In 1-2 paragraphs: A summary of facts, issues, and questions
mentioned in the case. During your reading of the case, you should identify
crucial facts, figures and charts, and identify critical comments made by
individuals. The facts stated in a case often point to the key issue(s) facing
a firm, such as new opportunities, a changing environment, a decline in
competitive position, or excess inventories.
PART 2: In 1 page: Presentation and interpretation of relevant and critical
information of the company and the industry. This is information not
mentioned in the case and you should collect from outside resources.
Information covers any text, chart, figure, table, … from any outside
resources including journals, magazines, blogs, books, papers, ads, web
resources, … . Make a connection between this information and facts/issues
from the case to judge the rationality of past and current decisions. While
facts should be accepted as true, statements, judgments, and decisions made
by the individuals in a case should be questioned, especially if not supported
by facts—or when one individual disagrees with another. This section
contains your thoughtful evaluation of industry, market, buyer behavior and
organization. Be careful not to restate case information, rather focus on
assessment and interpretation of the facts, qualitative and quantitative data
and management views.
Part 3 (1 page): List and evaluate alternative courses of action that could be taken by the firm pertaining to the key issue(s) mentioned in the case. Consider courses of action based on their suitability to the firm and situation. Collected information in part 2 should help you here (in general, proposed courses of action should take into account such factors as the business category, goals, the customer market, the overall strategy, the product assortment, competition, legal restrictions, economic trends, marketplace trends, financial capabilities, personnel capabilities, and sources of supply). In the end, choose one of the actions as your best recommendation to the firm and explain why it’s the best.
Part 4: Answer all three questions on page 137 (No page limitation).
