The course your are taking makes extensive use of cases to help you apply what you’ve learned in the classroom, rather than waiting until after you graduate. In particular, cases allow you to test decision-making in imperfect information.

Every instructor is different, but this is my recommended approach for preparing a case:

1. Know the case
2. Answer questions
3. Apply theory
4. Use specifics

In the end, your grade for the written and oral case assignment will be determined by how well you do these four things.

Know the case

It’s going to be impossible for you to do well on the assignment unless you know the case. Read it carefully (with the remaining three points in mind). Understand the internal, national and international context of the firm. Be clear on the key issues facing the focal firm at the time in question.

Note: There is a temptation to research the company outside the case looking for the “right” answer. The success or failure of a decision is not relevant to the assignment, in that sometimes the “right” decision will fail or the “wrong” decision succeed due to some unrelated change.

Answer questions

You written (or oral) answers should be responsive to the specific assigned questions, rather than some other (perhaps equally interesting) questions or a more general discussion of the firm and its context.

Most strategies will have pluses and minuses; even if you come down strongly in favor of one or the other, your analysis will not be credible unless you consider both. Similarly, if you are asked to compare multiple decision alternatives, you should analyzes both (all) alternatives. When limited for space, use the space to emphasize the most important issues that explain your decision or analysis.

Apply theory

The cases are assigned to provide practice applying theory taught in the class. That can include material from the current week, or any previous weeks. If your answer does not incorporate the readings from the current and/or previous weeks, then it is probably incomplete. It is not necessary to quote the textbook, but you should mention the concepts (such as “complementary assets” or “early adopters”) where appropriate.

Use specifics

Your answers will be more credible (both in a classroom and industry setting) if you buttress your analysis with specifics from the case. This may include both actions taken by the firm(s) and specific outcomes (including financial measures where appropriate).

Not only must you decide what details to add in, but also what to leave out. Since a 30 page case contains far more detail than can be incorporated into a five-page assignment (or a brief oral answer), you must categorize the facts of the case as important, less important or irrelevant.