Case study – Marketing Management
• Present the answers to each question in essay format. This requires well structured paragraphs.
• The word limit of 1500 to 2000 words is a maximum for ALL essays in total.
• Use tables, diagrams and further analysis of data to clarify, illustrate and supplement analysis and support your recommendations.
Analysing case studies provide students with insights into real-world companies’ and the problems and challenges they face with marketing and general management decisions. These challenges provide students with an opportunity to diagnose problems, analyse and evaluate the situation and develop strategic decision choices based on the conceptual frameworks learned in this subject.
Subject concepts should form the basis of analysing case information, developing alternative solutions and making recommendations. Students should read the case a number of times and attempt to answer the questions independently. This will highlight areas that you need further information on and you can then conduct the necessary secondary research. Case analysis requires participants to undertake secondary research and apply marketing concepts, theories and empirics covered in the subject to the Case.
You may find sometimes that cases have incomplete information from which to make decisions, or that managers have made decisions based on incomplete information. In this instance, you may need to (a) make some assumptions about why they made these decisions and describe these, or (b) research the company or the industry (or both) and determine the appropriateness of your assumptions or you may wish to conduct some additional research into the industry or similar type of company for ideas and trends. Some cases do not focus on one firm or decision maker but may take an industry perspective. In this case, take the view of a consultant analysing one of the key firms in the industry and how you would analyse the situation for that firm.
From past experience, the most difficult aspect of case analysis for students is the idea of “analysis”. Most students simply repeat what’s in the case in their own words or simply re-arrange the same information. While the latter is definitely desirable and helps students to break up the case into smaller components that can be analysed, analysis takes one further step and that is to explain, using the language of marketing, the implications of this information for the firm and the key decision makers. For many students, case analysis may be new at this stage of the subject. Each case study will be accompanied by a series of questions that need to be clearly addressed in formulating your response to the case. These will require careful consideration and answers will need to be based on the case information, concepts and theories covered during the subject. Following are some general guidelines on presentation and essay writing. Respond to each question in essay format with a short introduction, body and conclusion.
This assessment piece requires you to work individually to research and then present your solutions to the case questions (as per the tutorial guide) in a formal written document that is well structured and appropriately referenced. EACH question should be answered in essay style. An essay has an introduction, body and conclusion.
This written assessment task will help you attain the following learning outcomes:
? understand relevant marketing concepts and explain the concepts through application to the specific marketing case questions;
? analyze and evaluate case information in a marketing context;
? using appropriate information sources, analyze information gathered to provide depth and breadth to marketing case answers; and
? demonstrate effective written communication skills and use of correct referencing method.