CASE #10: eBAY, Inc.: Bidding for the Future – page 142 of case book.
Case analysis puts you in the shoes of those faced with actual managerial situations and forces you to make decisions as managers based on limited information and a finite time frame.
Your objective is to appraise the situation from a top manager’s perspective, by asking the following:
1) What factors are critical to understanding the current situation? 2) How do these factors affect one another (do some cause others)? 3) What problems and/or opportunities are evident? 4) What actionable recommendations can be offered?
When preparing a case analysis it is important to be thoroughly familiar with the case. This means that you must read the case for both general impressions and for specific facts.
In writing a case analysis, and in class discussions, you need to provide supporting evidence for your views and judgments. Use tight logical arguments backed by facts and figures; avoid unsupported opinion and over-generalizations. Avoid sentences that state the obvious. Finally, your analysis should be reasonable and objective.
Purpose
The purpose of analyzing cases is to help you identify those factors which directly influence the company’s performance and its competitive advantage in the market place.
Written assignments should present the situation as it exists at the time of the case. These assignments are designed to help you develop skills at sifting through lots of data about a company and its industry, and find that information which can help you understand why the company is successful or not.
Once you understand what drives company performance, you can more easily see what needs to be done to ensure future profitability. Also, mastering this skill will help you determine which employers are likely to grow and prosper and