Case Study

Outline of the Case Study

1. Statement of the Problem

2. Alternative Courses of Action
3. SWOT analysis
4. Recommendation
5. Conclusion

Case Study
Prepared by: Norman Salamat

Written case study and its purpose

A case study is a research method that involves a detailed and comprehensive
examination of a specific real-life situation. It’s often used in various fields, including
business, education, economics, and sociology, to understand a complex issue better.

It typically includes an in-depth analysis of the subject and an examination of its context
and background information, incorporating data from multiple sources, such as
interviews, observations, and existing literature.

The ultimate aim is to provide a rich and detailed account of a situation to identify
patterns and relationships, generate new insights and understanding, illustrate theories,
or test hypotheses.

Case Study Outline

1. Statement of the Problem

A problem statement concisely describes a specific issue or problem that a written case
study aims to address. It sets the stage for the rest of the case study and provides
context for the reader.

Here are some steps to help you write a case study problem statement:
- Identify the problem or issue that the case study will focus on.
- Research the problem to better understand its context, causes, and effects.
- Define the problem clearly and concisely. Be specific and avoid generalizations.
- Provide background information that will help the reader understand the context
of the problem.
- Keep it concise: A problem statement should be brief and to the point. Avoid
going into too much detail – leave this for the body of the case study!

The statement of the problem should start on the question form like How? Why? When?
And What?

The case story will provide the insights about the problem but it does not start with the
question form. When the students found the problem, they need to convert the
statement into a question form.
Descriptive research questions aim to provide a description of the variable under
consideration. It is one of the easiest and commonly used ways to quantify research
variables.

Sample questions that begin with:

How much: How much time does an average teenager spend on watching
documentaries on OTT platforms?
Variable: time spent on watching documentaries

How often: How often do you take an international family trip in a year?
Variable: International trips

How likely: How likely is it for a person to purchase life insurance within the age group
of 20-26?
Variable: Likelihood of purchasing a life insurance

What percentage: What percentage of high school students exercise on a daily basis?
Variable: Daily Exercise

How many: How many smartphone users make use of curated apps to manage daily
tasks?
Variable: Usage of curated apps

What proportion: What proportion of students prefer online education to offline

education?
Variable: Educational format

How regularly: How regularly does a woman engage or purchase from a cosmetic
brand outlet as against e-commerce websites?

Variable: Purchasing Behavior of cosmetics

What is: What is the ratio of passengers indulging in train travel to travelling by flight?
Variable: Travelling medium

What are: What are the influencing factors that impact the choice of purchasing a house
in the UK?
Variable: Influencing factors

2. Alternative Courses of Action

The ultimate goal of creating a case study is to develop a feasible action that can solve
the problem it raised.

One way to achieve this is by enumerating all the possible solutions for your case
study’s subject
 These are the possible actions a firm or organization can implement to address the
problem indicated in the case study. These are suggested actions that a firm can
consider to arrive at the most feasible and effective solution to the problem.

3. SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis method is the situation analysis method. It was proposed by
Weirik, a professor of management at the University of San Francisco in the early 1980s.
It is often used in enterprise strategy formulation, competitor analysis and other
occasions including analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Therefore, the SWOT analysis is a method that comprehensively summarizes the
various aspects of the internal and external conditions of the enterprise, and then
analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, opportunities, and threats
faced.

Through SWOT analysis, you can help companies to pool resources and actions in their
strengths and where there are the most opportunities; and to make their strategy
clearer.

SWOT Analysis Model

The analysis of strengths and weaknesses focuses on the strength of the company itself
and its comparison with competitors, while the opportunity and threat analysis focus
on changes in the external environment and possible impact on the company. In the
analysis, all internal factors (i.e., strengths and weaknesses) should be grouped together
and then evaluated by external forces (opportunities and threats).

Internal Factors (Strengths and weaknesses)

The analysis of strengths and weaknesses (S-W) of internal conditions is an internal

method of assessment. The main purpose is to confirm the relationship between
expertise and ability of the organization’s internal conditions. The strengths and
weaknesses of its internal conditions are internal factors that the organization can
control, including financial resources, technical resources, research and development,
organizational culture, human resources, product characteristics, and marketing
resources.

External Factors (opportunities and threats)

With the rapid development of economy, science and technology and many other
aspects, especially the acceleration of globalization and integration of the world
economy, the establishment of global information networks and the diversification of
consumer demand, the environment in which companies are located are more open and
volatile. This change has had a profound effect on almost all businesses. Because of this,
environmental analysis has become an increasingly important corporate function.

The Opportunity and Threat (O-T) analysis is a method of evaluating the external
environment. The main purpose is to confirm the relationship between the competitions
of the industrial environment outside the organization. The opportunities and threats of
the external environment are external factors that cannot be controlled by the
organization, including factors such as competition, politics, economy, law, society,
culture, science and technology, and demographic environment.

Make sure you formulate your own variable reflected on the statement that you
provided.

Example: the quality of the product is acceptable

Variable terminology: acceptable product quality

Another example: the performance of the service personnel is very efficient and
effective.
Variable terminology: Personnel Service efficiency and effectiveness

Strength Weaknesses Opportunities Threat

Product Quality Poor services Conduct service Management
2. 2. training initiative
3. 3. 2. 2.
4. 4. 3. 3.
5. 5. 4. 4.
5. 5.

4. Recommendation

After analyzing your case study’s problem and suggesting possible courses of action,
you’re now ready to conclude it on a high note. But first, you need to write your
recommendation to address the problem.

The Recommendation details your most preferred solution for your case study’s
problem. After identifying and analyzing the problem, your next step is to suggest
potential solutions. You did this in the Alternative Courses of Action (ACA) section.
Once you’re done writing your ACAs, you need to pick which among these ACAs is the
best. The chosen course of action will be the one you’re writing in the recommendation
section.

The Recommendation portion also provides a thorough justification for selecting your
most preferred solution. The recommendation tells your reader some potential studies
that can be performed in the future to support your findings or to explore factors that
you’re unable to cover.

Your main goal in writing a case study is not only to understand the case at hand but
also to think of a feasible solution. However, there are multiple ways to approach an
issue. Since it’s impossible to implement all these solutions at once, you only need to
pick the best one.

5. Conclusion
A good conclusion is interesting and captures the essence of your case. It needs to
reflect your information and help the reader adopt your conclusion and act on it.

Your conclusion is an opportunity for you to summarize your findings and highlight
what this study has taught you.

It should also summarize and draw out the main points you’ve discussed and reinforce
the importance of your work. Remember, your last impression needs to be just as good
as your first. You want to leave readers with something to think about or act on.

Bibliography;

https://www.premierprose.com/resources/how-to-write-a-case-study-the-
compelling-step-by-step-guide/

https://www.voxco.com/blog/descriptive-research-questions-definition-examples-
and-designing-methodology/

https://filipiknow.net/alternative-courses-of-action-in-case-study/
https://online.visual-paradigm.com/knowledge/swot-analysis/swot-analysis-case-
studies/

https://filipiknow.net/example-of-recommendation-in-case-study/
https://inkforall.com/ai-writing-tools/blog-post-conclusion/how-to-write-case-study-
conclusion/

Prepared By Norman Salamat