Page 13 - General Cases 1

This said, it seems self-evident that writing a short case

study should manifestly be simpler. The word count for one

thing is lower! But, as will be seen, what is self-evident may

not be so when finely scrutinised. For example, whatever

the case study its structure, such as shown in diagram 3, is

common to all business case writing. Combining Davis’s

characteristics with the structural elements in Diagram 3

should in theory allow the development of a good case
study – long or short - that stands out, bears repeated use

and helps achieve the objectives of the course it is designed
for.

However, as Diagram 3 indicates, the structural elements

that the case user (student) has to address when developing

a solution to the questions set in the case assessment is far

from clear. For one thing, the information supplied in the

case is often non-linear thereby making it difficult to

interpret.

In Diagram 3, Davis’ factors are assumed to be embedded in

the case study where the case study provides enough

information on a business issue(s) from which conclusions

may be drawn. However, the case also has a lot of ‘noise’

which camouflages the critical factors. Added to this is that

some information is probably missing, some is disguised

and some is non-linear in aspect. Nevertheless, a good deal

may be inferred from what is available.