, change management). Whatever the subject area(s), if you expect to find the ‘correct' answer to a case study problem you are likely to get disillusioned and frustrated! There is usually no one best solution but, rather, a number of different paths, which may lead to a similar outcome. The task is to identify a path that is likely to solve the immediate and long-term problems in the case without causing unintended negative outcomes.

Analysing Cases

The standards expected in analysing OB cases are that:

An answer should demonstrate your ability to analyse the facts presented in the case. It should highlight your understanding of relevant theories, concepts and research findings and your ability to relate these, in a well-reasoned discussion, to the facts given. It should demonstrate emphasis on the most important issues and explain the assumptions, conclusions and recommendations you make. An answer that is merely a statement of your conclusions will receive very little credit.

Although different cases may require slightly different approaches, a standard format with which to approach a case analysis is suggested below. This should help you to structure your case analysis and, even if this precise format is not required to answer the case study questions, it provides you with an outline of the essential steps needed in preparing your case study report.

Step 1. First reading

Read the cased study as you would a short story, trying to understand the general points that are being realised and the characters involved.

Step 2. Second Reading and Summarising

It is at this stage that you will want to proceed more systematically. Make a summary of the contents of the case study. The following questions should help you do this:

• What is the case study about?
• What are the main issues highlighted?

Note: This summary does not need to appear in your assignment. The starting point for the actual writing of your case study assignment is Step 3 below).

Step 3. Problem Identification

By this point, you should be ready to start writing your case study. First, try to define what the critical problem is in the case study. This may or may not be particularly easy. In addition, sub-problems may be present which may also influence the situation. You do not need to analyse the problems at this stage, but you should prioritise them. The following questions should help you:

• What seems to be causing the ‘problems' in the case?
• What further information might be needed to help you understand the causes of the problems?

Step 4. Analysis

This is the most important part of the case study (see ‘balance of marks' below). Analyse the situation that has led to the problem(s) you have identified. At this stage, you will need to relate the theoretical material covered in lectures, textbooks and journals to the issues and problems you have identified. You might need to cover one, some or several topic areas covered in the course. Remember too that the theories and concepts you apply to the case will inevitably be partial and incomplete - dealing with some, but not all, aspects of the problem. They may even be controversial or contested, in which case you might need to work at demonstrating their relevance and usefulness. Consequently, you should use the theories and concepts collectively as a ‘toolbox' for analysing the case, probably using more than one theory or model (and possibly several) to analyse each issue. You might use the following types of questions to help you:

• Is this an issue or problem that is concerned with one or several aspects of the subject area?
• Which theories and concepts you have covered might help you to explain what is going on?
• How do these theories and concepts explain what is going on?
• Are other concepts and theories needed to analyse other aspects of the problem?
• Are they needed to provide ‘triangulation' to bolster certain parts of your analysis?

Step 5. Alternatives

Based on your identification of the problem(s) and through your analysis, it should now be possible to highlight a variety of alternative course of action that can be taken. It is useful to identify a number of general alternatives (say 3 or 4) that address all parts of the problem(s) you have identified. (An obvious starting point here is to consider ‘do nothing' as the default option!) As in any real situation, no alternative is likely to be ideal, so each should be evaluated in terms of its pros and cons (in dealing with all aspects of the problem), as well as the risks involved in implementation of any change required.

Step 6. Recommendation

After outlining all the alternatives available, you must now make a clear recommendation regarding which of the alternatives you prefer. Again, the following questions will be helpful:

• What needs to be done to resolve the case study problem?
• In what ways do these resolutions relate to the theoretical analysis of the case?

Step 7. Plan of Action

The final stage of case analysis is the most practically focused and involves outlining the procedure by which you would implement your recommendation. The following questions might help you:

• Which people might be involved?
• How long would the process take?
• What parts of the organisation might be affected?
• What sorts of side effects might be expected?