Carter Racing Case's Root Causes

The case method combines knowledge acquisition with significant student involvement. This method brings reality into the course. A case is presented in narrative form and provides motivation for involvement and analysis of a specific situation. By framing alternative strategic actions and by confronting the complexity and ambiguity of the practical world, case analysis provides extraordinary power for your involvement with a personal learning experience.
Critical to successful use of the case method is your preparation. Without careful study and analysis, you will lack the insights required to participate fully in the discussion of the case. While students are encouraged to work in teams to analyze the case, each student is expected to turn in original case notes.
1. Preparation for case discussion
Remember that the focus is on the topic. The case is used just to help illustrate the topic and to allow you to develop the knowledge of that topic using the case and independent research on the topics that interest you the most.
Cases require significant and conscientious preparation before class. Without it, you will be unable to contribute meaningfully to the discussion each week. Therefore, careful reading of the narrative, facts, reasoned analyses, and the development of alternative solutions to case problems, are essential.
Case preparation is a personal matter of developing an individualistic problem solving style. There is no one correct way to prepare with a case. However, the following approach may help you develop your own style for using the cases to better analyze challenging situations organizations face.
• First, read through the case quickly to get a sense of the information that is being provided. An important objective is to get a sense of the protagonist, and what the situation is like.
• Read the case again very carefully, annotating, highlighting and distinguishing important information, omissions and questions raised by the reading. Put yourself in the position of the protagonist and develop a sense of involvement in the problem that is posed. Keep in mind the lessons presented in lecture and in the reading. How can this help you with the problems in the case?
• Define what you believe to be the basic issues. Determine if there are any deeper underling issues. Start making notes. Maybe you will have to read some additional material to understand the issues.
• Choose a course of action from the analysis and explicitly consider and reject plausible alternative courses because of the analysis. Identify the relevant areas for analyzing these issues. Study the information as you have sorted it out, weighing both the qualitative and quantitative evidence carefully.
• Develop a plan by which the desired action may be achieved or implemented within the case context (i.e., organization, people, and other constraints encountered in this situation).
2. Case notes to turn in
Case notes should be no longer than ¾ of a page and will be graded with a check/check minus/zero. Adequate case notes will receive a check, incomplete or inadequate case notes will receive a check minus, and missing case notes will receive a zero. Case notes must be handed in on the day that they are due and late case notes will not be accepted.
3 things to include:
1.) Problem statement: Identify and sum up the problem
 DO: Critically identify the problem.
 DO: Be succinct.
 DON’T: Just summarize the case.
 DON’T: Just reiterate the crisis in the beginning of the case.
 DON’T: Identify a problem that is solved already by the end of the case
2.) Problem analysis/root causes: Analyze the underlying causes of the problem that you identified
 DO: Critically analyze the problem based on concepts from class and the readings.
 DO: Discuss at least 2 root causes.
 DON’T: Be general, e.g. “They’re not managing the team well.”  That’s obvious – anyone who has not taken an OB class could arrive at the conclusion.
 DON’T: Just describe what’s happening, e.g. “The team is not functioning well.”  Dig deeper – WHY is the team not functioning well? What is the evidence for that and what are the CAUSES.”
3.) Recommendations: Make your recommendations for what should be done based on the problem and your analysis
 DO: Relate your recommendations to the problem and root causes that you have identified.
 DO: Make 2 specific recommendations. Include an appraisal how of feasible they are and how you would implement them.
 DO: Base your recommendations on concepts from class and the readings.
 DON’T: Provide general advice, e.g. “They should communicate better.” Again, that’s OBVIOUS. You don’t need to take an OB course to make a recommendation like that.
 DON’T: Provide a laundry list of superficial recommendations.