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- What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods
What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods
Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on January 30, 2023.
A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.
A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .
Table of contents
When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case.
A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.
Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.
You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.
Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:
- Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
- Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
- Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
- Open up new directions for future research
Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.
However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.
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While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:
- Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
- Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
- Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions
To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.
There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.
The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.
In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.
How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .
Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).
In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.
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Home Blog Business Case Study: How to Write and Present It
Case Study: How to Write and Present It
Marketers, consultants, salespeople, and all other types of business managers often use case study analysis to highlight a success story, showing how an exciting problem can be or was addressed. But how do you create a compelling case study and then turn it into a memorable presentation? Get a lowdown from this post!
What is a Case Study?
Let’s start with this great case study definition by the University of South Caroline:
In the social sciences, the term case study refers to both a method of analysis and a specific research design for examining a problem, both of which can generalize findings across populations.
In simpler terms — a case study is an investigative research into a problem aimed at presenting or highlighting solution(s) to the analyzed issues.
A standard business case study provides insights into:
- General business/market conditions
- The main problem faced
- Methods applied
- The outcomes gained using a specific tool or approach
Case studies (also called case reports) are also used in clinical settings to analyze patient outcomes outside of the business realm.
But this is a topic for another time. In this post, we’ll focus on teaching you how to write and present a business case, plus share several case study PowerPoint templates and design tips!
Why Case Studies are a Popular Marketing Technique
Besides presenting a solution to an internal issue, case studies are often used as a content marketing technique . According to a 2020 Content Marketing Institute report, 69% of B2B marketers use case studies as part of their marketing mix.
A case study informs the reader about a possible solution and soft-sells the results, which can be achieved with your help (e.g., by using your software or by partnering with your specialist).
For the above purpose, case studies work like a charm. Per the same report:
- For 9% of marketers, case studies are also the best method for nurturing leads.
- 23% admit that case studies are beneficial for improving conversions.
Moreover, case studies also help improve your brand’s credibility, especially in the current fake news landscape and dubious claims made without proper credits.
Ultimately, case studies naturally help build up more compelling, relatable stories and showcase your product benefits through the prism of extra social proof, courtesy of the case study subject.
Popular Case Study Format Types
Most case studies come either as a slide deck or as a downloadable PDF document.
Typically, you have several options to distribute your case study for maximum reach:
- Case study presentations — in-person, virtual, or pre-recorded, there are many times when a case study presentation comes in handy. For example, during client workshops, sales pitches, networking events, conferences, trade shows, etc.
- Dedicated website page — highlighting case study examples on your website is a great way to convert middle on the funnel prospects. Google’s Think With Google case study section is a great example of a web case study design done right.
- Blog case studies — data-driven storytelling is a staunch way to stand apart from your competition by providing unique insights, no other brand can tell.
- Video case studies — video is a great medium for showcasing more complex business cases and celebrating customer success stories.
How to Write a Case Study: a 4-Step Framework
Once you decide on your case study format, the next step is collecting data and then translating it into a storyline. There are different case study methods and research approaches you can use to procure data.
But let’s say you already have all your facts straight and need to organize them in a clean copy for your presentation deck. Here’s how you should do it.
1. Identify the Problem
Every compelling case study research starts with a problem statement definition. While in business settings, there’s no need to explain your methodology in-depth; you should still open your presentation with a quick problem recap slide.
Be sure to mention:
- What’s the purpose of the case study? What will the audience learn?
- Set the scene. Explain the before, aka the problems someone was facing.
- Advertise the main issues and findings without highlighting specific details.
The above information should nicely fit in several paragraphs or 2-3 case study template slides
2. Explain the Solution
The bulk of your case study copy and presentation slides should focus on the provided solution(s). This is the time to speak at lengths about how the subject went from before to the glorious after.
Here are some writing prompts to help you articulate this better:
- State the subject’s main objective and goals. What outcomes were they after?
- Explain the main solution(s) provided. What was done? Why this, but not that?
- Mention if they tried any alternatives. Why did those work? Why were you better?
This part may take the longest to write. Don’t rush it and reiterate several times. Sprinkle in some powerful words and catchphrases to make your copy more compelling.
3. Collect Testimonials
Persuasive case studies feature the voice of customer (VoC) data — first-party testimonials and assessments of how well the solution work. These provide extra social proof and credibility to all the claims you are making.
So plan and schedule interviews with your subjects to collect their input and testimonials. Also, design your case study interview questions in a way that lets you obtain the quantifiable result.
4. Package The Information in a Slide Deck
Once you have a rough first draft, try different business case templates and designs to see how these help structure all the available information.
As a rule of thumb, try to keep one big idea per slide. If you are talking about a solution, first present the general bullet points. Then give each solution a separate slide where you’ll provide more context and perhaps share some quantifiable results.
For example, if you look at case study presentation examples from AWS like this one about Stripe , you’ll notice that the slide deck has few texts and really focuses on the big picture, while the speaker provides extra context.
Need some extra case study presentation design help? Download our Business Case Study PowerPoint template with 100% editable slides.
How to Do a Case Study Presentation: 3 Proven Tips
Your spoken presentation (and public speaking skills ) are equally if not more important than the case study copy and slide deck. To make a strong business case, follow these quick techniques.
Focus on Telling a Great Story
A case study is a story of overcoming a challenge, achieving something grand. Your delivery should reflect that. Step away from the standard “features => benefits” sales formula. Instead, make your customer the hero of the study. Describe the road they went through and how you’ve helped them succeed.
The premises of your story can be as simple as:
- Help with overcoming a hurdle
- Gaining major impact
- Reaching a new milestone
- Solving a persisting issue no one else code
Based on the above, create a clear story arc. Show where your hero started. Then explain what type of a journey they went through. Inject some emotions in the mix to make your narrative more relatable and memorable.
Experiment with Copywriting Formulas
Copywriting is the art and science of organizing words into compelling and persuasive combinations which help readers retain the right ideas.
To ensure that the audience retains the right takeaways from your case study presentation, you can try using some of the classic copywriting formulas to structure your delivery. These include:
- AIDCA — short for A ttention, I nterest, D esire, C onviction, and A ction. First, grab the audience’s attention by addressing the major problem. Next, pique their interest with some teaser facts. Spark their desire by showing that you know the right way out. Then, show a conviction that you know how to solve the issue—finally, prompt follow-up action such as contacting you to learn more.
- PADS — short for P roblem, A gitation, D iscredit, S olution. This is more of a salesy approach to case study narration. Again, you start with a problem, agitate about its importance, discredit why other solutions won’t cut it, and then present your option.
- 4Ps — short for P roblem, P romise, P roof, P roposal. This is a middle-ground option that prioritizes storytelling over hard pitches. Set the scene first with a problem. Then make a promise of how you can solve it. Show proof in the form of numbers, testimonials, and different scenarios. Round it up with a proposal for getting the same outcomes.
Take an Emotion-Inducing Perspectives
The key to building a strong rapport with an audience is showing that you are one of them and fully understand what they are going through.
One of the ways to build this connection is speaking from an emotion-inducing perspective. This is best illustrated with an example:
- A business owner went to the bank
- A business owner came into a bank branch
In the second case, the wording prompts listeners to paint a mental picture from the perspective of the bank employees — a role you’d like them to relate to. By placing your audience in the right visual perspective, you can make them more receptive to your pitches.
Final Tip: Use Compelling Presentation Visuals
Our brain is wired to process images much faster than text. So when you are presenting a case study, always look for an opportunity to tie in some illustrations such as:
- A product demo/preview
- Processes chart
- Call-out quotes or numbers
- Custom illustrations or graphics
- Customer or team headshots
Use icons to minimize the volume of texts. Also, opt for readable fonts which can look good in a smaller size too.
Finally, practice your case study presentation several times — solo and together with your team — to collect feedback and make last-moment refinements!
1. Business Case Study PowerPoint Template
To efficiently create a Business Case Study it’s important to ask all the right questions and document everything necessary, therefore this PowerPoint Template will provide all the sections you need.
Use This Template
2. Medical Case Study PowerPoint Template
3. Medical Infographics PowerPoint Templates
4. Success Story PowerPoint Template
5. Detective Research PowerPoint Template
6. Animated Clinical Study PowerPoint Templates
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Business Intelligence, Business Planning, Business PowerPoint Templates, Content Marketing, Feasibility Study, Marketing, Marketing Strategy Filed under Business
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15+ Professional Case Study Examples [Design Tips + Templates]
By Alice Corner , Jan 12, 2023
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever bought something — within the last 10 years or so — without reading its reviews or without a recommendation or prior experience of using it?
If the answer is no — or at least, rarely — you get my point.
For businesses selling consumer goods, having raving reviews is a good way to get more customers. The same thing applies to B2B and/or SaaS businesses — but for this type of business, besides regular, short reviews, having a detailed case study can help tremendously.
Case studies are an incredibly effective form of marketing that you can use to help promote your product and plan your marketing strategy effectively. You can also use it as a form of customer analysis or as a sales tool to inspire potential customers.
So what does a case study look like and how can you create one? In this article, I’m going to list over 15 marketing case study examples, case study tips, and case study templates to help you create a case study that converts.
Click to jump ahead:
- What is a Case Study?
- Marketing Case Study Examples
Sales Case Study Examples
Simple case study examples, business case study examples.
- Case Study FAQs
What is a case study?
A case study is a research method to gain a better understanding of a subject or process. Case studies involve in-depth research into a given subject, in order to understand its functionality and successes.
In the context of a business, however, case studies take customer success stories and explore how they use your product to help them achieve their business goals.
As well as being valuable marketing tools, case studies are a good way to evaluate your product as it allows you to objectively examine how others are using it.
It’s also a good way to interview your customers about why they work with you.
Related: What is a Case Study? [+6 Types of Case Studies]
What is a marketing case study?
A marketing case study is a type of marketing where you use your existing customers as an example of what your product or services can achieve. You can also create case studies of internal, successful marketing projects.
Here’s an example of a marketing case study template:
Return to Table of Contents
Marketing case study examples
Marketing case studies are incredibly useful for showing your marketing successes. Every successful marketing campaign relies on influencing a consumer’s behavior, and a great case study can be a great way to spotlight your biggest wins.
In the marketing case study examples below, a variety of designs and techniques to create impactful and effective case studies.
Show off impressive results with a bold marketing case study
Case studies are meant to show off your successes, so make sure you feature your positive results prominently. Using bold and bright colors as well as contrasting shapes, large bold fonts, and simple icons is a great way to highlight your wins.
In well-written case study examples like the one below, the big wins are highlighted on the second page with a bright orange color and are highlighted in circles.
Making the important data stand out is especially important when attracting a prospective customer with marketing case studies.
Use a simple but clear layout in your case study
Using a simple layout in your case study can be incredibly effective, like in the example of a case study below.
Keeping a clean white background, and using slim lines to help separate the sections is an easy way to format your case study.
Making the information clear helps draw attention to the important results, and it helps improve the accessibility of the design .
Business case study examples like this would sit nicely within a larger report, with a consistent layout throughout.
Use visuals and icons to create an engaging and branded business case study
Nobody wants to read pages and pages of text — and that’s why Venngage wants to help you communicate your ideas visually.
Using icons, graphics, photos, or patterns helps create a much more engaging design.
With this Blue Cap case study icons, colors, and impactful pattern designs have been used to create an engaging design that catches your eye.
Use a monochromatic color palette to create a professional and clean case study
Let your research shine by using a monochromatic and minimalistic color palette.
By sticking to one color, and leaving lots of blank space you can ensure your design doesn’t distract a potential customer from your case study content.
In this case study on Polygon Media, the design is simple and professional, and the layout allows the prospective customer to follow the flow of information.
The gradient effect on the left-hand column helps break up the white background and adds an interesting visual effect.
Did you know you can generate an accessible color palette with Venngage? Try our free accessible color palette generator today and create a case study that delivers and looks pleasant to the eye:
Add long term goals in your case study
When creating a case study it’s a great idea to look at both the short term and the long term goals of the company to gain the best understanding possible of the insights they provide.
Short-term goals will be what the company or person hopes to achieve in the next few months, and long-term goals are what the company hopes to achieve in the next few years.
Check out this modern pattern design example of a case study below:
In this case study example, the short and long-term goals are clearly distinguished by light blue boxes and placed side by side so that they are easy to compare.
Use a strong introductory paragraph to outline the overall strategy and goals before outlining the specific short-term and long-term goals to help with clarity.
This strategy can also be handy when creating a consulting case study.
Use data to make concrete points about your sales and successes
When conducting any sort of research stats, facts, and figures are like gold dust (aka, really valuable).
Being able to quantify your findings is important to help understand the information fully. Saying sales increased 10% is much more effective than saying sales increased.
In sales case study examples, like this one, the key data and findings can be presented with icons. This contributes to the potential customer’s better understanding of the report.
They can clearly comprehend the information and it shows that the case study has been well researched.
Use emotive, persuasive, or action based language in your marketing case study
Create a compelling case study by using emotive, persuasive and action-based language when customizing your case study template.
In this well-written case study example, we can see that phrases such as “Results that Speak Volumes” and “Drive Sales” have been used.
Using persuasive language like you would in a blog post. It helps inspire potential customers to take action now.
Keep your potential customers in mind when creating a customer case study for marketing
82% of marketers use case studies in their marketing because it’s such an effective tool to help quickly gain customers’ trust and to showcase the potential of your product.
Why are case studies such an important tool in content marketing?
By writing a case study you’re telling potential customers that they can trust you because you’re showing them that other people do.
Not only that, but if you have a SaaS product, business case studies are a great way to show how other people are effectively using your product in their company.
In this case study, Network is demonstrating how their product has been used by Vortex Co. with great success; instantly showing other potential customers that their tool works and is worth using.
Related: 10+ Case Study Infographic Templates That Convert
Case studies are particularly effective as a sales technique.
A sales case study is like an extended customer testimonial, not only sharing opinions of your product – but showcasing the results you helped your customer achieve.
Make impactful statistics pop in your sales case study
Writing a case study doesn’t mean using text as the only medium for sharing results.
You should use icons to highlight areas of your research that are particularly interesting or relevant, like in this example of a case study:
Icons are a great way to help summarize information quickly and can act as visual cues to help draw the customer’s attention to certain areas of the page.
In some of the business case study examples above, icons are used to represent the impressive areas of growth and are presented in a way that grabs your attention.
Use high contrast shapes and colors to draw attention to key information in your sales case study
Help the key information stand out within your case study by using high contrast shapes and colors.
Use a complementary or contrasting color, or use a shape such as a rectangle or a circle for maximum impact.
This design has used dark blue rectangles to help separate the information and make it easier to read.
Coupled with icons and strong statistics, this information stands out on the page and is easily digestible and retainable for a potential customer.
Less is often more, and this is especially true when it comes to creating designs. Whilst you want to create a professional-looking, well-written and design case study – there’s no need to overcomplicate things.
These simple case study examples show that smart clean designs and informative content can be an effective way to showcase your successes.
Use colors and fonts to create a professional-looking case study
Business case studies shouldn’t be boring. In fact, they should be beautifully and professionally designed.
This means the normal rules of design apply. Use fonts, colors, and icons to create an interesting and visually appealing case study.
In this case study example, we can see how multiple fonts have been used to help differentiate between the headers and content, as well as complementary colors and eye-catching icons.
Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, business case studies can be a powerful resource to help with your sales, marketing, and even internal departmental awareness.
Business and business management case studies should encompass strategic insights alongside anecdotal and qualitative findings, like in the business case study examples below.
Conduct a B2B case study by researching the company holistically
When it comes to writing a case study, make sure you approach the company holistically and analyze everything from their social media to their sales.
Think about every avenue your product or service has been of use to your case study company, and ask them about the impact this has had on their wider company goals.
In business case study examples like the one above, we can see that the company has been thought about holistically simply by the use of icons.
By combining social media icons with icons that show in-person communication we know that this is a well-researched and thorough case study.
This case study report example could also be used within an annual or end-of-year report.
Highlight the key takeaway from your marketing case study
To create a compelling case study, identify the key takeaways from your research. Use catchy language to sum up this information in a sentence, and present this sentence at the top of your page.
This is “at a glance” information and it allows people to gain a top-level understanding of the content immediately.
You can use a large, bold, contrasting font to help this information stand out from the page and provide interest.
Learn how to choose fonts effectively with our Venngage guide and once you’ve done that.
Upload your fonts and brand colors to Venngage using the My Brand Kit tool and see them automatically applied to your designs.
The heading is the ideal place to put the most impactful information, as this is the first thing that people will read.
In this example, the stat of “Increase[d] lead quality by 90%” is used as the header. It makes customers want to read more to find out how exactly lead quality was increased by such a massive amount.
If you’re conducting an in-person interview, you could highlight a direct quote or insight provided by your interview subject.
Pick out a catchy sentence or phrase, or the key piece of information your interview subject provided and use that as a way to draw a potential customer in.
Use charts to visualize data in your business case studies
Charts are an excellent way to visualize data and to bring statistics and information to life. Charts make information easier to understand and to illustrate trends or patterns.
Making charts is even easier with Venngage.
In this consulting case study example, we can see that a chart has been used to demonstrate the difference in lead value within the Lead Elves case study.
Adding a chart here helps break up the information and add visual value to the case study.
Using charts in your case study can also be useful if you’re creating a project management case study.
You could use a Gantt chart or a project timeline to show how you have managed the project successfully.
Use direct quotes to build trust in your marketing case study
To add an extra layer of authenticity you can include a direct quote from your customer within your case study.
According to research from Nielsen , 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% trust recommendations even if they’re from somebody they don’t know.
So if you have a customer or client who can’t stop singing your praises, make sure you get a direct quote from them and include it in your case study.
You can either lift part of the conversation or interview, or you can specifically request a quote. Make sure to ask for permission before using the quote.
This design uses a bright contrasting speech bubble to show that it includes a direct quote, and helps the quote stand out from the rest of the text.
This will help draw the customer’s attention directly to the quote, in turn influencing them to use your product or service.
Case Study Examples Summary
Once you have created your case study, it’s best practice to update your examples on a regular basis to include up-to-date statistics, data, and information.
You should update your business case study examples often if you are sharing them on your website.
It’s also important that your case study sits within your brand guidelines – find out how Venngage’s My Brand Kit tool can help you create consistently branded case study templates.
Case studies are important marketing tools – but they shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. Content marketing is also a valuable way to earn consumer trust.
Case Study FAQ
Why should you write a case study.
Case studies are an effective marketing technique to engage potential customers and help build trust.
By producing case studies featuring your current clients or customers, you are showcasing how your tool or product can be used. You’re also showing that other people endorse your product.
In addition to being a good way to gather positive testimonials from existing customers, business case studies are good educational resources and can be shared amongst your company or team, and used as a reference for future projects.
How should you write a case study?
To create a great case study, you should think strategically. The first step, before starting your case study research, is to think about what you aim to learn or what you aim to prove.
You might be aiming to learn how a company makes sales or develops a new product. If this is the case, base your questions around this.
You can learn more about writing a case study from our extensive guide.
Some good questions you could ask would be:
- Why do you use our tool or service?
- How often do you use our tool or service?
- What does the process of using our product look like to you?
- If our product didn’t exist, what would you be doing instead?
- What is the number one benefit you’ve found from using our tool?
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How to Write a Case Study: A Step-by-Step Guide (+ Examples)
by Todd Brehe
on Aug 23, 2022
If you want to learn how to write a case study that engages prospective clients, demonstrates that you can solve real business problems, and showcases the results you deliver, this guide will help.
We’ll give you a proven template to follow, show you how to conduct an engaging interview, and give you several examples and tips for best practices.
Let’s start with the basics.
What is a Case Study?
A business case study is simply a story about how you successfully delivered a solution to your client.
Case studies start with background information about the customer, describe problems they were facing, present the solutions you developed, and explain how those solutions positively impacted the customer’s business.
Do Marketing Case Studies Really Work?
Absolutely. A well-written case study puts prospective clients into the shoes of your paying clients, encouraging them to engage with you. Plus, they:
- Get shared “behind the lines” with decision makers you may not know;
- Leverage the power of “social proof” to encourage a prospective client to take a chance with your company;
- Build trust and foster likeability;
- Lessen the perceived risk of doing business with you and offer proof that your business can deliver results;
- Help prospects become aware of unrecognized problems;
- Show prospects experiencing similar problems that possible solutions are available (and you can provide said solutions);
- Make it easier for your target audience to find you when using Google and other search engines.
Case studies serve your clients too. For example, they can generate positive publicity and highlight the accomplishments of line staff to the management team. Your company might even throw in a new product/service discount, or a gift as an added bonus.
But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at a few statistics and success stories:
5 Winning Case Study Examples to Model
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to write a case study, let’s go over a few examples of what an excellent one looks like.
The five case studies listed below are well-written, well-designed, and incorporate a time-tested structure.
1. Lane Terralever and Pinnacle at Promontory
This case study example from Lane Terralever incorporates images to support the content and effectively uses subheadings to make the piece scannable.
2. WalkMe Mobile and Hulyo
This case study from WalkMe Mobile leads with an engaging headline and the three most important results the client was able to generate.
In the first paragraph, the writer expands the list of accomplishments encouraging readers to learn more.
3. CurationSuite Listening Engine
This is an example of a well-designed printable case study . The client, specific problem, and solution are called out in the left column and summarized succinctly.
4. Brain Traffic and ASAE
This long format case study (6 pages) from Brain Traffic summarizes the challenges, solutions, and results prominently in the left column. It uses testimonials and headshots of the case study participants very effectively.
5. Adobe and Home Depot
This case study from Adobe and Home Depot is a great example of combining video, attention-getting graphics, and long form writing. It also uses testimonials and headshots well.
Now that we’ve gone over the basics and showed a few great case study examples you can use as inspiration, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.
A Case Study Structure That Pros Use
Let’s break down the structure of a compelling case study:
Choose Your Case Study Format
In this guide, we focus on written case studies. They’re affordable to create, and they have a proven track record. However, written case studies are just one of four case study formats to consider:
- Infographic
If you have the resources, video (like the Adobe and Home Depot example above) and podcast case studies can be very compelling. Hearing a client discuss in his or her own words how your company helped is an effective content marketing strategy
Infographic case studies are usually one-page images that summarize the challenge, proposed solution, and results. They tend to work well on social media.
Follow a Tried-and-True Case Study Template
The success story structure we’re using incorporates a “narrative” or “story arc” designed to suck readers in and captivate their interest.
Note: I recommend creating a blog post or landing page on your website that includes the text from your case study, along with a downloadable PDF. Doing so helps people find your content when they perform Google and other web searches.
There are a few simple SEO strategies that you can apply to your blog post that will optimize your chances of being found. I’ll include those tips below.
Craft a Compelling Headline
The headline should capture your audience’s attention quickly. Include the most important result you achieved, the client’s name, and your company’s name. Create several examples, mull them over a bit, then pick the best one. And, yes, this means writing the headline is done at the very end.
SEO Tip: Let’s say your firm provided “video editing services” and you want to target this primary keyword. Include it, your company name, and your client’s name in the case study title.
Write the Executive Summary
This is a mini-narrative using an abbreviated version of the Challenge + Solution + Results model (3-4 short paragraphs). Write this after you complete the case study.
SEO Tip: Include your primary keyword in the first paragraph of the Executive Summary.
Provide the Client’s Background
Introduce your client to the reader and create context for the story.
List the Customer’s Challenges and Problems
Vividly describe the situation and problems the customer was dealing with, before working with you.
SEO Tip: To rank on page one of Google for our target keyword, review the questions listed in the “People also ask” section at the top of Google’s search results. If you can include some of these questions and their answers into your case study, do so. Just make sure they fit with the flow of your narrative.
Detail Your Solutions
Explain the product or service your company provided, and spell out how it alleviated the client’s problems. Recap how the solution was delivered and implemented. Describe any training needed and the customer’s work effort.
Show Your Results
Detail what you accomplished for the customer and the impact your product/service made. Objective, measurable results that resonate with your target audience are best.
List Future Plans
Share how your client might work with your company in the future.
Give a Call-to-Action
Clearly detail what you want the reader to do at the end of your case study.
Talk About You
Include a “press release-like” description of your client’s organization, with a link to their website. For your printable document, add an “About” section with your contact information.
And that’s it. That’s the basic structure of any good case study.
Now, let’s go over how to get the information you’ll use in your case study.
How to Conduct an Engaging Case Study Interview
One of the best parts of creating a case study is talking with your client about the experience. This is a fun and productive way to learn what your company did well, and what it can improve on, directly from your customer’s perspective.
Here are some suggestions for conducting great case study interviews:
When Choosing a Case Study Subject, Pick a Raving Fan
Your sales and marketing team should know which clients are vocal advocates willing to talk about their experiences. Your customer service and technical support teams should be able to contribute suggestions.
Clients who are experts with your product/service make solid case study candidates. If you sponsor an online community, look for product champions who post consistently and help others.
When selecting a candidate, think about customer stories that would appeal to your target audience. For example, let’s say your sales team is consistently bumping into prospects who are excited about your solution, but are slow to pull the trigger and do business with you.
In this instance, finding a client who felt the same way, but overcame their reluctance and contracted with you anyway, would be a compelling story to capture and share.
Prepping for the Interview
If you’ve ever seen an Oprah interview, you’ve seen a master who can get almost anyone to open up and talk. Part of the reason is that she and her team are disciplined about planning.
Before conducting a case study interview, talk to your own team about the following:
- What’s unique about the client (location, size, industry, etc.) that will resonate with our prospects?
- Why did the customer select us?
- How did we help the client?
- What’s unique about this customer’s experience?
- What problems did we solve?
- Were any measurable, objective results generated?
- What do we want readers to do after reading this case study analysis?
Pro Tip: Tee up your client. Send them the questions in advance.
Providing questions to clients before the interview helps them prepare, gather input from other colleagues if needed, and feel more comfortable because they know what to expect.
In a moment, I’ll give you an exhaustive list of interview questions. But don’t send them all. Instead, pare the list down to one or two questions in each section and personalize them for your customer.
Nailing the Client Interview
Decide how you’ll conduct the interview. Will you call the client, use Skype or Facetime, or meet in person? Whatever mode you choose, plan the process in advance.
Make sure you record the conversation. It’s tough to lead an interview, listen to your contact’s responses, keep the conversation flowing, write notes, and capture all that the person is saying.
A recording will make it easier to write the client’s story later. It’s also useful for other departments in your company (management, sales, development, etc.) to hear real customer feedback.
Use open-ended questions that spur your contact to talk and share. Here are some real-life examples:
Introduction
- Recap the purpose of the call. Confirm how much time your contact has to talk (30-45 minutes is preferable).
- Confirm the company’s location, number of employees, years in business, industry, etc.
- What’s the contact’s background, title, time with the company, primary responsibilities, and so on?
Initial Challenges
- Describe the situation at your company before engaging with us?
- What were the initial problems you wanted to solve?
- What was the impact of those problems?
- When did you realize you had to take some action?
- What solutions did you try?
- What solutions did you implement?
- What process did you go through to make a purchase?
- How did the implementation go?
- How would you describe the work effort required of your team?
- If training was involved, how did that go?
Results, Improvements, Progress
- When did you start seeing improvements?
- What were the most valuable results?
- What did your team like best about working with us?
- Would you recommend our solution/company? Why?
Future Plans
- How do you see our companies working together in the future?
Honest Feedback
- Our company is very focused on continual improvement. What could we have done differently to make this an even better experience?
- What would you like us to add or change in our product/service?
During the interview, use your contact’s responses to guide the conversation.
Once the interview is complete, it’s time to write your case study.
How to Write a Case Study… Effortlessly
Case study writing is not nearly as difficult as many people make it out to be. And you don’t have to be Stephen King to do professional work. Here are a few tips:
- Use the case study structure that we outlined earlier, but write these sections first: company background, challenges, solutions, and results.
- Write the headline, executive summary, future plans, and call-to-action (CTA) last.
- In each section, include as much content from your interview as you can. Don’t worry about editing at this point
- Tell the story by discussing their trials and tribulations.
- Stay focused on the client and the results they achieved.
- Make their organization and employees shine.
- When including information about your company, frame your efforts in a supporting role.
Also, make sure to do the following:
Add Testimonials, Quotes, and Visuals
The more you can use your contact’s words to describe the engagement, the better. Weave direct quotes throughout your narrative.
Strive to be conversational when you’re writing case studies, as if you’re talking to a peer.
Include images in your case study that visually represent the content and break up the text. Photos of the company, your contact, and other employees are ideal.
If you need to incorporate stock photos, here are three resources:
- Deposit p hotos
And if you need more, check out Smart Blogger’s excellent resource: 17 Sites with High-Quality, Royalty-Free Stock Photos .
Proofread and Tighten Your Writing
Make sure there are no grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. If you need help, consider using a grammar checker tool like Grammarly .
My high school English teacher’s mantra was “tighten your writing.” She taught that impactful writing is concise and free of weak, unnecessary words . This takes effort and discipline, but will make your writing stronger.
Also, keep in mind that we live in an attention-diverted society. Before your audience will dive in and read each paragraph, they’ll first scan your work. Use subheadings to summarize information, convey meaning quickly, and pull the reader in.
Be Sure to Use Best Practices
Consider applying the following best practices to your case study:
- Stay laser-focused on your client and the results they were able to achieve.
- Even if your audience is technical, minimize the use of industry jargon. If you use acronyms, explain them.
- Leave out the selling and advertising.
- Don’t write like a Shakespearean wannabe. Write how people speak. Write to be understood.
- Clear and concise writing is not only more understandable, it inspires trust. Don’t ramble.
- Weave your paragraphs together so that each sentence is dependent on the one before and after it.
- Include a specific case study call-to-action (CTA).
- A recommended case study length is 2-4 pages.
- Commit to building a library of case studies.
Get Client Approval
After you have a final draft, send it to the client for review and approval. Incorporate any edits they suggest.
Use or modify the following “Consent to Publish” form to get the client’s written sign-off:
Consent to Publish
Case Study Title:
I hereby confirm that I have reviewed the case study listed above and on behalf of the [Company Name], I provide full permission for the work to be published, in whole or in part, for the life of the work, in all languages and all formats by [Company publishing the case study].
By signing this form, I affirm that I am authorized to grant full permission.
Company Name:
E-mail Address:
Common Case Study Questions (& Answers)
We’ll wrap things up with a quick Q&A. If you have a question I didn’t answer, be sure to leave it in a blog comment below.
Should I worry about print versions of my case studies?
Absolutely.
As we saw in the CurationSuite and Brain Traffic examples earlier, case studies get downloaded, printed, and shared. Prospects can and will judge your book by its cover.
So, make sure your printed case study is eye-catching and professionally designed. Hire a designer if necessary.
Why are good case studies so effective?
Case studies work because people trust them.
They’re not ads, they’re not press releases, and they’re not about how stellar your company is.
Plus, everyone likes spellbinding stories with a hero [your client], a conflict [challenges], and a riveting resolution [best solution and results].
How do I promote my case study?
After you’ve written your case study and received the client’s approval to use it, you’ll want to get it in front of as many eyes as possible.
Try the following:
- Make sure your case studies can be easily found on your company’s homepage.
- Tweet and share the case study on your various social media accounts.
- Have your sales team use the case study as a reason to call on potential customers. For example: “Hi [prospect], we just published a case study on Company A. They were facing some of the same challenges I believe your firm is dealing with. I’m going to e-mail you a copy. Let me know what you think.”
- Distribute printed copies at trade shows, seminars, or during sales presentations.
- If you’re bidding on a job and have to submit a quote or a Request for Proposal (RFP), include relevant case studies as supporting documents.
Ready to Write a Case Study That Converts?
If you want to stand out and you want to win business, case studies should be an integral part of your sales and marketing efforts.
Hopefully, this guide answered some of your questions and laid out a path that will make it faster and easier for your team to create professional, sales-generating content.
Now it’s time to take action and get started. Gather your staff, select a client, and ask a contact to participate. Plan your interview and lead an engaging conversation. Write up your client’s story, make them shine, and then share it.
Get better at the case study process by doing it more frequently. Challenge yourself to write at least one case study every two months.
As you do, you’ll be building a valuable repository of meaningful, powerful content. These success stories will serve your business in countless ways, and for years to come.
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Written by Todd Brehe
6 thoughts on “how to write a case study: a step-by-step guide (+ examples)”.
Just the guide I needed for case studies! Great job with this one!
Hey Todd, great post here. I liked that you listed some prompting questions. Really demonstrates you know what you’re talking about. There are a bunch of Ultimate Guides out there who list the theories such as interview your customer, talk about results, etc. but really don’t help you much.
Thanks, Todd. I’ve planned a case study and this will really come in handy. Bookmarked.
Very good read. Thanks, Todd. Are there any differences between a case study and a use case, by the way?
Hi Todd, Very well-written article. This is the ultimate guide I have read till date. It has actionable points rather than some high-level gyan. Creating a new case study always works better when (1) you know the structure to follow and (2) you work in a group of 3-4 members rather than individually. Thanks for sharing this guide.
Hi Todd. Very useful guide. I learn step by step. Looking forward to continually learning from you and your team. Thanks
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All You Wanted to Know About How to Write a Case Study
What do you study in your college? If you are a psychology, sociology, or anthropology student, we bet you might be familiar with what a case study is. This research method is used to study a certain person, group, or situation. In this guide from our dissertation writing service , you will learn how to write a case study professionally, from researching to citing sources properly. Also, we will explore different types of case studies and show you examples — so that you won’t have any other questions left.
What Is a Case Study?
A case study is a subcategory of research design which investigates problems and offers solutions. Case studies can range from academic research studies to corporate promotional tools trying to sell an idea—their scope is quite vast.
What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and a Case Study?
While research papers turn the reader’s attention to a certain problem, case studies go even further. Case study guidelines require students to pay attention to details, examining issues closely and in-depth using different research methods. For example, case studies may be used to examine court cases if you study Law, or a patient's health history if you study Medicine. Case studies are also used in Marketing, which are thorough, empirically supported analysis of a good or service's performance. Well-designed case studies can be valuable for prospective customers as they can identify and solve the potential customers pain point.
Case studies involve a lot of storytelling – they usually examine particular cases for a person or a group of people. This method of research is very helpful, as it is very practical and can give a lot of hands-on information. Most commonly, the length of the case study is about 500-900 words, which is much less than the length of an average research paper.
The structure of a case study is very similar to storytelling. It has a protagonist or main character, which in your case is actually a problem you are trying to solve. You can use the system of 3 Acts to make it a compelling story. It should have an introduction, rising action, a climax where transformation occurs, falling action, and a solution.
Here is a rough formula for you to use in your case study:
Problem (Act I): > Solution (Act II) > Result (Act III) > Conclusion.
Types of Case Studies
The purpose of a case study is to provide detailed reports on an event, an institution, a place, future customers, or pretty much anything. There are a few common types of case study, but the type depends on the topic. The following are the most common domains where case studies are needed:
- Historical case studies are great to learn from. Historical events have a multitude of source info offering different perspectives. There are always modern parallels where these perspectives can be applied, compared, and thoroughly analyzed.
- Problem-oriented case studies are usually used for solving problems. These are often assigned as theoretical situations where you need to immerse yourself in the situation to examine it. Imagine you’re working for a startup and you’ve just noticed a significant flaw in your product’s design. Before taking it to the senior manager, you want to do a comprehensive study on the issue and provide solutions. On a greater scale, problem-oriented case studies are a vital part of relevant socio-economic discussions.
- Cumulative case studies collect information and offer comparisons. In business, case studies are often used to tell people about the value of a product.
- Critical case studies explore the causes and effects of a certain case.
- Illustrative case studies describe certain events, investigating outcomes and lessons learned.
Case Study Format
The case study format is typically made up of eight parts:
- Executive Summary. Explain what you will examine in the case study. Write an overview of the field you’re researching. Make a thesis statement and sum up the results of your observation in a maximum of 2 sentences.
- Background. Provide background information and the most relevant facts. Isolate the issues.
- Case Evaluation. Isolate the sections of the study you want to focus on. In it, explain why something is working or is not working.
- Proposed Solutions. Offer realistic ways to solve what isn’t working or how to improve its current condition. Explain why these solutions work by offering testable evidence.
- Conclusion. Summarize the main points from the case evaluations and proposed solutions. 6. Recommendations. Talk about the strategy that you should choose. Explain why this choice is the most appropriate.
- Implementation. Explain how to put the specific strategies into action.
- References. Provide all the citations.
How to Write a Case Study
Let's discover how to write a case study.
Setting Up the Research
When writing a case study, remember that research should always come first. Reading many different sources and analyzing other points of view will help you come up with more creative solutions. You can also conduct an actual interview to thoroughly investigate the customer story that you'll need for your case study. Including all of the necessary research, writing a case study may take some time. The research process involves doing the following:
- Define your objective. Explain the reason why you’re presenting your subject. Figure out where you will feature your case study; whether it is written, on video, shown as an infographic, streamed as a podcast, etc.
- Determine who will be the right candidate for your case study. Get permission, quotes, and other features that will make your case study effective. Get in touch with your candidate to see if they approve of being part of your work. Study that candidate’s situation and note down what caused it.
- Identify which various consequences could result from the situation. Follow these guidelines on how to start a case study: surf the net to find some general information you might find useful.
- Make a list of credible sources and examine them. Seek out important facts and highlight problems. Always write down your ideas and make sure to brainstorm.
- Focus on several key issues – why they exist, and how they impact your research subject. Think of several unique solutions. Draw from class discussions, readings, and personal experience. When writing a case study, focus on the best solution and explore it in depth. After having all your research in place, writing a case study will be easy. You may first want to check the rubric and criteria of your assignment for the correct case study structure.
Read Also: 'CREDIBLE SOURCES: WHAT ARE THEY?'
Although your instructor might be looking at slightly different criteria, every case study rubric essentially has the same standards. Your professor will want you to exhibit 8 different outcomes:
- Correctly identify the concepts, theories, and practices in the discipline.
- Identify the relevant theories and principles associated with the particular study.
- Evaluate legal and ethical principles and apply them to your decision-making.
- Recognize the global importance and contribution of your case.
- Construct a coherent summary and explanation of the study.
- Demonstrate analytical and critical-thinking skills.
- Explain the interrelationships between the environment and nature.
- Integrate theory and practice of the discipline within the analysis.
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Case Study Outline
Let's look at the structure of an outline based on the issue of the alcoholic addiction of 30 people.
Introduction
- Statement of the issue: Alcoholism is a disease rather than a weakness of character.
- Presentation of the problem: Alcoholism is affecting more than 14 million people in the USA, which makes it the third most common mental illness there.
- Explanation of the terms: In the past, alcoholism was commonly referred to as alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction. Alcoholism is now the more severe stage of this addiction in the disorder spectrum.
- Hypotheses: Drinking in excess can lead to the use of other drugs.
- Importance of your story: How the information you present can help people with their addictions.
- Background of the story: Include an explanation of why you chose this topic.
- Presentation of analysis and data: Describe the criteria for choosing 30 candidates, the structure of the interview, and the outcomes.
- Strong argument 1: ex. X% of candidates dealing with anxiety and depression...
- Strong argument 2: ex. X amount of people started drinking by their mid-teens.
- Strong argument 3: ex. X% of respondents’ parents had issues with alcohol.
- Concluding statement: I have researched if alcoholism is a disease and found out that…
- Recommendations: Ways and actions for preventing alcohol use.
Writing a Case Study Draft
After you’ve done your case study research and written the outline, it’s time to focus on the draft. In a draft, you have to develop and write your case study by using: the data which you collected throughout the research, interviews, and the analysis processes that were undertaken. Follow these rules for the draft:
- Your draft should contain at least 4 sections: an introduction; a body where you should include background information, an explanation of why you decided to do this case study, and a presentation of your main findings; a conclusion where you present data; and references.
- In the introduction, you should set the pace very clearly. You can even raise a question or quote someone you interviewed in the research phase. It must provide adequate background information on the topic. The background may include analyses of previous studies on your topic. Include the aim of your case here as well. Think of it as a thesis statement. The aim must describe the purpose of your work—presenting the issues that you want to tackle. Include background information, such as photos or videos you used when doing the research.
- Describe your unique research process, whether it was through interviews, observations, academic journals, etc. The next point includes providing the results of your research. Tell the audience what you found out. Why is this important, and what could be learned from it? Discuss the real implications of the problem and its significance in the world.
- Include quotes and data (such as findings, percentages, and awards). This will add a personal touch and better credibility to the case you present. Explain what results you find during your interviews in regards to the problem and how it developed. Also, write about solutions which have already been proposed by other people who have already written about this case.
- At the end of your case study, you should offer possible solutions, but don’t worry about solving them yourself.
Use Data to Illustrate Key Points in Your Case Study
Even though your case study is a story, it should be based on evidence. Use as much data as possible to illustrate your point. Without the right data, your case study may appear weak and the readers may not be able to relate to your issue as much as they should. Let's see the examples from essay writing service :
With data: Alcoholism is affecting more than 14 million people in the USA, which makes it the third most common mental illness there. Without data: A lot of people suffer from alcoholism in the United States.
Try to include as many credible sources as possible. You may have terms or sources that could be hard for other cultures to understand. If this is the case, you should include them in the appendix or Notes for the Instructor or Professor.
Finalizing the Draft: Checklist
After you finish drafting your case study, polish it up by answering these ‘ask yourself’ questions and think about how to end your case study:
- Check that you follow the correct case study format, also in regards to text formatting.
- Check that your work is consistent with its referencing and citation style.
- Micro-editing — check for grammar and spelling issues.
- Macro-editing — does ‘the big picture’ come across to the reader? Is there enough raw data, such as real-life examples or personal experiences? Have you made your data collection process completely transparent? Does your analysis provide a clear conclusion, allowing for further research and practice?
Problems to avoid:
- Overgeneralization – Do not go into further research that deviates from the main problem.
- Failure to Document Limitations – Just as you have to clearly state the limitations of a general research study, you must describe the specific limitations inherent in the subject of analysis.
- Failure to Extrapolate All Possible Implications – Just as you don't want to over-generalize from your case study findings, you also have to be thorough in the consideration of all possible outcomes or recommendations derived from your findings.
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How to Create a Title Page and Cite a Case Study
Let's see how to create an awesome title page.
Your title page depends on the prescribed citation format. The title page should include:
- A title that attracts some attention and describes your study
- The title should have the words “case study” in it
- The title should range between 5-9 words in length
- Your name and contact information
- Your finished paper should be only 500 to 1,500 words in length. With this type of assignment, write effectively and avoid fluff.
Here is a template for the APA and MLA format title page:
There are some cases when you need to cite someone else's study in your own one – therefore, you need to master how to cite a case study. A case study is like a research paper when it comes to citations. You can cite it like you cite a book, depending on what style you need.
Citation Example in MLA Hill, Linda, Tarun Khanna, and Emily A. Stecker. HCL Technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing, 2008. Print.
Citation Example in APA Hill, L., Khanna, T., & Stecker, E. A. (2008). HCL Technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing.
Citation Example in Chicago Hill, Linda, Tarun Khanna, and Emily A. Stecker. HCL Technologies.
Case Study Examples
To give you an idea of a professional case study example, we gathered and linked some below.
Eastman Kodak Case Study
Case Study Example: Audi Trains Mexican Autoworkers in Germany
To conclude, a case study is one of the best methods of getting an overview of what happened to a person, a group, or a situation in practice. It allows you to have an in-depth glance at the real-life problems that businesses, healthcare industry, criminal justice, etc. may face. This insight helps us look at such situations in a different light. This is because we see scenarios that we otherwise would not, without necessarily being there. If you need custom essays , try our research paper writing services .
Get Help Form Qualified Writers
Crafting a case study is not easy. You might want to write one of high quality, but you don’t have the time or expertise. If you’re having trouble with your case study, help with essay request - we'll help. EssayPro writers have read and written countless case studies and are experts in endless disciplines. Request essay writing, editing, or proofreading assistance from our writing service, and all of your worries will be gone.
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- Case Studies
Public TV Station Changes Its Strategy
Background:
- Major public broadcasting company.
- Producer of highly acclaimed public television shows.
- Besieged by competition and reductions in federal and corporate funding.
Key Challenges:
- Losses in two of the last three fiscal years.
- Downward trend in membership.
- Lack of internal consensus about the financial viability of key department.
- New competitors, including internet and cable.
- Competition from local stations.
- Build and grow a strong membership base by refining programming to focus on target demographic.
- Re-position production for long-term growth.
- Maximize revenue potential from key programs.
Meaningful Change in a Short Timeframe
The Chief Operating Officer was committed to getting to the heart of performance issues that were causing the organization to stumble. He also knew that his position made it difficult to be objective. Late in the year – with the clock ticking down to the start of budgeting for the next two fiscal years – he called Leading Resources Inc. (LRI).
During an intensive three-month “pit stop,” LRI president Eric Douglas guided a dozen of top managers through a process that resulted in a focused set of goals and objectives leading to sustainable growth in the long term and operating surpluses in the short term.
“Experience has taught me it’s valuable to bring in a third party, someone who is absolutely agnostic as to personalities and biases,” the CEO said.
He had collaborated with Douglas when the CEO served as Chief Financial Officer at KQED, San Francisco’s public television station, and was impressed by his insightful, no-nonsense style, as well as his experience working in the media industry.
“I was impressed by Eric’s knowledge of the media business,” said the Chief Executive Officer. “He’s smart and very direct. He had the respect of the staff from the beginning.”
Step 1: The Situation Analysis: Identifying Which Opportunities to Focus On
The first step for Douglas is to gain insight into what is happening. In confidential interviews with managers, he asked frank questions: What’s causing the current situation? What conflicts underlie these issues? Why can’t the organization address them? What factors need to be in place to achieve success?
“The key business driver was revenue from its members,” Douglas said. “However, the programming and membership departments were operating as silos.”
Douglas found that neither department had a clear picture of the target audience they were trying to attract. “It seemed to me that the opportunity lay in building a tighter value chain between viewers and members,” Douglas said.
After a week of interviews, Douglas prepared a situation analysis, focusing on what he felt were the two most crucial opportunities to address during the strategic planning process.
- Strengthen and grow membership through targeted programming. Outside of pledge periods, programming decisions were often made using a loose definition of “public service” and “quality.” Douglas recommended that Programming and Membership departments work closely together to define the demographics of their target audience. As the two departments fine-tuned programming to reach this target audience, Gross Ratings Points (GRPs) – an industry measurement of time spent viewing – would guide them.
- Restructure production operation for long-term profitability. Producing had become less economically viable for most major public television stations. With competition falling away, we had the potential to turn its production operation into a long-term growth engine. But only if managers could impose the discipline it would take to restructure their Production Portfolio to favor profitability.
Step 2: Creating Task Forces
Early in the process, the management team met for the first of three strategy sessions. Douglas kicked off the meeting by presenting his analysis.
“People are always relieved when they see the organization laid out, warts and all, so they can talk about it.” Douglas said. “The biggest surprise for many people was that there was a lot of agreement around the weaknesses of the station.”
Douglas assembled the team into task forces to address the opportunities identified in his analysis. Each task force brought together people from multiple departments to collaborate on a specific set of assignments. “Eric’s manner encourages people to express their points of view about issues,” the CEO said. “At the same time, he’s no-nonsense. He keeps the process moving forward. He doesn’t allow the discussion to get into circular arguments that lead nowhere.”
Step 3: Developing Productive “Learning Loops”
“Some of us were surprised by how little we actually understood the financial and operational underpinnings of everything we do,” said the Head of Production. “There was some confusion over resource impacts, margins and so forth. It was the beginning of a process to get that clarity.”
Douglas calls this building “ learning loops .” “As decision-makers share information across departments, their ability to make better decisions rises,” he says.
Douglas sees his role as both a catalyst and a devil’s advocate. “I have taken part in strategic planning processes that failed because the consultant was ‘facilitating’ discussions people wanted to have, rather than telling us which discussions we should be having,” he said. “I ask tough questions and make sure people spend time asking themselves tough questions. Sometimes it is painful. But having an honest dialogue about areas of conflict is the only way to break down barriers and find more creative resolutions.”
Bruns agrees. “When he needs to, Eric he can be firm with everyone at any level of the organization,” he said. “Sometimes it’s easier to be firm with people higher up in the organization than with people working in the ranks. You don’t want to appear heavy-handed. Eric is able to do it in a way that’s very constructive.”
Step 4: Moving from Breakthrough to Strategy
In some cases, the road to consensus proved a bit bumpy. Here’s a brief recap of what transpired over 12 weeks.
Membership and Programming
While the viewing audience was declining, two core groups remained strong and ripe for growth: children and educated women 50+.
Initial Insights: The Membership and Programming Task Force expanded their target audience to include men and women 45+. Guided by results of a major industry study correlating a rise in GRPs with increased multiyear memberships, the group tackled its first task: determining how well their prime-time line-up – a random mix of standard PBS fare – fit its target audience.
Hurdles: There was a lot of room for improvement. But first, we had to clear a major hurdle: the fear of offending PBS by shopping for programming elsewhere. PBS underwrites many productions – an area this organization is keen to develop into a long-term profit center.
Breakthrough Decision: the management team decided its first priority was to increase GRPs – which meant dropping or moving PBS shows that its target audience wasn’t watching.
New Strategy: Using GRPs as a yardstick of success focused their Membership and Programming departments on the importance of collaborating to increase membership dues and renewal rates. The departments meet regularly to analyze the latest GRPs and identify new areas of opportunity based on feedback from viewers.
“It’s very hard to say no in public television,” admitted the CEO. As a result, there was no litmus test for the profit potential of projects production department decided to take on.
Initial Insights: The management team believed that “production was in our organization’s DNA.” “Yet, privately several people wondered whether we could continue in production,” Douglas said.
Hurdles: Douglas led the group through various scenarios – including exiting the production business altogether. “It was a painful discussion,” he said. “But we had to look that scenario in the eye and investigate whether, strategically, it made the most sense.”
Breakthrough Decision: “The beauty of having the conversation about getting out of production was that it scared people. It made them realize that production was not a sacred cow. They decided to purposefully create a future with production, but to be a lot more steely about the projects they undertake,” Douglas said.
New Strategy: In addition to nurturing its core portfolio of successful local and national programs, we adopted a more rigorous framework for accepting production projects. “I’ve officially terminated four projects,” the CEO reported. “Having a business framework gives us a basis for being more discriminating in our choices.” This sets the stage for production to become a growth engine.
Moving Ahead with Measurable Performance Goals
Moving ahead with a clearly defined set of performance goals for the next two fiscal years, they are focused on:
- Increasing GRPs by 6% in the target demographic.
- Increasing net membership revenues by 5%.
- Reducing margins from production by 10%.
“I would encourage any CEO to go through this process,” the CEO said. “In a very short time, we were able to clarify our expectations and unify the staff around common goals, which are the foundation of our new budget. Now, we have a consensus about the next steps we need to take and performance metrics that will let us know when we reach our goals. We’ve really moved forward as an organization.”
“I came away with a certain optimism that we can achieve the goals we want to achieve,” Bruns said. “While the problems we’re facing over the next years are difficult, they’re not insurmountable. This is my second experience with Eric and I wouldn’t hesitate to call on him again. I have that much confidence in him.”
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Short Case Study on Change Management
A short case study on change management can be very helpful in learning how to manage change effectively. In today’s business world, change is constantly happening and it can be very difficult to keep up.
Having a solid understanding of change management is essential for any manager or business owner.
A good case study will show you how one company successfully managed a major change and what lessons can be learned from their experience.
By studying short case study on change management, you will gain valuable insights into the importance of planning, communication, and employee involvement when managing change.
You will also learn about the different stages of change and how to overcome resistance to change.
These are all important topics that any manager or business owner should be familiar with. Learning about them through a short case study is an excellent way to gain a better understanding of these concepts.
Here are 05 short case studies on change management that offer you valuable insights on managing change.
1. Adobe- a transformation of HR functions to support strategic change
Many a times external factors lead to changes in organisational structures and culture. This truly happened at Adobe which has 11,000 employees worldwide with 4.5 billion $ yearly revenue.
Acrobat, Flash Player, and Photoshop are among the well-known products of Abode.
Due to new emerging technologies and challenges posed by small competitors Adobe had to stop selling its licensed goods in shrink-wrapped containers in 2011 and switched to offering digital services through the cloud. They gave their customers option of downloading the necessary software for free or subscribing to it every month rather than receiving a CD in a box.
The human resource (HR) function also took on a new role, which meant that employees had to adjust to new working practices. A standard administrative HR function was housed at Adobe’s offices. However, it was less suitable for the cloud-based strategy and performed well when Adobe was selling software items.
HR changed its role and became more human centric and reduced its office based functions.
The HR personnel did “walk-ins,” to see what assistance they might offer, rather than waiting for calls. With a focus on innovation, change, and personal growth, Adobe employed a sizable percentage of millennials.
Instead of having an annual reviews, staff members can now use the new “check-in” method to assess and define their own growth goals whenever they find it necessary, with quick and continuous feedback.
Managers might receive constructive criticism from HR through the workshops they conduct. The least number of employees have left since this changed approach of HR.
Why did Adobe’s HR department make this change? Since the company’s goals and culture have changed, HR discovered new ways to operate to support these changes.
2. Intuit – applying 7s framework of change management
Steve Bennett, a vice president of GE Capital, was appointed CEO of Intuit in 2000. Intuit is a provider of financial software solutions with three products: Quicken, TurboTax, and QuickBooks, which have respective market shares of 73 percent, 81 percent, and 84 percent.
Despite this market domination, many observers believed Intuit was not making as much money as it could.
Additionally, the business was known for making decisions slowly, which let rivals take advantage of numerous market opportunities. Bennett desired to change everything.
In his first few weeks, he spoke with each of the top 200 executives, visited the majority of Intuit’s offices, and addressed the majority of its 5,000 employees.
He concluded that although employees were enthusiastic about the company’s products, internal processes weren’t given any thought (based on Higgins, 2005).
He followed the famous Mckinsey 7S Model for Change Management to transform the organization. Let’s see what are those changes that he made:
By making acquisitions, he increased the products range for Intuit.
He established a flatter organizational structure and decentralized decision-making, which gave business units more authority and accountability throughout the whole product creation and distribution process.
To accomplish strategic goals, the rewards system was made more aligned to strategic goals.
He emphasized the necessity of a performance-oriented focus and offered a vision for change and also made every effort to sell that vision.
He acknowledged the commitment of staff to Intuit’s products and further strengthened process by emphasizing on quality and efficiency of his team.
Resources were allotted for learning and development, and certain selected managers were recruited from GE in particular skill categories, all to enhance staff capabilities concerning productivity and efficiency.
Superordinate goals:
Bennett’s strategy was “vision-driven” and he communicated that vision to his team regularly to meet the goals.
Bennett’s modifications led to a 40–50% rise in operating profits in 2002 and 2003.
8,000 people worked for Intuit in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and other nations in 2014, and the company generated global revenues of nearly $5 billion.
3. Barclays Bank – a change in ways of doing business
The financial services industry suffered heavily during mortgage crisis in 2008. In addition to significant losses, the sector also had to deal with strict and aggressive regulations of their investing activities.
To expand its business, more employees were hired by Barclays Capital under the leadership of its former chief executive, Bob Diamond, who wanted to make it the largest investment bank in the world.
But Barclays Capital staff was found manipulating the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and Barclays was fined £290 million and as a result of this the bank’s chairman, CEO, and COO had to resign.
In an internal review it was found that the mindset of “win at all costs” needed to be changed so a new strategy was necessary due to the reputational damage done by the LIBOR affair and new regulatory restrictions.
In 2012, Antony Jenkins became new CEO. He made the following changes in 2014, which led to increase of 8% in share price.
Aspirations
The word “Capital” was removed from the firm name, which became just Barclays. To concentrate on the U.S. and UK markets, on Africa, and on a small number of Asian clients, the “world leader” goal was dropped.
Business model
Physical commodities and obscure “derivative” products would no longer be traded by Barclays. It was decided that rather than using its customers’ money, the business would invest its own.
Only thirty percent of the bank’s profits came from investment banking. Instead of concentrating on lending at high risk, the focus was on a smaller range of customers.
In place of an aggressive, short-term growth strategy that rewarded commercial drive and success and fostered a culture of fear of not meeting targets, “customer first,” clarity, and openness took precedence. Investment bankers’ remuneration was also reduced.
Beginning in 2014, branches were shut, and 19,000 jobs were lost over three years, including 7,000 investment banking employees, personnel at high-street firms, and many in New York and London headquarters. £1.7 billion in costs were reduced in 2014.
There was an increase in customers’ online or mobile banking, and increased automation of transactions to lower expenses. To assist customers in using new computer systems, 30 fully automated branches were established by 2014, replacing the 6,500 cashiers that were lost to this change with “digital eagles” who used iPads.
These changes were made to build an organization that is stronger, more integrated, leaner, and more streamlined, leading to a higher return on equity and better returns for shareholders. This was also done to rebuild the bank’s credibility and win back the trust of its clients.
4. Kodak – a failure to embrace disruptive change
The first digital camera and the first-megapixel camera were both created by Kodak in 1975 and 1986 respectively.
Why then did Kodak declare bankruptcy in 2012?
When this new technology first came out in 1975, it was expensive and had poor quality of images. Kodak anticipated that it would be at least additional ten years until digital technology started to pose a threat to their long-standing business of camera, film, chemical, and photo-printing paper industries.
Although that prediction came true, Kodak chose to increase the film’s quality through ongoing advances rather than embracing change and working on digital technology.
Kodak continued with old business model and captured market by 90% of the film and 85% of the cameras sold in America in 1976. With $16 billion in annual sales at its peak, Kodak’s profits in 1999 was around $2.5 billion. The brand’s confidence was boosted by this success but there was complete complacency in terms of embracing new technology.
Kodak started experiencing losses in 2011 as revenues dropped to $6.2 billion.
Fuji, a competitor of Kodak, identified the same threat and decided to transition to digital while making the most money possible from film and creating new commercial ventures, such as cosmetics based on chemicals used in film processing.
Even though both businesses had the same information, they made different judgments, and Kodak was reluctant to respond. And when it started to switch towards digital technology, mobile phones with in-built digital camera had arrived to disrupt digital cameras.
Although Kodak developed the technology, they were unaware of how revolutionary digitalization would prove to be, rendering their long-standing industry obsolete.
5. Heinz – a 3G way to make changes
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian private equity business 3G Capital paid $29 billion in 2013 to acquire Heinz, the renowned food manufacturer with $11.6 billion in yearly sales.
The modifications were made right away by the new owners. Eleven of the top twelve executives were replaced, 600 employees were let go, corporate planes were sold, personal offices were eliminated, and executives were required to stay at Holiday Inn hotel rather than the Ritz-Carlton when traveling and substantially longer work hours were anticipated.
Each employee was given a monthly copy restriction of 200 by micromanagement, and printer usage was recorded. Only 100 business cards were permitted each year for executives.
Numerous Heinz workers spoke of “an insular management style” where only a small inner circle knows what is truly going on.
On the other side, 3G had a youthful team of executives, largely from Brazil, who moved from company to company as instructed across nations and industries. They were loyal to 3G, not Heinz, and were motivated to perform well to earn bonuses or stock options.
“The 3G way,” a theory that 3G has applied to bring about change in prior acquisitions like Burger King, was the driving reason behind these modifications. Everything was measured, efficiency was paramount, and “nonstrategic costs” were drastically reduced.
From this vantage point, “lean and mean” prevails, and human capital was not regarded as a crucial element of business success. It was believed that rather than being driven by a feeling of purpose or mission, employees were motivated by the financial gains associated with holding company stock.
Because it had been well-received by the 3G partners, those who might be impacted by a deal frequently saw a “how to” guide published by consultant Bob Fifer as a “must read.”
However, many food industry experts felt that while some of 3G’s prior acquisitions would have been ideal candidates for a program of cost-cutting, Heinz was not the most appropriate choice to “hack and slash.” The company had already undergone several years of improved efficiency and it was already a well-established player in the market.
In summarizing the situation, business journalists Jennifer Reingold and Daniel Roberts predicted that “the experiment now underway will determine whether Heinz will become a newly invigorated embodiment of efficiency—or whether 3G will take the cult of cost-cutting so far that it chokes off Heinz’s ability to innovate and make the products that have made it a market leader for almost a century and a half.”
Final Words
A short case study on change management can be a helpful tool in learning how to effectively manage change. These case studies will show you how one company successfully managed a major change and what lessons can be learned from their experience. By studying these case studies, you will gain valuable insights into the importance of planning, communication, and employee involvement when managing change. These are all vital elements that must be considered when implementing any type of change within an organization.
About The Author
Tahir Abbas
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Advantages and Disadvantages of an Agile Organization
In this paper we cite a case study of "planning" at the Ahmedabad Branch of the Praja Bank. The study underlines how creative aspects of the planning process can suffer if planning is reduced to a mechanistic target-setting and budgeting exercise with or without formal use of environmental data. It is widely recognised that long range planning is the responsibility of top management. This is because the key notes of long range planning are creativity and judgment. It is maintained, therefore, that the role of formal analysis in long range planning is at best marginal. The intangible ingredients-creativity and judgment-do not lend themselves to any formal analysis. We entirely agree with the first assertion. But we have reservations in accepting the second proposition. We maintain, on the contrary, that a use of formal analytical framework is helpful in a judicious exercise of judgment and in pinpointing areas of creative thinking. The case study of Praja Bank supports this statement.
The Economic and Political Weekly, published from Mumbai, is an Indian institution which enjoys a global reputation for excellence in independent scholarship and critical inquiry. First published in 1949 as the Economic Weekly and since 1966 as the Economic and Political Weekly, EPW, as the journal is popularly known, occupies a special place in the intellectual history of independent India. For more than five decades EPW has remained a unique forum that week after week has brought together academics, researchers, policy makers, independent thinkers, members of non-governmental organisations and political activists for debates straddling economics, politics, sociology, culture, the environment and numerous other disciplines.
First published in 1949 as the Economic Weekly and since 1966 as the Economic and Political Weekly, EPW, as the journal is popularly known, occupies a special place in the intellectual history of independent India. For more than five decades EPW has remained a unique forum that week after week has brought together academics, researchers, policy makers, independent thinkers, members of non-governmental organisations and political activists for debates straddling economics, politics, sociology, culture, the environment and numerous other disciplines.
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What Is a Case Study?
An in-depth study of one person, group, or event
Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.
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Benefits and Limitations
Types of case studies, how to write a case study.
A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in various fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work.
The purpose of a case study is to learn as much as possible about an individual or group so that the information can be generalized to many others. Unfortunately, case studies tend to be highly subjective, and it is sometimes difficult to generalize results to a larger population.
While case studies focus on a single individual or group, they follow a format similar to other types of psychology writing. If you are writing a case study, it is important to follow the rules of APA format .
A case study can have both strengths and weaknesses. Researchers must consider these pros and cons before deciding if this type of study is appropriate for their needs.
One of the greatest advantages of a case study is that it allows researchers to investigate things that are often difficult to impossible to replicate in a lab. Some other benefits of a case study:
- Allows researchers to collect a great deal of information
- Give researchers the chance to collect information on rare or unusual cases
- Permits researchers to develop hypotheses that can be explored in experimental research
On the negative side, a case study:
- Cannot necessarily be generalized to the larger population
- Cannot demonstrate cause and effect
- May not be scientifically rigorous
- Can lead to bias
Researchers may choose to perform a case study if they are interested in exploring a unique or recently discovered phenomenon. The insights gained from such research can help the researchers develop additional ideas and study questions that might be explored in future studies.
However, it is important to remember that the insights gained from case studies cannot be used to determine cause and effect relationships between variables. However, case studies may be used to develop hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental research.
Case Study Examples
There have been a number of notable case studies in the history of psychology. Much of Freud's work and theories were developed through the use of individual case studies. Some great examples of case studies in psychology include:
- Anna O : Anna O. was a pseudonym of a woman named Bertha Pappenheim, a patient of a physician named Josef Breuer. While she was never a patient of Freud's, Freud and Breuer discussed her case extensively. The woman was experiencing symptoms of a condition that was then known as hysteria and found that talking about her problems helped relieve her symptoms. Her case played an important part in the development of talk therapy as an approach to mental health treatment.
- Phineas Gage : Phineas Gage was a railroad employee who experienced a terrible accident in which an explosion sent a metal rod through his skull, damaging important portions of his brain. Gage recovered from his accident but was left with serious changes in both personality and behavior.
- Genie : Genie was a young girl subjected to horrific abuse and isolation. The case study of Genie allowed researchers to study whether language could be taught even after critical periods for language development had been missed. Her case also served as an example of how scientific research may interfere with treatment and lead to further abuse of vulnerable individuals.
Such cases demonstrate how case research can be used to study things that researchers could not replicate in experimental settings. In Genie's case, her horrific abuse had denied her the opportunity to learn language at critical points in her development.
This is clearly not something that researchers could ethically replicate, but conducting a case study on Genie allowed researchers the chance to study phenomena that are otherwise impossible to reproduce.
There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might utilize:
- Collective case studies : These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers might study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community. For example, psychologists might explore how access to resources in a community has affected the collective mental well-being of those living there.
- Descriptive case studies : These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects are then observed, and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
- Explanatory case studies : These are often used to do causal investigations. In other words, researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have caused certain things to occur.
- Exploratory case studies : These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-depth research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing their research questions and hypotheses .
- Instrumental case studies : These occur when the individual or group allows researchers to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
- Intrinsic case studies : This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal interest in the case. Jean Piaget's observations of his own children are good examples of how an intrinsic cast study can contribute to the development of a psychological theory.
The three main case study types often used are intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Intrinsic case studies are useful for learning about unique cases. Instrumental case studies help look at an individual to learn more about a broader issue. A collective case study can be useful for looking at several cases simultaneously.
The type of case study that psychology researchers utilize depends on the unique characteristics of the situation as well as the case itself.
There are also different methods that can be used to conduct a case study, including prospective and retrospective case study methods.
Prospective case study methods are those in which an individual or group of people is observed in order to determine outcomes. For example, a group of individuals might be watched over an extended period of time to observe the progression of a particular disease.
Retrospective case study methods involve looking at historical information. For example, researchers might start with an outcome, such as a disease, and then work their way backward to look at information about the individual's life to determine risk factors that may have contributed to the onset of the illness.
Where to Find Data
There are a number of different sources and methods that researchers can use to gather information about an individual or group. Six major sources that have been identified by researchers are:
- Archival records : Census records, survey records, and name lists are examples of archival records.
- Direct observation : This strategy involves observing the subject, often in a natural setting . While an individual observer is sometimes used, it is more common to utilize a group of observers.
- Documents : Letters, newspaper articles, administrative records, etc., are the types of documents often used as sources.
- Interviews : Interviews are one of the most important methods for gathering information in case studies. An interview can involve structured survey questions or more open-ended questions.
- Participant observation : When the researcher serves as a participant in events and observes the actions and outcomes, it is called participant observation.
- Physical artifacts : Tools, objects, instruments, and other artifacts are often observed during a direct observation of the subject.
Section 1: A Case History
This section will have the following structure and content:
Background information : The first section of your paper will present your client's background. Include factors such as age, gender, work, health status, family mental health history, family and social relationships, drug and alcohol history, life difficulties, goals, and coping skills and weaknesses.
Description of the presenting problem : In the next section of your case study, you will describe the problem or symptoms that the client presented with.
Describe any physical, emotional, or sensory symptoms reported by the client. Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions related to the symptoms should also be noted. Any screening or diagnostic assessments that are used should also be described in detail and all scores reported.
Your diagnosis : Provide your diagnosis and give the appropriate Diagnostic and Statistical Manual code. Explain how you reached your diagnosis, how the client's symptoms fit the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s), or any possible difficulties in reaching a diagnosis.
Section 2: Treatment Plan
This portion of the paper will address the chosen treatment for the condition. This might also include the theoretical basis for the chosen treatment or any other evidence that might exist to support why this approach was chosen.
- Cognitive behavioral approach : Explain how a cognitive behavioral therapist would approach treatment. Offer background information on cognitive behavioral therapy and describe the treatment sessions, client response, and outcome of this type of treatment. Make note of any difficulties or successes encountered by your client during treatment.
- Humanistic approach : Describe a humanistic approach that could be used to treat your client, such as client-centered therapy . Provide information on the type of treatment you chose, the client's reaction to the treatment, and the end result of this approach. Explain why the treatment was successful or unsuccessful.
- Psychoanalytic approach : Describe how a psychoanalytic therapist would view the client's problem. Provide some background on the psychoanalytic approach and cite relevant references. Explain how psychoanalytic therapy would be used to treat the client, how the client would respond to therapy, and the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
- Pharmacological approach : If treatment primarily involves the use of medications, explain which medications were used and why. Provide background on the effectiveness of these medications and how monotherapy may compare with an approach that combines medications with therapy or other treatments.
This section of a case study should also include information about the treatment goals, process, and outcomes.
When you are writing a case study, you should also include a section where you discuss the case study itself, including the strengths and limitiations of the study. You should note how the findings of your case study might support previous research.
In your discussion section, you should also describe some of the implications of your case study. What ideas or findings might require further exploration? How might researchers go about exploring some of these questions in additional studies?
Here are a few additional pointers to keep in mind when formatting your case study:
- Never refer to the subject of your case study as "the client." Instead, their name or a pseudonym.
- Read examples of case studies to gain an idea about the style and format.
- Remember to use APA format when citing references .
A Word From Verywell
Case studies can be a useful research tool, but they need to be used wisely. In many cases, they are best utilized in situations where conducting an experiment would be difficult or impossible. They are helpful for looking at unique situations and allow researchers to gather a great deal of information about a specific individual or group of people.
If you have been directed to write a case study for a psychology course, be sure to check with your instructor for any specific guidelines that you are required to follow. If you are writing your case study for professional publication, be sure to check with the publisher for their specific guidelines for submitting a case study.
Simply Psychology. Case Study Method .
Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach . BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011 Jun 27;11:100. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
Gagnon, Yves-Chantal. The Case Study as Research Method: A Practical Handbook . Canada, Chicago Review Press Incorporated DBA Independent Pub Group, 2010.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods . United States, SAGE Publications, 2017.
By Kendra Cherry Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.
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CBSE Class 12 Case Studies In Business Studies – Planning
PLANNING Planning: Definition Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do, when to do and who has to do it. Thus, it involves setting objectives and developing an appropriate course of action to achieve those objectives.
Features of Planning
- Planning focuses on achieving objectives by deciding upon the activities to be undertaken.
- Planning is a primary function as it precedes all functions of management i.e. organising, staffing, directing& controlling.
- Planning is pervasive as it is required at all the levels of management but its scope may vary.
- Planning is continuous as plans need to be made on a continuous basis till an organisation exists.
- P lanning is futuristic as it seeks to meet future events effectively to the best advantage of an organisation. Planning is, therefore, called a forward looking function.
- Planning involves decision-making as it involves rational thinking to choose the best alternative among the various available alternatives in order to achieve the desired goals efficiently and effectively.
- Planning is a mental exercise as it is based on intellectual thinking involving foresight, visualisation and judgement rather than guess work.
Importance of Planning
- Planning provides direction as it acts as a guide for deciding what course of action should be taken to attain the organisational goals.
- Planning reduces the risk of uncertainty arising due to the dynamic nature of business environment as it enables a manager to anticipate and meet changes effectively.
- Planning reduces overlapping & wasteful activities as it serves as the basis for coordinating the activities and efforts of different divisions and individuals.
- Planning promotes innovation as it encourages new ideas that can take shape of concrete plans.
- Planning facilitates decision making as it enables a manager to choose the best alternative course ‘of action among the various available alternatives in light of present and future conditions.
- Planning establishes standards for controlling. Planning provides standards against which the actual performance is measured and timely corrective actions the taken.
TYPES OF PLANNING On the basis of use and duration
- Single use plans are the ones that are formulated to deal with new or non-repetitive situations that may arise in an organisation from time-to-time. For example- programmes, budgets and projects.
- Standing plans refer to the another type of plans which once formulated may be used for a long period of time in similar or repetitive situations that may prevail in an organisation. For example—objectives, strategies, policies, methods, procedures and rules.
On th basis of what a plan seeks to achieve
- Objectives are the end results of the activities that an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence.
- A strategy is a comprehensive plan for achieving the objectives of the organisation.
- Policy is a set of general guidelines that help in managerial decision making and action.
- Method refers to the prescribed ways or manner in which a task has to be performed considering the objective.
- Procedure refers to a series of specific steps to be performed in a chronological order to carry out the routine activities.
- Budget refers to a financial plan that is expressed in numerical terms.
- Rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Don’ts that guide the behaviour of people. It commands strict obedience and a penalty is likely to be imposed on its violation.
- Programme is a comprehensive plan that contains detailed statements about a project which outlines the objectives, policies, procedures, rules and method and the budget to implement any course of action.
Steps Involved in the Planning Process
- Setting clear, specific and measurable objectives for the entire organisation and each department or unit within the organisation.
- D eveloping Premises which reflect the assumptions about the future that the manager is required to make since the future is uncertain.
- Identifying alternative courses of action through which the desired goals can be achieved.
- Evaluating alternative courses to analyse the relative pros and cons of each alternative in light of their feasibility and consequences.
- Selecting an alternative or a combination of plans which appears to be most feasible.
- Implement the plan with the help of a strategy.
- Follow up action in order to monitor the plans to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved efficiently and effectively.
Limitations of Planning
- Planning leads to rigidity as plans are drawn in advance and managers may not be in a position to change them in the light of changed conditions.
- Planning may not work ina dynamic environment as through planning, everything cannot be foreseen.
- Planning reduces creativity as the top management undertakes planning of various activities whereas the middle managers are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor are they permitted to act on their own.
- Planning involves huge costs in terms of time and money required to undertake scientific calculations and sometimes it may not justify the benefits derived from it.
- Planning is a time consuming process and sometimes there is not much time left for implementation of the plans.
- Planning does not guarantee success because it is not always essential that if a plan has worked before, it will work again, as things may change. This kind of complacency and false sense of security may actually lead to failure instead of success of a business.
LATEST CBSE QUESTIONS
Question 1. State any three points of importance of planning function of management. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer: The three points indicating the importance of planning is described below:
- Reduces the risk of uncertainty: Planning relates to deciding in advance about the tasks to be performed in future. This enables a manager to anticipate changes and devise the way to deal with changes and uncertain events effectively.
- Planning promotes innovative ideas: Planning is one of the basic managerial functions. Before doing something, the manager must formulate an idea of how to work on a particular task. Thus, planning is closely connected with creativity and innovation. It is the most challenging activity for the management as it guides all future actions leading to growth and prosperity of the business.
- Avoiding overlapping and wasteful activities: Planning ensures clarity in thought and action and serves as the basis of coordinating the activities and efforts of different individuals and departments. Therefore, by curtailing useless and redundant activities it helps in smooth working of the organisations work is without interruptions. Moreover, it makes detection of inefficiencies easier so that timely corrective measures may be taken to avoid them in future.
Question 2. Give the meaning of ‘objectives’ and ‘budget’ as types of plans. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer:
- Objectives: Objectives are the end results of the activities that an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence. All other activities within the organisation are directed towards achieving these objectives. Objectives are based on the mission or philosophy of the organisation. Objectives are determined by top level management. For example, the objectives of a newly started business is to earn 30% profit gn the amount invested in the first year.
- Budget: A budget refers to a financial plan that is expressed in numerical terms. For example, the marketing manager prepared an area wise sales target for different products for the forthcoming quarter. It is a type of single use plan.
Question 3. State any three limitation of planning. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer: The three limitations of planning are described below:
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment: The business environment is dynamic in nature. Every organisation has to constantly adapt itself to changes in its environment in order to survive and grow. However, it difficult to anticipate all the likely future changes in the environment with utmost accuracy. Hence, even with planning everything cannot be foreseen.
- Planning reduces creativity: The top management undertakes planning of various activities whereas the other members are expected to merely implements these plans. This restricts the creativity of the middle managers as they are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor are they permitted to act on their own.
- Planning involves huge costs: The process of planning involves huge cost in terms of time and money as detailed planning is based on a series of scientific calculations. Moreover it may include a number of related costs as well, like expenses on boardroom meetings, discussions with professional experts and preliminary investigations to find out the viability of the plan. As a result the expenses on planning may turn out to be much more than benefits derived from it.
Question 4. Give the meaning of ‘procedure’ and ‘rule’ as types of plans. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer:
- Procedure: A procedure contains a series of specific steps to be performed in a chronological order to carry out the routine activities. It is determined by lower and middle level management. It is a specific statement. There is no scope for managerial discretion. Procedure is framed to implement a policy. It is a type of standing plan.
- Rule: A rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Don’ts that guide the behaviour of people. It commands strict obedience and a penalty is likely to be imposed on its violation. Rules help to maintain discipline. Rules are both specific and rigid. For example, No smoking, No Parking. It is a type of standing plan.
Question 5. State any three features of planning. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer: The three features of planning are described below:
- Planning is pervasive: Planning is not an special function, is equally essential at all levels of management. But the scope of planning varies at different levels and among different departments.
- Planning involves decision-making: Planning essentially involves*-application of rational thinking to choose the best alternative among the various available alternatives in order to achieve the desired goals efficiently and effectively.
- Planning is a primary function: Planning precedes all the functions of management i.e. organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. This refers to primacy of planning. Planning provides basis of all other functions.
Question 6. Give the meaning of ‘policy’ and ‘strategy’ as type of plans. (CBSE, Delhi 2017) Answer:
- Policy: Policy are general statements that guide managerial decision making. If is determined by top level management. It is a general statement. It provides scope for managerial discretion. Policies are framed to achieve the objectives of an organisation. They all guides in implementing the strategy. It is a type of standing plan.
- Strategy: A strategy is a comprehensive plan prepared for winning over the given challenge or problem. A strategy is based on the objectives of the organisation. A strategy may be determined by top level or middle level management.
Question 7. Give the meaning of ‘ Objective’ and ‘Procedure’ as types of plans. (CBSE, OD 2017) Answer:
- Objectives: Objectives are the end results of the activities that an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence. All other activities within the organisation are directed towards achieving these objectives. Objectives are based on the mission or philosophy of the organisation. Objectives are determined by top level management. For example, the objectives of a newly started business is to earn 30% profit on the amount invested in the first year.
Question 8. Give the meaning of ‘Strategy’ and ‘Rule’ as types of plans. (CBSE, OD 2017) Answer:
- Strategy: A strategy is a comprehensive plan prepared for winning over the given challenge or problem. It is based on the objectives of the organisation. It may be determined by top level or middle level management.
- Rule: Rules are specific statements that tell people what should or should not be done. Violation of Rules may lead to imposition of penalties. Rules help to maintain discipline. Rules are both specific and rigid. For example, No smoking, No Parking. It is a type of standing plan.
Question 9. Super Fine Rice Ltd. has the largest share of 55% in the market. The company’s policy is to sell only for cash. In 2015, for the first time company’s number one position in the industry has been threatened because other companies started selling rice on credit* also. But the managers of Super Fine Rice Ltd. continued to rely on it’s previously tried and tested successful plans which didn”t work because the environment is not static. This led to decline in sales of Super Fine Rice Ltd. The above situation is indicating two limitations of planning which led to decline in it sales. Identify these limitations. (CBSE, Sample Paper, 2017) Answer: The two limitations of planning which led to decline in it sales are:
- Planning does not guarantee success.
- Planning may not work in dynamic environment.
Question 10. State the main aspects in the concept of planning. (CBSE, Sample Paper, 2017) Answer: The concept of planning primarily involves three aspects namely;
- Setting objectives in clear specific and measurable terms for a given period of time.
- Identifying the various alternative courses of action which may be adopted to achieve the objectives.
- Selecting the best possible alternative course of action from among the various courses of action available.
Question 11. Laxmi Chemicals Ltd., a soap manufacturing company, wanted to increase its market share from 30% to 55% in the long-run. A recent report submitted by the Research & Development Department of the company had predicted a growing trend of herbal and organic products. On the basis of this report, the company decided to diversify into new variety of soaps with natural ingredients having benefits and fragrances of Jasmine, Rose, Lavender, Mogra, Lemon Grass, Green Apple, Strawberry etc. The Unique Selling Proposition (USP) was to promote eco-friendly living in the contemporary life style. The company decided to allocate t 30 crores to achieve the objective. Identify the type of one of the functions of management mentioned above which will help the company to acquire dominant position in the market. (CBSE, Sample Paper 2016) Answer: Strategy is the type of plan which will help the company to acquire dominant position in the market.
Question 12. Suhasini, a home science graduate from a reputed college, has recently done a cookery course. She wished to start her own venture with a goal to provide ‘health food’ at reasonable prices. She discussed her idea with her teacher (mentor) who encouraged her. After analysing various options for starting her business venture, they short listed the option to sell ready made and ‘ready to make’ vegetable shakes and sattu milk shakes. Then, they weighed the pros and cons of both the short listed options.
- Name the function of management being discussed above and give any one of its characteristics.
- Also briefly discuss any three limitations of the function discussed in the case. (CBSE, Sample Paper 2016)
- Planning is the function of management which is being discussed above. Planning involves decision-making: Planning essentially involves application of rational thinking to choose the best alternative among the various available alternatives in order to achieve the desired goals efficiently and effectively.
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment: The business environment is dy¬namic in nature. Every organisation has to constantly adapt itself to changes in its environment in order to survive and grow. However, it is difficult to anticipate all the likely future changes in the environment with utmost accuracy. Hence, even with planning, everything cannot be foreseen.
- Planning reduces creativity: The top management undertakes planning of various activities whereas the other members are expected to merely implement these plans. This restricts the creativity of the middle level managers as they are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor are they permitted to act on their own.
- Planning involves huge costs: The process of planning involves huge cost in terms of time and money as detailed planning is based on a series of scientific calculations. Moreover, it may include a number of related costs as well, like expenses on boardroom meetings, discussions with professional experts and preliminary investigations to find out the viability of the plan. As a result, the expenses on planning may turn out to be much more than benefits derived from it.
Question 13. Two years ago, Madhu completed her degree in food technology. She worked for sometime in a company that manufactured chutneys, pickles and murabbas. She was not happy in the company and decided to have her own organic food processing unit for the same. She set the objectives and the targets and formulated an action plan to achieve the same. One of her objectives was to earn 10% profit on the amount invested in the first year. It was decided that raw materials like fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. will be purchased on three months credit from farmers cultivating only organic crops. She also decided to follow the steps required for marketing of the products through her own outlets. She appointed Mohan as the Production Manager who decided the exact manner in which the production activities were to be carried out. Mohan also prepared a statement showing the number of workers that will be required in the factory throughout the year. Madhu informed Mohan about her area wise sales target for different products for the forthcoming quarter. While working on the production table, a penalty of ? 100 per day for not wearing caps, gloves and apron was announced. Quoting lines from the above paragraph, identify and explain the different types of plans discussed. (CBSE, Delhi 2016) Answer: The different types of plans discussed above are listed below:
- Objectives: Objectives are the end results of the activities that-an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence. All other activities within the organisation are directed towards achieving these objectives. “One of her objectives was to earn 10% profit on the amount invested in the first year.”
- Policy: A policy is a set of general guidelines that helps in managerial decision making and action. “It was decided that the raw materials like fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. will be purchased on three months credit from farmers cultivating only organic crops.”
- Procedure: A procedure contains a series of specific steps to be performed in a chronological order to carry out the routine activities. “She also decided to follow the steps required for marketing of the products through her own outlets.” “The exact manner in which the production activities are to be carried out.”
- Rule: A rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Dont’s that guide the behaviour of people. It commands strict obedience and a penalty is likely to be imposed on its violation. “While working on the production table, a penalty of ? 100 per day for not wearing caps, gloves and aprons was announced.”
- Budget: A budget refes to a financial plan that is expressed in numerical terms. “Mohan also prepared a statement showing the number of workers different products for the forthcoming quater.”
Question 14. Two years ago, Mayank obtained a degree in food technology. For some time, he worked in a company that manufactured bread and biscuits. He was not happy in the company and decided to have his own bread and biscuits manufacturing unit. For this, he decided the objectives and the targets, and formulated an action plan to achieve the same. One of his objectives was to earn 50% profits on the amount invested in the first year. It was decided that raw materials like flour, sugar, salt, etc. will be purchased on two months credit. He also decided to follow the steps required for marketing the products through his own outlets. He appointed Harsh as the Production Manager who decided the exact manner in which the production activities were to be carried out. Harsh also prepared a statement showing the requirement of workers in the factory throughout the year. Mayank informed Harsh about his are a wise sales target for different products, for the forthcoming quarter. While working on the production table, a penalty of ?150 per day was announced for not wearing the helmet, gloves and apron by the workers. Quoting lines from the above paragraph, identify and explain the different types of plans discussed. (CBSE, OD 2016) Answer: The different types of plans discussed above are listed below:
- Objectives: Objectives are the end results of the activities that an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence. All other activities within the organisation are directed towards achieving these objectives. “One of her objectives was to earn 50% profit on the amount invested in the first year.”
- Policy: A policy is a set of general guidelines that help in managerial decision making and action. “It was decided that the raw materials like flour, wheat, sugar, etc. will be purchased on two months credit.”
- Method: A method refers to the prescribed ways or manner in which a task has to be performed considering the objective. “..decided the exact manner in which production activities were to be carried out.”
- Procedure: A procedure contains a series of specific steps to be performed in a chronological order to carry out the routine activities. “He also decided to follow the steps required for marketing of the products through his own outlets.”
- Rule: A rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Dont’s that guide the behaviour of people. It commands strict obedience and a penalty is likely to be imposed on its violation. “While working on the production table, a penalty of Rs. 150 per day was announced for not wearing helmets, gloves and aprons by the workers.”
Question 15. Rahul, a worker, is given a target of assembling two computers per day. Due to his habit of doing things differently, an idea struck him which would not only reduce the assembling time of computers but would also reduce the cost of production of the computers. Instead of appreciating him, Rahul’s supervisor ordered him to complete the work as per the methods and techniques decided earlier as nothing could be changed at that stage. The above paragraph describes one of the limitations of the planning function of management. Name and explain that limitation. (CBSE, Delhi Comptt. 2011) Answer: The limitation of the planning function of management described in the above paragraph is that ‘planning reduces creativity.’ The top management undertakes planning of various policies and procedures whereas the other members are expected to merely implement these plans. This restricts the creativity of the middle level managers as they are neither allowed to deviate from plans, nor permitted to act on their own.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Question 1. Josh Ltd. is a one of the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India. It has a market share of about 42% in the two-wheeler category. The company had witnessed almost a 35% drop in the booking as the currency crunch was prompting people to withhold new purchases due to demonetisation. Therefore, the production manager of the company had decided to align production to factor in slower sales in the market. In context of the above case:
- Identify and explain the function of management being discussed in the above lines.
- Which limitations of the function of management as identified in part (a) of the question was the production manager trying to overcome due to demonetisation?
- Planning is the function of management which is being discussed in the above lines. Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do, when to do and who has to do it. Thus, it involves setting objectives and developing an appropriate course of action to achieve these objectives.
- Planning may not work in dynamic environment
Question 2. The term demonetisation has become a household name since the government pulled the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes out of circulation in November 2016. Prior to the year 2016, the Indian government had demonetised bank notes on two prior occasions—once in the year 1946 and then again in the year 1978. In both cases, the purpose was to combat tax evasion by ‘black money’. Identify the types of one of the functions of management being discussed in the above lines. Answer: Objective and Strategy
Question 3. The arrangement to demonetise the ? 500 and ?1000 bank notes began six to ten months prior to the public announcement and was kept highly confidential. The cabinet was informed about the demonetisation on 8th November 2016 in a meeting called by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. This was followed by Modi’s public announcement about the demonetisation in a televised address where he announced that currency notes with the denomination of ? 500 and ? 1000 would cease to be the legal tender from 9th of November 2016. The most interesting thing regarding the demonetisation is that people were devising various unique ways for transforming their black money in to white one by depositing money in the accounts of their poor relatives and friends, converting black money in to gold, paying a few months salaries in advance and so on. In context of the above case: Identify and explain the types of plans being discussed in the above lines with regard to demonetisation. Answer: The various types of plans being discussed in the above lines with regard to demonetisation are detailed below:
- Procedure: It is a series of chronological steps which are performed to do a particular activity.
- Rule: A rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Don’ts that guide the behaviour of people.
Question 4. Flipkart is an e-commerce company founded in the year 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. The company is registered in Singapore, but has its headquarters in Bangaluru, India. The company seeks to increase traffic (more clicks on their products) and boost sales and revenue through integration of Mobile Apps, Display, Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization. In order to dispel the fear of people related to shopping online, Flipkart was the first company to implement the popular ‘Cash on Delivery’ facility. All the products sold by the company under a particular category may have different return/replacement period. Flipkart allows multiple payment options such as cash on delivery, credit or debit card transactions, net banking, e-gift voucher and card swipe on delivery. The company operates both ways when an order is received. The products for which it holds inventory are dispatched by it directly. For the products they do not store in inventory, they just send the order received by them to the supplier who ships it. The company plans to spend about ? 75 crores on e-Commerce advertising in the year 2016. Flipkart reserves the right to terminate your membership and/or refuse to provide you with access to the website if it is brought to Flipkart’s notice or if it is discovered that you are under the age of 18 years. This is because as per the Indian Contract Act, 1872, the minors, un-discharged insolvents, etc. are not eligible to use the website. In context of the above case, identify and explain the different types of plans being used by Flipkart by quoting lines from the paragraph. Answer: The different types of plans being used by Flipkart are listed below:
- Objectives: Objectives are the end results of the activities that an organisation seeks to achieve through its existence. All other activities within the organisation are directed towards achieving these objectives. “The company seeks to increase traffic (more clicks on their products) and boost sales and revenue through integration of Mobile Apps, Display, Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization.”
- determining long term objectives
- adopting a particular course of action
- allocating resources necessary to achieve the objective. “In order to dispel the fear of people related to shopping online, Flipkart was the first company to implement the popular ‘Cash On Delivery’ facility.”
- Policy: A policy is a siet of general guidelines that help in managerial decision making and action. “All the products sold by the company under a particular category may have different return/replacement period.”
- Method: A method refers to the prescribed ways or manner in which a task has to be performed considering the objective. “Flipkart allows multiple payment options such as cash on delivery, credit or debit card transactions, net banking, e-gift voucher and card swipe on delivery.”
- Procedure: A procedure contains a series of specific steps to be performed in a chronological order to carry out the routine activities. “The company operates both ways when an order is received. The products for which it holds inventory are dispatched by it directly. For the products they do not store in inventory, they just send the order received by them to the supplier who ships it.”
- Budget: A budget refers to a financial plan that is expressed in -numerical terms. “The company plans to spend about ? 75 crores on e-commerce advertising in the year 2016.”
- Rule: A rule is a specific statement relating to the general norms in terms of Do’s and Don’ts that guide the behaviour of people. It commands strict obedience and a penalty is likely to be imposed on its violation. “Flipkart reserves the right to terminate your membership and/or refuse to provide you with access to the Website if it is brought to Flipkart’s notice or if it is discovered that you are under the age of 18 years. This is because as per the Indian Contract Act, 1872, the minors, un-discharged insolvents etc. are not eligible to use the Website.”
Question 5. Rajender has been running a successful business of manufacturing traditional wedding wear for women including sarees and lehengas. His friend Surinder who is engaged in the business of providing web designing solutions to his clients, suggests him to explore the option of selling his products online. Rajender agrees to his suggestion and decides to venture into online business, keeping in view the various e-commerce regulations in order to avoid imposition of any penalty. In order to facilitate the sale of his products, Rajender decides to offer multiple payment options such as cash on delivery, credit or debit card transactions, net banking to the buyers etc. In context of the above case:
- Identify the two different types of plans mentioned in the above paragraph that relate to the online portal that Rajinder intends to startby quoting lines from the paragraph.
- Distinguish between the two types of plans as identified in part (a).
- Rule: “Rajender agrees to his suggestion and decides to venture into online business keeping in view the various e-commerce regulations in order to avoid imposition of any penalty.”
- Method: “However, he decides to offer multiple payment options such as cash on delivery, credit or debit card transactions, net banking to the buyers etc.”
Question 6. Wazir Ahmed joins ‘Ashiyana Ltd.’ a company dealing in real estate, as a human resource manager. Through a series of interactions with his team during lunch breaks, he comes to know that quite a few managers at middle and senior levels have recently left the organisation as their promotions were overdue. Therefore, in order to reinstate the confidence of the staff, he lays out a clear cut plan consisting of a set of general guidelines for both time bound and performance related appraisals of the mangers at all levels. Moreover, he develops standardized processes containing a series of steps specified in a chronological order for its implementation. In context of the above case:
- Identify the two different types of plans that Wazir Ahmed proposes to implement in order to reinstate the confidence of the staff by quoting lines from the paragraph.
- Distinguish between the two types of plans as identified in part (a).
- Policy and Procedure are the two different types of plans that Wazir Ahmed proposes to implement in order to reinstate the confidence of the staff. Policy: “… he lays out a clear cut plan consisting of a set of general guidelines for both time bound and performance related appraisals of the mangers at all levels.” Procedure: “Moreover, he develops standardized processes containing a series of steps specified in a chronological order for its implementation.”
- The difference between Policy and Procedure is outlined below:
Question 7. ‘Apna Ghar/ a company dealing in consumer durables, plans to increase the sale of its products by 25% around Diwali this year. Moreover, in order to cash on the implementation of the seventh pay commission by that time, which is likely to raise the income of 47 lakh serving employees of the Central government and 52 lakh pensioners, the company has created 30 advertisement films which will be aired across 85 national and regional channels until Diwali. In context of the above case:
- Identify the two different types of plans that ‘Apna Ghar’ proposes to implement by quoting lines from the paragraph.
- Distinguish between the two types of plans as identified in part(i).
- Objective and Strategy are the two different types of plans that ‘Apna Ghar’ proposes to implement. Objective: “Apna Ghar’, a company dealing in consumer durables, plans to increase the sale of its products by 25% around Diwali this year.” Strategy: “Moreover, in order to cash on the implementation of the seventh pay commission by that time which is likely to raise the income of 47 lakh serving employees of the Central government and 52 lakh pensioners, the company has created 30 advertisement films which will be aired across 85 national and regional channels until Diwali.”
- The difference between objectives and strategy is outlined below:
Question 8. After completing a diploma in Bakery and Patisserie, Payai sets up a small outlet at Goa Airport to provide a healthy food option to the travellers. To begin with, she has decided to sell five types of patties, three types of pizzas and low sugar muffins in four flavours. Thus, by deciding in advance what to do and how to do, she is able to reduce the risk of uncertainty and avoid overlapping and wasteful activities. But sometimes her planning does not work due to some unavoidable circumstances like cancellation of flights due to bad weather conditions, government alert etc. which adversely affects her clientele. In context of the above case:
- Identify and explain the points highlighting the importance of planning mentioned in the above paragraph.
- Describe briefly the limitation of planning which adversely affects Payal’s business
- Reduces the risk of uncertainty: Planning relates to deciding in advance about the tasks to be performed in future. This enables a manager to anticipate changes and devise the ways to deal with changes and uncertain events effectively.
- Avoiding overlapping and wasteful activities: Planning ensures clarity in thought and action and serves as the basis of coordinating the activities and efforts of different individuals and departments. Therefore, by curtailing useless and redundant activities, it helps in the smooth working of the organisation’s work without interruptions. Moreover, it makes detection of inefficiencies easier so that timely corrective measures may be taken to avoid them in future.
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment: The business environment is dynamic in nature. Every organisation has to constantly adapt itself to changes in its environment in order to survive and grow. However, it difficult to anticipate all the likely future changes in the environment with utmost accuracy. Hence, even with planning, everything cannot be foreseen.
Question 9. ‘Agile Ltd.’ is a well-known automobile manufacturing company in India. The company plans to increase the sale of its sedan cars by 20% in the next quarter. In order to achieve the desired target, the marketing team of the company considers the impact of policy of the government towards diesel vehicles and the level of competition in this segment of cars. They explore the various available options like offering more discount to dealers and customers, providing more customer friendly finance options, lucky draws on test drives, increasing advertising, offering more of free accessories on the purchase of the car, etc. A thorough analysis of the various available options is done keeping in view the relative viability of each option. The company decides to pursue the option of offering more discount to dealers and customers in order to boost the sale of sedan cars. In order to implement the plan, they determine the various discount packages and communicate the same to their product dealers. To make the prospective consumers aware about the new available benefits, advertisements are made through various sources of print and electronic media. The market analysts of the company keep a close watch on the revenue from the sedan cars to study the effect of new initiatives by the company to promote its sales. In context of the above case:
- Name the function of management described in the above paragraph.
- Identify and explain the various steps involved in process the function of management as identified in part (a) by quoting lines from the paragraph.
- Planning is the function of management which is being described in the above paragraph.
- Setting objectives: The planning process is initiated by setting the objectives in clear, specific and measurable terms. The objectives may be set for the organization as a whole and for each department or unit within the organization. “The company plans to increase the sale of its sedan cars by 20% in next quarter.”
- Developing Premises: Planning process is carried out keeping in view the assumptions related to the future, which is uncertain. These assumptions are called premises and may relate to government policy, interest rate, inflation, etc. Accurate forecasts are therefore essential for successful planning. “In order to achieve the desired target the marketing team of the company considers the impact of policy of the government towards diesel vehicles and level of competition in this segment of cars.” .
- Identifying alternative courses of action: The next step in the planning process involves identification of the various ways in which the goals can be achieved. “They explore the various available options like offering more discount to dealers and customers, providing more customer friendly finance options, lucky draws on test drives, increasing advertising, offering more of free accessories on the purchase of the car, etc.”
- Evaluating alternative courses: In order to select the best option, the relative positive and negative aspects of each alternative should be evaluated in the light of their feasibility and consequences. “A thorough analysis of the various available options is done keeping in view the relative viability of each option.”
- Selecting an alternative: The best plan is adopted to achieve the desired goals. Sometimes, a combination of plans may be selected instead of one best course of action. “The company decides to pursue the option of offering more discount to dealers and customers in order to boost the sale of sedan cars.”
- Implement the plan: This step is concerned with putting plans into action. “In order to implement the plan, they determine the various discount packages and communicate the same to their product dealers. To make the prospective consumers aware about the new available benefits, advertisements are made through various sources of print and electronic media.”
- Follow up action: Monitoring of plans is equally important to ensure that objectives are achieved efficiently and effectively. “The market analysts of the company keep a close watch on the revenue from the sedan cars to study the effect of new initiatives by the company to promote its sales.”
Question 10. Arush joins as a sales manager of a company dealing in naturotherapy products. Being proficient in his work, he knew that without good planning he will not be able to organise, direct, control or perform any of the other managerial functions efficiently and effectively. Only on the basis of sales forecasting, he would assist in the preparation of the annual plans for its production and sales. Besides, he will have to prepare sales plans regularly on weekly, monthly, quarterly and half yearly basis. While preparing the sales forecasts, he undertakes intellectual thinking involving foresight, visualization and issued judgement rather than wishful thinking or guess work. Most importantly, all these planning activities will be meaningful only if they will coincide with the purpose fob which the business is being carried out. In context of the above case, identify the various features of planning highlighted in the above paragraph by quoting lines from it. Answer: The features of planning highlighted in the above paragraph are explained below:
- Planning is a primary function: Planning precedes all the functions of management i.e. organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. This refers to primacy of planning. Planning provides the basis of all other functions. “… without good planning he will not be able to organise, direct, control or perform any of the other managerial functions efficiently and effectively. “
- Planning is futuristic: Planning is called a forward looking function as it enables an organization to meet future events effectively. “Only on the basis of sales forecasting, he would assist in the preparation of the annual plans for its production and sales.”
- Planning is continuous: Plans need to be continuously made, implemented and followed by another plan and so on till an organization exists “Besides, he will have to prepare sales plans regularly on weekly, monthly, quarterly and half yearly basis.”
- Planning is a mental exercise: Planning is done on the basis of rational thinking involving foresight, visualization and issued judgement rather than wishful thinking or guess work. “While preparing the sales forecasts, he undertakes intellectual thinking involving foresight, visualisation and issued judgement rather than wishful thinking or guess work.”
- Planning focuses on achieving objectives: Planning is a purposeful activity as it contributes to the achievement of predetermined goals of the organisation both efficiently and effectively. “Most importantly, all these planning activities will be meaningful only if they will coincide with the purpose for which the business is being carried out.”
Question 11. Holistic Education Public School in Bahadurgarh decides to implement the literacy programme of the government in the school. It is decided that within the year, the forty five support staff employees of the school will be made literate by the school counsellors and social workers. In order to enhance the learning process, the school decides to use audio-visual aids. To start the programme, the school has to first procure the literacy books from State Resource Centre at Jamia. Besides the curriculum, each literacy book contains a series of nine tests which the volunteers have to get completed by the learners during the programme. Moreover, by implementing the plan of ‘each one teach one’, each student of the school from classes fifth to tenth will be encouraged to make one person literate. The student volunteers may select a learner by adopting any one of the two ways; either from the slum areas adopted by the school or on their own within the vicinity of their residence. As per the norms of the Delhi Government, it is mandatory for the volunteers to send back the filled copy of only the ninth test paper in the series to the authorities as a conclusive proof of the completion of the course, else the certificate of commendation will not be awarded to them. Considering the implementation of the programme to be a part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, the school has decided to spend around Rs. 50,000 on the distribution of free stationery items, refreshments of the learners, etc. In context of the above case:
- Identify the various types of plans being used by Holistic Education Public School in order to implement the literacy programme in their school by quoting the lines from the paragraph.
- Categorise the various types of plans as identified in part (a) into single use plans and standing plans.
- Objectives: “It is decided that within the year, all the forty five support staff employees of the school will be made literate by the school counsellors and social workers.”
- Strategy: “In order to enhance the learning process, the school decides to use audio visual aids.”
- Policy: “Moreover, by implementing the plan of ‘each one teach one,’ each student of the school from classes fifth to tenth will be encouraged to make one person literate.”
- Procedure: “To start the programme the school has to first procure the literacy books from State Resource Centre at Jamia. Besides the curriculum, each literacy book contains a series of nine tests which the volunteers have to get completed by the learners during the programme.”
- Method: “The student volunteers may select a learner by adopting any one of the two ways; either from the slum areas adopted by the school or on their own within the vicinity of their residence.”
- Rule: “As per the norms of the Delhi Government, it is mandatory for the volunteers to send back the filled copy of only the ninth test paper in the series to the authorities as a conclusive proof of the completion of the course, else the certificate of commendation will not be awarded to them.”
- Budget: “Considering the implementation of the programme to be a part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, the school has decided to spend around ? 50,000 on the distribution of free stationery items, refreshments of the learners, etc.”
- Single use plans are the ones that are formulated to deal with new or non-repetitive situations that may arise in an organisation from time to time. This includes programmes, budgets and projects. Standing plans refer to the types of plans which once formulated may be used for a long period of time in similar or repetitive situations that may prevail in an organisation. These include objectives, strategies, policies, procedures methods and rules.
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CBSE Class 12 Business Studies Case Studies – Planning
ESSENTIAL POINTS TO SOLVE CASE STUDIES Meaning of Planning Planning is the process of setting objectives, formulating various courses of action in order to achieve them, and selecting the best possible alternative from the various courses of action available in order to ensure completion of organisational goals. “Planning is the thinking process, the organised foresight, the vision based on fact and experience that is required for intelligent action.” — Afford and Beatt “Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done. When a manager plans, he projects a course of action for further attempting to achieve a consistent coordinate structure of operations aimed at the desired results.” — Theo Haimann Planning aims at bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to go.
Features of Planning
- Planning focuses on achieving objectives. Objectives are set in planning and all the means, resources and courses of action to achieve these objectives are formulated in planning.
- Planning is the primary function of management. Planning is the base of (and guide to) all the remaining functions of management.
- Planning is pervasive. It is present everywhere, in all departments and at all levels.
- Planning is continuous. One plan is followed by another plan after its completion.
- Planning is futuristic. Planning is a forward looking, forecast involving futuristic function of management.
- Planning involves decision making. Decision making involves chalking out several options, evaluating and chosing the best out of them.
- Planning is a mental exercise. Planning is a thinking function which involves foresightedness, imagination and good judgement. Planning involves the ability to imagine the future and making the best choice possible.
Importance of Planning
- Planning provides direction. Once the goals of all employees and departments are set they are properly guided in the required direction.
- Planning reduces the risk of uncertainty. A good plan cannot eliminate uncertainties of future. However it can reduce unnecessary risks.
- Planning reduces overlapping and wasteful activities. Every person and department is assigned an objective and direction which rules out possible confusion.
- Planning involves innovative ideas. Planning is all about thinking in a unique and improved way so it involves innovation.
- Planning helps in decision making. Decision making involves choosing the best among the identified options.
- Planning sets standards for controlling. Controlling only tries to meet the objectives set at the stage of planning.
Limitations of Planning
- Planning leads to rigidity. Once a plan is formed by the top management and is conveyed to the whole team, it is very difficult to alter it.
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment. Planning cannot accurately forecast the future changes that occur in various dimensions of business environment. Even a very good plan may fail in the dynamic environment.
- Planning reduces creativity. Once a plan made by the top management is communicated to the middle and lower levels of management, it is difficult to change it for them. The creativity of the lower and middle level employees is thus hampered.
- Planning is a time-consuming process. Planning in itself is a time-consuming process which sometimes reduces the time of its implementation, especially in case of annual plans.
- Planning does not guarantee success. Though the plans formed may be very good on paper yet when it comes to their outcomes they may fail due to everchanging business situations. There is no guarantee that previously tried and tested plans will lead to success in each and every situation.
Planning Process
- Setting objectives. When the organisational objectives are set they are followed by the setting of departmental objectives. Finally individual objectives are set.
- Developing premises. Premises are developed on the basis of forecasts and previous plans. It is also important to have consensus of all the managers before opting for a plan.
- Identifying alternative courses of action. At this stage it is advisable to identify as many courses of action as possible.
- Evaluating alternative courses. The pros and cons, positives and negatives of all these alternatives should be properly considered.
- Selecting an alternative. The best course of action should be chosen. A single option or a combination of the best options should be finalised.
- Implementing the plan. The chosen plan should be put into action.
- Follow up action. The effectiveness of the plans after their implementation, should be checked through proper follow up.
Types of Plans Plans may be: I. Single use plans; II. Standing plans
I. Single use plans. Single use plans are used for a specific period or for a particular objective only. They are also known as specific plans as they are meant to solve a particular non-recurring proble. These includes:
II. Standing plans. Standing plans are drawn for use time and again. They are formulated to guide managerial decisions on problems which are repetitive in nature: These include:
TYPES OF PLANS
SINGLE USE VS. STANDING PLAN
CASE STUDIES
Question 1. A shoe manufacturing company wants to become a market leader. For this a detailed planning is required. The first step taken by the firm is to set targets for the three months duration for selling maximum number of shoes in the market which they set as 2,50,000. The team doesn’t want to make any mistake so they decide to do proper planning. They decide to chalk out alternative plans so that they can arrive at the best possible plan. However the team is surrounded with doubts. To remove doubts it goes for judging the plans to get the most profitable one. The plan is taken to the whole organisation and the concerned persons. Ultimately it is put into action. Without much caring for the results the company starts working on the other project simultaneously. Identify the steps in the planning process which have been applied by the organisation in the above case? Answer: In the above case the steps of planning which are applied are:
- Setting Objectives. The first step taken by the firm is to set targets for the three months duration for selling maximum number of shoes in the market which they set as 2,50,000.
- Identifying alternative courses of action. They decide to chalk out alternative plans so that they can arrive at the best possible plan.
- Evaluating the different courses of action. To remove doubts it goes for selecting the plan which can be considered as the most profitable.
- Selection of the best plan. The best plan is finalised.
- Implementation of the plan. Ultimately it is put into action.
Question 2. ‘Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’ is engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of medicines. The company has set-up an objective of increasing its sales turnover by 20%. To achieve this objective the company has decided to diversify into baby health care products. Since the company has already set its objectives and developed the premises based on the same, it wants your help for the remaining steps to be taken in this process. Explain briefly these steps. [2016 Comptt. D] Answer: Following are the remaining steps in the planning process.
- Identifying alternatives. In this step various alternative courses of action are identified. The identified course of action can either be routine or innovative in nature. An innovative course of action involves sharing of ideas by more and more people. In important projects more and more alternatives should be generated and discussed.
- Evaluating alternative courses. In this step the positive as well as negative aspects associated with each and every alternative course of action is evaluated and analysed. In other words, the pros and cons of each alternative is studied.
- Selecting an alternative. In this step the best plan is adopted and implemented. That plan is selected which has minimum negative aspects. The ideal plan should be the one which is most feasible and profitable.
- Implementing the plan. In this step plans are put into action. All other managerial functions come into picture in this step. It involves doing what is required for the purpose of implementation of plan.
- Follow-up action. This step involves monitoring of the plans. This step ensures that plans are being implemented and activities are performed as per schedule.
Question 3. In the above case identify the steps of the planning process which are not indicated? Answer: The steps of the planning process which are not indicated in the above case are:
- Developing premises
Question 4. ‘Serious Business’ is a balloon manufacturing firm. With the arrival of foreign firms it is feeling the pressure of improving its business strategy. Because of the firm’s advance planning it could not suddenly bring changes in its plans as the whole organisation had started implementing the decided plan. But this year the organisation wants to ensure success. However, the firm knows that the external environment is changeable and continues to vary in a fast manner. The organisation wants to prepare in advance for a better future. It has decided to allocate a portion of its budget specifically for proper planning as it knows there are going to be expenses like Expert’s fee, survey charges, etc. Which limitations of planning have been identified in the above case? Answer: The limitations of planning highlighted in the above case are:
- Planning leads to rigidity. Because of the firm’s advance planning it could not suddenly bring changes in its plans as the whole organisation had started implementing the decided plan.
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment. However, the firm knows that the external environment is changeable and continues to vary in a fast manner.
- Planning involves huge costs. It has decided to allocate a portion of its budget specifically for proper planning as it knows that there are going to be expenses like Expert’s fee, survey charges, etc.
Question 5. ‘Flows Technology’ deals in bulb manufacturing business. It plans for a successful year of production and sale this year. It has in advance given targets to all its departments and employees. The departments and employees are happy about this. They know that now they won’t have to do unconcerned activities thus leading to more focused approach resulting in saving of resources. The company is thinking of starting two new plants in the southern portion of India. For this some concrete plan has to be made. The main core team of the company has decided to weigh all the options and then choose the best one. The road might be long but the company is geared to face all the challenges. In the above case identify importance of planning highlighted. Answer: The importance of planning indicated in the above case are:
- Planning provides directions. It has in advance given targets to all its departments and employees.
- Planning reduces overlapping and wasteful activities. They know that now they won’t have to do unconcerned activities thus leading to more focused approach resulting in saving of resources.
- Planning facilitates decision making. The main core team of the company has decided to weigh all the options and then choose the best one.
Question 6. An established firm has fifty years of experience in shipping industry. The company time and again proves itself as one of the dominant figures in the market. The plan for the whole year is given a lot of importance. According to the owner of the company their plans are the basic structures upon which other important functions of management rest. It is important that the plans are communicated to the employees. The top management ensures that the plans are communicated and implemented at all levels and in all departments. To learn from past mistakes is a habit of this successful company. They prepare plans for short term as well as long term where it can be seen that throughout the year the plans are prepared one after another. Shipping industry needs such dedicated companies. The goals are specific and the activities to achieve these specific goals are undertaken. The company has planned a growth of 20% in revenue this year. Let’s see how much it’s possible for it to achieve it by the end of the year. In the above case identify the various features of planning highlighted. Which type of plan is indicated in the above case? Answer: The features of planning highlighted above are:
- Planning is a primary function of management. According to the owner of the company their plans are the basic structures upon which other important functions of management rest.
- Planning is pervasive. The top management ensures that the plans are communicated and implemented at all levels and in all departments.
- Planning is continuous. They prepare plans for short term as well as long term where it can be seen that throughout the year the plans are prepared one after the other.
- Planning focuses on achieving objectives. Goals are specific and the activities to achieve these specific goals are undertaken.
The type of plan which is indicated in the above case is ‘Objective’ . The Company has planned a growth of 20% in revenue this year. Here the plan is precise and quantified. When a goal is quantified it becomes an objective.
Question 7. Sukumar is an energetic middle level manager. He tries to make best plans. For this he involves foresight and intelligent imagination. Within three years many of his projects have been very successful. His high success rate is due to his good plans. He always makes alternative plans and selects the best out of them after considering relevant aspects. However, he knows it is not necessary that his all plans will be successful. He knows that sometimes his concern for making very good plans eats a lot of time and energy. His friend Jyoti suggests him to take suggestions from others when he makes his plans and also consider plans made by others. Even after so much painstaking Sukumar knows that his plans can yet fail in the uncertain business environment. He has recently decided to plan carefully in future. Which features of Planning have been highlighted in the above case? Which limitations of Planning have been highlighted in the above case? Answer: The features of Planning which have been highlighted in the above case are:
- Planning is a mental exercise. For this he involves foresight and intelligent imagination.
- Planning involves decision making. He always makes alternative plans and selects the best out of them after considering relevant aspects.
The limitations of Planning which have been highlighted are:
- Planning is a time consuming process. He knows that sometimes his concern for making very good plans eats a lot time and energy.
- Planning does not guarantee success. Even after so much painstaking Sukumar knows that his plans can yet fail in the uncertain business environment.
Question 8. Identify the types of plans:
- Ramesh is a senior middle level manager. He is busy in allocating resources to his staff, he has also finalised the objectives and decided the course of action to be followed. He is expecting energy in his staff for the whole season but he will have to be caucious.
- Suresh is giving a speech to the workers of his factory. He is the owner of a toy manufacturing factory and has 123 workers. He tells them that this year’s target of production is 7.5 lakh toys.
- On the wall of ‘Health is Wealth’ hospital a board is hanging. On this board. It is written ‘We care for the health of senior citizens as our topmost priority’. This hospital is known for treating people aged more than 60 years.
- Rakesh calls his new subordinates for a meeting. He is a top level manager. He arranges for a power point presentation to train his subordinates who are all middle level managers. He tells them the way of doing task of treating suppliers through a new software system to be installed within next 30 days.
- Dinesh takes a meeting and guides his employees in a type of plan which is chronological in nature and is situation specific. It is a collection of various methods in a step wise sequence.
- Amit has given a detailed statement of expected results in numerical terms. This plan is conveyed to the subordinates by him in a special meeting.
Answer: The different types of plans are:
Question 9. Two years ago Madhu completed her degree in food technology. She worked for sometime in a company manufacturing chutneys, pickles and murabbas. She was not happy in the company and decided to have her own organic food processing unit for the same. She set the objectives and the targets and formulated action plan to achieve the same. One of her objective was to earn 10% profit on the amount invested in the first year. It was decided that raw materials like fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. will be purchased on three months’ credit form farmers cultivating organic crops only. She also decided to follow the steps required for marketing of the products through her own outlets. She appointed Mohan as a production Manager who decides the exact manner in which the production activities are to be carried out. Mohan also prepared a statement showing the number of workers that will be required in the factory throughout the year. Madhu informed Mohan about her sales target for different products, areawise for the forthcoming quarter. While working on the production table a penalty of ?100 per day for not wearing the caps, gloves and apron was announced. Quoting lines from the above para identify and explain the different types of plans discussed. Answer: The different types of plans are:
- ‘One of the objective was to earn 10% profit on the amount invested in the first year.’ Objective. An objective is the end result towards which all managerial efforts and organizational activities are directed.
- ‘Raw materials like fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. will be purchased on three months credit from farmers cultivating organic crops only. Policy. A policy is a part of the general standing plan of a business. It is the general course of action to be followed in a particular situation.
- ‘To follow the steps required for marketing of the products.’ Procedure. A procedure is a series of related tasks that make up the chronological sequence and establish a way of performing the work.
- ‘Statement showing the number of workers that will be required in the factory throughout the year.’ Programme. A budget is a plan which states expected results of a given future period in numerical terms. It may be expressed in time, money or physical units.
- ‘Penalty of f 100 per day for not wearing the caps, gloves and apron.’ Rule. A rule is a statement that specifies what is to be done or not to be done.
Question 10. In an annual general meeting a company sets its targets for the year. The manufacturing department has decided to manufacture 2.5 million units of the product and has decided to monitor the performance so as to control it accordingly. The survey done by the company has shown a number of cities in the north which are showing increased demand for the product. The company in its research during the last three months generated various options and decided to follow the best one. The HR team is also concerned about its output. The HR head revealed that there can be shortage of MBA pass outs which can reduce the quality of manpower in the near future so it has decided to arrange HR workshops in different colleges to get the best candidates. The board meeting ends on a positive note. In the above case identify the importance of planning and the concerned lines. Answer: The importance of planning highlighted above:
- Planning establishes standards for controlling. The manufacturing department has decided to manufacture 2.5 million units of the product and has decided to monitor the performance so as to control it accordingly.
- Planning facilitates decision making. The Company in its research during the last three months generated various options and decided to follow the best one.
- Planning reduces the risk of uncertainty. The HR head revealed that there can be shortage of MBA pass outs which can reduce the quality of manpower in the near future so it has decided to arrange HR workshops in different colleges to get the best candidates.
Question 11. ‘Dhulai’ is a washing machine manufacturing company. The company decides to enter into music system manufacturing industry. The company has a committed top management. It knows that there are various challenges in the market where its decisions regarding the new industry might fail. Still the top management doesn’t want to waste a lot of resources on its plans. It knows that sometimes plans take more time in making than getting implemented. However, the company wants to proceed with a positive approach. It has decided to study all the aspects of its competitors, to set all its objectives and to allocate the required resources. The company did well in its previous business. At that time they took planning very seriously as they knew everything the company would do had to be based on concrete plans. The company will start its operations from next month. Which function of management has been discussed in the above case? Which limitations of planning have been highlighted in the above case? Which type of plan is indicated in the above case? Which feature of planning is highlighted above? Answer: The function of management which is discussed in the above case is ‘Planning’. The company decides to enter into music system manufacturing industry. The various limitations of planning highlighted above are:
- Planning does not guarantee success. It knows there are various challenges in the market where its decisions regarding the new industry might fail.
- Planning involves huge costs. Still the top management doesn’t want to waste a lot of resources on its plans.
- Planning is a time consuming process. It knows that sometimes plans take more time in making than getting implemented.
The type of plan indicate above is ‘Strategy’ . It has decided to study all the aspects of its competitors, to set all its objectives and to allocate the required resources. The feature of planning highlighted above is Planning is a primary function of management. At that time they took planning very seriously as they knew everything the company would do had to be based on concrete plans.
Question 12. Dheeraj is a very hard working manager. After working for the implementation of his well chalked out plan he, from the start of July, decides to see in what ways and up to what accuracy has his plan been implemented. Which step of the planning process will be involved by Dheeraj from the starting of July? Answer: The step of the planning process involved by Dheeraj will be the last step: ‘Follow through’
Question 13. Suraj is the CEO of a company. He in accordance with the other board members decides to formulate a general statement which will be guiding the thinking of the employees. He further goes on to formulate many such statements in the next six months. These statements could be divided into two categories. Which type of plan is indicated above? What are the two types of this plan? Also give one example of this plan. Answer: Suraj is the CEO of a company. He in accordance with the other board members decides to formulate a general statement which will be guiding the thinking of the employees. He further goes on to formulate many such statements in the next six months. These statements could be divided into two categories. The type of plan highlighted in the above case is ‘Policy’ (He decides to formulate a general statement which will be guiding the thinking of the employees). The two types of policies are major policies and minor policies. One example of Policy is ‘Recruitment Policy’.
Question 14. A specific statement was given by an HR head. This statement had no scope for any flexibility. It was the simplest type of plan. Identify the type of plan. Give one more characteristic of this plan. Which plan is the widest type of plan? Answer: The type of plan is ‘Rule’. One more characteristic of this plan. It tells which action must or must not be taken. The widest type of plan is ‘Programme’.
Question 15. Ramesh is a supervisor in a company. He works at the lower level of management. He teaches ‘on the job training’ the ways in which a task is to be done by the workers at the shop floor level. He meets his boss on ce a week day and gives him a numerical statement quantifying the numbers needed in various activities at the shop floor for next 6 months. The boss approves his requirements and gives him a job to set targets in figures about the next plan he thinks is good for the manufacturing unit. Ramesh’s dedication is noticed by all. In the above case which types of plans have been highlighted? 2 Which step of planning process is highlighted in the above case? Answer: The types of plans which have been highlighted above are:
- Method. He teaches ‘on the job training’ the ways in which a task has to be done by the workers at the shop level.
- Budget. He gives him a numerical statement quantifying the amount needed in various activities at the shop floor. The step of planning process highlighted in the above case is ‘Setting Objectives’. The boss approves his requirements and gives him a job to set targets in figures about the next plan he thinks is good for the manufacturing unit.
Question 16. Rajesh is at the real point of decision making in the course of his planning. He has arrived at this point after identifying various alternative courses of action. After identification he was thoroughly involved in the evaluation of each of these alternatives. He later got involved into making several permutations and combinations of these alternatives to arrive at this point. Through which stage of the planning process is Rajesh going? Also give the next two steps of planning process. Answer: Rajesh is at the real point of decision making in the course of his planning. He has arrived at this point after identifying various alternative courses of action. After identification he was thoroughly involved in the evaluation of each of these alternatives. He later got involved into making several permutations and combinations of these alternatives to arrive at this point. The stage through which Rajesh is going is ‘Selecting an alternative’ . The real point of decision making is selecting an alternative. The next two steps in the process of planning are ‘Implementing the plan’ and ‘Follow through’.
Question 17. Naman is a very intelligent planner. He knows the market pretty well. For last 15 years he has been leading several successful projects for his company. Company gives him responsibility to start a new project in S. America. With his experience he makes assumptions about all the possible future scenarios. Which step of the planning process is the above paragraph related to? What is the other term used for assumptions in planning process? What is the base material for developing premises? Answer: The step of the planning process referred to here is ‘Developing Premises’ (second step of the planning process). The other term used for assumptions in planning process is ‘Premises’. The base material for developing premises is forecasts, existing plans or any past information.
Question 18. ‘High Voltage’ – a company which manufactures microwaves is known for its flawless planning. However the top management of the company accepts that some of its plans have failed in the past as the outside business environment is unpredictable and dynamic. The company invests a huge portion of its revenue on planning related issues. Recently in a newspaper the company was blamed for preventing its employees from doing new things due to the plans which are decided by the top management. Rajesh a middle level manager in the company in a seminar said that the planning aspect of a company should be dealt cautiously. There should be specific goals and activities to reach these goals should also be properly executed. Company has many serious competitors in the market. Even they unanimously agree that without planning no other function of management can exist and it’s the basic platform on which the whole structure of management is laid. When it comes to follow up of plans it becomes very important to know the standards. The success of a plan can only be checked when it is known how much of the set target has been met because it is at the stage of planning these targets are set. It’s not about the past. It’s for the coming time and challenges that a company formulates a plan. Rajesh knows this well. He uses his intelligent imagination and foresight while formulating the plans. Which limitations of planning have been highlighted in the above case? Which features of planning have been indicated in the above paragraph? Which importance of planning do you find sighted in the above case? Answer: The limitations of planning highlighted in the above case are:
- Planning may not work in a dynamic environment. (However the top management of the company accepts that some of its plans have failed in the past as the outside business environment is unpredictable and dynamic).
- Planning reduces creativity. (Recently in a newspaper the company was blamed for . preventing its employees from doing new things due to the plans which are decided by the top management).
The features of planning indicated in the above case are:
- Planning helps in achieving objectives. There should be specific goals and activities to reach these goals should also be properly executed.
- Planning is the primary function of management. Even they unanimously agree that without planning no other function of management can exist and it’s the basic platform on which the whole structure of management is laid.
- Planning is a mental exercise. He uses his intelligent imagination and foresight while formulating his plans.
The importance of planning highlighted in the above paragraph:
- Planning sets standards for controlling. The success of a plan can only be checked when it is known how much of the set target has been met because it is at this stage of planning such targets are set.
Question 19. It is deciding in advance what to do and how to do? It is one of the basic managerial functions. It requires that before doing something, the manager must formulate an idea of how to work on a particular task. This function is closely connected with creativity and innovation. It seeks to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to go and is performed at all levels of management. In spite of this the function of management referred above has a number of limitations. Explain any two such limitations. Answer: Planning function of management has been referred above. Two limitations of the planning function of management are:
- Rigidity. One of the limitations of planning is rigidity. The existence of,a plan puts the managerial activities in a rigid framework. Programmes are carried out according to the plan and deviations are considered to be highly undesirable.
- Reduces creativity. Planning involves deciding in advance what is to be done, how is it to be done, when is it to be done and by whom is it to be done. There is very little scope for deviating from the plans. This blind conformity with the pre-determined guidelines discourages individual initiative and freedom.
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Case Study-Planning
BUSINESS STUDIES – CBSE 10+2 Team – Study research
CASE STUDIES- PLANNING – CBSE – 10 +2 Business Studies.
Welcome to studyresearch again . Where the search for good and effective notes ends. Planning in life is extremely important so does in CBSE exams.
We contacted experienced teachers and requested them to frame their experience of teaching and question paper formation to come up with following case study on planning.
Q1: Mr. Anil , a cricket team coach has set the target set the target and made a approach for achieving predetermined objectives for the team’s practice session. He told his players all the team Players have to work towards achieving team goal. These goals set target which need to be achieved and against which actual performance will be measured. In the above case Anil has performed one of the function of management.
(a) Identify one of the function of management performed by Anil.
(b) Two importance of that function of management is highlighted in the above case. Identify and explain.
(a) Planning
(b)(i) planning provides direction (ii) planning establishes standards for controlling..
Q2; IT Company Polaris Software Ltd. Is thinking of a new facility in Mumbai with a capacity for 800 professionals. The company’s CEO said that the company was well on the track to meet its earlier announcement to increase the headcount by 1,500-2,000 professionals in the current year to reach the 9,000 mark by March 2007. We will look at the acquisition of small boutique consulting companies that are focused on banking , financial services and insurance space. This will Strengthen customer services and accounts management capabilities.
- Identify the function of management performed by polaris ltd.
- Explain the process of above function.
Answer: (a) planning
(b) process of planning.
Q3: The essar group is looking to step up its global operations by entering the riskier but profitable markets of Africa , eastern Europe and Middle East. The group has also announced its intention of setting up Greenfield steel manufacturing operations in Sharjah , Qatar and Iran . It has plan to set up a 50-50 joint venture with state owned Qatar Steel Company for a 1.5 million ton steel plant along with a 1 million ton steel rolling plant on the outskirts of Sharjah and another ton per annum steel plant in iran . According to a recent Essar newsletter. Even the Indonesia branch of Essar where the group runs a cold rolling complex, is expected to look for merger and acquisitions opportunities in the region.
- Identify the function of management performed by essar group.
- Explain the features of above identified function in relevance to case study.
(b) (i) Planning focuses on achieving objectives (ii) Planning is futuristic (iii) Planning involves decision making.
Q4; Raman and Aman are managers in a same company . Before starting a project Raman said ‘Lets start planning’ But aman said ‘ No ‘ to planning because he thinks that organization has to constantly adapt itself to changes. It becomes difficult to accurately assess future trends in the environment and once the plans are in the process of implementation managers are not allowed to deviate from plans nor are they allowed to act on their own other than this there are number of incidental costs like expenses on boardroom meetings , discussions with professional experts and preliminary investigations to find out the viability of plan .Further he says planning takes so much time that no time is left for their implementation. On other hand , Raman is of opposite views he says planning helps by stating in advance what is to be done and how it is to be done.It shows the ways to deal with changes and uncertain events. Planning helps a manager to look into the future and make choice from amongst various alternative courses of action. It provides goals and standards against which actual performance is measured.
(a)On the basis of above discussion explain the importance and limitations of planning by quoting the lines from above case.
(b) give your opinion about above discussion for planning.
Answers: (a) Importance of planning; (i) Planning provides direction “ planning helps by……to be done”
(ii) Planning reduces the risk of uncertainty “ It shows the…….uncertain events”.
(iii) Planning facilitates decision making “ Planning helps a manager……….courses of action”
(iv) Planning establishes standards for controlling “ It provides……….is measured”
Limitations of Planning; (i) Planning may not work in a dynamic environment “ Organisation has to……..trend in environment”
(ii) Planning reduces creativity “ Once the plans………act on their own”
(iii) Planning involves huge cost “ There are a number of …………viability of plan”
(iv) Planning is a time consuming process “Planning takes………for implementation”
(b)Our view; Despite its limitations planning is not a useless exercise. It is a tool to be used with caution. It provides a base for analyzing future courses of action. But it is not a solution to all problems.
Q5; According to Sneha a marketing manager of a company A company’s marketing strategy has to address certain questions i.e. who are the customers? What is the demand for the product? What is the pricing policy? And hoe do we advertise the product. In a way Sneha is referring to a type of plan . Identify.
Answer- Strategy
Q6; Atul a Purchase manager in Arya Ltd. Says he has made a plan regarding requirement of packages , transport services, printing of stationery , water and power supply . he has made plan regarding how should vendors be selected for procuring suppliers and how many suppliers should a company make purchases from. His these plans are really acting as guide to managerial actions.
Identify the type of Plan.
Answer – Policy
Q7; Arya HR manager in a company has planned training program for the employees. For higher level management orientation programmes lectures and seminars are organized whereas at the supervisory level on the job training sessions are organized.
Identify the type of plan made by Arya.
Answer – Method
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Case Studies
- Case Study #1 - Operations Strategy Impact Reference and Deployment Guidance ( HTML , PDF 1.4MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-002, September 2009).
- Case Study #2 - Incorporating Highway Capacity Manual Procedures into Long-Range Transportation Planning ( HTML , PDF 1.4MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-003, September 2009).
- Case Study #3 - Using Archived Data As a Tool for Operations Planning ( HTML , PDF 2.8MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-004, September 2009).
- Case Study #4 - Application of Microsimulation in Combination with Travel Demand Models ( HTML , PDF 1.6MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-005, September 2009).
- Case Studies of the Congestion Management Process ( HTML ) – This series of in-depth case studies is a companion to the guidebook and focuses on the Congestion Management Process (CMP) at seven metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) around the country.
- Developing Decisionmaker Support for Management and Operations at MetroPlan Orlando, Case Study ( HTML , PDF 1.6MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-056, November 2010).
- Capital District Transportation Committee Albany, New York, Case Study ( HTML , PDF 323KB) – Placing the Congestion Management Process in the Context of Metropolitan Transportation Planning Goals and Objectives (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-043, April 2009).
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Philadelphia Metropolitan Region, Case Study ( HTML , PDF 305KB) – Planning for Congestion Management and Tracking Progress (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-044, April 2009).
- The Denver Region Traffic Signal System Improvement Program Case Study ( HTML , PDF 324KB) – Planning for Management and Operations (Denver, Colorado area) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-046, April 2009).
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission San Francisco Bay Area Case Study ( HTML , PDF 455KB) – Developing Regional Objectives and Performance Measures to Improve System Operations (San Francisco Bay Area, California) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-047, April 2009).
- Pima Association of Governments Case Study ( HTML , PDF 402KB) – Regional Concept for Transportation Operations Fosters Planning For Operations in the Tucson Metropolitan Area (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-048, April 2009).
- Wilmington Area Planning Council New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland Case Study ( HTML , PDF 340KB) – A Performance-Based Approach to Integrating Congestion Management into the Metropolitan Planning Process (Newark, Delaware area) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-045, April 2009).
- Outcomes-Based, Performance-Driven Planning at Metro Portland, Case Study ( HTML , PDF 2.5MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-055, November 2010).
- Programming for Operations: MPO Examples of Prioritizing and Funding Transportation Systems Management & Operations Strategies ( HTML , PDF 1.4MB) – The Programming for Operations: MPO Examples of Prioritizing and Funding Transportation Systems Management & Operations Strategies report discusses how metropolitan planning organizations have incorporated transportation systems management and operations projects into the programming phase of transportation investment decision making in metropolitan areas.
- The Use of an Objectives-Driven, Performance-Based Approach at the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission ( HTML , PDF 1.6MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-054, November 2010).
- TSMO Benefits at a Glance ( HTML , PDF 330 KB) – Infographic showing five State DOT examples of benefits they have identified from implementing transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) strategies.
- Denver Regional Council of Governments Regional Concept of Transportation Operations
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Strategic Plan for Greater Rochester, Genesee Transportation Council, February 2011.
- Metro Regional Government, Regional Transportation System Management and Operations Plan, Portland, Oregon, June 2010 .
- Regional Transportation Operations Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin: 2012 - 2016 .
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28 Case Study Examples Every Marketer Should See
Published: March 08, 2023
Putting together a compelling case study is one of the most powerful strategies for showcasing your product and attracting future customers. But it's not easy to create case studies that your audience can’t wait to read.
In this post, we’ll go over the definition of a case study and the best examples to inspire you.
What is a case study?
A case study is a detailed story of something your company did. It includes a beginning — often discussing a conflict, an explanation of what happened next, and a resolution that explains how the company solved or improved on something.
A case study proves how your product has helped other companies by demonstrating real-life results. Not only that, but marketing case studies with solutions typically contain quotes from the customer. This means that they’re not just ads where you praise your own product. Rather, other companies are praising your company — and there’s no stronger marketing material than a verbal recommendation or testimonial. A great case study is also filled with research and stats to back up points made about a project's results.
There are myriad ways to use case studies in your marketing strategy . From featuring them on your website to including them in a sales presentation, a case study is a strong, persuasive tool that shows customers why they should work with you — straight from another customer. Writing one from scratch is hard, though, which is why we’ve created a collection of case study templates for you to get started.
Fill out the form below to access the free case study templates.
Case Study Kit + Templates
Fill out this form to access free case study templates..
There’s no better way to generate more leads than by writing case studies . But without case study examples to draw inspiration from, it can be difficult to write impactful studies that convince visitors to submit a form.
Marketing Case Study Examples
To help you create an attractive and high-converting case study, we've put together a list of some of our favorites. This list includes famous case studies in marketing, technology, and business.
These studies can show you how to frame your company offers in a way that is both meaningful and useful to your audience. So, take a look, and let these examples inspire your next brilliant case study design.
These marketing case studies with solutions show the value proposition of each product. They also show how each company benefited in both the short and long term using quantitative data. In other words, you don’t get just nice statements, like "This company helped us a lot." You see actual change within the firm through numbers and figures.
You can put your learnings into action with HubSpot's Free Case Study Templates . Available as custom designs and text-based documents, you can upload these templates to your CMS or send them to prospects as you see fit.
1. " How Handled Scaled from Zero to 121 Locations with the Help of HubSpot ," by HubSpot
What's interesting about this case study is the way it leads with the customer. That reflects a major HubSpot cornerstone, which is to always solve for the customer first. The copy leads with a brief description of why the CEO of Handled founded the company and why he thought Handled could benefit from adopting a CRM. The case study also opens up with one key data point about Handled’s success using HubSpot, namely that it grew to 121 locations.
Notice that this case study uses mixed media. Yes, there is a short video, but it's elaborated upon in the other text on the page. So while your case studies can use one or the other, don't be afraid to combine written copy with visuals to emphasize the project's success.
Key Learnings from the HubSpot Case Study Example
- Give the case study a personal touch by focusing on the CEO rather than the company itself.
- Use multimedia to engage website visitors as they read the case study.
2. " The Whole Package ," by IDEO
Here's a design company that knows how to lead with simplicity in its case studies. As soon as the visitor arrives at the page, they’re greeted with a big, bold photo and the title of the case study — which just so happens to summarize how IDEO helped its client. It summarizes the case study in three snippets: The challenge, the impact, and the outcome.
Immediately, IDEO communicates its impact — the company partnered with H&M to remove plastic from its packaging — but it doesn't stop there. As the user scrolls down, the challenge, impact, and progress are elaborated upon with comprehensive (but not overwhelming) copy that outlines what that process looked like, replete with quotes and intriguing visuals.
Key Learnings from the IDEO Case Study Example
- Split up the takeaways of your case studies into bite-sized sections.
- Always use visuals and images to enrich the case study experience, especially if it’s a comprehensive case study.
3. " Rozum Robotics intensifies its PR game with Awario ," by Awario
In this case study, Awario greets the user with a summary straight away — so if you’re feeling up to reading the entire case study, you can scan the snapshot and understand how the company serves its customers. The case study then includes jump links to several sections, such as "Company Profile," "Rozum Robotics' Pains," "Challenge," "Solution," and "Results and Improvements."
The sparse copy and prominent headings show that you don’t need a lot of elaborate information to show the value of your products and services. Like the other case study examples on this list, it includes visuals and quotes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the company’s efforts. The case study ends with a bulleted list that shows the results.
Key Learnings from the Awario Robotics Case Study Example
- Create a table of contents to make your case study easier to navigate.
- Include a bulleted list of the results you achieved for your client.
4. " Chevrolet DTU ," by Carol H. Williams
If you’ve worked with a company that’s well-known, use only the name in the title — like Carol H. Williams, one of the nation’s top advertising agencies, does here. The "DTU," stands for "Discover the Unexpected." It generates interest because you want to find out what the initials mean.
They keep your interest in this case study by using a mixture of headings, images, and videos to describe the challenges, objectives, and solutions of the project. The case study closes with a summary of the key achievements that Chevrolet’s DTU Journalism Fellows reached during the project.
Key Learnings from the Carol H. Williams Case Study Example
- If you’ve worked with a big brand before, consider only using the name in the title — just enough to pique interest.
- Use a mixture of headings and subheadings to guide users through the case study.
5. " How Fractl Earned Links from 931 Unique Domains for Porch.com in a Single Year ," by Fractl
Fractl uses both text and graphic design in their Porch.com case study to immerse the viewer in a more interesting user experience. For instance, as you scroll, you'll see the results are illustrated in an infographic-design form as well as the text itself.
Further down the page, they use icons like a heart and a circle to illustrate their pitch angles, and graphs to showcase their results. Rather than writing which publications have mentioned Porch.com during Fractl’s campaign, they incorporated the media outlets’ icons for further visual diversity.
Key Learnings from the Fractl Case Study Example
- Let pictures speak for you by incorporating graphs, logos, and icons all throughout the case study.
- Start the case study by right away stating the key results, like Fractl does, instead of putting the results all the way at the bottom.
6. " The Met ," by Fantasy
What's the best way to showcase the responsiveness and user interface of a website? Probably by diving right into it with a series of simple showcases— which is exactly what Fantasy does on their case study page for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They keep the page simple and clean, inviting you to review their redesign of the Met’s website feature-by-feature.
Each section is simple, showing a single piece of the new website's interface so that users aren’t overwhelmed with information and can focus on what matters most.
If you're more interested in text, you can read the objective for each feature. Fantasy understands that, as a potential customer, this is all you need to know. Scrolling further, you're greeted with a simple "Contact Us" CTA.
Key Learnings from the Fantasy Case Study Example
- You don’t have to write a ton of text to create a great case study. Focus on the solution you delivered itself.
- Include a CTA at the bottom inviting visitors to contact you.
7. " Rovio: How Rovio Grew Into a Gaming Superpower ," by App Annie
If your client had a lot of positive things to say about you, take a note from App Annie’s Rovio case study and open up with a quote from your client. The case study also closes with a quote, so that the case study doesn’t seem like a promotion written by your marketing team but a story that’s taken straight from your client’s mouth. It includes a photo of a Rovio employee, too.
Another thing this example does well? It immediately includes a link to the product that Rovio used (namely, App Annie Intelligence) at the top of the case study. The case study closes with a call-to-action button prompting users to book a demo.
Key Learnings from the App Annie Case Study Example
- Feature quotes from your client at the beginning and end of the case study.
- Include a mention of the product right at the beginning and prompt users to learn more about the product.
8. " Embracing first-party data: 3 success stories from HubSpot ," by Think with Google
Google takes a different approach to text-focused case studies by choosing three different companies to highlight.
The case study is clean and easily scannable. It has sections for each company, with quotes and headers that clarify the way these three distinct stories connect. The simple format also uses colors and text that align with the Google brand.
Another differentiator is the focus on data. This case study is less than a thousand words, but it's packed with useful data points. Data-driven insights quickly and clearly show how the value of leveraging first-party data while prioritizing consumer privacy.
Key Learnings from the Think with Google Case Study Example
- A case study doesn’t need to be long or complex to be powerful.
- Clear data points are a quick and effective way to prove value.
9. " In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study ," by Switch
Switch is an international marketing agency based in Malta that knocks it out of the park with this case study. Its biggest challenge is effectively communicating what it did for its client without ever revealing the client’s name. It also effectively keeps non-marketers in the loop by including a glossary of terms on page 4.
The PDF case study reads like a compelling research article, including titles like "In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study," "Scenario," and "Approach," so that readers get a high-level overview of what the client needed and why they approached Switch. It also includes a different page for each strategy. For instance, if you’d only be interested in hiring Switch for optimizing your Facebook ads, you can skip to page 10 to see how they did it.
The PDF is fourteen pages long but features big fonts and plenty of white space, so viewers can easily skim it in only a few minutes.
Key Learnings from the Switch Case Study Example
- If you want to go into specialized information, include a glossary of terms so that non-specialists can easily understand.
- Close with a CTA page in your case study PDF and include contact information for prospective clients.
10. " Gila River ," by OH Partners
Let pictures speak for you, like OH Partners did in this case study. While you’ll quickly come across a heading and some text when you land on this case study page, you’ll get the bulk of the case study through examples of actual work OH Partners did for its client. You will see OH Partners’ work in a billboard, magazine, and video. This communicates to website visitors that if they work with OH Partners, their business will be visible everywhere.
And like the other case studies here, it closes with a summary of what the firm achieved for its client in an eye-catching way.
Key Learnings from the OH Partners Case Study Example
- Let the visuals speak by including examples of the actual work you did for your client — which is especially useful for branding and marketing agencies.
- Always close out with your achievements and how they impacted your client.
11. " Facing a Hater ," by Digitas
Digitas' case study page for Sprite’s #ILOVEYOUHATER campaign keeps it brief while communicating the key facts of Digitas’ work for the popular soda brand. The page opens with an impactful image of a hundred people facing a single man. It turns out, that man is the biggest "bully" in Argentina, and the people facing him are those whom he’s bullied before.
Scrolling down, it's obvious that Digitas kept Sprite at the forefront of their strategy, but more than that, they used real people as their focal point. They leveraged the Twitter API to pull data from Tweets that people had actually tweeted to find the identity of the biggest "hater" in the country. That turned out to be @AguanteElCofler, a Twitter user who has since been suspended.
Key Learnings from the Digitas Case Study Example
- If a video was part of your work for your client, be sure to include the most impactful screenshot as the heading.
- Don’t be afraid to provide details on how you helped your client achieve their goals, including the tools you leveraged.
12. " Better Experiences for All ," by HermanMiller
HermanMiller sells sleek, utilitarian furniture with no frills and extreme functionality, and that ethos extends to its case study page for a hospital in Dubai.
What first attracted me to this case study was the beautiful video at the top and the clean user experience. User experience matters a lot in a case study. It determines whether users will keep reading or leave. Another notable aspect of this case study is that the video includes closed-captioning for greater accessibility, and users have the option of expanding the CC and searching through the text.
HermanMiller’s case study also offers an impressive amount of information packed in just a few short paragraphs for those wanting to understand the nuances of their strategy. It closes out with a quote from their client and, most importantly, the list of furniture products that the hospital purchased from the brand.
Key Learnings from the HermanMiller Case Study Example
- Close out with a list of products that users can buy after reading the case study.
- Include accessibility features such as closed captioning and night mode to make your case study more user-friendly.
13. " Capital One on AWS ," by Amazon
Do you work continuously with your clients? Consider structuring your case study page like Amazon did in this stellar case study example. Instead of just featuring one article about Capital One and how it benefited from using AWS, Amazon features a series of articles that you can then access if you’re interested in reading more. It goes all the way back to 2016, all with different stories that feature Capital One’s achievements using AWS.
This may look unattainable for a small firm, but you don’t have to go to extreme measures and do it for every single one of your clients. You could choose the one you most wish to focus on and establish a contact both on your side and your client’s for coming up with the content. Check in every year and write a new piece. These don’t have to be long, either — five hundred to eight hundred words will do.
Key Learnings from the Amazon AWS Case Study Example
- Write a new article each year featuring one of your clients, then include links to those articles in one big case study page.
- Consider including external articles as well that emphasize your client’s success in their industry.
14. " HackReactor teaches the world to code #withAsana ," by Asana
While Asana's case study design looks text-heavy, there's a good reason. It reads like a creative story, told entirely from the customer's perspective.
For instance, Asana knows you won't trust its word alone on why this product is useful. So, they let Tony Phillips, HackReactor CEO, tell you instead: "We take in a lot of information. Our brains are awful at storage but very good at thinking; you really start to want some third party to store your information so you can do something with it."
Asana features frequent quotes from Phillips to break up the wall of text and humanize the case study. It reads like an in-depth interview and captivates the reader through creative storytelling. Even more, Asana includes in-depth detail about how HackReactor uses Asana. This includes how they build templates and workflows:
"There's a huge differentiator between Asana and other tools, and that’s the very easy API access. Even if Asana isn’t the perfect fit for a workflow, someone like me— a relatively mediocre software engineer—can add functionality via the API to build a custom solution that helps a team get more done."
Key Learnings from the Asana Example
- Include quotes from your client throughout the case study.
- Provide extensive detail on how your client worked with you or used your product.
15. " Rips Sewed, Brand Love Reaped ," by Amp Agency
Amp Agency's Patagonia marketing strategy aimed to appeal to a new audience through guerrilla marketing efforts and a coast-to-coast road trip. Their case study page effectively conveys a voyager theme, complete with real photos of Patagonia customers from across the U.S., and a map of the expedition. I liked Amp Agency's storytelling approach best. It captures viewers' attention from start to finish simply because it's an intriguing and unique approach to marketing.
Key Learnings from the Amp Agency Example
- Open up with a summary that communicates who your client is and why they reached out to you.
- Like in the other case study examples, you’ll want to close out with a quantitative list of your achievements.
16. " NetApp ," by Evisort
Evisort opens up its NetApp case study with an at-a-glance overview of the client. It’s imperative to always focus on the client in your case study — not on your amazing product and equally amazing team. By opening up with a snapshot of the client’s company, Evisort places the focus on the client.
This case study example checks all the boxes for a great case study that’s informative, thorough, and compelling. It includes quotes from the client and details about the challenges NetApp faced during the COVID pandemic. It closes out with a quote from the client and with a link to download the case study in PDF format, which is incredibly important if you want your case study to be accessible in a wider variety of formats.
Key Learnings from the Evisort Example
- Place the focus immediately on your client by including a snapshot of their company.
- Mention challenging eras, such as a pandemic or recession, to show how your company can help your client succeed even during difficult times.
17. " Copernicus Land Monitoring – CLC+ Core ," by Cloudflight
Including highly specialized information in your case study is an effective way to show prospects that you’re not just trying to get their business. You’re deep within their industry, too, and willing to learn everything you need to learn to create a solution that works specifically for them.
Cloudflight does a splendid job at that in its Copernicus Land Monitoring case study. While the information may be difficult to read at first glance, it will capture the interest of prospects who are in the environmental industry. It thus shows Cloudflight’s value as a partner much more effectively than a general case study would.
The page is comprehensive and ends with a compelling call-to-action — "Looking for a solution that automates, and enhances your Big Data system? Are you struggling with large datasets and accessibility? We would be happy to advise and support you!" The clean, whitespace-heavy page is an effective example of using a case study to capture future leads.
Key Learnings from the Cloudflight Case Study Example
- Don’t be afraid to get technical in your explanation of what you did for your client.
- Include a snapshot of the sales representative prospects should contact, especially if you have different sales reps for different industries, like Cloudflight does.
18. " Valvoline Increases Coupon Send Rate by 76% with Textel’s MMS Picture Texting ," by Textel
If you’re targeting large enterprises with a long purchasing cycle, you’ll want to include a wealth of information in an easily transferable format. That’s what Textel does here in its PDF case study for Valvoline. It greets the user with an eye-catching headline that shows the value of using Textel. Valvoline saw a significant return on investment from using the platform.
Another smart decision in this case study is highlighting the client’s quote by putting it in green font and doing the same thing for the client’s results because it helps the reader quickly connect the two pieces of information. If you’re in a hurry, you can also take a look at the "At a Glance" column to get the key facts of the case study, starting with information about Valvoline.
Key Learnings from the Textel Case Study Example
- Include your client’s ROI right in the title of the case study.
- Add an "At a Glance" column to your case study PDF to make it easy to get insights without needing to read all the text.
19. " Hunt Club and Happeo — a tech-enabled love story ," by Happeo
In this blog-post-like case study, Happeo opens with a quote from the client, then dives into a compelling heading: "Technology at the forefront of Hunt Club's strategy." Say you’re investigating Happeo as a solution and consider your firm to be technology-driven. This approach would spark your curiosity about why the client chose to work with Happeo. It also effectively communicates the software’s value proposition without sounding like it’s coming from an in-house marketing team.
Every paragraph is a quote written from the customer’s perspective. Later down the page, the case study also dives into "the features that changed the game for Hunt Club," giving Happeo a chance to highlight some of the platform’s most salient features.
Key Learnings from the Happeo Case Study Example
- Consider writing the entirety of the case study from the perspective of the customer.
- Include a list of the features that convinced your client to go with you.
20. " Red Sox Season Campaign ," by CTP Boston
What's great about CTP's case study page for their Red Sox Season Campaign is their combination of video, images, and text. A video automatically begins playing when you visit the page, and as you scroll, you'll see more embedded videos of Red Sox players, a compilation of print ads, and social media images you can click to enlarge.
At the bottom, it says "Find out how we can do something similar for your brand." The page is clean, cohesive, and aesthetically pleasing. It invites viewers to appreciate the well-roundedness of CTP's campaign for Boston's beloved baseball team.
Key Learnings from the CTP Case Study Example
- Include a video in the heading of the case study.
- Close with a call-to-action that makes leads want to turn into prospects.
21. " Acoustic ," by Genuine
Sometimes, simple is key. Genuine's case study for Acoustic is straightforward and minimal, with just a few short paragraphs, including "Reimagining the B2B website experience," "Speaking to marketers 1:1," and "Inventing Together." After the core of the case study, we then see a quote from Acoustic’s CMO and the results Genuine achieved for the company.
The simplicity of the page allows the reader to focus on both the visual aspects and the copy. The page displays Genuine's brand personality while offering the viewer all the necessary information they need.
- You don’t need to write a lot to create a great case study. Keep it simple.
- Always include quantifiable data to illustrate the results you achieved for your client.
22. " Using Apptio Targetprocess Automated Rules in Wargaming ," by Apptio
Apptio’s case study for Wargaming summarizes three key pieces of information right at the beginning: The goals, the obstacles, and the results.
Readers then have the opportunity to continue reading — or they can walk away right then with the information they need. This case study also excels in keeping the human interest factor by formatting the information like an interview.
The piece is well-organized and uses compelling headers to keep the reader engaged. Despite its length, Apptio's case study is appealing enough to keep the viewer's attention. Every Apptio case study ends with a "recommendation for other companies" section, where the client can give advice for other companies that are looking for a similar solution but aren’t sure how to get started.
Key Learnings from the Apptio Case Study Example
- Put your client in an advisory role by giving them the opportunity to give recommendations to other companies that are reading the case study.
- Include the takeaways from the case study right at the beginning so prospects quickly get what they need.
23. " Airbnb + Zendesk: building a powerful solution together ," by Zendesk
Zendesk's Airbnb case study reads like a blog post, and focuses equally on Zendesk and Airbnb, highlighting a true partnership between the companies. To captivate readers, it begins like this: "Halfway around the globe is a place to stay with your name on it. At least for a weekend."
The piece focuses on telling a good story and provides photographs of beautiful Airbnb locations. In a case study meant to highlight Zendesk's helpfulness, nothing could be more authentic than their decision to focus on Airbnb's service in such great detail.
Key Learnings from the Zendesk Case Study Example
- Include images of your client’s offerings — not necessarily of the service or product you provided. Notice how Zendesk doesn’t include screenshots of its product.
- Include a call-to-action right at the beginning of the case study. Zendesk gives you two options: to find a solution or start a trial.
24. " Biobot Customer Success Story: Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida ," by Biobot
Like some of the other top examples in this list, Biobot opens its case study with a quote from its client, which captures the value proposition of working with Biobot. It mentions the COVID pandemic and goes into detail about the challenges the client faced during this time.
This case study is structured more like a news article than a traditional case study. This format can work in more formal industries where decision-makers need to see in-depth information about the case. Be sure to test different methods and measure engagement .
Key Learnings from the Biobot Case Study Example
- Mention environmental, public health, or economic emergencies and how you helped your client get past such difficult times.
- Feel free to write the case study like a normal blog post, but be sure to test different methods to find the one that best works for you.
25. " Discovering Cost Savings With Efficient Decision Making ," by Gartner
You don't always need a ton of text or a video to convey your message — sometimes, you just need a few paragraphs and bullet points. Gartner does a fantastic job of quickly providing the fundamental statistics a potential customer would need to know, without boggling down their readers with dense paragraphs. The case study closes with a shaded box that summarizes the impact that Gartner had on its client. It includes a quote and a call-to-action to "Learn More."
Key Learnings from the Gartner Case Study Example
- Feel free to keep the case study short.
- Include a call-to-action at the bottom that takes the reader to a page that most relates to them.
26. " Bringing an Operator to the Game ," by Redapt
This case study example by Redapt is another great demonstration of the power of summarizing your case study’s takeaways right at the start of the study. Redapt includes three easy-to-scan columns: "The problem," "the solution," and "the outcome." But its most notable feature is a section titled "Moment of clarity," which shows why this particular project was difficult or challenging.
The section is shaded in green, making it impossible to miss. Redapt does the same thing for each case study. In the same way, you should highlight the "turning point" for both you and your client when you were working toward a solution.
Key Learnings from the Redapt Case Study Example
- Highlight the turning point for both you and your client during the solution-seeking process.
- Use the same structure (including the same headings) for your case studies to make them easy to scan and read.
27. " Virtual Call Center Sees 300% Boost In Contact Rate ," by Convoso
Convoso’s PDF case study for Digital Market Media immediately mentions the results that the client achieved and takes advantage of white space. On the second page, the case study presents more influential results. It’s colorful and engaging and closes with a spread that prompts readers to request a demo.
Key Learnings from the Convoso Case Study Example
- List the results of your work right at the beginning of the case study.
- Use color to differentiate your case study from others. Convoso’s example is one of the most colorful ones on this list.
28. " Ensuring quality of service during a pandemic ," by Ericsson
Ericsson’s case study page for Orange Spain is an excellent example of using diverse written and visual media — such as videos, graphs, and quotes — to showcase the success a client experienced. Throughout the case study, Ericsson provides links to product and service pages users might find relevant as they’re reading the study.
For instance, under the heading "Preloaded with the power of automation," Ericsson mentions its Ericsson Operations Engine product, then links to that product page. It closes the case study with a link to another product page.
Key Learnings from the Ericsson Case Study Example
- Link to product pages throughout the case study so that readers can learn more about the solution you offer.
- Use multimedia to engage users as they read the case study.
Start creating your case study.
Now that you've got a great list of examples of case studies, think about a topic you'd like to write about that highlights your company or work you did with a customer.
A customer’s success story is the most persuasive marketing material you could ever create. With a strong portfolio of case studies, you can ensure prospects know why they should give you their business.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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So, what are you waiting for? Let's dive in and learn the secrets to writing a successful case study.
What is a Case Study?
A case study is a research method used to study a particular individual, group, or situation in depth. It involves analyzing and interpreting data from a variety of sources to gain insight into the subject being studied.
Case studies are commonly used in fields such as psychology, business, and education to understand complex issues and develop solutions. They typically include detailed descriptions of the subject, background information, and an analysis of the key issues involved.
The goal of a case study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject, as well as to identify potential solutions or recommendations.
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How Long Should a Case Study Be?
What you need to include in your story will depend on the type of discipline. For example, a kitchen remodeling company could tell its entire story with pictures. Whereas this approach may not be suitable for a software invoicing solution.
Consider this pro advice while crafting your case study:
- Most sources indicate that it should consist of 500-1500 words.
- To ensure that your message is concise and crystal clear, add a brief snapshot section of 100 words or less.
Want to understand the basics of the case study? Click right here to learn: Case study
What Is a Marketing Case Study?
This type of case study focuses on a particular marketing challenge or problem. It analyzes the strategies used to overcome the challenge and achieve a successful outcome.
Marketing case studies can be used to showcase effective marketing tactics, as well as to learn from failures and avoid common pitfalls. They often include details about the target audience, marketing channels used, and metrics to measure success.
Marketing case studies are commonly used in business courses to help students understand marketing challenges and develop strategies.
Marketing Case Study Examples
Marketing case studies are real-life stories that showcase how a business solved a problem. They often discuss how a business achieved a goal using a specific marketing strategy or tactic.
They typically describe a challenge faced by a business, the solution implemented, and the results achieved.
The purpose of a marketing case study is to demonstrate a business's expertise and ability to solve problems. This is done to show their potential to customers.
Here are some examples that show how companies use case studies as a means of marketing and promotion:
1- "Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected" by Carol H. Williams
This case study explores Chevrolet's DTU Journalism Fellows program. The case study uses the initials "DTU" to generate interest and encourage readers to learn more. There are multiple types of media such as images and videos used to explain the challenges faced. The case study concludes with an overview of the achievements that were met:
Key points from the case study include:
- Using a well-known brand name in the title can create interest.
- Combining different media types, such as headings, images, and videos, can help engage readers and make the content more memorable.
- Providing a summary of the key achievements at the end of the case study can help readers better understand the project's impact.
2- “The Met” by Fantasy
Fantasy's case study for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, titled "The Met," provides a clear and simple showcase of the museum's website redesign. The case study emphasizes the features and interface of the website by showcasing each section of the interface individually, allowing the readers to concentrate on the significant elements.
For those who prefer text, each feature includes an objective description. The case study also includes a "Contact Us" call-to-action at the bottom of the page, inviting visitors to get in touch with the company.
Key points from this case study include:
- Keeping the case study simple and clean can help readers focus on the most important aspects.
- Presenting the features and solutions with a visual showcase can be more effective than writing a lot of text.
- Including a clear call-to-action at the end of the case study can encourage visitors to contact the company for more information.
3- "In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study," by Switch
This impressive case study presented by an international marketing agency, Switch, effectively communicates its client's success without revealing their name. To keep non-marketers in the loop, Switch includes a glossary of terms. The case study is presented in a fourteen-page PDF that's easy to skim, featuring big fonts and white space. Each page covers a different strategy, making it easy to navigate.
To provide readers with an overview of the client's requirements and reasons for approaching Switch, the Switch case study employs titles such as "Scenario," "Approach," and "In-Depth Performance Marketing Case Study" at a higher level. The PDF also features a CTA page and contact information for prospective clients.
Key points from the Switch case study:
- Include a glossary of terms to make specialized information accessible to non-specialists.
- Make your case study easy to navigate by using titles and separating sections.
- Close with a CTA page and include contact information for prospective clients.
4- “Better Experiences for All” by Herman Miller
Herman Miller's minimalist approach to furniture design translates to their case study page for a Dubai hospital. The page features a captivating video with closed-captioning and expandable text for accessibility.
The case study presents a wealth of information in a concise format, enabling users to comprehend the intricacies of the strategy with ease. It concludes with a client testimonial and a list of furniture items purchased from the brand.
Key points from the case study:
- Make sure your case study is user-friendly by including accessibility features like closed captioning and expandable text.
- Include a list of products that were used in the project to guide potential customers.
5- “NetApp” by Evisort
The NetApp case study by Evisort is an excellent example of an informative, thorough, and compelling case study. Evisort starts off the case study with an at-a-glance overview of the client, NetApp. This approach helps to focus the attention on the client rather than the company or team.
The case study features client quotes and delves into the obstacles that NetApp encountered during the COVID pandemic. By highlighting how its services helped NetApp during tough times, Evisort demonstrates its value as a partner to their clients.
To make the case study accessible in a wider variety of formats, Evisort provides access to download their study in PDF format. This is an important consideration for making the case study easy to share and reference.
Key points from the Evisort example:
- Provide an overview of the company in the client’s words and put focus on the customer.
- Highlight how your services can help clients during challenging times.
- Make your case study accessible by providing it in various formats.
6- "Red Sox Season Campaign," by CTP Boston
The case study for the Red Sox Season Campaign by CTP Boston showcases a perfect blend of different media, such as video, text, and images. Upon visiting the page, the video plays automatically, and as you scroll, you'll find more videos featuring Red Sox players, social media images, and print ads that can be enlarged with a click.
The page features a clean and cohesive design that is visually appealing and invites viewers to appreciate CTP's well-rounded campaign for Boston's beloved baseball team. At the bottom, the page includes a call-to-action that encourages viewers to learn how CTP can create a similar campaign for their own brand.
Key points to take away:
- Including a variety of media such as video, images, and text can make your case study more engaging and compelling.
- Include a call-to-action at the end of your study that encourages viewers to take the next step towards becoming a customer or prospect.
7- “Zapier Case Study” by Ryan Berg
Ryan Berg's SEO case study on Zapier is an excellent example of an explanatory case study that can be used for marketing purposes. The study provides a comprehensive breakdown of Zapier's SEO strategy and how they created over 25,000 unique landing pages to improve their search rankings for different search terms.
One of Zapier's key strategies involved targeting relevant long-tail keywords such as "app A + app B integration," which helped them generate significant organic traffic over the long term. By analyzing the success of industry leaders and breaking down their strategies, businesses can borrow their brand power and credibility.
Explanatory case studies like this one are particularly useful when clients are not comfortable with sharing detailed information about their growth tactics. Such case studies can demonstrate a company's expertise and credibility to potential clients, proving their ability to help them succeed in their industry.
- Targeting relevant long-tail keywords is an effective strategy for generating organic traffic.
- Analyzing the success of industry leaders can provide valuable insights for developing a successful strategy.
- Explanatory case studies can demonstrate a company's expertise and credibility to potential clients.
8- “Video Marketing Case Study” by L’Oréal and YouTube
The case study on L’Oréal and YouTube showcases the success of their video marketing campaign to launch a new product. The global marketing team members explain how they strategically used YouTube ads to achieve impressive results, including establishing the new product as the second-best in its category and generating 34% of all mass sales among online retailers.
The case study provides a detailed breakdown of the various stages of the campaign, from awareness to loyalty, highlighting the effective use of YouTube at each step. It serves as a great example of a third-person implementation case study that demonstrates the power of video marketing.
Key points for learning:
- Use YouTube ads strategically for different stages of a campaign, from awareness to loyalty.
- Effective use of video marketing can lead to impressive results, such as establishing a new product as a leading player in its category and generating significant sales.
- Third-person implementation case studies can showcase your expertise and the success of your marketing strategies to potential clients.
9- “Airbnd + Zendesk” by Zendesk
The case study by Zendesk, titled "Airbnb + Zendesk: building a powerful solution together" showcases a true partnership between Airbnb and Zendesk. The article begins with an intriguing opening statement, "Halfway around the globe is a place to stay with your name on it. At least for a weekend," and uses stunning photographs of beautiful Airbnb locations to captivate readers.
Instead of solely highlighting Zendesk's product, the case study is crafted to tell a good story and highlight Airbnb's service in detail. This strategy makes the case study more authentic and relatable.
Key points to take away from this case study:
- Use client's offerings' images rather than just screenshots of your own product or service.
- To begin the case study, it is recommended to include a distinct call to action. For instance, Zendesk presents two alternatives, namely to initiate a trial or seek a solution.
10- “Influencer Marketing” by Trend and WarbyParker
The case study from Trend and Warby Parker highlights the potential of influencer marketing, even when working with a limited budget. The "Wearing Warby" campaign involved influencers wearing Warby Parker glasses during their daily activities, providing a glimpse of the brand's products in use.
This strategy helped to make the brand more relatable to the influencers' followers. Although the case study does not delve deeply into the tactics used, it demonstrates the effectiveness of third-person case studies in showcasing the results of a campaign.
- Influencer marketing can be effective even with a limited budget.
- Showcasing products being used in everyday life can make a brand more approachable and relatable.
- Third-person case studies can be useful in highlighting the success of a campaign.
Marketing Case Study
Marketing Case Study Templates
Struggling to understand the correct case study format ? Check this case study format guide and perfect structure your case study today.
Business Case Study Examples
A business case study examines a business’s specific challenge or goal and how it should be solved. Business case studies usually focus on a number of details related to the initial challenge and proposed solution.
To help you out, here are some samples of business case studies.
Here are some more business case study examples:
Business Case Study on How Social Media led to Potential Customer Loss
Business Case Study Template on the Two Sides of Blog Posts In 2023
Typically, a business case study discovers one of your customer's stories and how you solved a problem for them. It will allow your prospects to see how your solutions address their needs.
Sales Case Study Examples
Case studies are important tools for sales teams to learn from in order to improve their own performance. By examining sales successes, teams can gain insights into effective strategies and create action plans to employ similar tactics.
By researching case studies of successful sales campaigns, sales teams can more accurately identify challenges and develop solutions.
Interview Case Study Examples
When seeking to answer complex questions, case studies are an invaluable tool. This type of analysis dives deeply into a specific subject, taking a close look at factors like demographics .
So, interview case studies provide businesses with invaluable information. This data allows them to make informed decisions related to certain markets or subjects.
Interview case study PDF
Remember:
Successful interviews provide a snapshot of individuals' perspectives. This helps inform businesses seeking to expand their services or create better products for their target audience.
Watch this video to learn the correct analysis of a business case study.
Case Study Examples Medical
Medical case studies are an essential part of medical education. They help students to understand how to diagnose and treat patients.
Here are some medical case study examples pdf to help you.
Medical Case Study Example
Nursing Case Study Examples
Want to understand the various types of case studies? Check out our types of case study blog to select the perfect type.
Case Study Examples Psychology
Case studies are a great way of investigating individuals with psychological abnormalities. This is why a case study is a very common assignment in psychology courses. By examining all the aspects of your subject’s life, you discover the possible causes of exhibiting such behavior.
For your help, here are some interesting psychology case study examples:
Psychology Case Study Examples PDF
Mental Health Patient Case Study Examples
Case Study Examples for Students In Daily Life
Case studies are a common requirement for students in various courses. But writing them can be tough, especially if you’re new to them. That's why we've gathered some examples from different fields that you may use as a guide.
Here are some of the examples that can help you write yours:
Software Engineering Case Study Sample
Qualitative Research Case Study Sample
Software Quality Assurance Case Study
Social Work Case Study Sample
Ethical Case Study PDF
Case Study Examples PDF
These examples can guide you on how to structure and format your own case studies.
Now that you have read multiple case study examples, hop on to our tips.
Tips to Write a Good Case Study
Here are some note-worthy tips to craft a winning case study
- Define the purpose of the case study This will help you to focus on the most important aspects of the case. The case study objective helps to ensure that your finished product is concise and to the point.
- Choose a real-life example. One of the best ways to write a successful case study is to choose a real-life example. This will give your readers a chance to see how the concepts apply in a real-world setting.
- Keep it brief. This means that you should only include information that is directly relevant to your topic and avoid adding unnecessary details.
- Use strong evidence. To make your case study convincing, you will need to use strong evidence. This can include statistics, data from research studies, or quotes from experts in the field.
- Edit and proofread your work. Before you submit your case study, be sure to edit and proofread your work carefully. This will help to ensure that there are no errors and that your paper is clear and concise.
There you go!
All about case study examples at your fingertips! We are sure that by now you have all the key essential guidelines of various case studies with samples. So grab your pen and start crafting a winning case study right away!
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Barbara P (Literature, Marketing)
Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.
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How to Write a Case Study (+10 Examples & Free Template!)
Ah, the case study: One of the most important pieces of marketing content for a business, and yet all too often, also the most boring. The problem with this is, lose a reader and you lose a customer. It doesn’t have to be this way!
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to write a case study that prospects will actually want to read. An attractive , inspiring , and convincing case study that turns readers into customers.
Table of contents
What is a case study.
- Why write a case study?
How long should a case study be?
- How to write a case study: Steps & format
- An example of a case study
- Tips to write a case study that gets read
- Real case study examples
- Free case study template doc
A case study is a self-contained story about how a real customer overcame their problems using your products or services. Notice how I used the word story. Marketers are obsessed with the notion of “storytelling” (usually without actually telling stories), but a good case study is a story with protagonist (your customer) who has a problem but who wins out in the end.
This case study example by Intercom puts faces to the name of their protagonist, Atlassian.
By the end of a case study, the reader should be able to visualize themselves as the hero of their own story. They should be able to relate to the problems of your featured customer, and see themselves achieving their own goals by using your product or service.
Why write a business case study?
Case studies may not be as sexy as a viral blog post, and as such they’re often overlooked in favor of other content formats. This begs the question – why create marketing case studies at all?
The answer is because they’re really effective.
- Build customer loyalty: Not only is this an opportunity to engage with your satisfied customer, but to reaffirm why they chose you and why they should continue to choose you.
- Assist sales: In addition to having case studies posted on your website, salespeople can share them with potential customers in conversations to help them build confidence in the prospect.
- Multi-purpose content: Quotes and data snippets from your case studies make great testimonial tidbits for your the homepage, products/services pages, landing pages, and more. You can also repurpose these into PDFs, videos, blog posts, and infographics.
- Earn trust: Case studies turn positive customer opinions into tangible data that actually proves your value. In fact, it’s among the most trusted content types according to 60% of marketers.
This varies by industry (a kitchen remodeling business could probably tell their whole story in pictures while a software invoicing solution, not so much), but here are some guidelines:
- Most resources tell you that a case study should be 500-1500 words.
- We also encourage you to have a prominent snapshot section of 100 words or less.
- The results and benefits section should take the bulk of the word count.
- Don’t use more words than you need. Let your data, images, and customers quotes do the talking.
What a marketing case study is NOT
A case study is an on-brand, data-driven, objective resource for potential customers to gain confidence in your business. Here is what they are not.
- Case studies are not press releases. Although case studies can be used to accompany new product launches, they are not merely vehicles to talk about new products. In fact, you should make your case studies as evergreen as possible so you can get the most mileage out of them.
- Case studies aren’t advertisements. Bits and pieces of cases studies can be used on landing pages or even in ad copy, but the case study itself should not be an ad. It’s not about roping in a customer or using exciting or embellishing words. It’s about sharing the facts.
- Good case studies are not about your company. They’re about the customer’s journey. Most case studies are bland, instantly forgettable crap because marketers ignore the fact that case studies are stories in the most literal sense. They get preoccupied with things like brand voice or messaging matrices and forget to leverage the narrative form that makes stories so compelling. Or, even worse, they simply can’t stop themselves from harping on about how great their company is, the gravest of sins when case studies are concerned.
How to write a case study: steps & format
Now that we’re clear on what a marketing case study is (and isn’t), as well as why you should be producing them, let’s talk about how to actually write a case study worth reading.
- Clear headline: Like a newspaper headline, it should give the most important information. A subtitle with supporting details or a customer quote is optional.
- Snapshot: Provide the TLDR prominently at the top, including the client’s name/industry, the product/service used, and quick result stats.
- Client introduction: One or two sentences describing the customer and a highlight about them.
- Problem: State the problem/goal, consequences, and any hesitations the customer had. Include quotes.
- Solution: Share how they found you, why they chose you, what solution they chose, and how it was implemented. Include quotes.
- Results: Describe the results and the benefits, as well as any bonus benefits that came of it. Include quotes.
- Conclusion: Share additional praise from the customer and words of advice they have for other people/businesses like them.
Click to view full-size.
A case study example
Let’s go into the details on each one of the steps above, using a fictional example. Our business is Kumbo Digital and our client is Currigate.
1. Start with a clear headline
This should be like a newspaper headline that gives the most important information. A subtitle with supporting details or a customer quote is optional.
Currigate Plugs $12k in Profit Leaks with Kumbo Digital
2. Provide a snapshot
There should be a section at the top with the important details. This includes
- Customer name/category/industry
- Product/service used
- Results (ideally three stats)
3. Introduce the client
Share one to two sentences with your customer’s name, industry, location, and a highlight.
Currigate is a software service that offers highly customizable subscription packages to banks, brokers, and investors in the mortgage lending market.
4. State the problem, consequences, & hesitations
Explain the issue the customer was facing or the goal they were having a hard time reaching—as well as the negative outcomes.
While this high level of customization is what sets Currigate apart from its competitors, it also requires multiple applications with disparate data and heavy manual work. Account owners were spending so much time manage invoicing, there was little left over to build relationships with clients, stay on top of overages, and upsell. This was leading to leaks in profitability and a weakening of customer service.
Include customer quotes as well as any hesitancies they had with using a product or service like yours.
“We were getting in our own way,” said Melanie Grigham, Currigate’s VP of Operations. “Our customer relationships were starting to falter, and we knew we had to do something. But the thought of manipulating just one of our data sources—let alone all seven—was scary. There were so many random connections in place and so much confidential information, we couldn’t risk it all breaking.”
5. Describe the solution
Share how the customer found your business and why they chose you.
Grigham learned about Kumbo Digital through none other than Google research and decided to get in touch. “The thought of explaining the whole thing felt daunting, but I was relieved to hear [the rep] finishing my sentences for me!”
Include which specific product or service they chose, how it was implemented, and how the customer used it. Stay brief!
After learning the details of the situation, the Kumbo team proposed a custom solution that would integrate all of the data sources into one dashboard. “I was hesitant at first, but they showed me a small scale example which helped me to understand a little more about how it would work. I appreciated their patience with me as I took some time to make a decision.” Grigham finally went with it. The dashboard took three weeks to implement and the data migration took just under a day.
6. Share the results & benefits
Share how the client used your product/service, what the results were, and the benefits. Include direct quotes and clear evidence (statistical data, before-and-after images, time-lapse videos, etc.)
With the new platform, Currigate’s account managers could access all seven data sources—as well as generate, track, send, and approve invoices—all in one place. Time spent invoicing went from days to hours, freeing up time for them to engage with customers and work toward strategic goals. “Our staff are less bogged down to the point where they’re asking to take on more clients—which is unheard of.” The redesigned and simplified product catalog (206 product codes instead of 1,024) has also made it easier for them to upsell as well as recommend combinations for specific needs. “Sometimes our new clients don’t know what they want, and this is perfect for giving them a starting point.” In addition, Currigate was able to identify $12,403 worth of overages they wouldn’t have caught otherwise. “Now, we can be sure that their customers are being billed appropriately (which is great for us) and receiving the services best fit for their dynamic needs (which is great for them). It’s a win-win.”
7. Conclude with words of advice and a CTA
Share where the client is headed, any additional quotes or praise, and/or their advice for similar potential clients.
Today, Currigate’s unique subscription model is as strong as ever. It’s even considering opening up to new markets. “We never thought we’d reach this point so soon—we thought new markets was years down the line,” said Melanie. When asked what advice she had for other businesses like hers, she talked about mixing faith and facts. “You’ve got to do your research to find a trusted provider, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to a leap of faith, and sometimes you just have to do it.”
Finish off with a CTA to contact your business and/or a link to view more case studies.
Tips on how to write a case study that prospects will want to read
Alright, so that was a basic example of a case study, but there’s more to it than just the words that comprise it. Here are eight tips to write a great case study that prospects will want to read and that will help close deals.
1. Make it as easy as possible for the client
Just like when asking for reviews , it’s important to make the process as clear and easy as possible for the client. When you reach out, ask if you can use their story of achievement as a case study for your business.
Make the details as clear as possible, including:
- The process (20 minute interview, follow up with a draft for their approval).
- Where the case study will live (on your website? in PDFs shared by sales reps? etc.)
- Their options for the interview (in person, phone/video call, via email).
- Any benefits (exposure on social, for example).
The clearer the picture you paint for them, the more receptive they’ll be to sharing their time with you.
2. Include a prominent snapshot with the results
While a good case study is like a story, you don’t want to hold out on your reader until the end. You want them to know the results right off the bat, then they can read further to find out how those results were achieved. In the example below, the overall picture is made clear with the title ( The Loot Box Uses Ad Factory and Content Marketing to Drive Sales ) and the three stats below it.
Image source
3. Choose an interesting angle
Apart from kitchen remodeling and website makeovers, it can be hard to make a case study compelling. But there is always room for creativity.
- Focus on particularly interesting customers who use your product in a unique way or who have a more extreme situation.
- Weave a theme into the story that connects your industry with theirs (this might mean puns).
- Hook the reader at the beginning with a teaser about the best result in the study.
- Incorporate the client’s unique personality into the story.
The more compelling your angle, the better the story. The better the story, the more engaging your case study will be. In Mailchimp’s case study example below, the customer name (Good Dye Young), compelling headline , and expressive image all work together to give this case study life.
4. But make it relatable to all prospects
Your angle is the “hook” that will catch your audience’s attention, but it’s essential that ALL prospects can relate to and identify with the problems encountered by your case study’s “protagonist.” This means catering to your core demographics and target markets , and solving the problems most commonly experienced by your customers.
The same Mailchimp case study example above finishes off with an “advice for other small businesses” section:
5. Make them visually appealing (and consistent)
We already know that case studies aren’t the most exciting reads, so don’t make it worse by throwing a bunch of text and numbers onto a page. A good case study is skimmable, visual, and organized.
6. Be the supporting character, not the hero
Your company should always be positioned as a helping hand that helped the real hero of the story—your client—overcome their obstacle. There are two reasons this approach is so effective. Firstly, you want your audience to visualize themselves as the protagonist of the case study. This is much more difficult if you won’t stop talking about how great your company or product is. Secondly, adopting a more humble tone can help increase your credibility in the mind of the reader.
- Allbird’s omnichannel conversions soared
- Gymshark scaled internationally
- Staples replatformed in half the time
- Bombas saved $108,000 a year
7. Let your clients tell their own story
As a storyteller, it’s your job to craft a compelling narrative about how your featured client triumphed over the forces of evil using your product or service, but that doesn’t mean your protagonist doesn’t have their own voice.
Let them tell the story in their own words and then incorporate direct quotes into your narrative. This will break up your text, increase credibility, and make your protagonist a tangible character that readers can relate to. Take an interview style format and use paraphrasing and annotations so the text isn’t repetitive. Set up the segue and create room for your client’s quote, and let them do the rest.
View the full case study example here.
8. Have realistic expectations
Yes, we want to create a useful, helpful resource for prospective customers, but let’s be real—nobody’s winning a Pulitzer for a case study, and it won’t be going viral on social media, no matter how well-written it is.
Case studies are little more than tools to be used by either self-motivated prospects researching your company, or by sales professionals as tools to help convince prospects to convert. Nothing more. They’re designed for audiences that are already strongly considering becoming your customers, which is a smaller but more qualified group of people than your general audience.
So don’t be disheartened if your case study content doesn’t attract as much traffic or engagement as your best or even average content. They’re not meant to. But that doesn’t mean you should stop creating them or start obsessing over how to improve them.
Business case study examples
Here are some business case study examples that put the tips in this guide into play.
Call us biased, but LOCALiQ’s case study format is pretty rad. What we like about it:
- High-quality visual at the top.
- Immediate snapshot of customer and results.
- Clear-cut sections with challenges, solutions, and results.
- Customer quotes layered in with paraphrasing and commentary.
Read this case study example.
You saw a sneak peek of this above! What we like about it:
- Special care given to give the client a face and a glowing description.
- Nice mix of real images with graphics ( one of our landing page design trends ).
- Newspaper headline approach (with a rhyme!): Atlassian powers sales with support at scale with Intercom
- Prominent data results
- Snapshot sidebar on the left with client information and features used.
After the “Good Dye Young” example earlier, how could we not include another Mailchimp case study? What we like about it:
- Compelling headline: How Stretch & Flex Started and Grew During a Pandemic
- How the subtitle aids in the TLDR: Surveys helped the virtual Pilates studio make quick adjustments and plan for long‑term success.
- Colorful, expressive images and clean snapshot.
- Alternating background colors to distinguish the quotes and stats—the best parts of the story, of course.
- Conclusion with advice to small businesses.
Wrike takes the case study snapshot to the next level in this example. What we like about it:
- Puts a face to the name of the client, just like Intercom does.
- Nice mix of photos and graphics together (like Intercom).
- Mega snapshot that basically gives you all of the information you need.
- Bright green result data.
Our final marketing case study example comes from Slintel, a go-to-market intelligence software. What we like about it:
- Attractive headline: Leoforce sees 2x increase in meetings booked with Slintel
- Coordination of image with branding colors.
- That it is written by their RevOps manager ( what is RevOps? ).
- Descriptive headings: The Challenge: Cleaning up bad data.
- Large results data and prominent quote callout boxes.
View full case study here
Marketing case study templates
To make things easy for you, I’ve compiled the tips and examples into a marketing case study template, in document form, that you can use to write your own.
- WordStream’s case study template doc: All the steps in this guide compiled into this case study Google Doc template to make your life much easier.
- Canva case study templates: Canva has a number of free case study templates (the one in tip #5 is one of them!) that look professional and polished.
- Visme’s case study templates: With a free login, you can access and customize some of Visme’s case study templates.
- Storydoc’s case study templates and design tips : Use Storydoc’s case study templates to create and customize a great story with a 14-day free trial.
Use these case study examples & tips to get started with your own
No two businesses are alike, and case studies vary widely in terms of style, tone, and format . One thing that all marketing case studies share, however, is their purpose – to convince prospects that doing business with you is a good idea. With these case study steps, tips, examples, and templates, you’ll be well on your way to producing stories your prospects will actually want to read.
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Kristen mccormick.
Kristen is the Senior Managing Editor at WordStream, where she helps businesses to make sense of their online marketing and advertising. She specializes in SEO and copywriting and finds life to be exponentially more delightful on a bicycle.
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5 Steps for Writing a Case Study for Business (+Templates)
Get professional tips for writing a case study that drives business impact. Learn the best format and research method to use alongside examples & templates .
John McTale
7 minute read
Short answer
What is a case study.
- Open with an introductory overview
- Explain the problem in question
- Detail the solutions that solved the problem
- Refer to key results
- Finish with recommendations and next steps
Why you need a case study
“I climbed Mount Everest and I did it all by myself.” “Yeah mate, pics or it didn’t happen.” The same logic applies to case studies. In business, it’s “case studies or it didn’t happen.” A well-written case study legitimizes your product or services. It proves the impact your actions have on the bottom line and is the single most important element of building trust amongst prospective clients. But… How do you write a *perfect* case study? One that engages readers and makes them care about your offering and excited to work with you?
In business, a case study is a written description and analysis of how a company or a person approached a problem and what results they achieved. The most common type of a case study in a professional setting is a story detailing a partnership between a vendor and a client.
What is the purpose of a case study?
The purpose of a case study, usually, is to provide your prospective clients with specific examples of how your products or services can help solve business problems they might be facing.
Case studies legitimize your business activities allowing you to go beyond explaining what you do and focus on how well you do it. (And, in case you were wondering just HOW important case studies are, here’s an item of data to ponder: according to a DemandGen report , 78% of B2B buyers want to review case studies before making a purchase decision.)
There’s no magic behind it. Just a proven, simple formula I’m about to share with you. Spend the next 7 minutes reading this guide and you’ll learn how to write case studies better than any case study you’ve created in the past. Important caveat: this article explains how to write a case study for business purposes. If you’re interested in writing research case studies for academia, refer to this excellent guide by University of Southern California. If, in turn, you’re struggling with putting together a medical case study, here’s a fantastic 101 by the BMJ . I’m not going to pretend I know better than these guys do.
For your reference, here’s an example of our very own case study, showing how, at Storydoc, we helped the Spot company boost some of their key metrics: Learn How Spot by NetApp boosted their conversion rates 2x Full disclosure: the case study features promotional elements (and that’s precisely the point, more on that later). Want to see the deck that helped them achieve such an amazing result? Check it out here:
Spot's team used this deck to boost their conversion 2x
By drawing the bigger picture even deep-tech software products can be easily explained.
Browse interactive case study templates
No matter how great the contents of your case study might be, if you fail to present it in an eye-pleasing way, most likely, no one will really read it. The good news? I’ve put together a gallery of the most professional, attention-grabbing case study templates available online. You can find it here: Case Study Templates & Design Tips Or, take a shortcut to great case study design and use our presentation maker . Have a look below to see what your case study might look like.
And now, let’s get to the case study 101. (If you’re only interested in a specific section of a case study, simply click on a jump-to link in the table of contents below.)
Here's how to write a case study:
1. open with an introductory overview.
The last thing you want is for someone to open your case study, give it a quick glance, and decide to skip. See— People don’t usually read case studies. At least not immediately. First, they skim the contents to see if the subject is relevant enough. How to make sure your case study sticks? At the beginning, place an introductory overview (also called an “executive summary”). Provide an overview of the whole case. It’s not supposed to be a catchy intro but a full synopsis, detailing the problem at hand, your assumptions, the solutions implemented, and the results achieved.
How to write a case study introduction?
Introduce the purpose of the case study—specify exactly what you were aiming to achieve.
Define the problem or the most significant challenge. For instance, low conversion rates, a technological issue or high costs. (It could also be a combination of such factors!)
Explain briefly what the solution to the problem was.
Share the most important results your actions produced. Don’t go into too much detail, a few key points will do. It’s best if you can quantify the results: numbers pop!
Keep it short. Usually, 2–4 paragraphs + a few bullet points with key results will do.
While, as its name implies, this section comes at the beginning of your case study, write it last. First, craft the rest of your document, then pick the most important bits and compile them into the introductory overview.
2. Explain the problem in question
“Adam caught a flat tire. In the middle of the desert. He had no spare, no signal, no food, and only enough water to keep him alive for 48 hours.” Oh dear, poor Adam! What could possibly be done to help him?! See, in your case study, make the client seem like Adam so that, later on, you can paint your company like the miraculous savior. Of course, I’m exaggerating, but only so much. The purpose of the “problem” section in a case study is to arouse emotions from the readers. Ideally, in such a way that they can picture themselves as Adam. Highlight a problem your product or services solve and present an example of when that problem was troubling a client really badly.
How to write a “problem” section in a case study?
In a single sentence, describe your customer’s business challenges and objectives.
Explain the problem your customer faced that prevented them from achieving those objectives prior to working with you.
If that was the case, mention other solutions your client experimented with that didn’t work out and explain why.
Make it clear how the issue or problem impacted the client’s business results so that it’s easy to understand why a solution was badly needed.
3. Detail the solutions implemented to solve the problem
Here comes the moment to toot your own horn a bit (and also that moment when you can get slightly technical). Present your solutions in reference to the issue your client was dealing with and make it obvious that those are easily replicable for all future cases. Of course, the exact formula for this section will depend on your industry and mode of operation. Sometimes a 2–3 paragraph summary will be enough, in other cases, you’ll need to include more detailed technical specs regarding the solution you implemented.
How to write a solutions section in a case study?
Focus on your customer’s experience in using your product or services.
Explain the process: say how long it took to get the solution up and running and what teams on your customer’s end were involved.
Highlight the features of your product or service that turned out to be the most beneficial to your customer.
If possible, attach or link to relevant assets that will work as real-life examples of your solution (unless, of course, the information is highly sensitive).
Always run your case study by your client’s marketing team before you go live. Even if you’re using direct quotes or verifiable results, it’s ultimately their decision whether or not to make certain information freely available.
4. Refer to key results
In business, nothing speaks louder than ROI and you know it. Prospective customers reading your case study won’t be bothered to take notice of your state-of-the-art technology or innovative approach. Neither will they care about your past customers’ happiness. What they want to know is this: Will that help me save or make money? When writing a case study, your job is to present results in a way that answers the above question with a resounding YES. You need to make it blatantly obvious that your solutions heavily impact the bottom line of the client in question and that such results are easily replicable.
Here’s how to write about results:
In a few bullet points, list numerical results your solution delivered to the client.
Ideally, you’ll want to include revenue-related data: increase in clients’ base, more demos booked, higher conversion rates, or optimized pricing.
If you can’t (or aren’t allowed to) share hard sales numbers, refer to softer KPIs: time saved, customer happiness scores, expanding the community, or enhancing brand visibility.
If possible, by all means include quotes from your client. Results should speak for themselves, obviously, but showing the real human whose problems you solved makes for a much more powerful narrative. Plus, it further adds credibility to the case study. Start by preparing a list of powerful case study questions to guide your client interviews.
5. Finish with recommendations and next steps
Everyone enjoys a solid epilogue. To end on a high note, include a list of key findings from your case study. Even if a given reader won’t decide to get in touch with you, at least you’ll provide them with a valuable source of knowledge—sometimes that’s enough to keep your company top of mind in the future. Plus, if you’re planning to continue working with the subject of your case study, definitely mention that! It shows that your support is valuable enough to warrant long-term collaboration, not just a one-off endeavor. Now, not every case study requires a call to action (especially if your main purpose is to inform and educate rather than convert, which is okay, too), but for those more commercially-oriented ones, do add it. Make your CTA singular and clear —if the most desired action is to reach out to you, leave your contact details, if you’d rather direct prospects to a landing page or a welcome screen, add a button.
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And that’s a wrap!
Here are the key points to keep in mind when writing a case study:
Put an introductory overview at the beginning.
Present the problem you were solving and your exact solutions to that problem.
Include numerical, verifiable results your product or services delivered for the client.
Explain what the next steps are, especially if you plan to continue working with the client.
Finish with a strong, clear CTA, making it easy for prospects to reach out to you.
Thanks for reading the guide. Keeping my fingers crossed for your case study and wishing many successful cases so that you’ll always have something to write about.
Hi, I'm John, Editor-in-chief at Storydoc. As a content marketer and digital writer specializing in B2B SaaS, my main goal is to provide you with up-to-date tips for effective business storytelling and equip you with all the right tools to enable your sales efforts.
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10+ Case Study Summary Example in PDF
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Step 1: Select a case Step 2: Build a theoretical framework Step 3: Collect your data Step 4: Describe and analyze the case When to do a case study A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject.
The above information should nicely fit in several paragraphs or 2-3 case study template slides. 2. Explain the Solution. The bulk of your case study copy and presentation slides should focus on the provided solution (s). This is the time to speak at lengths about how the subject went from before to the glorious after.
Use a simple but clear layout in your case study Using a simple layout in your case study can be incredibly effective, like in the example of a case study below. Keeping a clean white background, and using slim lines to help separate the sections is an easy way to format your case study.
To begin preparing your case study, start observing data and metrics. You can also take notes and highlight important information, facts, values or other details about a client's journey that help you create a narrative. Before you begin writing, it's also important to obtain consent from the client to use their journey in this document.
Case studies start with background information about the customer, describe problems they were facing, present the solutions you developed, and explain how those solutions positively impacted the customer's business. Back to Top Do Marketing Case Studies Really Work? Absolutely.
The title page should include: A title that attracts some attention and describes your study. The title should have the words "case study" in it. The title should range between 5-9 words in length. Your name and contact information. Your finished paper should be only 500 to 1,500 words in length.
Case Studies Public TV Station Changes Its Strategy Strategic Planning Case Study Here is a streamlined strategic planning case study for work we did with a $55 million public radio and television broadcasting company.
Here you need to briefly elaborate on the accomplishment. What you have done and how you got there. Executive Summary. Write about the entire story in one paragraph followed by 2-3 bullet points to display the case study contents. Subject Information. An introduction about what the case study is all about.
Here are 05 short case studies on change management that offer you valuable insights on managing change. 1. Adobe- a transformation of HR functions to support strategic change Many a times external factors lead to changes in organisational structures and culture.
Concept of Planning: A Case Study V L Mote B G Shah In this paper we cite a case study of "planning" at the Ahmedabad Branch of the Praia Bank. The stuidy underlines how creative aspects of the planning process can suffer if planning is reduced to a mechanistic target-setting and budgeting exercise with or without formal use of environmental data.
Case 10 Situation: The Acme Tube Company has for the last 10 years used 42" square reusable wooden boxes to ship custom length short tubing. During the past year the unit cost of a shipping box has soared from $14.50 to $40.00 per unit. In addition, box maintenance has gone up from $5 per year to $22 per year.
A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in various fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work.
Planning focuses on achieving objectives by deciding upon the activities to be undertaken. Planning is a primary function as it precedes all functions of management i.e. organising, staffing, directing& controlling. Planning is pervasive as it is required at all the levels of management but its scope may vary.
CASE STUDIES Question 1. A shoe manufacturing company wants to become a market leader. For this a detailed planning is required. The first step taken by the firm is to set targets for the three months duration for selling maximum number of shoes in the market which they set as 2,50,000.
Explain the features of above identified function in relevance to case study. Answers: (a) Planning (b) (i) Planning focuses on achieving objectives (ii) Planning is futuristic (iii) Planning involves decision making. Q4; Raman and Aman are managers in a same company .
Case Study #2 - Incorporating Highway Capacity Manual Procedures into Long-Range Transportation Planning (HTML, PDF 1.4MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-003, September 2009). Case Study #3 - Using Archived Data As a Tool for Operations Planning ( HTML , PDF 2.8MB) (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-10-004, September 2009).
Open up with a summary that communicates who your client is and why they reached out to you. Like in the other case study examples, you'll want to close out with a quantitative list of your achievements. 16. " NetApp ," by Evisort. Evisort opens up its NetApp case study with an at-a-glance overview of the client.
1 Case Study #4 - Short Term Financial Planning By - KARANDEEP KAUR Student no. - 200530624 Georgian College, Barrie BMGT 1001 Finance for Managers Robert Arena Date - 09/12/2022 2 Based on the already supplied information, we will first need to create the income statement and balance sheet for the company.
Leadership in Focus is a large collection of case vignettes, teaching, and learning resources that bring real-world business challenges to life and spark lively discussions aimed at improving executive skills. Each short video is accompanied by teaching notes for added context, suggested discussion questions and role-playing ideas to help ...
CASELET CASELETS, as opposed to case studies, are brief case studies ranging between 6-8 pages. Written in a more compact style with an appealing narrative, the caselets' focus is on covering more depth in a given area. Every Caselet comes with a rigorously written teaching note.
Case Study Research. A case study is a detailed study of a person, group, event, place, phenomenon, or organization. Case study methods are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research. A case study research design usually involves qualitative research methods, but in some cases, qualitative research is also used.
A case study is a research method used to study a particular individual, group, or situation in depth. It involves analyzing and interpreting data from a variety of sources to gain insight into the subject being studied.
1. Make it as easy as possible for the client. Just like when asking for reviews, it's important to make the process as clear and easy as possible for the client. When you reach out, ask if you can use their story of achievement as a case study for your business. Make the details as clear as possible, including:
While, as its name implies, this section comes at the beginning of your case study, write it last. First, craft the rest of your document, then pick the most important bits and compile them into the introductory overview. 2. Explain the problem in question. "Adam caught a flat tire. In the middle of the desert.
The format of a case study summary is for the understanding of the collected data. 10+ Case Study Summary Example. A lot of case studies are hard to understand. Some people even dread the idea of reading the whole research project from start to finish. Thankfully, there is a more natural way to grasp the context of the study. That is through ...