Note that this is a general guideline for writing case briefs. You may need to deviate from this structure when stated in the case write up. For example, for case 1, you need to follow the structure of a research proposal (from the class notes).

Write in a professional tone as if you are a consultant to the firm, giving your best (and highly paid!) advice. Use strong and active verbs. The styles of Business Week and The Wall Street Journal are good models in most instances. You will end up with some well-crafted sentences that your English teacher would call “run on”; they may be efficient in business prose.

In most business situations, there are two or three possible courses of action. Don't be afraid to choose one firmly. However, this is not to say that there are no wrong answers.  
 

Format

Type your name and section number in the right hand corner of your case brief.

Your briefs are to be a single page, accompanied by a maximum of three relevant exhibits. The format must be strictly followed: 1 inch margins on all sides; 10 to 12-point font size; single-spaced within paragraphs, double-spaced between paragraphs. Identify your brief with your name, section and the case. This information may be the top margin. The exhibits should be referenced from the text. They should be relevant and well made within the same format; they should contain narrative that should appear in the text itself. Your brief and the exhibits must be individual work. Running over the one-page limit for text will lead to a penalty in the grade.

Paragraph Heading. In one page, you do not always have enough space for side headings; in general they are not needed, but you may use running paragraph headings (as shown here) if it helps your writing.
 

Organization

There are many possible ways to write a well-organized, appealing brief. If you work in marketing, your employer will likely have a “house style.” But you should start with the following structure for this course. Although it constrains your creativity, it makes it possible to grade a large number of briefs according to a common scheme.

Introduction: Very briefly, identify the situation and who must take what decision (if that information is given in the case).

Background: You can briefly summarize your understanding of the situation and the problems faced by a company or person. The questions typically listed below the case will help you to identify those problems.

Recommendation: Avoid placing your recommendation at the end of the brief as a conventional conclusion in business; the reader may not get that far. You should make your recommendation explicitly. Do not hedge with wasted words such as “In my opinion.” Say what the executive or firm should do.

Basis for Recommendation: Back up your plan: Provide reasons why your recommendation makes sense, possibly including the rejection of alternate approaches.

Assumptions and Uncertainties: Outline key assumptions that you have made and briefly discuss possible uncertainties associated with your recommendation.

Action Steps: If the case requires particular steps to be taken, outline what actions need to be taken. What should be done today? Tomorrow? And in the next three months? Be specific here.
 

Exhibits

You can include up to three exhibits such as Excel spreadsheets, graphs, questionnaires, etc.. You must refer to the exhibit at the appropriate point in your text as e.g., (Ex. 2). Sometimes you can explore possible outcomes by presenting the “worst, expected and best” cases - but do not print out endless iterations of the same idea.
 

Mechanics