Admit it – case study analysis is as close to you, as Mars or Venus. You know a lot about essay writing, you are an expert in writing a research paper, and your term paper writings are absolutely fantastic. But you still feel miserable, because somebody created a case study analysis paper. Don’t worry; here is some case study help for you.
Case Study Help.
Case study analysis begins, when there is a problem that needs to be solved. In your case study writing you mention about a specific issue. It needs to be thoroughly researched.
Identify the problem correctly. When writing a case study analysis, a common mistake is made. You state a problem that is not too important. It may seem like a big deal, but after a closer look it becomes evident that it is not worth your case study analysis. Or, on the other hand, an issue is so big, that it’s a matter of several different case study analyses.
Next step in your case study writing is analyzing the information. Researches for case study analysis can be done in different ways. For example, you can draw a mind map. Use different colors to make your journey around the mind map easier. This technique is effective in case study analysis, because it helps to establish a cause-and-effect sequence correctly. A cause-and-effect sequence, in its turn, is important to answer the basic and most important question of your case study writing: why/how did this happen?
You need to take a look at the numbers given in the case study analysis, and make a judgment as to their relevance to the problem identified. Not all numbers will be immediately useful or relevant, but in cases study writing you need to be careful not to overlook anything. When deciding to analyze numbers, keep in mind why you are doing it, and what you intend to do with the result. Use common sense and comparisons when making judgments as to the meaning of your answers to avoid jumping to conclusions.
Another step in writing a case study analysis is thinking about the ways to solve the problem. Be realistic. There is a thousand ways to solve a problem of your case study analysis (including the most crazy and weird ones), but there can be one really good solution that is going to work. It is not a very good idea for case study writing to leave the decision-making behind. And no, you can’t use an excuse that there is not enough information, or that the case study analysis is not good enough. You have the problem, researches, information… make a decision. If there are several answers to you case study writing, you will need a key decision criterion. It is something that unites your case study analysis into a single piece, and gives the right solution to a problem. A key decision criterion is not a pattern. For each case study analysis it comes in different shapes.
Now that you have all the components of the case study analysis, go back and make an overall check. If you see parts that fall out of the entire construction of your case study writing, or things that are not clear enough, then it is better to rewrite them. You need to end up with a well-composed and deeply researched case study analysis paper.
Author: Jennifer Burns
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/jennifer-burns/15029.htm
Monday, February 9, 2009
Study Skills -- A Good Place To Study
Any ole place will do when it is time to study, right? Wrong, there are some places that are much better to try and study than others. So what makes them good or bad? How does a student know if they are in the correct place or with the right people? That is the entire focus of this article, to address the do's and don'ts of study places and groups. Read on to see if your study place is the best one possible! If your grades are less than what you would like you may want to change your studying arrangements.
Best Place To Study
There is not one right or one wrong answer when it comes to different students. Everyone has different comfort zones and one place may not work for someone else. This is not a one size fits all situation. Though the place and particulars of the study place will change from person to person there are some commonalities of a good study place. It is very difficult to study, do homework or concentrate where there is a lot of noise or distractions. Now for some music is invigorating and for others it must be complete silence. In most cases a light music in the background may actually get the creative juices flowing. This depends on the individual and must be experimented with to get the right combination.
If possible the most comfortable place to study is often in the home of the student. Sometimes this is not conducive to a productive study session because of others in the house, noise as well as other distractions. If the home study environment is desired it may be a good idea to find a time when others are not home or at night when everyone is in bed and quite! An at home study session also allows the student to have a healthy snack on hand. It is recommended that a snack be close because it actually helps the studying process. Feeding the brain a health snack is never a bad choice.
Issues such as lighting, temperature, and comfortable should always be addressed to make the most of a study session. Any one of the mentioned issues can cause a student to be distracted and even take away from the information that they are working on. When a student is too hot, they may become aggravated and lose interest in studying. On the other hand if the house or study area is too cold the student may lose concentration because they are cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level to increase performance and ability. Lighting is also very important. Improper lighting can cause the student to strain to see the words or read. This in turn can cause a headache or neck strain leading to a poor study session. Light is also associated with mood, so make sure that the study area is well light! Comfort is equally important and students should try and find a desk/chair combination that is comfortable. It is hard to remain in a seat when a back, neck or legs are aching because the seating is uncomfortable.
Worst Place To Study
Any place that causes a distraction is the worst place to study. Some of the worst cited are restaurants, laundry mats, offices or anywhere that there are lots of people or transactions taking place. Restaurants are noisy have frequent outbursts of laughter or a children crying, leaving the student unable to concentrate. The office setting is not a good one because the student is often interrupted with an incoming customer, request for service or other duties of the job. Even if the student is not directly involved their attention still focuses on what ever is going on around them. Even the background noise of another conversation or phone ringing can cause information to be taken in or processed incorrectly. It is simply not worth the risk and students should strive for a place that is quite and free of distractions to study.
Unfortunately, sometimes study groups are not the best idea when studying either. The more people that are in the group the more distractions, stories and other details unrelated to the topic at hand. While study groups can be extremely effective they can also cause a hindrance to an individual needing to study. It should be made clear to the entire study group that the test is the topic and all socializing can transpire before or after the study session. If the group is not working out for you then simply excuse yourself and find another place to study. After all your grade is riding on studying and it is important that you take every precaution to ensure a good grade and graduation.
Author: Gene Grzywacz
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/gene-grzywacz/27503.htm
Best Place To Study
There is not one right or one wrong answer when it comes to different students. Everyone has different comfort zones and one place may not work for someone else. This is not a one size fits all situation. Though the place and particulars of the study place will change from person to person there are some commonalities of a good study place. It is very difficult to study, do homework or concentrate where there is a lot of noise or distractions. Now for some music is invigorating and for others it must be complete silence. In most cases a light music in the background may actually get the creative juices flowing. This depends on the individual and must be experimented with to get the right combination.
If possible the most comfortable place to study is often in the home of the student. Sometimes this is not conducive to a productive study session because of others in the house, noise as well as other distractions. If the home study environment is desired it may be a good idea to find a time when others are not home or at night when everyone is in bed and quite! An at home study session also allows the student to have a healthy snack on hand. It is recommended that a snack be close because it actually helps the studying process. Feeding the brain a health snack is never a bad choice.
Issues such as lighting, temperature, and comfortable should always be addressed to make the most of a study session. Any one of the mentioned issues can cause a student to be distracted and even take away from the information that they are working on. When a student is too hot, they may become aggravated and lose interest in studying. On the other hand if the house or study area is too cold the student may lose concentration because they are cold. Keep the temperature at a comfortable level to increase performance and ability. Lighting is also very important. Improper lighting can cause the student to strain to see the words or read. This in turn can cause a headache or neck strain leading to a poor study session. Light is also associated with mood, so make sure that the study area is well light! Comfort is equally important and students should try and find a desk/chair combination that is comfortable. It is hard to remain in a seat when a back, neck or legs are aching because the seating is uncomfortable.
Worst Place To Study
Any place that causes a distraction is the worst place to study. Some of the worst cited are restaurants, laundry mats, offices or anywhere that there are lots of people or transactions taking place. Restaurants are noisy have frequent outbursts of laughter or a children crying, leaving the student unable to concentrate. The office setting is not a good one because the student is often interrupted with an incoming customer, request for service or other duties of the job. Even if the student is not directly involved their attention still focuses on what ever is going on around them. Even the background noise of another conversation or phone ringing can cause information to be taken in or processed incorrectly. It is simply not worth the risk and students should strive for a place that is quite and free of distractions to study.
Unfortunately, sometimes study groups are not the best idea when studying either. The more people that are in the group the more distractions, stories and other details unrelated to the topic at hand. While study groups can be extremely effective they can also cause a hindrance to an individual needing to study. It should be made clear to the entire study group that the test is the topic and all socializing can transpire before or after the study session. If the group is not working out for you then simply excuse yourself and find another place to study. After all your grade is riding on studying and it is important that you take every precaution to ensure a good grade and graduation.
Author: Gene Grzywacz
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/gene-grzywacz/27503.htm
How to Help Your Children Excel in Studies
Children who do good in studies enjoy more advantages than others. Hence its very important to help your children maintain good academic record. Here are 10 ways to help your children excel in studies:
1. Give Them A Good Start
Young children are learning machines. They learn faster than adults. You can give your children, especially if they are below five years of age, a good start in education by using these simple techniques…
a) Read aloud stories from books. This helps to develop reading and imagination skill in children.
b) Talk a lot with your children. This helps to develop language skill.
c) Put on music for young children. Teach them to sing simple songs. Research is showing that music is not only good for overall health, but it is good for brainpower too!
d) Explore things with them, like—toys, various objects at home, plants, flowers, etc. See, touch, turn around the objects in your hands along with your children. Ask questions and discuss the objects playfully. This helps your children to learn more about their surrounding world.
e) Answer your children’s questions. If you don’t know the answer, then try to find it out together.
2. Have a good library in your home
a) Atmosphere of reading, learning and parents’ habits strongly influence children’s behaviour. When parents take interest in reading, their children also develop interest in reading.
b) So build a library of good books in your home. Display books prominently in the area where children see most.
3. Link School with Fun
a) Many children don’t like to go to school. Hence, you can use some simple tricks to arouse their interest in school.
b) Don’t just ask about what was taught in school, or what homework has been given. First ask your children, “What interesting thing happened in school today?” “What fun you had in school today?” “What you and your friend did in school today?” This would make your children aware of enjoyable things in school.
c) Such questioning creates an impression in children’s mind that school is not just about teachers and studies, but it is also about friends, play and fun.
d) Also, if your children do not like to go to school, then check whether they are having any problem at school (for e.g. bullying.) Then try your best to solve it. You can also ask the teachers to help you in such cases.
4. Let them dance to their own Rhythm
Every child may not like to get up early in the morning or do homework right after returning from school. Some like to play first. Some like to study at night, some at morning. Then there are children who want complete silence during studying, while others don’t care if there is silence or not.
Let your children study at a time when they feel comfortable. Let them study in a style they like—what matters is that they should complete their study work on time and learn the study material properly.
5. Replace Scolding with Selling Benefits!
Children get easily distracted by TV and games. Parents have to repeatedly remind them to sit and study. Once a parent told us that his son did not study regularly, even when he scolded him repeatedly “Study or you will fail.”We asked him to use another trick. We told him to remind his son to study by saying, “Study well, you will live a rich life.” Soon his son scored 85% in exam, which was a big improvement over his past performance!
Scolding is not known to give good results. But we have witnessed miracle-like transformation of disinterested students into top performers, when they were made to realize that good performance in studies leads to rich life style. And poor performance leads to poor living.
6. Don’t Do Negative Programming
“You are so lazy, you don’t do your homework.”
“You are dull, you don’t remember anything.”
“Study, or I will shut you up in your room.”
If you think this kind of remark will make your children reach eagerly for their books, then forget it. More probably, they will be hurt and angry. Even if they do reach for their books, they will not be reading it happily. What’s more damaging is that, if children are frequently scolded, threatened, or worse, beaten to do their studies, then they begin to associate studies with hurt,fear, anger, and pain. That’s why many children find excuses to avoid studying when they grow up.
7. Help Your Children to Use Better Study
Success in studies depends very much on mental attitude and use of smart study methods. Our experience shows that even a failure or average student can improve his or her performance by using better study techniques eg methods To Learn Fast and Score High
8. Encourage Your Children To Be Curious
Answer your children’s questions. If you don’t know the answer, tell them, “Let’s search for it together.” And search for it in books at home. Or bring books from library. Or look it up on internet. Such actions will make your children realize the value of knowledge, expose them
to methods of searching for information. And also make them happy that you care enough to answer their questions.
9. Connect Learning With Day-to-Day Life
I had once gone to picnic with a group. In our group there was one couple with two young boys. As we were traveling on the road, the father pointed out, “Look, that is the area where mining is done. You have a chapter on it in your science textbook, isn’t it?”His two boys looked out of the window excitedly and began rattling off, “Yes, we have studied it. The name of this mining area is…” By pointing out the mines, the father had brought the topic out from the textbook into real life, thus making it more interesting for his children. Indirectly he made his children realize that what they study in books have value in real life. Whenever possible, link what your children study with everyday life. Show it to them. Find ways to use the information in daily life. If they learn about plants, ask them to study the plants in the garden. If they learn about animals, take them to zoo. Pay visit to museums and science exhibitions. Now this may not be always possible. But do this whenever you can. Try to make learning interesting.
10. Give Them The Edge
Thousands of students pass out of college every year. How can your children stand out from this mass of degree holders? How can they survive and succeed in this age of cut-throat competition?
Give them additional, practically useful training. Like, Training for...
a) using their mind power more efficiently
b) using better study techniques
c) learning skills essential for career development
d) sharpening creativity
e) managing stress
f) developing good personality, etc.
Such training helps to build positive mental attitude, winning qualities, success skills, and inner confidence. This in turn translates to—success, peace, satisfaction and good life.
Author : Ng Shao Fei
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/ng-shao-fei/32840.htm
1. Give Them A Good Start
Young children are learning machines. They learn faster than adults. You can give your children, especially if they are below five years of age, a good start in education by using these simple techniques…
a) Read aloud stories from books. This helps to develop reading and imagination skill in children.
b) Talk a lot with your children. This helps to develop language skill.
c) Put on music for young children. Teach them to sing simple songs. Research is showing that music is not only good for overall health, but it is good for brainpower too!
d) Explore things with them, like—toys, various objects at home, plants, flowers, etc. See, touch, turn around the objects in your hands along with your children. Ask questions and discuss the objects playfully. This helps your children to learn more about their surrounding world.
e) Answer your children’s questions. If you don’t know the answer, then try to find it out together.
2. Have a good library in your home
a) Atmosphere of reading, learning and parents’ habits strongly influence children’s behaviour. When parents take interest in reading, their children also develop interest in reading.
b) So build a library of good books in your home. Display books prominently in the area where children see most.
3. Link School with Fun
a) Many children don’t like to go to school. Hence, you can use some simple tricks to arouse their interest in school.
b) Don’t just ask about what was taught in school, or what homework has been given. First ask your children, “What interesting thing happened in school today?” “What fun you had in school today?” “What you and your friend did in school today?” This would make your children aware of enjoyable things in school.
c) Such questioning creates an impression in children’s mind that school is not just about teachers and studies, but it is also about friends, play and fun.
d) Also, if your children do not like to go to school, then check whether they are having any problem at school (for e.g. bullying.) Then try your best to solve it. You can also ask the teachers to help you in such cases.
4. Let them dance to their own Rhythm
Every child may not like to get up early in the morning or do homework right after returning from school. Some like to play first. Some like to study at night, some at morning. Then there are children who want complete silence during studying, while others don’t care if there is silence or not.
Let your children study at a time when they feel comfortable. Let them study in a style they like—what matters is that they should complete their study work on time and learn the study material properly.
5. Replace Scolding with Selling Benefits!
Children get easily distracted by TV and games. Parents have to repeatedly remind them to sit and study. Once a parent told us that his son did not study regularly, even when he scolded him repeatedly “Study or you will fail.”We asked him to use another trick. We told him to remind his son to study by saying, “Study well, you will live a rich life.” Soon his son scored 85% in exam, which was a big improvement over his past performance!
Scolding is not known to give good results. But we have witnessed miracle-like transformation of disinterested students into top performers, when they were made to realize that good performance in studies leads to rich life style. And poor performance leads to poor living.
6. Don’t Do Negative Programming
“You are so lazy, you don’t do your homework.”
“You are dull, you don’t remember anything.”
“Study, or I will shut you up in your room.”
If you think this kind of remark will make your children reach eagerly for their books, then forget it. More probably, they will be hurt and angry. Even if they do reach for their books, they will not be reading it happily. What’s more damaging is that, if children are frequently scolded, threatened, or worse, beaten to do their studies, then they begin to associate studies with hurt,fear, anger, and pain. That’s why many children find excuses to avoid studying when they grow up.
7. Help Your Children to Use Better Study
Success in studies depends very much on mental attitude and use of smart study methods. Our experience shows that even a failure or average student can improve his or her performance by using better study techniques eg methods To Learn Fast and Score High
8. Encourage Your Children To Be Curious
Answer your children’s questions. If you don’t know the answer, tell them, “Let’s search for it together.” And search for it in books at home. Or bring books from library. Or look it up on internet. Such actions will make your children realize the value of knowledge, expose them
to methods of searching for information. And also make them happy that you care enough to answer their questions.
9. Connect Learning With Day-to-Day Life
I had once gone to picnic with a group. In our group there was one couple with two young boys. As we were traveling on the road, the father pointed out, “Look, that is the area where mining is done. You have a chapter on it in your science textbook, isn’t it?”His two boys looked out of the window excitedly and began rattling off, “Yes, we have studied it. The name of this mining area is…” By pointing out the mines, the father had brought the topic out from the textbook into real life, thus making it more interesting for his children. Indirectly he made his children realize that what they study in books have value in real life. Whenever possible, link what your children study with everyday life. Show it to them. Find ways to use the information in daily life. If they learn about plants, ask them to study the plants in the garden. If they learn about animals, take them to zoo. Pay visit to museums and science exhibitions. Now this may not be always possible. But do this whenever you can. Try to make learning interesting.
10. Give Them The Edge
Thousands of students pass out of college every year. How can your children stand out from this mass of degree holders? How can they survive and succeed in this age of cut-throat competition?
Give them additional, practically useful training. Like, Training for...
a) using their mind power more efficiently
b) using better study techniques
c) learning skills essential for career development
d) sharpening creativity
e) managing stress
f) developing good personality, etc.
Such training helps to build positive mental attitude, winning qualities, success skills, and inner confidence. This in turn translates to—success, peace, satisfaction and good life.
Author : Ng Shao Fei
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/ng-shao-fei/32840.htm
How to Prepare Case Studies?
“A case study can be described as the study of an object, person or situation in its natural habitat in an uncontrolled and observational manner”.
When any management graduate undertakes his course; he will frequently come across with various case studies during his academic curriculum. There is no management course without referring to case studies. Research reveals that students may work with as many as 800 case studies during a two year MBA program. It indicates the importance and significance attached to case studies. Apart from Management, the medicine and other courses also club case studies as the part of the academic curriculum. In this context, it is essential to explain the meaning and definition of a case study.
WHAT IS CASE STUDY?
Case study is the study of a particular situation or case or a problem in a given scenario thoroughly after weighing the pros and cons, taking a practically feasible decision in the best interests for effective implementation. Case studies are essential for MBA so that the students can step into the shoes of the given case study, understand the implications and the complications involved and can have the feeling that of a trouble shooter. To put in a nut shell, case study is a simulation of a management situation that helps the management graduates to react in a real situation and helps them by providing right direction towards right decision making and problem solving.
The technical students like engineering graduates have both theory and laboratory activities. The faculty teaches the theory in the class room and then takes them to laboratory to try and test what was taught in the class. The students will be in a position to correlate the theoretical concepts and aspects with that of the practical experiments in the laboratory. As a result, the gap between learning and doing is minimized and also students can grasp, understand and memorize quickly. And while doing practical experiments in the laboratory they may have a few doubts and the same can be clarified, verified and authenticated.
The case studies are also just like laboratory activities. Since for management education the students can not be taken to industry for each and every theoretical concept the case studies will prove handy for them. When the management concepts are explained then the case studies of the companies are explained so that students in the class room can feel like in a simulated situation and they will be able to understand the concepts effectively and efficiently.
IMPORTANCE OF CASE STUDIES:
People, in general, love to listen stories, examples, case studies and anecdotes. No teaching will be complete without the same. And teaching for management graduates is no exception.
Case studies will arouse the interest amongst the students. Every class should have at least one case study to make the teaching process interesting and entertaining. The students, for a while, get into the shoes of the key player in the case study and think and act like him.
There are institutions which are specializing in case studies alone and they have acquired prominence globally. ICFAI has number of case studies under its reservoir and its case studies are accepted and adopted all over the world especially USA, Canada, UK and other European countries. There is specialization in every discipline in these days. IBSCDC which is the acronym for Icfai Business School Case Development Centre was set up in 2003 and it has developed over 2000 world class case studies. Its case studies have been featured in more than 30 international textbooks on Management. It has sold more than 1, 30,000 copies to various global B-schools and universities. It is the second largest producer of case studies in the world and the biggest producer of case studies in Asia. Under the visionary leadership of Dr.Nagendra V Chowdary, Dean of IBSCDC, who has passion for excellence, it is set to conquer the globe with innovative case studies. IBSCDC believes in quality research and catering quality case studies. It coined a new tool ‘Structured Assignment’ for the first time in the world. Now days, the world looks at the innovative tools and techniques. Innovation is the key to survival in this cut throat competitive world.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR CASE STUDY:
A few characteristics and qualifications are essential for preparing case studies. The person should have passion to become the creator of case studies. He needs to involve and immerse himself in the case scenario thoroughly so as to have the feel of the real situation. Then only the best can be expected. The author should have flair for writing the case studies. He should be a voracious reader of various books from the discipline in which he is preparing. For instance, the writer of the case studies of HR should have read various books related to Human Resources functional area in order to do justification. Having industrial experience in the same discipline will help to create effective case studies. Imagination works out to some extent but having worked in the same field will bring out the best as the author knows the practical problems.
Lot of patience is essential to create the stuff. Ability to analyze the problems and prospects of the case and logical correlation of various activities in a given situation will prove to be highly beneficial. To put it in a nut shell, the author should have analytical bent of mind, problems solving skills and decision making skills for preparing case studies.
HOW TO PREPARE A CASE STUDY?
“Case study is a description of an actual administrative solution involving a decision to be made or a problem to be solved. It can be a real situation that actually happened just as described, or portions have been disguised for reasons of privacy”.
Usually the case study can be brief or extensive running from 2 to 30 pages. As such there is no specific rule that the content should be limited or extended up to certain levels. Read the entire text thoroughly once and jot down the key points and concepts and also the important issues involved in it in a separate sheet. Look for 4 W’s in the case such as what is the problem? where is the problem? when the problem started? And why the problem occurred? Relate and correlate all the factors and forces together to have better quick grasp about the case. Also read between the lines keenly. Apply your common sense and make comparative study of the situation. Observe closely if any statistical data is given. Look at the cause and effect relation with in the case study. At times the causes are hidden and it requires extraordinary ability to unearth the hidden causes. It needs probing temperament and correlate the same with the effects. This will help to get at the root of the problem for generating bags of solutions. During this process, the visualization technique is highly useful in order to correlate various things mentally. If time permits read and reread the text more times for getting at the crux of the case. Repeat the process till you get perfection.
Create number of multiple solutions to a given problem. Choose the best that suits the present position and adopt. It requires intuition and gut feeling to shortlist the best logical, analytical and appropriate decision. Don’t repeat what is already stated in the case.
During the case study analysis and preparation the academician with industrial exposure can deliver better results than mere academician without any industrial experience. The academicians always look at the case purely from their vast theoretical perspective as they are not exposed to industry. Of course, they honed their skills based on reading plenty of case studies. But that will not be sufficient to create effective case studies. On the other hand, the academician who hailed from industrial or from corporate background look at the case from multiple perspectives. They might have faced the same scenario as stated in the case study in their practical life. Therefore, they have ready made and tailor made answers and more solutions to each problem. Case study analysis requires critical and creative thinking. It also requires empathy i.e. stepping into the shoes of a situation and generating multiple solutions.
CONCLUSION:
Case Study is the heart of the management curriculum. Creating case study is a skill not a talent. If the case study writer has creative mind, passion, nose for writing, eye for detail, analytical bent of mind, problem solving skills, decision making skills and the ability to see the big picture and the capability to think out of the box, the best and the most memorable case studies can be crafted.
Author: Prof.M.S.Rao
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/prof.m.s.rao/32909.htm
When any management graduate undertakes his course; he will frequently come across with various case studies during his academic curriculum. There is no management course without referring to case studies. Research reveals that students may work with as many as 800 case studies during a two year MBA program. It indicates the importance and significance attached to case studies. Apart from Management, the medicine and other courses also club case studies as the part of the academic curriculum. In this context, it is essential to explain the meaning and definition of a case study.
WHAT IS CASE STUDY?
Case study is the study of a particular situation or case or a problem in a given scenario thoroughly after weighing the pros and cons, taking a practically feasible decision in the best interests for effective implementation. Case studies are essential for MBA so that the students can step into the shoes of the given case study, understand the implications and the complications involved and can have the feeling that of a trouble shooter. To put in a nut shell, case study is a simulation of a management situation that helps the management graduates to react in a real situation and helps them by providing right direction towards right decision making and problem solving.
The technical students like engineering graduates have both theory and laboratory activities. The faculty teaches the theory in the class room and then takes them to laboratory to try and test what was taught in the class. The students will be in a position to correlate the theoretical concepts and aspects with that of the practical experiments in the laboratory. As a result, the gap between learning and doing is minimized and also students can grasp, understand and memorize quickly. And while doing practical experiments in the laboratory they may have a few doubts and the same can be clarified, verified and authenticated.
The case studies are also just like laboratory activities. Since for management education the students can not be taken to industry for each and every theoretical concept the case studies will prove handy for them. When the management concepts are explained then the case studies of the companies are explained so that students in the class room can feel like in a simulated situation and they will be able to understand the concepts effectively and efficiently.
IMPORTANCE OF CASE STUDIES:
People, in general, love to listen stories, examples, case studies and anecdotes. No teaching will be complete without the same. And teaching for management graduates is no exception.
Case studies will arouse the interest amongst the students. Every class should have at least one case study to make the teaching process interesting and entertaining. The students, for a while, get into the shoes of the key player in the case study and think and act like him.
There are institutions which are specializing in case studies alone and they have acquired prominence globally. ICFAI has number of case studies under its reservoir and its case studies are accepted and adopted all over the world especially USA, Canada, UK and other European countries. There is specialization in every discipline in these days. IBSCDC which is the acronym for Icfai Business School Case Development Centre was set up in 2003 and it has developed over 2000 world class case studies. Its case studies have been featured in more than 30 international textbooks on Management. It has sold more than 1, 30,000 copies to various global B-schools and universities. It is the second largest producer of case studies in the world and the biggest producer of case studies in Asia. Under the visionary leadership of Dr.Nagendra V Chowdary, Dean of IBSCDC, who has passion for excellence, it is set to conquer the globe with innovative case studies. IBSCDC believes in quality research and catering quality case studies. It coined a new tool ‘Structured Assignment’ for the first time in the world. Now days, the world looks at the innovative tools and techniques. Innovation is the key to survival in this cut throat competitive world.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR CASE STUDY:
A few characteristics and qualifications are essential for preparing case studies. The person should have passion to become the creator of case studies. He needs to involve and immerse himself in the case scenario thoroughly so as to have the feel of the real situation. Then only the best can be expected. The author should have flair for writing the case studies. He should be a voracious reader of various books from the discipline in which he is preparing. For instance, the writer of the case studies of HR should have read various books related to Human Resources functional area in order to do justification. Having industrial experience in the same discipline will help to create effective case studies. Imagination works out to some extent but having worked in the same field will bring out the best as the author knows the practical problems.
Lot of patience is essential to create the stuff. Ability to analyze the problems and prospects of the case and logical correlation of various activities in a given situation will prove to be highly beneficial. To put it in a nut shell, the author should have analytical bent of mind, problems solving skills and decision making skills for preparing case studies.
HOW TO PREPARE A CASE STUDY?
“Case study is a description of an actual administrative solution involving a decision to be made or a problem to be solved. It can be a real situation that actually happened just as described, or portions have been disguised for reasons of privacy”.
Usually the case study can be brief or extensive running from 2 to 30 pages. As such there is no specific rule that the content should be limited or extended up to certain levels. Read the entire text thoroughly once and jot down the key points and concepts and also the important issues involved in it in a separate sheet. Look for 4 W’s in the case such as what is the problem? where is the problem? when the problem started? And why the problem occurred? Relate and correlate all the factors and forces together to have better quick grasp about the case. Also read between the lines keenly. Apply your common sense and make comparative study of the situation. Observe closely if any statistical data is given. Look at the cause and effect relation with in the case study. At times the causes are hidden and it requires extraordinary ability to unearth the hidden causes. It needs probing temperament and correlate the same with the effects. This will help to get at the root of the problem for generating bags of solutions. During this process, the visualization technique is highly useful in order to correlate various things mentally. If time permits read and reread the text more times for getting at the crux of the case. Repeat the process till you get perfection.
Create number of multiple solutions to a given problem. Choose the best that suits the present position and adopt. It requires intuition and gut feeling to shortlist the best logical, analytical and appropriate decision. Don’t repeat what is already stated in the case.
During the case study analysis and preparation the academician with industrial exposure can deliver better results than mere academician without any industrial experience. The academicians always look at the case purely from their vast theoretical perspective as they are not exposed to industry. Of course, they honed their skills based on reading plenty of case studies. But that will not be sufficient to create effective case studies. On the other hand, the academician who hailed from industrial or from corporate background look at the case from multiple perspectives. They might have faced the same scenario as stated in the case study in their practical life. Therefore, they have ready made and tailor made answers and more solutions to each problem. Case study analysis requires critical and creative thinking. It also requires empathy i.e. stepping into the shoes of a situation and generating multiple solutions.
CONCLUSION:
Case Study is the heart of the management curriculum. Creating case study is a skill not a talent. If the case study writer has creative mind, passion, nose for writing, eye for detail, analytical bent of mind, problem solving skills, decision making skills and the ability to see the big picture and the capability to think out of the box, the best and the most memorable case studies can be crafted.
Author: Prof.M.S.Rao
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/prof.m.s.rao/32909.htm
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