MIE $273/$CEE $260$ Final Project

Due Date: July $15,2024($via Moodle$)$

Objective of project: To encourage creative thinking when approaching unstructured problems,

and critical thinking in your analysis and recommendations.

Case Study Analysis

It is recommended that you take the following steps.

$1.$ Make sure to read the assignment$$s instructions carefully. These ask specific

questions and may include additional simplifying assumptions or clarifications. Make

certain you have identified the fundamental questions and issues to be addressed.

$2.$ Carefully read the case, which you should consider to be $$self$-$contained,$$ meaning that

there is no need to get any additional outside information. Missing data is usually a signal

that the case writer left it out on purpose. You may need to re$-$read portion of the case as

you carry out your analysis.

$3.$ You may have to make additional simplifying assumptions. You must clearly identify any

assumption you introduce, and assess its viability. As a general rule, you should try to limit

the number of additional assumptions to avoid over$-$simplifying the problem. However, in

some cases, you should be able to infer acceptable assumptions not stated in the case

that are common sense.

$4.$ Consider how additional assumptions $($if any$)$ impact your findings and recommendations.

Analyzing a case involves more than just reading and assimilating the facts. Analysis requires

interrelating the facts of the case, identifying the problems faced by the management, determining

the causes of these problems, creating alternatives for managers, and selecting criteria for

evaluation. These activities are difficult and time consuming. Most importantly, there is no single

correct solution to a case.

What I am looking for: A clear line of reasoning solidly supported by the case facts, as opposed

to looking for a specific $$solution$.$

Report

Your report can be typed in the question$-$answer format, but you should include an executive

summary $($at most one page$)$ at the beginning of your report with the major highlights of your

analysis and recommendations. An executive summary is not an abstract or direct summary of

what is to come in the report. It focuses on the major recommendations, arguing their validity and

their impact. It is intended for busy executives to get a quick view of the final product of your work,

and decide whether the full report is worth reading.

There is a $5-$page limit $($double$-$spaced, $12-$point font$)$ for the report; this $5-$page limit does not

include the executive summary. Make sure to include any analyses, charts, or graphs in the report.

In addition, you should follow the following guidelines:

$1.$ Assume the grader has read the case, so there is no need to re$-$state the obvious case

facts unless you are using them to make a point.

$2.$ Try to communicate with clear, brief, and crisp sentences.

$3.$ Clearly state any additional assumptions you are making, justify why they make sense,

and explain how they affect your findings.

$4.$ When a question asks for it$,$ you should reach a clear decision.

$5.$ Your answers and recommendations must be based on and supported by your analysis.

a$.$ Make sure to clearly develop a line of reasoning explaining how you are arriving at

your conclusions.

$1$

b$.$ Provide full detail on your analysis and assumptions. This includes writing down