For each week the student must go through the theory of the assigned chapter and prepare the case that involves the theory covered and the related software application. The student must submit a one page report with the main results of the simulation. The objective of this report is to ensure that the student went through the chapter and the software before coming to class. The write-ups are due at the beginning of each class. Most cases have assigned questions which must be answered. If no questions are listed, you need to identify the main issues in the case, analyze them and provide defensible recommendations Make sure that your answers are to the point and precise. Write-ups will not be accepted after the class under any circumstances; so please plan the case write-ups well ahead of time.Format: Write-ups should be double-spaced, with adequate top, bottom, and side margins. Reports should be about 5 pages long.  You  can  have  an  appendix  with  figures, tables,  and  excel  sheets  of  analysis.I recommend you use the following case analysis framework that consists of four major components: define the problems that company faced, present the alternative solutions, discuss the critical issues bearing on the choice of alternative, and conclude with your selection.1. Problem definition: In this part, you may discuss, first, the companys goals, which are a set of objectives the management hopes to achieve. Second, you may discuss the difficulty (obstacles) that prevented the firm from achieving the goals. In the cases where you can identify man distinct problems you may focus on the most important ones, and the ones that the case provide sufficient information for your analysis.2. Alternatives: In this part, you present a list of best alternative, NOT all alternatives.
The alternatives are competing approaches that are significantly different from each other. The alternatives should be as fully specified in order to be adequately evaluated. This requires you to think through all aspects of each alternative. No more than 4 alternatives for meaningful discussions.  You  may  consider  using  labels  for  each  of  your  alternatives  (e.g.  McFord designing  Ford service outlets like McDonalds, which is fast and convenient.). Avoid (a) the wait for more research type of alternative; (b) alternatives that have littleinformation in the case (you then need to rely on wild guesses).3.  Critical  issues:  This  part  evaluates  the  causal  factors  affecting  alternative success.  Presumably  each critical issue can illuminate a crucial factor for analysis. For example: How motivated were the orthodontists in promoting Invisalign over regular braces? The answer to the critical issues should help you develop the proposed solution.4. Conclusion: This part integrates your answers to the critical issues, building on each to show how one alternative is better than another (or all others). Numerical analysis that can support your arguments can be invaluable. When financial data are available, you may create pro-forma profit and loss statements for each alternative. In general, a good conclusion reviews each of the alternatives presented, weighs each against the others, and identifies the key reasons for choice.