BECO 4310 Applied Business Economics
Giberson
Guide to case study assignments
In brief, here is what you should know:
Read and respond to the specific instructions for the assignment in Blackboard as well as the
guidance here and information in the case study reading.
Always respond to each part of assignment instructions.
Always turn in both a written message and the spreadsheet you developed.
That’s it. The rest of this document simply elaborates on the above points.
More guidance. Case studies are brief narratives presenting a business situation or problem requiring
your thoughtful analysis, assessment and recommendation. Some case studies involve real-world
situations while other cases are fictional. Be aware that, just like in real-world situations, cases do not
always present the all necessary information in a complete or well-organized fashion. Part of the
assignment is making the best of the information available to reach a well-supported conclusion.
The instructions in this Guide are a supplement to the specific instructions that will accompany each
case message assignment on Blackboard. The specific instructions provided in assignments on
Blackboard take priority, supplemented as needed by these general instructions.
Each case message assignment will require your submission of two files in Blackboard: a written
message, submitted in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, and a spreadsheet submitted in Microsoft
Excel format.
The written message assignment. The written message briefly describes your recommendation and
analysis as called for by the instructions. Write this message as if it were the body of an email from you,
the business analyst, to the person or company as indicated in the assignment instructions. Your
message must include the following five parts:
1. Greeting: You might begin with the more formal “Dear Dr. Brown” or a still professional but
slightly less stuffy “Hello Dr. Brown.”
2. Context: Follow with a line providing the context of your message, for example, “I have been
asked to look over your options for the Indian Mall Shoe Store and make a recommendation.”
3. Main points: Next, a few lines with the main points of the message. Put your substance here.
Briefly describe your analysis with an emphasis on the key features of the case necessary to
come to a well-grounded decision.
You may organize in one of two ways: recommendation first or recommendation last. Probably
self-explanatory, but with “recommendation first” the first line of the section states your
recommendation clearly and follows with an explanation; with “recommendation last” you
explain your reasons first and end with a clear recommendation.
The explanation should (a) briefly describe the calculations or other analysis you employed in
examining the case, (b) explain how the results of your analysis support your recommendation,
and if helpful (c) identify the economic principle or concept that helps makes sense of the
situation.
BECO 4310 Applied Business Economics
Giberson
Length is tricky. You need to explain enough to be persuasive, but modern email style is to keep
messages brief. Long, complicated messages are harder to follow. For these assignments, while
keeping it brief as reasonably possible, do explain the analysis completely.
The shortest that the main points section can be for a simple assignment is at least three
sentences. The longest you would want to go is four paragraphs. Most messages will fall
between these extremes.
4. Last line: Customarily you end a professional email with a brief statement indicating a next step.
In our case something generic like, “Let me know if you have any questions, or if there is some
other way I can help” will usually fit. Adapt the line to the particular assignment as makes sense.
5. Closing: A simple “Sincerely,” “Thank you,” “Regards,” or other customary ending is fine, and
then your name. In some professional settings you would want to use first and last name, or a
title and last name. Some times just your first name would be appropriate. For our assignments
use your first and last name.
See Figure 1 for an example.
The written message should present a professional look. It must be submitted in either Microsoft Word
or Adobe PDF format. Take special care if you are using a Mac or a word processor other than Microsoft
Word to ensure you submit a readable document. If you have any concerns, use the PDF format.
The spreadsheet requirement. Each assignment requires you complete at least a few calculations, and
sometimes many calculations, to identify the best recommendation. Whether the assignment requires
few or many calculations, you should use Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet of similar capabilities to
conduct your analysis. For each assignment turn in the spreadsheet you used to do your analysis.
Please be aware that the assignment in Blackboard typically will give you additional data that is intended
to supersede or supplement the data presented in the case. The assignment will make clear just how
any additional information relates to data already included in the case study.
Your spreadsheet should be intelligible to your intended recipient. Organize information and add labels
to columns or totals as needed. See Figure 2 for an example.
Your spreadsheet must be submitted in Microsoft Excel format (so with an extension of either .xls or
.xlsx). You may work with other software, but are responsible for submitting the spreadsheet in the
assigned format.
Grading. To gain credit for the written assignment, both case message and spreadsheet must be:
(a) turned in by end-the-day in Blackboard on the due date assigned;
(b) formatted as required; and
(c) reflect your original, careful and complete assessment of the case.
The written message and the spreadsheet are each worth half of the overall grade. So, for example, if
your spreadsheet is missing the best you could score would be a 50.
Assignments will be due “End of Day” on Blackboard. Blackboard treats submissions up until and
including 11:59:00 on the due date as on time, and submissions at 11:59:01 and after as late. Note that
BECO 4310 Applied Business Economics
Giberson
recommended practice is to plan your work such that last minute technical issues beyond your control
do not cause you to miss a deadline. Item’s marked “late” in Blackboard, even if just a few minutes late,
will be graded under the higher standards as described below under “Improving your grade.”
Grades on your assignments will be accompanied by comments as necessary. Generally speaking I will
offer a mix of specific comments on your submission and generic advice on the case study situation. You
are invited to meet with me to discuss any grade, comment, or assignment for which you would like
additional guidance.
Improving your grade. After receiving your grade on the assignment, you may revise and resubmit your
message in an effort to improve your score. I encourage you to do so, but note that the opportunity
comes with a risk. If you go to the extra trouble of revising and resubmitting your message, make it
worth your time and mine by doing excellent work.
Here are the terms of the “revise and resubmit” offer. Please read these terms carefully before
resubmitting your case message:
You must submit your revised case message AND your spreadsheet within 7 days of receiving
your grade.
Standards will be somewhat higher after you and your classmates have received feedback, so
your resubmitted case message should be excellent. At a minimum your resubmission should
respond to any comments provided in grading your first submission. Please meet with me if you
have questions about the feedback provided.
The highest grade possible for resubmitted case messages will be a 90. (As a result, if your initial
score is 90 or about you cannot improve your score.)
Your final score for the assignment will be the average of your first received grade and the grade
for the resubmitted assignment. See examples below.
Given that standards will be higher, it is possible that your message is better but your score does
not improve. If you score more poorly on the resubmitted case message, then your final score
may fall. Resubmit at your own risk.
Example scoring: if you received a 65 on your initial assignment and an 85 on your resubmission, then
your grade will become 75 [i.e., (65+85)/2]. If you receive a 70 on your initial submission and a 60 on
your resubmission, your grade on the assignment will fall to 65. I will round up to the nearest whole
number for your revised score.
Note that the final score will be posted in Blackboard and you will have to work backward to infer the
grade on the resubmitted assignment. If you received a 80 on your initial submission and the updated
score in Blackboard is posted as an 85, that implies the grade on the revised assignment was a 90.
If your assignment is turned in late, it is graded under the higher standards used for revised case
assignments and you will not have an option to resubmit. The maximum grade possible will be a 90.
Advice. Part of the point of requiring a professional looking message and working with Excel is to give
you practice working with tools and in formats common in the business world. If you find working with
Excel or Word frustrating, it is a sign that you need more practice with these systems. Many tools
available to you to boost your skills ranging from YouTube videos to library resources to your instructor.
Use them to help you learn to produce professional looking work.
BECO 4310 Applied Business Economics
Giberson
You are encouraged to discuss and analyze cases with your classmates. However, your written message
and your spreadsheet must be your own work, must be in your own words, must reflect your grasp of the
materials, and must reflect your own views on the case.
Note that you may be able to find cases already analyzed on line in a variety of formats (and of a varying
quality). Review the case study and such other materials available online if you wish, but when it comes
time for you to write up the message your case messages must reflect your individual original efforts in
both analysis and writing. Case messages will be reviewed by SafeAssign, TurnItIn, or other automated
tools to assess item originality.
How to prepare for case messages and case discussions
The case discussions are an important part of our class. There is no one correct way to prepare a case
and the case discussion. However, the following approach has proven effective for many students:
First, read through the assignment and the case study once quickly to get a sense of the situation
and the key matters faced by the key character in the case. Many cases will put you into the role of a
particular character, or as an advisor to a character. Figure out who this key character is and the
challenge this character faces.
Second, re-read the assignment and the case more carefully, identifying the most significant
information provided in the case, noting the data available.
Third, write yourself a note summarizing the basic issues of the case and listing possible courses of
action.
Fourth, consider how the information presented in the case (along with other assigned readings,
class discussions, and possibly outside readings) may help you choose between the possible courses
of action.
Each case offers some quantitative information for analysis. You are required to use Excel (or other
spreadsheet software) to explore and assess the quantitative information provided in a case.
Finally, draft the message in the format required. Bring to class a copy of your message or sufficient
notes on your analysis and recommendation as an aid to class discussion.
When you come to a case discussion class be prepared to, if asked, begin class discussion of a case with
a simple summary of the case situation, including identification of key characters and the key decision or
challenged faced in the case.
Most cases involve some sort of choice among alternative courses of action. Your analysis will lead you
to prefer and recommend one of these alternatives. However, you should aim to understand and be
able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of the main alternatives faced in the assignment.
BECO 4310 Applied Business Economics
Giberson
Figure 1: A sample case message.
Figure 2: Sample spreadsheet
Hello Dr. Brown,
I have been asked to make a recommendation concerning your shoe store at the Indian Mall.
It makes sense to stay in operations at a somewhat smaller scale for now while looking for a new location,
or, should that fail, preparing to shut down when the current lease agreement with the Mall ends.
The numbers you provided show the store is losing more than $10,000 each month. As shown in the
attached spreadsheet, shutting down immediately would be an improvement over continuing current
operations.
A better alternative would be continued operations at a reduced level of service. Promotional expense can
be reduced by targeting only customer groups most likely to shop at Indian Mall, and staffing levels reduced
to reflect reductions in customer traffic. We project a reduction of $16,200 in expenses with a loss of about
$4,000 in revenue. The adjustments should change the $10,000 loss into a $2,200 monthly profit. Note that
as customer traffic continues to fall at Indian Mall, these profits will decline. You should continue looking for
alternative locations or prepare to close the store when your current lease ends.
Thank you for this opportunity to help. Let me know if you have questions.
Regards,
Pat Smith
Indian Mall Shoe Store Analysis
Shut down analysis (Monthly values) Reduction in scale analysis (Monthly values)
Change in revenues: $ (75,670.00) Change in revenues: $ (4,000.00)
Change in expenses: Change in expenses:
Cost of sales $ 43,889.00 Cost of sales $ 7,500.00
Promotions $ 12,265.00 Promotions $ 5,000.00
Payroll $ 20,120.00 Payroll $ 3,600.00
Est. lease savings $ 600.00 $ 76,874.00 Est. lease savings $ 100.00 $ 16,200.00
$ 1,204.00 Average savings per month $ 12,200.00 Net changes
from shutting down.
$ (10,000.00) Current projected monthly loss
$ 2,200.00 Projected monthly income after reductions
Note in both cases the numbers presented are monthly differences as compared to the current business as usual case.
