Posted: September 13th, 2017

AMISHA GUPTA'S FIRST YEAR AT WORK

AMISHA GUPTA’S FIRST YEAR AT WORK

Order Description

Ivey case study, For the entire case, you only need to focus on 5.4 Alternatives which are at least 3 tactical alternatives offered and at least 3 advantage and 3 disadvantage for each alternatives

Case, Assignment and Project Reports

Guidelines for Improving Performance in Case Analysis Report Writing

1.0    Overview

This course experience involves the extensive use of case, assignment and/or project reports to help students apply concepts and demonstrate mastery of the key knowledge elements.  Prior to this course, few students have significant experience analyzing and preparing these reports, which can make the process difficult and/or frustrating.  As a result, these guidelines have been written to help ensure that the process is both rewarding and a source of learning.

If the guidelines and suggestions set forth in this note are followed, then the probability of success should be greatly enhanced.

2.0    Purpose

The course experience consists of two major learning components.  The first component involves communication and understanding of knowledge, tools and techniques.  The textbook readings, guest lecturers on best practices and/or collaborative group reflections around business literature can add to learning such skills.

The second involves application of knowledge, tools and techniques.  Written cases, assignments and/or group projects can assist in developing this skill.

In each of these instances, you will be called upon to address a problem existing in the case company.  You will be asked to take an ill-structured problem or situation and convert it into a well-structured problem that you then proceed to resolve through your analysis, alternatives and recommendation.  You will be asked to act not as a student in this course, but rather as an effective problem solver and as a manager.

3.0    Your Role

The first key to effective report writing is to identify your role.  In most cases, students assume that they are to resolve problems identified by the decision-makers in a case/assignment.  This is often a wrong assumption.  Remember – – you play a very important role in a case/assignment.  But which perspective should you take?

There are two schools of thought:  some professors prefer to have students take the role of an outside consultant.  Although not a common application, there are some cases that may lend themselves to taking the problem outside the organization and hence the professor has a preference for such; other professors prefer you to keep the problem within the organization by taking the role of General Manager/CEO perspective.  This is the most common approach practiced in business schools using case study methodology.  Before attempting to analyze a case, it is important to first identify which perspective your professor prefers for a particular case.

Here is the rationale for both:
•    Outside Consultant –  Here, the belief is that often decision-makers who find themselves closest to the facts and to the problem are unable to act effectively.  They find difficulty when trying to differentiate between symptoms and problems.  As a result, they often ask professionals from outside the firm to come in and to provide a different point of view.  Often, these ‘outsiders’ are very effective in this role because they are not contaminated by the environment in which the decision makers find themselves.
•    General Manager (GM)/CEO – Here, the philosophy is that we are trying to develop the whole student to think like managers – not employees.  Further, organizations must be self-sufficient and able to rely on their own current leadership to resolve organizational issues.  Outsourcing the problem to others is not a strategic option as ‘outsiders’ have no vested interest in the outcomes they recommend.  The top executive team of an organization is in a better position to secure the necessary resources to alleviate the systemic problems facing the firm. There are 4 primary factors that the top executive focus on 1) earnings:share ratio (profit) 2) sustainability of that financial position 3) public optics that can affect investors/donors/patrons and 4) operating in an ethical and legal manner.

In your role, you will:
1.    Assess the situation using rational reasoning and logic.  Statements must be based on facts related back to the case – there is no room for opinion here.  Observations, facts, statements directly from the case all act as evidence to understand how this problem evolved.
2.    ID gaps in the processes of the firm – what is happening, what isn’t happening and why.
3.    Differentiate symptoms from the main problem.
4.    Make inferences
5.    Identify assumptions around the case
6.    ID and articulate the primary problem facing this firm and the basis of your analysis . . . what is it that you are going to try to resolve?
7.    Formulate alternatives on a cost/benefit basis
8.    Recommend the best alternative
9.    Concluding remarks

Remember that the final report of your analysis is in essence a plan of action aimed at resolving the identified problem.  To be effective, this plan of action must cover both short term and long term issues; it must also be tactical and strategic.  The plan of action must be shown to be driven by a set of criteria (which explains why the specific option or options were selected.)  The plan must be presented in sufficient prioritized detail to allow effective implementation.

4.0    Comments of Cases, Assignments and/or Projects

It is always important to remember that the report that you write is not a Reader’s Digest version of the facts.  Rather, it is an action oriented management document.  It is designed to identify, explain and help managers find a resolution.  Furthermore, the report is not an editorial or statement of opinion.  As a result, avoid phrases such as “In my opinion,” or “It is my opinion”.  Write in 3rd person and stick to the facts always.  They want a sense of what to do and why.  As a result, it is critical that you remember that the report must be objective in nature, goal driven and action based.

4.1    The Consultative Framework

The Consultative Framework is a framework that considers four major groups (in addition to you):

1.    Customers (Internal and External)
2.    Suppliers (Internal and External)
3.    Superiors
4.    Subordinates.

The intent in introducing this framework is to make you consider each group and identify what it is you need each group to do in support of the problem resolution.  Also, you will need to determine how each group affects you and the problem/issue that you are examining and how the problem/issue impacts these groups.  This is an important framework because it recognized explicitly the key interdependencies.  You do not work in a vacuum.  What you do is influenced by the actions of others.  You depend on others (such as your subordinates or those who work under you and your superiors, who provide you with access to time, resource and support) for your success.  You work and achieve objectives within the structure of teams.  Consequently, you must recognize and deal with these interdependencies.  That is the role of the Consultative Framework.

As you approach each case, assignment or project, you should ask yourself the following questions:

?    Who are the major players, as identified by the Consultative Framework?

?    How does each of these groups affect the problem or issues under consideration?

?    What do I want from each group in order to succeed?

?    How do I convince each group to participate (remember to apply the WIIFM principle:  What’s In It For Me)?

?    What metrics are important to each group and how can I demonstrate to each group, using these same metrics, that working with me or cooperating will positively affect these metrics.

?    Which are the critical groups (those groups whose participation I need for success) and how do I intend to “enrol” them in the project?

As you proceed through the cases, assignments and/or projects, consider these issues.  Make them part of your problem-solving process.  Address these issues as part of the process of preparing your written report.

5.0    Structure

When carrying out analysis and writing up the resulting report, it is important that you remember to pay attention to the following areas (and their associated concerns).

5.1    Situation Analysis/Size-Up/Assumptions

The first activity that you should carry out is to read the material, identify and collect any necessary data/information and to provide structure to the resulting data.  This activity takes place before you deal with the issue of the problem statement.  In the size-up, you try to identify critical issues and to draw both logical and critical inferences from the resulting data.  Most students tend to do a good job on collecting and summarizing the data.  Where they do poorly is in the drawing of critical inferences, (What does such data imply?  What does it mean?  What can happen as a result?).  Summarizing data is useful but remember that your professor is already familiar with the facts that you are summarizing.  If all that you do is to summarize then you have not really generated any real value to the report.

To draw the critical inferences from the symptoms you identify, remember the “what happens if this were to be allowed to continue?” question.  Pose it repeatedly to the symptoms you identify.  If the application of this question results in findings of little importance, then the data that you have looked at may be of limited value.  This is where the sense of urgency for action becomes apparent.  Through the use of deductive reasoning, inferences must be linked directly back to the symptoms occurring in the case.

In some cases, the size-up focuses on critical aspects of the firm, the market, the products, competition or the customer.  In other cases, the size-up focuses attention on certain “facts” that cannot be ignored.  In other cases, the size-up identifies critical constraints.

Also included in this section is your view of the vision of the firm (if it exists at all).  The vision describes to management how the firm provides value in the market and how it differentiates itself from its competitors.  The vision statement often plays a critical role in how you select, evaluate and structure the alternative and recommendations that you present the firm.  What if there is no vision statement?  Then you should propose a hypothetical vision statement that complements the future strategic direction of the firm.

In short, the size-up provides a context-rich setting for the report; it prepares the ground for both the problem statement and the analysis.  It identifies issues and constraints as well as identifies the symptoms from the problems.

Assumptions:  There should be a subhead within the size up area of those assumptions being made during the analysis as cases are riddled with gaps.  This section is not to become a mental dump of all that you discuss in your group.  Rather, it is an identification of those gaps in facts that do not appear in the case specifically, but you are assuming must exist in order to complete your analysis.  Assumptions are very common when analyzing a case study and students should try to confirm with their professor how many are desired for each report, (i.e. is there a limit as to the number of assumptions your professor will allow?).

5.2    The Problem Statement

When carrying out the report analysis, the problem statement should flow out of the size-up.  The problem statement identifies the underlying cause, the gaps to be addressed and the implications of failing to address these problems.  Do not elaborate here on more background facts or try and state your opinion of the situation.  The problem statement should clearly and succinctly establish the importance of the problem and the results of following the recommendations set for in the report.

Note that the subhead suggests a problem. . not problem(s).  Students may find it easier to isolate the main problem (the root cause of the majority of the symptoms) by writing your statement as a question that needs answering.  For example, you may want to consider such language as:  “What can the executive team at ABC Inc. do . . .?” or “How can the executive team at ABC Inc. improve . . .?.” or “What must the executive management at ABC Inc. decide is the necessary action to take in order to. ..?”

Some professors prefer to have the problem statement cover two timeframes:  the immediate urgent issue if there is one (but if there isn’t one, then focus on the main short term issue) and of course a long term timeframe.  Typically, first timeframe takes care of the main issue (including symptoms) that the firm is facing now.  The long term perspective allows for a correction of the systemic factors that need to be corrected.

Why this emphasis on establishing problem importance and the benefits of resolving the problem?  In most firms, inertia is a powerful force.  People do not like to change.  What you are trying to do is to provide a strong and compelling reason for management to act.  You are trying to show that the costs of change (as outlined in your report) are far less than the costs of inaction or failure to address the problem

5.3    Analysis

The analysis section covers a large variety of topics and objectives.  It is here that you explain how the firm got into the situation in which it now finds itself.  The following areas of analysis assist in the examination of past, current and/or potential conditions:
?    Quantitative or Financial analysis
?    Environmental scanning and analysis
?    Qualitative analysis such as competitive analysis, marketing/customer analysis or analysis of issues pertaining to the supply chain

5.31    Environmental Scanning and Analysis

Environmental scanning is the monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating of information from the external and internal environments to key people within the organization.  Its purpose is to identify strategic factors – those external and internal elements that will determine the future of the organization.  The simplest way to conduct environmental scanning is through SWOT analysis.  “SWOT” is an acronym used to describe those particular S = Strengths, W = Weaknesses, O =Opportunities and T = Threats that are strategic factors for a specific company.

INTERNAL – The internal environment of an organization consists of variables (S & W) that are within the organization itself.  But which variables?  The current (not past) resources of the firm. These variables form the context in which work is done.  They include the organization’s structure, culture and resources.  Key strengths form a set of core competencies that the organization can use to gain competitive advantage.  Be sure to qualify each of your S/W statements in terms of what benefit they provide the organization (remember these are to be comments on resources .. and the only purpose a firm has a resource is to use it to make money or to cut costs and save the firm money. Here is a list of various internal factors to consider:

?    Organizational Structure:  How is the organization currently structured?  Is decision making centralized?  Are business units (dept.’s) empowered?  Is structure clearly understood by everyone in organization?  Is structure assisting in achieving corporate objectives or does it compete with current mission, vision and values of firm?  How are other similar corporations structured?
?    Organizational Culture:  Is there a well defined or emerging culture composed of shared beliefs, expectations and values?  Is the culture consistent with the current objectives of firm?
?    Organizational Resources Marketing:  What is the organization’s current marketing objectives, strategies, policies?  Are they clearly stated and consistent with organization’s vision, mission and values?  How well is the organization performing in terms of analysis of market position and marketing mix?
?    Finance:  What are the organization’s current financial objectives?  Are they clearly stated?  How well is the organization performing in terms of financial analysis?  (Consider ratios, common size statements, and capitalization structure).  How balanced, in terms of cash flow is the company’s portfolio of products and business?  How does this firm compare with similar companies in terms of financial performance?  Are financial managers using accepted financial concepts and techniques to evaluate and improve current corporate and divisional performance? (consider financial leverage and capital budgeting)
?    Research and Development:  What are the organization’s current R & D objectives, strategies?  Are they clearly stated and understood?  Are they consistent with the firms’ mission, vision and values?  What sort of ROI does the firm receive from the R & D?
?    Operations & Logistics:  What is the organization’s current manufacturing/service objectives, strategies?  Are they clearly stated and understood?  Are they consistent with the firms’ mission, vision and values?  What is the type and extent of operations capabilities of the organization?  How much is done domestically versus internationally?  Is the amount of outsourcing appropriate to be competitive?  Are manufacturing or service facilities vulnerable to natural disasters, local or national strikes, cost increases or nationalization/control by government?  Is there an appropriate mix of capital to labour in this firm?
?    Human Resource Management:  What are the organization’s current HR objectives and strategies?  Are they clearly stated and understood?  Are they consistent with the firms’ mission, vision and values?  How well is the organization’s HR department performing in terms of improving the fit between the individual and the job?  How well is diversity being managed in the firm?  What is the company’s position and record on human rights? Is the HR department recruiting, selecting and hiring appropriate applicants for jobs?  Are they assisting the management in motivating, training and evaluating employees?  What is the relationship with the union?  Are Federal employment laws being upheld by the HR dept.?
?    Information Systems:  What is the organization’s current IS objectives and strategies? Are they clearly stated and understood?  Are they consistent with the firms’ mission, vision and values?    How well is the organization’s IS performing in terms of providing a useful database, offering internet access and websites, automating routine clerical operations, assisting managers in making routine decisions, and provide information necessary for strategic decisions?    What trends are emerging from this analysis?  Does IS provide the company with a competitive advantage?  How does the IS of this firm compare with similar organizations?
?    Corporate Governance, Top Management and Social Responsibility:   What is contained in a code of ethics that will guide organizational strategy?  Is there a history of ethical behaviour or the presence of a culture of ethics?  How does the organization articulate its broader social responsibility?  What are the relevant organizational stakeholders and how does the organization view their claims?  What person or group constitutes top management?  What are top management’s chief characteristics in terms of knowledge, skills, background, and style?  What is its level of involvement in the strategic management process?  How well does top management interact with lower level managers and with the board of directors?  What role do stock options play in executive compensation?   Is top management sufficiently skilled to cope with likely future challenges?  How much influence does the board have with management?  Is the board comprised of a variety of people with expertise from various areas that can assist the organization?  Is ownership concentrated or dispersed?

Summarizing your S & W statements:  Once a complete list of Strengths and Weaknesses has been drafted and analyzed, then they must be prioritized as to which are most important to the organization now and in need of consideration currently vs. future.  This can be done by reorganizing your listing from #1 being the ‘most important’ to #_ representing the ‘least important’ factor.

EXTERNAL – The external environment consists of variables (O & T) that are outside the organization and not typically within control of top management.  Here, external market factors/trends are considered from two perspectives:  It is common for students to apply the P.E.S.T. assessment (Political-legal; Economic; Socio-cultural and Technological) when considering general external market factors currently affecting both the organization and the industries in which it competes.  Which of these present current or future threats?  Opportunities?

The second scanning perspective directed towards the external environmental focuses on the industry.  This is consistent with Porters 5-Forces of Analysis – considering the health of the industry is very important.  Consider:  What forces drive industry competition?  Are these forces the same globally or do they vary from country to country?  Here is a list of factors to consider:

?    Threat of new entrants
?    Bargaining power of buyers
?    Threat of substitute products or services
?    Bargaining power of suppliers
?    Rivalry among competing firms
?    Relative power of unions, governments, special interest groups, etc.
?    Legal and socio-environmental issues facing the industry

What key factors in the immediate environment (that is customers, competitors, suppliers, creditors, labour unions, governments, trade associations, interest groups, local communities, and shareholders) are currently affecting the industry?  Which are current or future threats to all members of the industry?  Opportunities?

Summarizing your O & T statements:  Once a complete list of Opportunities and Threats has been drafted and analyzed, then they must be prioritized as to which are most important to the organization now and in need of consideration currently vs. future.  This can be done by reorganizing your listing from #1 being the ‘most important’ to #X representing the ‘least important’ factor.

5.4    Alternative Courses of Action

Based on past experiences with reports, this area is the one where most students do a minimal job at best.  Inevitably, they want to go from analysis to recommendations.  They forget that one of their roles is to identify various alternative courses of action that are available to resolve the problem identified earlier.  The reason for identifying alternatives is to demonstrate a rigour of analysis of which alternative plan of action holds the most rational benefit to the organization.    For purposes of this class, please have at least 3 alternatives in your report.  Also, provide at least 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of each alternative. .. .you may provide more but not less.

When generating and presenting alternatives, you should consider the following issues:

*  The appropriateness of the ‘do nothing’ alternative
In every situation, there is the option of carrying on with what is currently being done. When developing alternatives, it is important you consider the appropriateness of this option.  Confirm with your professor whether they want you to always include this alternative in this section or not.  If you do include it, NEVER select it as a recommendation.  It is the weakest and least beneficial – the purpose of the case is to make a change.  .. status quo does not allow for that.

*  Avoid ‘straw men’
A straw man is an option that would never be considered.  In some cases, it would not be     considered because it is infeasible or not attractive.  For example, recommending that     management sell a viable firm would fall under this category.  People often add straw     men because it helps to increase the number of alternatives that they are providing.      However, in most cases, such alternatives ultimately weaken the report because they are     rejected out of hand as being ridiculous.  Avoid them.

*  Identify the major features of each alternative
For each alternative, identify the major actions required by it, the specific issues or     problems being addressed and the benefit/advantages and risks/disadvantages associated     with it.  Be sure to address such questions as:  “Who are you recommending does what?      When? Why? How? Where? Type? Location? Frequency?  Internal or External     Consulting Assistance? Timing?  Etc.

*  Be creative
Alternatives are where you can explore the range of options available to management.  It     is a situation where creativity is often rewarded.

5.5    Recommendations and Plan of Action

Having presented a range of options available, it is now time for you to move to the action stage.  At this point, it is important that you consider the following points:

?    Develop and present decision-making criteria – Tell us why this alternative was selected over the others.  What logic was used to make this decision of which alternative to pick?  How will this alternative address the problem statement?  Management needs to understand your reasoning and logic for selection.

?    Recognize that your action plan may consist of different alternatives being merged but NEVER pull ‘rabbits out of magic hats’ – Pulling a rabbit out of a magic hat describes a situation where a set of actions are introduced which have never been discussed previously.  For example, you discuss the need for improved scheduling procedures in your report.  The problem is that you did not discuss scheduling problems or the need for a better scheduling procedure previously in your report.  The reader is left wondering why this recommendation is in the report.  It seems to be isolated.  Such recommendations ultimately harm the overall quality of the report.  If you make a recommendation, make sure that have introduced this as an alternative previously discussed in your case report.

?    Specific action items related to your recommendations should be prioritized – They should begin from the most critical recommendations and then proceed in descending order of importance.  Make sure that there is a specific timeline assigned to specific action items.

?    Recommendations and action items should cover both the long term and the short term – There is a tendency for people to focus on the long term.  However, recognize your role and position.  You must be able to answer within your report the issue of what actions would you recommend that the decision-maker take first thing on Monday morning.  By the way, telling the decision-maker to have a group meeting is not enough.  You must tell the decision-maker what issues should be addressed & when?  With who?  How will they be discussed, etc.

Students are strongly urged to consider including a check-off table when discussing implementation of the recommendation.  It provides a visual timeline for specific action items from the immediate sense to a long term basis.  Here is a sample for illustrative purposes:

Action Items    Immediate Timeframe    Within 6 months Timeframe    Within One Year Timeframe    Long Term Timeframe
1.  The HR Director sets up meeting with Mr. Smith to discuss the present hiring practices of firm and how to create a more strategic process for the future.

2.
3.

?    Make sure that there is sufficient operating detail in the recommendations – The recommendations should be sufficiently detailed so that the decision-maker can identify what has to be done and how.  There should be no confusion between what you recommend and what the decision-maker understands.

5.51    The Relationship between Analysis and Recommendations

Based on past experience, there is a tendency for students to spend most of their time and space on the size-up an analysis and to leave very little space for the alternatives and the recommendations.  This is a fatal flaw.  The result is a report which often states the obvious but which does not provide the action plan demanded by the report format.  To avoid this situation, use the 50/50 approach.  That is, in general, plan to spend about 50 percent of your report on size-up and analysis and the remaining 50 percent on alternatives, recommendations and the action plan and concluding comments.

5.6    Format vs. Structure

Before ending this discussion of the structure of analysis and problem-solving, it is important that we differentiate between format and structure.  The two may seem similar but they are very different.  In this section, we have focused on structure.  Structure defines the steps, subheads, etc. that you should follow when doing a case.  It identifies the elements that should be found or covered by you.  In contrast, the format deals more with issues such as layout and word processing instructions, (size of margins, type font, etc.).  Format is important; structure is critical.  Format is a concern to the person typing the final case report.  Structure is something that you should personally check for.

5.7    Concluding Comments

This final section should satisfy several important functions.  First, it should summarize the major issues and problems discussed in the report.  Second, it should summarize the recommendation.  Finally, it should point out to the reader the ultimate impact (both qualitatively and quantitatively) of acting on the action plan.  It should end the report on an up-note if possible.  It should provide a compelling call for action.

6.0    Report Presentation Issues

Use headings and sub-headings

By its nature, a report is the model of brevity and action. As a result, there is not a lot of space available for linking sentences and paragraphs. One effective vehicle for structuring the report is through the use of headings and sub-headings. These identify the structure of the paper and the topics to be covered. They also eliminate the need for connecting devices such as linking sentences. The reader can develop an excellent overview of the paper by simply skimming the report and focusing on the headings and sub-headings.

Standards

In general, reports will have the following common standards:
•    Word processed as per the sample provided online
•    12 pt. Times Roman (or equivalent) font
•    1” margins on all sides
•    10 page limit, not including appendices
•    Group Case to include cover sheet with name of group members, Professor’s name and date.

Proof-read your report

For most people, this step is one of the most difficult to implement. You have spent a great deal of time and effort working on the report. To a certain extent, you are tired of it. All that you want to do is to hand it in and be done with it. However, there is one critical step left to be done –you must proofread the report. You must ensure that the report is free of spelling, typos and grammatical errors. Failure to do so will compromise the effectiveness of the report. When the report is filled with spelling and grammatical errors, the reader stops reading the paper for content, and instead, reads it to catch these errors. As soon as this occurs, the report has lost any hope of affecting management decision-making.

Use correct English

This is another way of saying – avoid jargon, slang or unnecessary abbreviations. These elements make the report more difficult to read and understand.