EE204: Business Management for
Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists



Written Case Analysis

You will need to prepare two pieces of written work during the course. Each piece involves a thorough analysis of a case, but you are limited in your written paper to five pages double-spaced, plus exhibits.

NOTE: Students who have had other case-method courses must select cases for written analysis which they have not studied previously. See the professors if the selections announced won't work for you.

Collaboration Policy

Grading

Up to 20 points are possible on the paper. Papers will be evaluated according to the GRADING CRITERIA AND SCORING SHEET FOR WRITTEN PAPERS

Teams should plan to delegate a member to QA the paper to ensure that all criteria on the grading sheet are met.

Guidelines

Written papers are due at the start of class on the date indicated. CASES MAY BE HANDED IN EARLY; UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THEY BE ACCEPTED LATE, I.E. AFTER THE CLASS BEGINS ON THE DUE DATE!

As guidelines for these written assignments, you should keep in mind the following:

Suggestions and Common Pitfalls

  1. Review all tools and techniques for business analysis presented thus far in the course and apply them as appropriate.
  2. Don't focus too heavily on minor (but interesting) issues or those for which there is little data.
  3. Expect insufficient information and state assumptions or beliefs that allow you to proceed with your analysis
  4. Avoid rehashing of case data. Case facts should not be presented unless they are used to support a specific line of reasoning. Assume the reader is familiar with the case. .
  5. Be sure to include a brief discussion of alternatives you did not choose and your reasoning for their dismissal.
  6. Assure that all quantitative analysis is readily understandable. Analytical work should be presented with simplicity and clarity so that the reader can replicate your analysis. This is generally done in an exhibit or appendix. Be sure that the source of all data is noted.
The areas of greatest weakness in papers historically are:
  1. Recommendations that are...
    • not specific
    • impractical
    • not well integrated or conflict with one another
    • ignore obvious timing issues
    • ignore obvious cost implications
    • not directly pertinent to key case issues
    • Goals the recomendations are to achieve not stated
  2. No discussion of company’s financials and how that affects the recommendations. For example if the company is not very profitable, its ability to invest in R&D or marketing may be limited. Or conversely, the company has to bite the bullet, bet the company, and invest for survival.
  3. All the tools used in the course to date are not reviewed and applied as appropriate in the analysis and recommendations.
  4. Exhibits are missing or are simply copies of case exhibits. An exhibit is meant to clarify or amplify a point of analysis such as a breakeven calculation or market segmentation chart.
  5. Too much of the paper is spent summarizing the case, with not enough discussion of recommendations.
  6. Students do not use the grading sheet to QA their papers prior to submission.