How to Make a Case Study Format

In business, a case study provides an analysis of the relationship between a challenge and solution. Formatting the case study, therefore, begins with the introduction, which leads into the analysis that enables the reader to evaluate the information presented in the study. Case studies can be extremely complex, or very simple. While there are no hard and fast rules to writing a case study, the overall objective of presenting a challenge and solution that can be evaluated should be maintained and used as the guideline to format a case study.

Instructions

1. Introduce the challenge in the beginning of the case study. You can introduce the challenge by simply stating what the challenge is. Within the introduction, provide some background information on the factors that drive the business to seek the solution. For example, "Company ABC grew beyond expectations in the first five years of being in business and, as a result, could not meet shipping expectations on time." It is also a common practice in a case study to provide the solution within the introduction section to give the reader the context of the study. For example, "Company ABC found that by using Company XYZ's shipping platform, shipping times were reduced by 20 percent."

2. Provide the steps the business took in reaching the solution. You can break this portion of the case study down into as many segments as makes sense for clarity's sake. Continuing the example, Company ABC breaks down the process of finding the solution into three steps: researching the problem, researching potential business partners, and how implementing the solution took place. The elements of this section should enable the reader to reach the same conclusion the business reached when going through the steps toward reaching the solution.

3. Conclude the case study by summarizing the outcomes the business experienced in moving toward the solution. Keep a close correlation with how the positive outcome is tied to one of the steps the business took in determining the solution. For example, "Company ABC found that, according to market research, Company XYZ can not only solve the shipping problem now, but is able to handle the expected shipping needs for Company ABC for years to come."

References

• Intel; Case Study: Digital Cinema Speeds to the Next Level of Multi-Core Performance with Intel Core i7 processor; June 2009
• The Times 100; Barclays: Discovering Customer Needs Through Research; 2010

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish