Review the instructions for your Case Study one final time and make sure you have completed all the requirements. Your instructor will use the instructions when grading your case. Click below for inst

In other studies, there will be no good outcomes – all the options have some negative impact on the firm. You may find yourself needing to make hard choices. We all dislike the option of firing staff or clo sing a factory, although that may be the best solution to the firm’s problems. While you are encouraged to always apply the principle of “doing well by doing good” , you are also expected to make the correct managerial decision. Occasionally, the right decision is to do nothing. The firm is just fine and no action is required.

This is rare as , in general , it defeats the purpose of an academic case study. Should you choose this option in y our case analysis you must make an exceptionally strong case for doing so as managers rarely get paid for doing nothing. As you may have learned in other classes, 90 percent of marketing is common sense and the same often applies to case studies. If your solution or analysis seems to o complex -it probably is. The KISS principle is often the best principle. Always keep in mind that real people, not imaginary characters in your analysis, have to implement your solution. There are a number of Web sites offeri ng guidelines for case studies and you are strongly encouraged to explore them. Here’s one to get you started: http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/Busi/IntroBus/CASEMETHOD.html I. Format  4-5 pages exclusive of cover, abstract and reference pages (total of a pproximately 8 -9 pages)  Pages must be numbered  Tables, charts, graphs and images are all welcome but are NOT included in the page total (although they will frequently contribute to a good grade!)  Cover page must be APA compliant  Separate abstract page  Sepa rate reference page  12 point Times Roman font  Double spaced with 1” margins The use of headers and sub -headers is strongly suggested MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 2 II. Submission 1. S ub mit to TurnItIn via eCollege III. Cover page You must use an APA cover page. You will find an example at the end of these instructions IV. Abstract Your abstract must be on a separate page and should be a summary of your paper.

Typically, your abstract will be a long paragraph in length. V. Body This should be about 4 -5 pages in length (minimum – this is only a guideline) a) Case Background In 3 -4 paragraphs describe the case facts and background. This should include BRIEF information about the firm, however do NOT simply duplicate what is in the case itself.

As things change quickly in busines s, you may wish to check the current status of the firm and briefly discuss the most current information. b) . Key Issues What are the key marketing or business issues in the case? These might be problems, opportunities or challenges the firm is facing. F or example:  Sales have declined by 10 percent in the last year.  The competition has launched a new and innovative product.  Consumer tastes have changed and the firm’s most successful product is at risk. Typically, there will b e 2 -4 of these and you sh ould briefly describe each. You may wish to cite information from the case to support your contention that these are key issues. You will need to consider if the issues are independent or interdependent. If the former, you may treat the solutions as import ant to that issue alone. If the issues are interdependent, you may need to consider how the solutions you describe below impact more than one issue or problem. c) Analysis of Alternative Solutions. For the issues you identified above, you must identify potential solutions and analyze each of them. For example, for the declin e in sales noted above we might try any of the following, among other options: MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 3 1. increase advertising 2. develop a new product 3. change distribution or retailers 4. launch a brand awareness campaign For each of the alternatives, you should analyze the costs, benefits, resources required and possible outcomes. Typically, you will have 3-4 of these alternatives. Any given alternative solution might address multiple issues. If this is the case be sure to so note in your narrative. In your analysis consider tools such as SWOT, breakeven analysis, market research and other marketing tools. Typically, this will be the longest and most detailed portion of your case analysis. d) Recom mendations 1. Rank your options Begin by rank ordering your alternatives from most to least desirable. In a sentence or two explain the rank you have assigned each alternative solution. Be sure to consider if the alternative solutions help resolve more tha n a single issue. You should also consider which issues are critical to the firm’s success and which are peripheral or less important. 2. Select and implement your preferred solution This is the most important part of your case analysis. Begin by s elec ting the solution that you believe will best solve the issues o r problems you have identified. Describe in detail WHY you have selected your given solution. Make sure that when supporting your preferred solution your arguments are consistent with the ana lysis you conducted above. Be very organized and methodical in your recommendations and do not “beat around the bush”. Pick a solution and support that decision with facts and sound reasoning. NOTE – you may combine more than one solution but in doing so y ou must support BOTH and justify the expense. VI. Conclusion – Lesson Learned What is the most important take -away or lesson learned from this case ? Be specific and describe why you selected this particular “lesson”. MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 4 VII. References. You must in clude a separate page listing your references in APA format. If you need help with APA try the OWL Purdue University Web site http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ You must have three references other than the tex t, course slides or other course materials, as follows:  ONE reference from a peer reviewed academic journal or paper  ONE reference from a popular business press source (WSJ, Inc., Business Week, The Economist. Harvard Business Journal among other options)  ONE reference from an online source – NO Wikipedia or similar sources. In some cases blogs may be acceptable. Proquest is a good source for finding articles ; see "Using ProQuest for Your Case Study References" in Doc Sharing. GRADING GUIDELINES In addition to the grading rubric below the following specific deductions will apply: Mis sing or incorrect cover page – 10 point deduction Missing or inaccu rate references or citations – 10 point deduction for each Not having a separate page for references – 5 point deduction Not formatted per i nstructions – 10 point deduction Missing Abstract – 10 point deduction (partial deduction for short or poorly organized abstract) Missing page numbers – 5 point deduction Criteria A B C D F Punct uality On time 10 % for each day 10 % for each day 10 % for each day 10 % for each day Grammar One point deduction for each error in APA, grammar, spelling or punctuation One point deduction for each error in APA, grammar, spelling or punctuation One point de duction for each error in APA, grammar, spelling or punctuation One point deduction for each error in APA, grammar, spelling or punctuation One point deduction for each error in APA, grammar, spelling or punctuation MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 5 Length Full points for meeting the leng th requirement 25% deduction for 75% of required length 50% deduction for 50% of required length 75% deduction for 25% of required length Up to 100% deduction for less than 25% of length Content Full points: Fully meets the content requirements 20 poin t deduction for 75% of content 40 point deduction for 50% of content 60 point deduction for 25% of content 80 or more points for less than 25% of content Third part y content (see note below) Deduction is proportional to the p ercent of third party conten t in excess of 15%, exclusive of images, at the discretion of the instructor. THIRD PARTY CONTENT As with any academic assignment you may use third party content on a limited basis to support your arguments and conclusions. The guideline for this case analysis is approximately 15 percent of your paper may be direct quotes or content from your sources. All such quotes or content MUST be cited in APA format. Saint Leo Honor Code applies to cheating, copying or plagiarism. MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 6 THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN APA COVER PAGE Running Head : The name of your paper The Name of Your Paper Sub name if any Paper Type (marketing plan, case analysis, thesis) Your Name Your School Name MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 7 Abstract Your abstract foll ows your cover page and is typically a paragraph in length. It is a brief summary of your analysis. MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 8 BEGIN THE BODY OF YOUR PAPER ON THE PAGE FOLLOWING THE ABSTRACT MKT310 Case Study Assignment Instructions 9 Refer ences End your paper with your references listed in APA format on a separate page.