Case Study 作业在某些学科尤其商科中尤为常见,教授布置Case Study 作业的主要目的是希望看到学生能够将理论与现实中的商业活动联系起来, 并且通过Case Study为商业活动中的问题推荐实用的解决方案,或者分析案例中的优劣势,带来的影响等等。本文主要介绍学生撰写Case Study的思路和方法。简单来说,学生写作Case Study的宗旨是用学科中的理论知识来解释案例中的特质和复杂性是如何形成的,并根据Case Study 材料内容给出的限定范围,如:一个业务或整个行业、一个特定的项目或计划、一个人等等,学生在这个限定范围内来确定topic。在Case Study作业中,应涉及到包括1.关于具体主题的背景知识介绍;2.对所研究案例的展开分析;3.指出案例中的问题或有效的战略;4.建议和总结。通常,本科或者研究生学习阶段的Case Study可以是作业形式的essay也可以是以报告形式。
下面一篇是商科专业里,有关于沃尔玛人力资源管理的Case Study范文,我们通过范文解析,来帮助学生理清写好一篇Case Study的思路和方法。
题目:Case Study of Human Resource Management at Walmart Company
第一步:根据老师提供的Case Study 材料,精读再精读,一定要读透彻,做到充分理解;然后在Case Study材料中提供的限定范围进行讨论研究,这篇Case Study有两个明显的限定词”human resource management 和Walmart”。
Overall Human Resources Strategies
Organizations must perform at reliable and successful levels to stay in business. One indicator of organizational performance is its human resources outcomes. To be competitive in a global marketplace, a large multinational organization should manage human resources as strategically as any other division or department. Walmart is an example of strong human resources strategy coupled with logistical planning and effective management. It serves as a strong example for all large organizations to model human resources upon.
Walmart, a Seattle-based global supermarket company, follows a mission to “inspire and nurture the human spirit: one person, one shop, and one neighborhood at a time” (Walmart, 2015, para. 4). The company fulfils this mission through ethical sourcing of product, environmentally friendly processes and recycling practices, and employee service in the community. After the era of Great Recession, the company launched a new motto: “Great Production Everywhere” and grew to include international locations and at- home products (Noe, et. al, 2013). This growth also included the acquisition of the La Boulange, Seattle’s Best Market, Tazo, Evolution Fresh, and Teavana brands. With large competitors like Dunkin’ Donuts and new start-up Joyride, Walmart is poised to be a leader in the next generation of supermarket or be left behind as an outdated relic (Sacks, 2014).
解析:第一段从人力资源管理在企业的重要性开始引入,到向读者展现本次Case Study所涉及的沃尔玛公司在人力资源管理方面堪称榜样级的表现。第二段的第一句“walmart…”http://guanli.51lunwenwang.com/itemView.asp?item_id=lw202101182054551819开始逐一列出,沃尔玛从人员配备,员工培训与发展,到薪酬与福利,再到组织发展等方方面面和其他企业的区别,以及其历史发展和在人力资源方面取得的卓越表现。
第二步:Case Study的主体部分,根据提供的案例联系到本专业的理论知识,构建一个理论框架。从Case Study link到theory frame.在本篇作者分别从三个方面来分析人力资源管理,并结合Case Study中沃尔玛来具体解析这家大企业,在过去以及现在是怎么做的,又分别带来了什么样的成绩,是有利于企业发展还是不利于企业发展。
Recruiting Practices
Recruitment processes are an important part of any human resources strategy. Economic crisis, market booms, natural disasters, and other unforeseen occurrences should not send the hiring and firing process into a tailspin. Instead, organizations should have strong plans to weather any literal or metaphorical storm. Long-term vision should include anticipation of the need for new hires, job specificity, strong candidate pools, logical assessment of candidates, securing the best talent, integrating new hires, and reviewing processes for efficiency and efficacy (Fernandez-Araoz, et al., 2009). Though Walmart responded to the recent recession with slashed jobs and closed locations, later efforts focused on long-term goals and recruitment strategy. The “Walmart College Achievement Plan” was recently launched, offering free college education through Arizona State University Online to all partners, including part-time employees (Walmart, n.d.).
解析:从这一段开始,将进入case study 的body部分。第一个方面Recruitment,首先阐明Recruitment 的重要性以及对企业起到的作用;接着,沃尔玛在过去用裁员来应对经济萧条时期,以及在经济复苏时,不仅建立了长期的招聘目标,还创建了“沃尔玛大学成就计划”,不仅向正式员工提供免费大学教育,包括兼职员工也是免费的。
Training
Business failures can sometimes be solved through training to develop new skills, refine efficiency, and instruct staff on new policies, procedures, and tools. Issues frequently trigger training but training efforts should always trigger business results (Castaldi, 2012). When a large mistake, error, or n