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STEPS IN SOLVING A CASE STUDY

Analysis should include these sequential steps:

1. Presentation of the facts surrounding the case.

2. Identification of the key issues.3. Listing of alternative courses of action that could be taken.

. !valuation of alternative courses of action.

". #eco$$endation of the best course of action.

Presentation of the Facts Surrounding the Case

It is helpful to read a case until you are co$fortable %ith the infor$ation in it. #e&readings often are an aid to co$prehending facts' possible strategies' or questions that

need clarification and %ere not apparent earlier. In studying a case' assu$e you are a

retail consultant hired by the fir$. (hile facts should be accepted as true' state$ents'

)udg$ents' and decisions $ade by the individuals in a case should be questioned'especially if not supported by facts&or %hen one individual disagrees %ith another.

*uring your reading of the case' you should underline crucial facts' interpret figures and

charts' critically revie% the co$$ents $ade by individuals' )udge the rationality of pastand current decisions' and prepare questions %hose ans%ers %ould be useful in

addressing the key issue+s,.

Identification of the e! Issue"s#

-he facts stated in a case often point to the key issue+s, facing a retailer' such as ne%

opportunities' a changing environ$ent' a decline in co$petitive position' or ecessinventories. Identify the characteristics and ra$ifications of the issue+s, and ea$ine

the$' using the $aterial in the case and the tet. /o$eti$es' you $ust delve deeply

because the key issue+s, and their characteristics $ay not be i$$ediately obvious.

Listing A$ternati%e Courses of Action That Cou$d &e Ta'en

0et' alternative actions pertaining to the key issue+s, in the case are listed. onsidercourses of action based on their suitability to the fir$ and situation. -hus' the pro$otion

strategy for a s$all neighborhood stationery store %ould not be proper for a large gift

store located in a regional shopping center. Proposed courses of action should take intoaccount such factors as the business category' goals' the custo$er $arket' the overall

strategy' the product assort$ent' co$petition' legal restrictions' econo$ic trends'

$arketplace trends' financial capabilities' personnel capabilities' and sources of supply.

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E%a$uation of A$ternati%e Courses of Action

!valuate each potential option' according to case data' the key issue+s,' the strategic

concepts in the tet' and the fir$s environ$ent. /pecific criteria should be used and eachoption analyed on the basis of the$. -he ra$ifications and risks associated %ith each

alternative should be considered. I$portant data not included in the case should be$entioned.

(eco))endation of the &est Course of Action

4e sure your analysis is not )ust a case su$$ary. 5ou %ill be critiqued by your professoron the basis of ho% %ell you identify key issues or proble$s' outline and assess

alternative courses of action' and reach realistic conclusions +that take the retailers sie'

co$petition' i$age' and so on into consideration,. 5ou need to sho% a goodunderstanding of both the principles of strategic retail $anage$ent and the case. 4e

precise about %hich alternative is $ore desirable for the retailer in its current contet.

#e$e$ber' your goal is to apply a logical reasoning process to retailing. A %ritten report$ust de$onstrate this process.

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/he is the o%ner and president of 6/onica Industries7 a hard%are co$pany. -he co$pany $arkets

various industrial accessories. It %as her first business' though she had so$e fa$ilybackground of this business. 8er t%o brothers %ere also in sa$e line of business. 4ut she

borro%ed so$e $oney' put in so$e of her savings and started her o%n venture. /he %as the first %o$an

ever to enter into this business' $ost of her clients could not understand that a %o$an couldsell industrial hard%are.

*uring her rise to success and in $anage$ent of her business' she also $anaged a fa$ily'stayed involved %ith school and co$$unity affairs.

In 0ila$7s $ind' there is nothing $ore ehilarating than o%ning her o%n business' and for her' the

fun is in facing the challenges of $aking the fir$ gro%.

-oday' $ore and $ore %o$en are $aking this choice rather than pursuing traditional

careers. 9or the past fe% years' the nu$ber of %o$en starting ne% ventures is three ti$es

as large as the nu$ber of $en. -here are several good reasons for this trend. /o$e%o$en find that o%ning of business is the only %ay to co$bine a decent inco$e %ith ti$e for

their children by having the fleibility to control their schedules. thers see the$selves as unlikelycorporate $anagers and recogniing the gender proble$ that eists for achieving success' they choose the

entrepreneurial route. /till others see entrepreneurship as a %ay of controlling their lives' pursuing

interests that %ould be i$possible in a corporate )ob.

-he dual roles of $other and entrepreneur often conflict' and husbands and %ives tend to develop

separate career tracks that often cannot be reconciled. (o$en can also find it lonely in a

business %orld' especially if clients are predo$inantly $en' this %as a proble$ for 0ila$ too.

;any %o$en' ho%ever' have businesses that fit %ell %ith their interest and %ith %o$en custo$ers.

-hese include services in beauty care' nutrition' education' entertain$ent etc. 0evertheless' beingin business often eacts a double price for %o$en' yet for those %ith deter$ination like 0ila$' the

re%ards are al%ays %aiting.

*uestions+

+a, (hy $any %o$en no% a days prefer to start their on ventures' rather than pursuing traditional

career paths