| Forum Topic : what are Case studies? | |
| Submitted by vikram on 07/07/2009 - 06:00 PM | |
| Case studies are gaining in popularity as assignments for college students. The reason for the interest in case studies is that a student has to write a summary of a real life situation that is based on research. Case studies help to develop critical thinking skills because you have to consider both the pros and the cons of your solutions to the issue. In order to develop a case study, you need to know your objective. Make sure you understand the assignment, and then start your research. Look at the organization in terms of its mission, both current and historical, and identify who is important in as well as who is important to the organization. Find out the decision making processes, both formal and informal, of the organization you are studying. Look at the product, the delivery, the clients, the vendors and the competitors. After doing your background research, it is time to state your problem. Then label other problems that may develop from the main one. After that, you need to look at the person or persons who are responsible for the management, the production and the services. It will help you to identify the strategic issues of the case study and to state the decisions that need to be made. Look at the organization in its historical context and go ahead and label future risk factors. Name your options. Compare the options, looking at both positive and negative aspects. Weigh your data and make a recommendation. Be certain that you justify your recommendation. The last step is to write up the information and the process a summary that keeps to the main issues. Don’t put in irrelevant details in a case study. Reading Essays When you get ready to read an essay, a book, or an article, take a look at the title. It can tell you about the subject. Find out when the reading material was written. You also need to find out about the author. Check out the author’s validity and see if the view of the reading material is biased. Go ahead and read the material and make a notation of the material that is relevant. See what facts and evidence you want to remember. It is also a good idea to check out the bibliography to see what else is available on a topic. After you have read the material, ask yourself what you learned and how you can use it. Decide if you agree with the author or not then look at the reasons for your decision. Once you have read the material, make a summary sheet of what you learned from the reading. This sheet may be used for study or as a reference for further research. If the material is particularly difficult, read only a small chapter or sub topic at a time. Look at the graphics in an effort to understand the text. Look away from what you are reading in an effort to understand it. Be sure to use your dictionary and look up any words that you do not understand. Keep on reading through to the end. Often your ideas and thoughts on the subject will be clarified toward the end of the reading. Sometimes it is a good idea to put the material down and come back to it the next day. This will give your brain time to process what you have read. Sometimes when you are relaxed, clarity will come. If the material is too difficult to understand after trying all these techniques, go to your teacher and explain that you cannot understand it. Ask for help and suggestions. |
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