1) Papers should be 1.5 spaced, in 12 pt. Font (Arial 12 or Times New Roman 12 are preferred) with normal margins 2) The page limit for each paper is five pages of text, plus exhibits (if needed). Note that these are maximum limits. Please try to make your papers concise and coherent, applying the organizational principles of Writing Advantage or some similar formatting where possible (i.e. preview lists, section headings, etc.) 3) Exhibits (if needed) should contain specific types of analyses (such as financial, break-even, capacity, cost, competitive, etc.) and information that supports and is relevant but would be too detailed for the body of the paper. Exhibits should not simply be an extension of the text. 4) Please proofread your paper before turning it in. Papers for this course should be of the same quality that you would provide to the management of a business that you are dealing with directly. 5) Be sure to follow the section order as described below (NOTE: Technicall

Guidelines for Written Case Analysis: A case typically describes a company situation and a set of issues that must be resolved by managers. Information in the case includes facts, opinions, and prejudices concerning the situation. Good cases describe a major threat or opportunity facing management and the situation of a company under stress in a particular time period. They provide enough information to permit understanding and evaluation of both factual and judgmental information, the development of a clear conclusion concerning actions that ought to be taken, and the reasons for those actions. Analysis should be confined to careful review of facts and opinions in the case (and seldom requires gathering additional information). Case analysis involves three major activities: (1) identifying the problems or opportunities being faced and the reasons/causes, (2) identifying and analyzing the best alternatives available to solve the problem, and identification and discussion of issues associated with each alternative, and (3) development of conclusions and recommendations based on the best alternative. These provide the structure for a case report. Every case report should address the following topics (please follow this order in your report even though analysis will of course precede conclusions in your thought process): • Problems • Conclusions • Analysis In a case report, the contents of the case provide the factual information and it is unnecessary to repeat or “rehash" it. On the other hand, a case report should provide the analytical framework on which a plan rests. It is this framework and the logic of analysis and reporting which must be mastered for successful casework. The report should present each of the above sections so that the logic used in reaching conclusions and making recommendations is clear. Problems The problems or issues are often barriers facing the organization which block, or threaten to block, the achievement of important objectives. In some cases, objectives may not be clearly given in the case, and this lack of specificity can become an important part of problem analysis. A barrier is a set of conditions that threatens or hinders management from achieving objectives. It may derive from competitor actions, changes in the economic, political, or social environment, or difficulties arising from poor coordination of the functions. The problems should be stated in the form of a descriptive paragraph or statement. It serves to position the total report. Material in the report that does not contribute to the solution of the problems is irrelevant and should not be included. Alternatives that do not address the problems, issues that are unnecessary for elaborating the alternatives and conclusions that do not address the threat or opportunity given in the statement, detract from the effectiveness of the report. In general, you should select the most important problems facing the company for which data and opinions in the case are sufficient to permit analysis. Problems or opportunities that surface and that call for critical facts and considerations not available in the case should be avoided. This section should not be longer than one or two paragraphs. Conclusions The conclusions synthesize answers to the issues, building one upon another, and show how one alternative is superior to all others. This can be done using deductive logic and, where applicable, can be supplemented by financial or other type of analysis. The conclusions must be properly confined to presenting a summary of the analysis. No new material or additional facts should be presented in this section. If new material appears urgent while writing a conclusion, the analysis section should be modified to include it. When setting out your recommendations, summarize the justifications. Importantly, also indicate your major concerns with respect to the recommendations. These may be viewed as the risks associated with the course of action you recommend. The conclusion is also not the place to formulate new or merge old alternatives. If the stated alternatives are not the best set, they should be adjusted prior to writing the conclusions. It is normal and desirable to cycle through all components of the report several times to achieve consistency in logic and reasoning. This section should be brief and consist only of a few paragraphs. Analysis The analysis section of the report should include statements on several alternative strategies that could be adopted to resolve the problems. Alternatives should be viewed as the basic elements needed to devise an overall solution to the problem. In general, issues affecting the alternatives need to be fully discussed. This section is the longest part of the report and where the bulk of the pro and con evaluation material appears. Issues may be framed as questions which, to be answered, call for analysis of information in the case. Answers should provide insight into the relative merits of each alternative. Many cases require a financial analysis. For example, where data are provided, a break-even analysis may provide important insights. Pro forma profit and loss (P & L) statements might be developed for each alternative (be sure to specify all assumptions concerning sales, etc. in developing P & L statements). Results of such analyses should be included and any supporting tables or graphs attached as appendices to the report. Often, information needed to answer a question or do an analysis is not given in the case. Rather than simply recommending that research be done, it is better to develop assumptions about the missing information. This applies also to assessments about the quality of the information that is provided. It is quite legitimate and useful for analysis purposes to "assume" that a particular set of data is of dubious value, or that sales growth is an objective (even though not explicitly stated). Although you can be challenged on the validity of your assumptions, making assumptions when they are called for may improve analysis considerably. Evaluation The evaluation of the written reports will be based on the quality of the analysis, the logic of arguments presented, the effective use of fact and opinion from the case to defend arguments, and the appropriateness of the problems chosen. Where analysis is possible and based on data given in the case, the quality and use of this type of analysis will be assessed. The reasonableness of assumptions chosen to guide the analysis will enter in as well. The clarity of the writing style, formatting, and appropriate use of grammar are also part of the evaluation process. Finally, it is important to recognize that the process of arriving at an answer is as important as, or more important, than the answer itself. There is no single right "answer" to any case. The process is in many ways equivalent to what managers face in day-to-day management situations. You will experience periods of considerable frustration in case analysis because of the complexity of forces and factors involved and the uncertainties associated with decision making in this context. The payoff, however, is the development of important attributes of a manager - creativity, critical thinking, the capacity to recognize and distinguish important problems from unimportant ones, the capacity to analyze and reason about complex issues, and make decisions, and the capacity to communicate effectively. The case method is one approach to teaching in which you truly "get out of it what you put into it." What you learn in case analysis is directly related to the effort you and other members of the class are willing to put into it.