INF 1230 Managing Information Organizations: Case

Assignment

The purpose of the case assignment is to give students an opportunity to develop a case and

apply one of the preferred approaches to managerial problem-solving. In the assignment, stu- dents demonstrate their analytical and writing abilities as well as their understanding of man- agement principles.

Cases may be drawn from students' own work experience. Cases may also be adapted from

the management journals, such as those listed in "Recommended Browsing" on the course

home page, or by expanding on examples in the textbook website (Links to an external site.).

Part A

Prepare a case of approximately 1200 words involving at least one major managerial princi- ple. Your case should include:

• necessary background information such as the external environment of the institution or

agency involved;

• relevant characteristics of protagonists (e.g., physiological and psychological characteris- tics);

• relevant situational factors (e.g., historical or geographical factors);

• one 'primary' problem;

• any number of 'secondary' problems;

• identification of the problem solver (someone with the authority to resolve the problem; a

manager, a consultant, or some other individual).

Part B

In approximately 1200 additional words, resolve the case developed in Part A.

It is important to follow the steps for managerial problem solving and case study analysis

explained on pages 11 and 12 of the INF 1230 Resource Workbook.

Evaluation

Your case study will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

1. plausibility of the case and its resolution;

2. internal consistency;

3. quality of the writing;

4. reasonableness and persuasiveness of the problem identification;

5. reasonableness and persuasiveness of the resolution;

6. adequacy of the implementation;

7. relevance of the management principle(s) involved.

In presenting your resolution, avoid vernacular and jargon; but feel free to use point form

where appropriate (e.g. in listing possible resolutions). Keep your case and resolution short

and simple. Your case and resolution should together be about 10 pages of double-spaced

text.

You should submit the assignment via Quercus by October 7, 2024. A late penalty will be as- sessed on papers that are handed in after the due date without prior permission from the in- structor: each two-day delay results in a one-step penalty on the letter grade scale (e.g., A- to

B+).

An example of a student assignment will be available on Quercus

It

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Case Study Analysis

Case studies are written with a purpose in mind.

They are usually reasonably short and to

the point.

In other words, a good case study will have a focus or central issue, although it

will probably include several explicit or implicit secondary issues. Secondary issues may

be thought of as ‘symptoms’. For example, if an incompetent manager loses the respect

of her staff, replacing staff will not resolve the issue for the new staff and the new staff

will presumably become in their turn disrespectful.

Your challenge in facing a new case study, therefore, is TO IDENTIFY THE

BASIC OR PRIMARY PROBLEM.

This is the first step.

Having isolated the primary problem and briefly justified your choice, your

second step is TO IDENTIFY ANY SECONDARY PROBLEMS OR SYMPTOMS.

These symptoms will presumably clear up of their own accord when the primary problem

is resolved; but it is your responsibility as an analyst to identify the secondary problems

and later show how they will indeed be resolved.

Because no case study can present the entire context of a problem, you may well

find that you must make certain assumptions in both identifying and resolving primary

and secondary issues.

The third step in case analysis is TO STATE ANY

ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING THE ANALYSIS.

Assumptions must be made

explicit or they can and should be discounted by the assessor.

On the other hand, the

only assumptions necessary to a case study analysis are those that will be used in the

analysis.

It may, for example, be reasonable to assume in a given case that the weather

on a certain day was inclement; but if the weather does not then enter into either the

identification or the resolution of the problem(s), then the assessor can and should

penalize the analyst for ‘wasting time’ on an extraneous assumption.

It is not enough, however, to state the assumptions on which an analysis is based.

The fourth step in such an analysis must be TO MAKE EXPLICIT THE OJECTIVES

WHICH YOUR SOLUTION IS INTENDED TO MEET.

Clearly, two analysts, faced

with the same situation, may identify different facets of a problem and arrive at different

but equally logical solutions if their objectives differ.

It is true that the ‘bottom line’

should always be organizational effectiveness; but it is important to specify just how this

overall goal translates into an objective or objectives in the analysis of a given case study.

Having identified the primary (and secondary) problem(s); and having stated the

objective(s) you intend to meet, the next logical step is to decide all the various ways

there are to get from “here” to “there” (including always the option of doing nothing!).

Therefore, the fifth step in the analysis is TO GENERATE AS MANY ALTERNATIVE,

REASONABLE SOLUTIONS AS POSSIBLE.

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The sixth step is TO EVALUATE EACH OF THE ALTERNATIVES YOU

HAVE IDENTIFIED in terms of their ability to provide both short term (symptomatic)

and long-term solutions.

The seventh and penultimate step in the case study analysis is TO STATE YOUR

CHOICE OF THE BEST SOLUTION based upon step

#6, making certain that the

solution chosen does indeed resolve the primary problem. It is surprising how many

analysts, having identified one basic problem, provide a solution to another, otherwise

unidentified problem.

The final step in your analysis should be, as it would be in a real life situation, to

comment upon any implications your choice of a solution may have for other groups,

agencies, or departments not directly involved in the case at hand. In this concluding

section of your analysis you may also note any major or generalizable administrative

principles epitomized in your solution.

Review of steps

1. Identify the basic or primary problem.

2. Identify any secondary problems or symptoms.

3. State any assumptions underlying the analysis.

4. Make explicit the objectives which your solution is intended to meet.

5. Generate as many alternative, reasonable solutions as possible.

6. Evaluate each of the alternatives you have identified.

7. State your choice of the best solution.

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