Case Study 11-4 Spotlight on Apple page 276.

Description:
Description: The Case Studies allow a student or a student’s team (if the instructor chooses to make either or both assessments a team project) to express themselves
as clearly and fully as they are capable of doing. The exercises call on students to develop good practical thinking that shows their understanding of how business
people should think and discuss decisions before proceeding with a business decision. The student(s) may choose (or instructor may assign) any Case Problem at the end
of any of the assigned chapters (including any of the Case Problems used in the I-R-A-C analyses) as the basis for each of the Case Studies. The Case Study is an
entirely different thinking process than I-R-A-C. In I-R-A-C exercises, the student(s) should focus on the issue set out in the text by the text’s authors and analyze
that issue using the I-R-A-C method. In I-R-A-C exercises, the student(s) should consider themselves a judge, NOT an advocate for only one position. In the I-R-A-C
exercises, we are looking at events that have already occurred. ON THE OTHER HAND, in each of the Case Studies, the student(s) should not consider themselves a judge
or an advocate but rather a counselor trying to help their client avoid getting into a dispute. In each of the Case Studies, the student(s) should NOT use the I-R-A-C
method. They should be developing PREVENTIVE solutions (lateral thinking skills). In the Case Studies, the student must: 1. identify the “client” (tell the instructor
which of the two parties in the Case Problem they would help). 2. provide background to problem. Summarize the facts set out in the Case Problem. 3. identify the
“client’s” “problem”. Tell the instructor what the party in the Case Problem did that led to a disagreement that was so large the parties needed to go to court for
judgment of the disagreement. 4. develop 4 “alternative courses of action” which would have helped the client not get into the “problem” discussed in the Case Problem.
(The idea of the Case Studies is to learn from the mistakes of others). Our “client” is not bound by what happened in the “real” case. In fact, we want to prevent what
happened in the “real” case. We are “pretending”. We are thinking about “what if”. We are going back in time and helping a client who doesn’t realize that if they
don’t think carefully, they will end up in a disagreement. We are trying to give advice that will prevent that “problem” from arising. The student(s) must find 4
preventive alternatives. If the student(s) are not able to think of 4 preventive alternatives for the problem, they should look for another Case Problem to work on.
Picking the right Case Problem to discuss is a very important part of the assignment. Describe each of the alternatives fully. The Case Studies should show us that if
we think early enough in the process, we may avoid problems that lead parties to litigation. The student(s) should use their business experience and what they’re
learning from our textbook to create ideas. Alternatives should be based on the facts of the case and should not be “generic”. For example, it is always a good idea
(and so, “generic”) to “discuss/negotiate the problem with the other side” or to “hire a lawyer”. Those are not valid alternatives for these assignments. They will not
earn credit. 5. evaluate each of the 4 alternatives. In the evaluations, the focus should be on how each of these alternatives work in helping the client AVOID getting
into the same type of problem that led the parties to court. In the evaluation, the student(s) should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative,
comparing and contrasting each to the others. As business people they know very well that there is no such thing as a “perfect” solution. Every idea has “good” points
and “bad” points. Again, some evaluations apply to most ideas. For example, “time” and “cost” are always considerations. It is OK to include time and cost but they
cannot be the only points in the evaluation. Finally, the student(s) should take the assignments seriously. They should not provide mechanical presentations. They
should provide more than one advantage and one disadvantage for each alternative. Business decisions are complex. They should act as if their job depended on the ideas
they develop. Again, choosing the right case is as important as developing the alternatives. The best grades will be awarded to those which present interesting
alternatives and thoroughly explain the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative.
Components
% of Grade
Identification of client and problem
10%
Quality of 4 preventive alternatives
40%
Quality of evaluation of each alternative
40%
Grammar, spelling & syntax
10%
TOTAL