Marking Guidelines

Cases studies are due at the beginning of each class. Late cases get a mark of zero.

Marks

5
Key Events / Case synopsis
Maximum of six (6) sentences here. Provide a brief history of the company up to the time of the decision / problem. Do not dwell on the immediate problem (one sentence max).

5
Problem Statement & Objectives
It is often easiest to start with the objective(s) of the key character/company as this is usually given in the case.
The problem can often be defined by putting “How to” in front of the objective. It is usually a larger issue than a specific decision (not “Should Joe decide do A or B”, but “What should Joe to in order to…”)

25
Situation Analysis
Summary
Start with a short paragraph that states what industry the business is in and summarize the business situation (eg do strengths outweigh weaknesses, opportunities outweigh threats? Is it an attractive industry to be in? etc.). It is usually easier to complete the summary after the frameworks below have been completed as you will need to use the main points from them here.

You will use the following frameworks: Five Forces, SWOT, Historical Financial Analysis. See the last page of this doc for the breakdown of marks for this section by case (not all cases require Historical Financial Analysis).

Industry Analysis (See Week 2 slides for additional details)

Porter’s Five Forces (industry wide)
State what industry the company is in.

Buyer’s Power – State who the buyers are. State whether the buyers have high, low or neutral/balanced power over the companies in the industry (see Wk 2 Class Notes for details). State why they have this power.

Suppliers’ Power – State who the suppliers are. State whether the suppliers have high, low or moderate/neutral power over the companies in the industry (see Wk 2 Class Notes for details). State why they have this power.

Substitutes – State what the substitutes are for the industry products (these are NOT competitors). State what kind of a threat the substitute represents (high/medium/low?). State why they represent this threat.

Potential Entrants – State who the potential entrants are. State what kind of threat potential entrants represent (high/medium/low?). State why they represent this threat.

Industry Competition – State who the competitors are. State how intense competition is in the industry (if there are lots of small companies, it’s likely intense and if there are only two or three large companies, less so) and state why there is this level of competition.

Conclusion: Is this an attractive industry to be in? Why? (to answer why summarize in one sentence your analysis above

Company Analysis (See Week 3 slides for additional details)

SWOT Analysis (specific to company)
**For all points included in the SWOT analysis you must answer the question “So What?” Ex. (Strength)-The company has strong customer relationships, (So What?)-which could help them increase sales as they expand their product line. Not including the “So What?” will only earn part marks.

Strengths – List the internal strengths of the business: what resources or other advantages does it have that can be used to advantage in this situation? You must also answer the “So What?” for each strength.

Weaknesses – List the internal areas of weakness that could hinder the business in dealing with the situation. You must also answer the “So What?” for each weakness. Opportunities – List the opportunities that come from OUTSIDE the firm. The two most common such external factors are changes in the market (either at the economy-wide level or in the market for the firm’s product), and changes regarding competitors. You must also answer the “So What?” for each opportunity.

Threats – List the threats that come from OUTSIDE the firm. The two most common such external factors are changes in the market (either at the economy-wide level or in the market for the firm’s product), and changes regarding