Page 17 - Stakis Consolidated Teaching Note

Identification of key issues and preliminary

assessment of company performance.

Case study analysis may start with a thumb nail sketch of
the company concerned. Key areas of operation may be

identified. For most businesses these are: the various

functional areas; the general management; the staff; the

structures in place; and the strategies being applied. The
case should then be reviewed to record intuitive first

impressions of the performance in these areas.

This process helps to make sense of a complex,

unstructured problem. It leads to a better organisation of

information and a clearer identification and prioritisation

of the critical issues.

A simple way of doing this is to apply a plus or minus

rating to each of the areas noted above.

Position each of the columns as a + or a -
to represent the contribution each makes to
+ the overall strength of the organisation.

M P P M
F A E R S S T A
N
T
I R R O R A
- N K S D R U G
A
A E O U T C E
N T N C E T M
C I N T G U E
E N E S R N
G L Y E T