Writing an Analysis of a Business Problem

Here are some ideas you can use in writing your analysis of the midterm case study. This format is what you would use in writing a report for your boss in a real company. In writing this for you I am looking for you to use it in preparing well written essay. You are not expected to write this as answers-to-the-questions that I might pose in this note, but to prepare a seamless narrative that you would send to the boss. My hope is that you will be able to take this format with you into the workplace

Start with a summary. Your boss has no time to read. He wants answers. Give them to him.

State the problem as you assess it. Give your solution or recommendation. This should be done with firmness. This is what we should do...(strong) This is what we could do... (weak)

You should describe the methodology that used in analyzing the problem. List the criteria you used in resolving the problem. You should state the advantages and disadvantages to your recommendation and list potential consequences. You want to present the solution with the greatest net advantages based on raw value and based on how quickly the company will get those advantages. If time to implement and cost to implement are known, that should be stated here.

The summary should be no more than two paragraphs. If your boss likes what he sees, he will read on and study the remainder of you report.

Follow with the body of your report. This is how you do the analysis and how you will describe it to the boss. It should be in the following order:

1. Here is (are) the main problem(s). If you choose to present more than one problem, list them from the most significant problem to the least.

2. Here is (are) tentative solution(s) that I will analyze

3. Here are the potential advantages, disadvantages and potential consequences of each solution.

4. Here are the criteria I will use to analyze each problem. Note that the criteria you select will be different for each project or assignment you are given. Typical criteria may be based on (a.) expected net new revenue, (b.) new investment required, (c.) time to implement the solution and receive the benefits from it, (d.) potential impact on personnel: do we need to hire new people with new skills?; will existing employees lose their job?, (e.) how much government interference, or delay or, permission required will there be?, (f.) here is the expected competitive response.*

5. While you need not exhaustively describe the tests of each criterion, you will describe that your conclusion is from this analysis based on the criteria you selected. My conclusion is as follows...*

6. This gives you (the boss) the best solution to the problem based on your analysis criteria.*

7. How long will it take to implement your solution? When should the company begin the implementation? When will money begin to be spent and how much? (This particular case does not lend itself to getting answers to some of the questions raised in point #7. However you can comment on how quickly implementation must take place and on the potential consequences of whether to jump the gun before all pieces are in place but before the competition reacts, and what are the potential consequences of delay)

8. If you can derive it, you will also recommend a contingency plan if your recommendation is not accepted, or if things don't work the way you planned.

9. Bring your report to a strong summary conclusion.

10. The total length should be about 1,500 words or 5 pages. Use bold face headings to separate parts of the paper. Make sure the initial summary is highlighted. Just like your boss, I have not time to read and much of the total impression from your essay will be based on the soundness and completeness of your initial summary.

* Here is an addendum regarding criteria used in evaluating the situation. You have three tasks in this written analysis.

1. Identify the problem
2. Develop several solutions
3. Select the "best" solution and present it.

There generally are several problems in a case study. Using your intuition and judgment, determine what you believe to be the most important one for the company to address.

You then list possible solutions, rank order them from what appears to be the best to the least attractive. Selecting solutions is, again, a judgment call. You may come up with several solutions. Rank order them based on your first impression as to which one is best. Then you will have to do analysis to prove that your selection(s) is (are) the best one(s).

Obviously, you have limited time resources so you will have time only to analyze one or two possible solutions.

You prove your thought process for your boss by developing a set of Criteria which you will use to weight the solution(s) and draw your conclusion. What are the criteria? Let me illustrate. Think about buying a house. If you have an effective real estate agent, he will develop a set of Criteria for your specific stated needs before he ever shows you a house. This is to keep you from wasting time looking at houses that don't fit your needs. Each potential buyer will have a unique set of Criteria. Going from most important to lesser importance this might include:

- Minimum three bedrooms
- Good school system
- Close to public transportation
- Back yard doesn't face west and the afternoon sun and heat
- Two car garage
- One story

This eliminates most houses so that you will focus in on the ones that will work for you. This will make it much easier for you to make a final selection by finding the one that best meets your stated Criteria. In the same way, the Criteria you select for the business problem will focus you and your reader on the best solution and will justify your selection on a rational basis.

Your analysis will show

Using criteria #1 this solution is best because...
Using criteria #2 this solution is best because...

In this way, your boss will not only know what your recommendation is, but also how you arrived at that conclusion. Incidentally, you will probably only evaluate about three criteria in a typical analysis.