How to Prepare a Business Case Study

A business case study includes valuable information.

A business case study is an important tool needed when researching a business in depth, because it helps explain the company's history, financial statements and business plan. When putting together a case study, you are presenting a chronological study on how a specific company has evolved over a period of years. A business case study includes such information as its position in the marketplace, its business plan, its growth initiatives and its competitors and history. Business case studies are usually prepared in business or graduate school, but they can also help individuals and small-business owners understand companies and businesses better.

Instructions

1. Read about the company you have been tasked to research for your case study. Find all relevant materials needed to give you information via the company's website, articles about the company from credible publishers, the company's stock price if available and any financial statements, which are usually provided on the company's website. If the corporate site includes podcasts or audio files from recent meetings, you should listen to those, too.

2. Find out what the company's strengths and weaknesses are. Determine this information from publications about the company, its website and its business plan. For example, some companies have strengths in marketing, while others have strengths in research and development.

3. Do research on external threats to your business. Such external threats can include the company's current or possible future competitors, market forces and changes as well as similar products from other businesses. Basic information is on Yahoo! Finance, where you can search based on the company's industry and product type. Find a few of its competitors and determine their strengths in comparison to the company you are preparing your business case study on. You can also call the company, ask for its head of marketing, share that you are researching the company and ask the representative to name some of the company's biggest competitors and any market forces that oppose any of its growth initiatives.

4. Read up on the company's corporate profile as well as its mission or value statement to understand where it is headed.

5. Compile your findings to create an analysis of your business. Present your business case study as a research paper designed to give your audience information on the business you are studying, chronologically starting with its beginning, how it achieved its present position (exceptional product, excellent marketing tactics or optimal funding), where the company intends to head in the future and your own thoughts on where you think the business will go.

References

• Cengage Learning: Case Studies: Overview