How to structure a case analysis
Your course may prescribe headings. Where it doesn't, this order works for most business and management cases.
The sections
Keep the background short. The reader has the case; they want your thinking.
| Section | What it does | Rough share |
|---|---|---|
| Executive summary | The problem and your recommendation, up front | 5–10% |
| Problem statement | The core issue and the decision required | 10% |
| Analysis | Frameworks applied to case evidence | 40% |
| Alternatives | Options compared against stated criteria | 20% |
| Recommendation and implementation | What to do, how, and the risks | 20% |
Choosing a framework
Match the tool to the question. SWOT organizes internal and external factors. Porter's Five Forces assesses industry attractiveness. PESTLE scans the wider environment. A value chain or financial ratio analysis looks inside the firm.
One framework used well beats four used superficially. The output of a framework is an insight stated in a sentence, not a completed grid.
Use the case's own evidence
Support each point with a figure, exhibit or quotation from the case, with the page. Do the arithmetic the case invites: margins, growth rates, break-even points. Where information is missing, state the assumption you're making.
Check whether outside research is allowed. Many instructors want the analysis based only on the case as written, at the date it was written.
Recommend, then show you've thought about failure
State the recommendation plainly, give the two or three reasons it beats the alternatives, and outline the steps, timing and cost. Then name the main risks and how you would reduce them. Acknowledging the weakness of your own option makes the recommendation more convincing.
A different kind of case study
If you're writing a case study as a research method, studying a real organization or event in depth, the structure follows a research paper: question, case selection, data sources, analysis and findings. The methodology section page covers that ground.