Here are some suggested Dos and Don’ts for undergraduate and graduate real estate students whose instructors use case studies where the deliverable is a case analysis with a recommendation on a course of action.
Please Don’t:
- Regurgitate case facts in your write up.
- Forget to answer the question being posed.
- Disregard the page limit put on your assignments.
- Treat the money in case as if it is not your own money at risk.
- Spel poorly. It distracts from the analysis.
Please Do:
- Select a reasonable base case for your analysis.
- Run sensitivity analyses around the base case using meaningful incremental changes in the driving variables.
- Look at the situation from multiple angles.
- Present your decision with conviction based on your analysis.
- Work hard!
What have I left out? Let’s hear from some other faculty!
Here are the do and don’t lists that I use for case study analysis:
Do:
Understand the case
Understand the method you will use to analyse it
Evaluate the information available
Make a recommendation
Present evidence for and against your position, including examples from other situations
Justify your conclusion
Don’t:
Waste space repeating facts from the case
Make unjustified (or unexplained) value statements
Make loose generalizations
Be mistaken for a cheerleader
Thanks Brian, these are great additions!