Select, develop, and analyze an in-depth case analysis. The purpose of this project is to utilize course concepts to strategically analyze an organization of your choosing.

Case studies are used extensively in teaching business. Typically, students perform an analysis on a case study prepared by an author or the professor-in this instance, the student is the author of the cases. The case study research strategy provides the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of an organization or event-data can be collected from multiple sources (for example, company websites, interviews, or published articles).

Choose an organization during the Week 2 Discussions. Be sure it is not already chosen by another student by seeing what was posted in that discussion. The organizations may be large, medium, or small businesses as well as non-profits. Governmental organizations do not qualify.

GuidelinesBack to Top
Case Analysis: The Course Project will build on the skills developed by the Case Analysis assignments done in Weeks 3 and 6.

Research Skills: Each case uses four to six sources, and sources are cited in the text and at the end of the case study in APA format.

Writing Skills: Ideas are communicated clearly in business English and using the appropriate business terminology. Work should be prepared following the development of a rough draft, revision, editing, and proofing to produce a final polished report.

A successful project will meet all of these requirements to earn a maximum of 200 points. At the conclusion of this project, it will be beneficial to compare what factors are selected by your peers. Are there patterns here?
Grading RubricsBack to Top
Category Points Description
Background and History 15 3 points deducted for each item not addressed.
Analysis via Porter's Five Forces Model 25 5 points deducted for each item not addressed. Full credit is awarded with a good faith effort to apply the model.
Strategy Used 40 8 points deducted for each item not addressed. Full credit is awarded with a good faith effort to apply the model.
Specific Strategy(s) 90 15 points deducted for strategy not addressed. Full credit is awarded with a good faith effort to apply the model.
Course of Action Recommended 15
Opinion 10
References 5
Total 200
Paper Length: The paper should be 6- to 8-pages long. There will be a 25 point deduction per full page below the minimum or over the maximum and partial pages will have deduction proportionally. Remember the title page, reference page, and illustrations and tables do not count in the page count.

Best PracticesBack to Top
The Process for Developing a Case Study and Cross-Case Analysis

Generate topic ideas-brainstorm, use your experience, your interests, and career oriented choices.
Develop initial ideas-explore the Internet and library databases.
Select a topic-find the best fit between assignment and information, interest, and experience obtained.
Develop a research question and set of questions (e.g., Why did this strategy succeed?)-answering this question will guide data collection and helps interpret results.
Data collection and analysis
Decide on suitable sources and means to access these sources.
Conduct interviews and observations, if appropriate.
Collect published sources and record publication details (use APA format).
Review data and determine gaps that need to be filled.
Determine case study structure (chronological or organized around key events and issues).
Interpret data in relation to the initial research question.
Develop an outline-say what you are going to say, say it, and then say you have said it (i.e., introduction, main body, summary, and conclusion).
Develop a rough draft, revise, edit, and proof-this is critical to producing a good quality document.
A good case study should be
significant;
complete;
consider alternative perspectives;
display sufficient evidence; and
be written in an engaging manner.
FormatBack to Top
Use a title page.

Font: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
Place your name in the upper left hand corner of the page.
Each section of your paper should be headed by the bold and capitalized item described above.
Indent paragraphs.
Insert page numbers at the bottom right.
Paper length should be 6- to 8-pages, double-spaced not including title page, references, and illustrations and tables.
Use APA citations throughout the paper. If you are not familiar with APA citation, refer to tutorial, which is contained in the last section of our course Syllabus.
Include a separate reference page at the end of the paper.
Please prepare reference page as follows.
References

Dess, G., Lumpkin, G., & Eisner, A. (2012). Strategic Management (6e). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Save your paper in the following format: Your last name, your initials of your first and middle name, and the company discussed in the Case Study.
EXAMPLE: If your name is Edward R Jones and you are writing a case study on Google, then the file name for your paper would be jonesergoogle.doc.