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BUSS150
Assessment 2: Individual Case Study Report

The purpose of this assessment is to develop your problem solving and case analysis skills

Aim and objectives:
This assessment encourages students to:
• Undertake research to improve your understanding of management concepts;
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate information through the application of management concepts;
• Apply critical analysis to explore, generate and evaluate solutions.


Due Date: Week 7
Weighting: 20% (regular participation – 5%; report 15%)

Submission details:
While the initial stage of this assessment will involve group discussion of the relevant case challenges and possible
management models or theories, the final report including the solutions is to be completed as an individual
assessment.

All students are to submit their individual report to Moodle via ‘Turnitin’ by 10:00am, Friday, Week 7. The
similarity result should be no higher than 10%. The hard copy of the individual case study report is NOT required
as reports will be marked online.

Late submissions will incur a 10% deduction in marks per day. Assessments submitted over 7 days late will not be
marked and will score a zero grade.

Length and presentation:
Each report should use a minimum of 2 peer reviewed articles and should be approximately 1500 words in length,
excluding intext references and the reference list. This word count is an estimate only.

Writing style:
The report should be in formal academic writing style and will be evaluated on the below criteria. Remember to
use the format shown to you in your Academic Communications Unit. Remember, this is NOT an essay, and
headings SHOULD be utilised.

Expectations:
This assignment involves the analysis of a Harvard Business Review case study with a focus on management
challenges. It requires that students utilise and apply their understanding of management concepts to create
recommendations and solutions.

To gain the most out of the case study, students will firstly, discuss the case during class, where they will probe
underlying management issues, compare different managerial alternatives, and finally, suggest courses of action in
light of the organization's objectives.

A second stage will require that students upload preliminary analysis of the assessment case for review to Google
Classroom. Feedback will be provided not individually, but to the class, so students can improve the depth and
quality of their application prior to the final due date.

Students are to place themselves in the role of the decision maker as they read through the situation and identify
the management problem(s) faced within the case study. The next step is to perform the necessary analysis—
examining the causes and considering alternative courses of actions to come to a set of recommendations. The
focus of the case study should be primarily about teams and teamwork.

Each student is required to work through this assessment guide and present their evaluation of their case study
company in the form of an individual report, as detailed below.

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Report requirements: C.A.S. method of case analysis
a) Contents page (remember to include section and page numbering in your report)
b) Introduction
a. Brief background of the case
b. List of Primary stakeholders, and their “role” in the company/case
c) Challenges
d) Actions/ Alternatives
e) Solution(s)
f) Reference list

C.A.S. METHOD OF ANALYSING JOURNALS & CASE STUDIES
A. CHALLENGE
a. What are the challenges or problems or issues in the case?
b. Look at different perspectives, for example: organisation, management, workers, other relevant
stakeholders such as trade unions, shareholders, community
c. Remember to differentiate issues from symptoms (look at BOTH)
d. Apply the relevant theory

B. ACTIONS/ALTERNATIVES
a. What reasonable actions or alternatives would you consider to solve the primary challenges? Try
to come up with more than one or two!!
b. Look at different perspectives, as indicated above
c. Apply the relevant theory

C. SOLUTIONS
a. What is the best solution that you would recommend?
b. Justify your viewpoint – explain WHY this is the “best” strategy/recommendation
c. How will you execute your solution?
d. What difficulties do you expect & how will you overcome these?
e. Review the “implications” of your decision for short term & long term.

Assessment Criteria:
• Theory and knowledge (40%)
• Analysis and critical thinking (40%)
• Organisation and structure (10%)
• Written expression (10%)

Further recommendations: Steps in undertaking a case analysis:
Skim read of the case study – for familiarity
Identify the general scenario using the Unit content: what is the organisation, who are the primary and secondary
stakeholders, what are the management topics, issues or problems?
Thorough reading of the case study: collect facts and evidence, study quantitative information
Focus on the issues covered in lecture, for instance: - management functions and roles, teamwork, business
culture

Plan your answer:
- Evidence to support recommendations & arguments from the case
- Draw inferences & justify them (not your opinion) – think of business best practice
- APPLY KNOWLEDGE OR THEORIES TO THE EVIDENCE. The ultimate goal is to make concrete & practical
recommendations (REMEMBER – THIS IS BUSS150)
- Undertake research on theoretical concepts/models to assist with the case analysis
- Finalise your answer: be selective, concise & relevant


Case study details: