Individual Case Study Paper

A case is a scenario or a description of a business situation in which a company or manager typically is faced with an action. Like real-life situations, cases include information that is not necessarily orderly. You must provide some order by selecting which pieces of information to attend to and which to ignore. Preparing a case analysis requires one to analyze an array of information, diagnose a situation, and suggest a course of action.

For this assignment, you will be asked to complete a 3  page, double-spaced paper, with subheadings to organize your paper. Read the selected case and prepare an analysis of the case that includes:

• Description of the case situation: Identify key issues, people, and conditions in the case. Also, consider any constraints or demands imposed by the situation or environment. Just stick to the facts in this part—no diagnosis or recommendations.  This component will set the context for your case analysis. The description of the case situation should comprise a relatively SMALL portion of the overall case analysis.
• Diagnosis of the problem: Begin this section with a clear statement of the problem(s). Then diagnose what is causing/contributing to the problem using  information from the case and key concepts from the course in an appropriate way. Often a case will embed problems within a broad context of many other problems. The key is to identify the focal problem (and its antecedents or causes) that is central to the case. Antecedents or causes often include elements of the situation, as well as people with differing motivations/goals. Try to differentiate symptoms from underlying causes. Cite all sources using APA format. This component should comprise a MAJOR portion of the case analysis. In this case, be sure to address issues around Wildfire’s organizational structure (is a single org structure effective — why/why not?; what are the pros/cons of each of the structures Wildfire used – functional/matrix/divisional?; in a period of rapid growth, when does management know that structure should be changed?). When referencing course terms, be sure to 1) use the term properly, 2) define the term, 3) cite the source.
  • For this case specifically, be sure to address the problem around the rapid expansion of Wildfire and the potential need to reorganize. Address the pros and cons of the three presented org structures. Also… what happens if Wildfire stays as is? What happens if they redesign too often? You can also touch upon how the consultant Elizabeth can gain legitimacy and gain buy-in from employees.
• Generation and analysis of decision or course of action: Discuss a possible solution or course of action, again integrating information from the case and key concepts from the course in an appropriate way. Consider the possible solution from multiple viewpoints. Provide a detailed description of the decision or course of action that you would recommend. Your decision or course of action should follow logically from your diagnosis of the problem. Provide a rationale for  your choice of decision or course of action.  This component should comprise a MODERATE portion of the case analysis.
  • Based on your diagnosis above, what recommendations would you make to the company about its organizational design and potential need for a redesign both now and in the future as it continues to grow?