Preparing and Learning from Marketing Cases

(from McDougall and Weinberg, Canadian Marketing Cases. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2003. Reprinted with permission.)

As a student, you may find that dealing with cases is very much like working with the actual problems that people encounter in their jobs as managers. In most instances, you'll be identifying and clarifying problems facing the management of an organization, analyzing qualitative information and quantitative data, evaluating alternative courses of action, and then making decisions about what strategy to pursue for the future. You may enjoy the process more-and probably will learn more—if you accept the role of an involved participant rather than that of a disinterested observer who has no stake or interest in resolving the problems in question.

The goal of case analysis is not to develop a set of "correct" facts, but to learn to reason well with available data. Cases reflect the uncertainty of the real world; the information presented is often imprecise and ambiguous. You may perhaps be frustrated that there is no one right answer or correct solution to any given case. Instead, there may be a number of feasible strategies management might adopt, each with somewhat different implications for the future of the business and each involving different tradeoffs.

Preparing a Case

Just as there's no one right solution to a case, there is also no single correct way of preparing a case. However, the following broad guidelines may help familiarize you with the job of case preparation (Exhibit I). With practice, you should be able to establish a working style with which you feel comfortable. The guidelines on initial analysis and on developing recommendations should also serve you well for preparing written case reports or case-based exams.

First, it's important to gain a feel for the overall situation by skimming quickly through the case. Ask yourself,

• What sort of organization is the case about?
• What is the nature of the industry (broadly defined)? What is going on in the external environment?
• What problems does management appear to be facing?

An initial fast reading, without making notes or underlining, should provide a sense of what is going on and what information is being presented for analysis. Then you'll be ready for a very careful second reading. This time, try to identify key facts so that you can develop a situation analysis and understand the problem facing management. As you go along, try to make notes in response to such questions as:

• What decisions need to be made?
• What are the objectives of the organization itself and of each of the key players in the case? Are these objectives compatible? If not, can the problem be reconciled or will it be necessary to redefine the objectives?
• What resources and constraints are present that may help or hinder attempts by the organization to meet its objectives?

You should make a particular effort to understand the implications of any quantitative data presented in the text of the case, or, more often, in the exhibits. See if new insights may be gained by combining and manipulating data presented in different parts of the case. But don't accept the data blindly. In the cases, as in real life, not all the information is reliable or relevant. On the other hand, case writers won't deliberately misrepresent data or facts to try to trick you.

At this point in the analysis, you should be ready to summarize your evaluation of the situation and to develop some recommendations for management. First, identify the alternative courses of action that the organization might take. Next, consider the implications of each alternative, including possible undesirable outcomes, such as provoking responses from stronger competitors. Ask yourself how short-term tactics fit with longer-term strategies. Relate each alternative to the objectives of the organization (as defined or implied in the case, or as redefined by you). Then, develop a set of recommendations for future action, making sure that these recommendations are supported by your analysis of the case data.

Your recommendations won't be complete unless you give some thought to how the proposed strategy should be implemented. Consider:

• What resources-human, financial, and other-will be required? Who should be responsible for the implementation?
• What time frame should be established for the various actions proposed? How should subsequent performance be measured?

The best results in the early stages of case preparation are generally achieved by working alone. But a useful step, prior to class discussion, is to discuss the case with a small group of classmates. (In some instances, you may find yourself assigned to a small discussion group or you may be required to work with others to develop a written report for possible group presentation.)

These small groups facilitate initial testing of ideas and help to focus discussion on the main points. Within such a discussion group, present your arguments and listen to those of other participants. Except in the case of group projects, the aim of such a meeting is not to reach a consensus, but to broaden, clarify, and redefine your own thinking—and to help others do likewise.

Effective marketing management involves adjusting corporate resources to the changing marketplace; this is different from just applying knowledge about what works and what doesn't work in marketing. Accordingly, the focus of small-group discussions should be on analysis and decision-making: What are the facts? What do they mean? What alternatives are available? What specifically should management do? How and when?

Responsibilities of Participants

Instead of being a passive note-taker, as in lecture classes, you'll be expected to be an active participant in case discussions. Indeed, it's essential that you participate; if nobody participates, there can be no discussion! If you never join in the debate, you'll be denying other participants the insights that you may have to offer. Moreover, there's significant learning involved in presenting your own analysis and recommendations and debating them with your classmates. But don't be so eager to participate that you ignore what others have to say. Learning to be a good listener is also important in developing managerial skills.

Occasionally, you may know additional information not contained in the case, or perhaps you know what has happened since the time of the case decision. If so, keep this information to yourself unless, or until, the instructor requests it. (This advice also holds true for written reports and case exams.)

Learning comes through discussion and controversy. In the case method of instruction, participants must assume responsibility not only for their own learning, but also for that of others in the class. Thus, it's important for students to be well prepared, willing to commit themselves to a well reasoned set of analyses and recommendations, and receptive to constructive criticism. Students unwilling to accept this challenge are likely to find the case method aimless and confusing. On the other hand, if you do accept it, we're confident that you'll experience in the classroom that sense of excitement, challenge, and even exasperation that comes with being a manager in real-world situations.

Case Analysis

There is no one way to analyze cases, but there are ways to learn how to do better case analyses. Moreover, you should remember that management problems don't come in neatly classified packages. Many cases raise multiple issues, and students should recognize that identifying problems and establishing priorities are the keys to case analysis.