How to Approach a Case Study CM Famagusta[1]

8/7/2019 How to Approach a Case Study CM Famagusta[1]

1/18

TIMES WG How to approach a case study

TIMES CommitteeHow to approach a case study


2/18

How to approach a case study

TIMES Committee | Slide 2

AgendaI What a Case Study is

I About TIMES

I Structuring the case work Identifying the problem

Analysing the case

Evaluating options

The recommendation

I Presentation What is expected?


3/18



What a Case Study is and where it

comes fromI A case study is a description of a tough business situation that helps the

reader understand business challenges more in-depth

I The case study method has widely been used and promoted byHarvard Business School in advanced management teaching

The goal of Harvard Business School is to prepare students for thechallenges of leadership. We believe that the case method is by far the

most powerful way to learn the skills required to manage, and to lead HBS


4/18



What is TIMES?

Tournament in Management andEngineering Skills

ESTIEMsflagship

project

A Europe-wide case

competition,

unique of itskind

Involvesyearly about

1 000students

fromaround

In 2009TIMES isorganised

for the 16thtime!


5/18



How is TIMES Judged?

Presentation,20%

Structure of thepresentation

Presentationskills

Teamwork andorganisation

Use oftransparencies

Timemanagement

Problem analysis,30%

Broadperspective vs.focusing

Identification offutureperspectives

Methodology

Solution,35%

Solution shouldmatch theproblem

Considerationof alternativesolutions

Innovativenessand creativity

Implementationand feasibility

Sustainability

Answering JuryQuestions, 15%

Precise andclear answers

Participation ofeach teammember


6/18



An example of structured work

11 Define the problem to be solved

22 Identify key issues and structure work

33 Analyse the situation market, company, industry, environment

44 Evaluate alternative solutions

55 Recommend best alternative

66 Support recommendation actions, financials and risks


7/18



What is t

he Problem Statement?

I It is

a thought-provoking question written explicitly, not a fact or assertion

clear, concise, specific, not general and unambiguous

actionable, not academic broad enough to not unduly limit following analyses

if needed, updated as your analysis progresses

includes all problems faced and not just focuses on one

I For example: How should Microsoft keep growing profitably?

How should Innocent drinks refocus their strategy?

How should Samsung react to the competition from China?


8/18



Identifying key issues and

prioritisingI Key Issues

What are the problem areas in thecase?

What are the key questions that needto be answered?

I Prioritising

Distinguish critical problems fromsecondary problems

Potential impact vs. likelyhood of

occurrence

Focus ontheseissues!

Impact

Probability-

-

+

+


9/18



Analysing the situation

Company situation

Business logic, companystructure, financial situation,

organisation

Market

Structure, customers, trends,market size, growth and

profitability

Externalenvironment

Opportunities, threats, trendsand changes

Competition

Competition dynamics, market

shares, competitive advantages

Use quantification whenever possible!


10/18



Common analysis frameworksVRIOS framework:

Sustainable competitive advantage

Pr

ct Price

Place Pr m ti n

In

stry

c mpetiti nan

rivalry

argaining

p er fs

ppliers

argaining

p er fc

st mers

Threat fs

bsitit

te

pr

cts

Threat fne

entrants

Porters five forces:

industry attractiveness

Marketing 4Ps:

Evaluating marketing strategy

H ever, s ally the

bestappr ach ist

evel p acase-specificframe rk

f y r n,

that sits the

caseperfectly


11/18



Generate and evaluate alternative

solutions

Present the evaluation in a suitable framework, e.g. in a matrix

Give the options visible ratings, e.g. points or pluses/minuses

Evaluate options

What are the pros and consof the strategies in question?

What financial implicationswould the strategies have?

Do the strategies fit thevalues of the company?

Generate options

What are the three or four basic possibe strategies for the company in question?


12/18



Giving t

he Recommendation

Charachteristics of a good recommendation:

Solid and understandable

Identification of all key issues

One final solution

What do you recommend that the board of thecompany should do?

What do you recommend that the board of thecompany should do?

Make a clear choiceand express it in a

compact form

Stickto yourrecommendation,also in the Q&A

part

Make sure you havecovered all key

issues youidentified in the

beginning

Feasible

Actionable and implementable

Sustainable

Quantified


13/18



Dont Forget to Support your

Recommendation

Action PlanRisk

Analysis

FinancialImplications

Presenting these parts gives you more time to convincethe judges that your recommendation is superior!


14/18



Example of Action Plan

Secure long-term financing

Develop plan for government

Set up leadership schoolReview organisational structure

Building 1st round of stores

Raise equity

Building 2nd round of stores

Review potential new locations

Building 3rd round of stores

Building 4th round of stores

2009200820072006


15/18



Example of Financial Implications

0

20 0

40 0

60 0

80 0

1000

1200

2004 2005E 2006E 2007E 2008E 2009E 2010E 2011E

Sales without ATVs Sales with ATVs

By g h A V

h gh ,K

h v AGR 14%

2011

Sa es w h and w hou ATVs EB T and EB T % deve op en

Sa

es CAGR +14%

Wit A V and in easedmoto y e sales in t e U.S.

KTM candouble its EBIT levels

until 2011 and ac ieve an EBIT-

margino over 13%

0 %

%

%

%

8 %

0 %

%

%

%

0

0

0

0

80

00

0

0

00

005E

00

E

007E

008E

009E

0

0E

0

E

EBIT without ATVs EBIT with ATVs EBIT-%


16/18



Example of Risk AnalysisRisk Probability Implication Contingency

Compe i or capture

market z- ailored product concept, monitor

competitor movements, focus on R&D

Consumers confused of

mixed position - Clearlydifferent brands for different

segments

Technology fails /

reliability poor

- xtensive R&D to increase quality,

warranties andguarantees keeping

customers happy

Plumbers will not accept

the product - Move to consumer-targeted

advertising

B&Q chooses not to

collaborate - Change retailers, negotiate new deal

Product still fails to sell z- Concentrateefforts on premium

segment, harvest andexit

Demandexceeds capacity

- Plan capacityincrease already,

increase price, concentrate on

premium segment


17/18



PresentationI What we expect to see:

What are the main issues to consider? (problem)

Which ones are most important? (prioritization)

What are your ideas? (work) How would you proceed? (recommendations)

I What do we not expect to see:

Repetition of basic background facts from the case

Uneven time distribution between team members keep a balancedpresentation!

Too much information on the slides keep them simple and clear

Too long/too short presentation do not go over your time limit!


18/18

TIMES WG How to approach a case study

Any [email protected]@estiem.org

Documents

How to Approach a Case Study CM Famagusta[1]