Harvard Business School case study responses follow a specific analytical method. Unlike an academic essay, they are not primarily argumentative — they are diagnostic and prescriptive. The reader should finish your response knowing exactly what the problem is, what you recommend, and why.
Step 1: Situation Analysis (Don't Spend More Than 20% Here)
Begin with a concise summary of the case situation — industry context, the company's position, and the trigger event or decision point the case presents. This is not a case summary (the reader has read the case). It is your assessment of the business context that makes the problem significant.
Common mistake: Spending 40% of your word count retelling the case. Markers do not award marks for case summary. Demonstrate that you can extract the strategically relevant information, not that you can reproduce it.
Step 2: Problem Identification
Define the central problem precisely. The "presenting problem" (what appears to be the issue) is often different from the "root problem" (the underlying cause). A case about declining sales might have a presenting problem of "revenue shortfall" but a root problem of "misaligned value proposition in a changed competitive environment."
Step 3: Generate Alternatives
Present two to four realistic alternative courses of action. Each alternative should be a genuine strategic option — not a dummy option designed to make your recommendation look good. For each alternative, briefly assess: (1) What are the benefits? (2) What are the risks? (3) What resources does it require? (4) What is the timeline?
Strong responses evaluate alternatives using the frameworks introduced in the course — SWOT, Porter's, financial ratios, break-even analysis — rather than intuition alone.
Step 4: Recommendation
Choose one alternative and make a clear recommendation. Do not hedge — "the company could consider option A or option B depending on circumstances" is not a recommendation. It is avoidance. Make a decision and defend it.
Your recommendation must be: specific (which option), justified (why this option over the others), and feasible (the company has the resources and capability to execute it).
Step 5: Implementation Plan
The implementation section is where many students stop short. Examiners want to see that you have thought through execution, not just strategy. Address: Who owns the implementation? What are the key milestones in the first 90 days, 6 months, and 1 year? What are the critical success factors? What are the key risks to implementation and how will they be mitigated?
Formatting and Length
Case study responses for MBA coursework are typically 1,500–3,000 words. Use clear section headings that match the above structure. The executive summary (if required) condenses the entire response into 200–250 words. Appendices are appropriate for detailed financial analysis, framework diagrams, or data tables that support but do not drive the main argument.