Order Description
The objective of the case write-up is to demonstrate your ability to understand the marketing issues facing a firm as described in the case, to carry-out a thorough analysis of that situation using theories, ideas and frameworks from the course, to evaluate various options available to the firm and to recommend, with justification, a course of action or actions that the firm should pursue that in your opinion best addresses the issues facing it.
The write-up is intended to be a report to the management of the firm. Thus, there is a specific format that should be followed as described below.
Intro:
Provide a very brief description of the problem / decision context facing the firm. This should not take more than a few lines or a paragraph at most and certainly should be less that one half of an A4 sheet.
(1/2 page)
Executive summery
State in essence the main recommendation(s) that you propose to the firm to address the issue(s) identified in (1) above. Do not provide any justifications for your recommendation at this point. Your stated recommendations must be sufficiently specific to be insightful (e.g. stating that the firm must ?increase its revenues? is not very insightful, whereas ?increasing revenues from current customers by increasing their average purchase frequency? clarifies how you propose increasing revenues). It is also important to state what the firm should not do or choose not to do, if there is more than viable path for the firm to achieve its objectives. Marketing Strategy is not only about choosing what to do, but also simultaneously choosing what not to do.
Identify the main impediment(s) to achieving your recommendation(s) and the best solution for overcoming the impediment(s).
(1/2 page or so for both parts)
3. Situation Analysis, Evaluation of Options and Recommendation(s)
This section would form the main part of your analysis of the case and it should bring out the logic underlying your recommendation(s). It should be comprehensive and self-contained. You would apply the ?5Cs, 4Ps? framework that underlies the course to a) analyze the market situation, b) evaluate the various options given in the case (and / or developed by you), and c) develop your recommendations. It is at this point that you must not only justify the recommended strategy, but why other viable options were not chosen. Moreover, for any option, you must explicitly consider the arguments both for and against it and why, in your opinion, one set of arguments outweighs the other. Also, identify the main impediments to achieving the recommendations and how the firm could overcome them. In general, you would be expected to use quantitative analysis of case data to support your qualitative arguments. If you need to make any reasonable assumptions, you may do so but ensure that they are reasonable, do not conflict with facts and information given in the case, and state them very clearly. If you are unsure about a particular assumption (e.g. what the industry or a market segment growth rate would be), consider presenting a sensitivity analysis, with say aggressive, conservative and best- guess assumptions.5-6p
Summery
Provide a brief summary of the key points of your analysis and recommendations. 1page
Write up guideline
Each case write-up is not to exceed 7 ~ 8 typewritten pages, (no less than one and one-half spaced) excluding any appendices, tables, figures, etc. Use lucid and concise English and structure your arguments in a cogent manner. You may use ?bullet points? or any other format that you feel best conveys your analysis and arguments. Use exhibits, figures, etc. to amplify and support your arguments. However, do not reproduce any tables, figures, etc. that are already in the case or are such that they merely reproduce in graphical form data already given in the case (e.g., using a pie-chart to simply restate numbers already given in the case). Please also note that you are limited to using the data and information given in the case and only the case. Do not scour the world (either online or offline) for any materials regarding the case. Of course, you are free to and should bring to bear ideas, concepts, theories, etc. discussed in class as a part of your analysis in (3) above. The set of analysis questions included with the case can be used to guide your analysis, but note that you are not to submit your write-up as specific answers to those questions. Please follow the format given above.
