Management Decision Making Problem Case

Order Description

Dear MBA615 students,

Assignment for the Whistler case

Approach this as a problem case. Review the structure for a problem case in the Case Analysis Coach.

You have been engaged as a consultant to Mr. Charles Stott, to assist him in his current predicament. Using the tools you’ve learned, identify the root problem that

will keep Whistler from profiting long-term unless the firm makes changes.

Your analysis should focus on showing that you have identified the correct underlying problem. Your Action Plans should focus on what the firm should do, based on the

problem you have identified.

Problem statement, identifying the main effects you observe
Diagnosis: a summary of the important causes
Cause-and-effect analysis: determines the most important cause, based on underlying concepts and frameworks with which you are familiar
Action plan
Written Case Analysis – Format will vary slightly by Case Type

A case analysis is an opportunity for you to wrestle with a real world business problem, from the safety of the classroom. It is a learning experience in which you

have the chance to apply the tools and techniques you have learned, as well as to use your own business sense. It is a chance to try out creative ideas.
Remember, though, that a case analysis also has a purpose: to convince the reader that your recommended solution is right. To this end, address your analysis to an

imaginary boss (perhaps the case’s “hero”). This should not be your instructor, but a business boss.
This boss is busy. Consequently, your best chance of convincing him/her that your recommended solution to the problem is the right one, is to lead her/him through

your analysis, to make it as easy as possible for your boss to follow exactly what you are saying, exactly where you are in the development of your recommendation.
The format recommended below is based upon experience at such companies as International Paper Co. and Philip Morris Companies, and is similar to the brief 1

page (single-spaced) reports used by Procter & Gamble. It has been used successfully by students at The University of Michigan, The University of Minnesota, The

University of Chicago, Michigan State University, The University of Texas at Dallas, and Quinnipiac University to my knowledge, and beyond according to colleagues. The

format works well because it makes clear to the reader exactly how you define the problem you will resolve, what several viable, alternative solutions are, and what

the criteria are that you will use to decide which alternative is best; and it shows the analysis that leads to the conclusion that your recommendation is best.
To ensure that your boss actually reads your recommendation, you will limit it to three pages, double spaced, 1” margins, minimum 10 point non-condensed type

(exhibits excluded). The page limit forces you to focus on the most important issues and points. A good way to start this is to begin your analysis as an outline with

just the major headings indicated below, and build it up from there. Bullet points are fine, but do not sacrifice clarity of thought. Your boss must understand your

analysis (and your instructor must understand your point in order to evaluate it).
While business cases have no “right” answer, they usually have some limitations within which answers must fall if they are to resolve the issues.

On the following page is the format to follow for your case analysis. It works best to first write the section headings then the major points in bullet format. Then,

flesh out your arguments until you reach the three page limit.
I encourage you to discuss the case with other students in this class section. Remember, though, that a case submitted with your name on it must be your work in the

main and the writing must be entirely yours (assistance from the Learning Center is acceptable).
DO NOT put a “background” section in your analysis. You will, of course, use facts from the case as evidence in your analysis section where you “prove” your

recommendation is best.
Your name and the case name should appear ONLY on a separate cover page, but nowhere else in the case. This allows a blind grading. This is important for

fairness in grading, as the instructor is limited only to the ideas presented in the analysis and is not influenced by what s/he knows about you otherwise.

Problem Statement: Formulate a one sentence problem statement that focuses on the underlying problem you have identified, not on the symptoms of that problem. Address

this to the relevant person in the case.

Recommendation: This is where you state your recommended solution to the problem. It may be one of the potential solutions stated or implied in the case, or it may be