1. Read the case twice, for different things
First pass: what happened, who decides, what the decision point is. Second pass: the numbers, dates and quotes you will cite. Mark the page or exhibit for each fact you plan to use.
2. Define the problem before analysing it
Distinguish symptoms from the underlying issue. Falling margin is a symptom; a channel mix that shifted toward discount retailers may be the problem. Rubrics usually award marks for this separation alone.
3. Apply frameworks to the facts, not in the abstract
- SWOT - each entry must cite something in the case
- PESTEL - only include factors that actually bear on the decision
- Porter's Five Forces - rank the forces, do not just list them
- Financial ratios - compute from the exhibits and interpret the trend
4. Generate alternatives, then choose
Present two or three realistic options with their trade-offs, then recommend one and say why the others lose. A single-option analysis reads as assertion rather than judgement.
5. Write recommendations that could actually be executed
- Specific action, owner and sequence
- Resource or cost implication drawn from the case data
- How success would be measured
- The main risk and how it would be mitigated
Typical structure
Executive summary - the recommendation up front
Problem statement
Analysis - frameworks applied to case evidence
Alternatives and evaluation
Recommendation and implementation plan
Risks and metrics; appendices with calculationsKey takeaways
- Separate symptoms from the underlying problem
- Anchor every framework entry to a fact in the case
- Evaluate alternatives before recommending one
- Make recommendations specific, sequenced and measurable