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Wednesday 22nd September 2010

Case study methodology

Adapted from Patrick O Sullivan

Master of Science in Finance

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My objective is to…

Prepare you for case study assignments

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The agenda

History of the case study methodology Description of the methodology Benefits & downsides of case studies How to prepare a case study An illustration with Marks & Spencer

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History of management science

Until 1900: no business in education Late 19th century: management science in the US (based on “positivism”)

science logicsabstract theorising

example: Taylorism

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History of management science

Critics of abstract theorising:Human beings are complex and free

creativity VS logicsuncertainty is everywhere

Late 19th century: German historical school

No permanent economic lawsHistorical perspective

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History of management science

Early 20th century: Harvard business school

Case study methodology

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Description of the methodology

Tells stories of business episodes“Once upon a time….”

++ closer to reality++ includes uncertainty++ easier to remember-- specific to a company, at a certain time…

draw lessons = abstracting from cases

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How does it work?

A case study allows you to:Discover theories (inductive)Illustrate theoriesChallenge theories

Student centered learning

Teacher centered learning

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Competences developped?

Analysis

Synthesis

Decision making

« This is the context: what would you do? And why? »

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Various types of cases Whole story

Half story

With or without questions

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How to prepare a case study? “Quick” read:

Who’s who?What’s what?

“Slow” read a few days later: Find “clues” to understand the context

Environment (general economy, politics)Position (sector, products, geography) Identity (Who are we? How are we?)Competition

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How to prepare a case study? List issues as if you were the CEO Group discussion on issues Group discussion on recommendations Write a one page paper

IssuesRecommendations

No right or wrong answer as long as you can support your answer

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An illustration: Marks & Spencer

1. How would you characterize the strategic decisions taken under L. Vandevelde?

2. Were there multiple strategies?3. How effective were means of implementation?4. How would you describe M&S approach to

globalization?5. What do you think of M&S approach to HRM?6. What can you say about financial services?7. Why was there such a contrast between the

clothing & food divisions?8. How ethical is the M&S approach?