University Institute of Liberal
Arts and Humanities
Course Name – Professional Business Communication
Course Code – 20PCT-610
Faculty Name – Dr Ashita Chadha
CASE STUDY METHOD DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The Course aims to:
Augment student’s overall communication and interpersonal skills
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by practicing oral and written English for professional life.
Enrich reading capability to enhance business sense through
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special emphasis on business vocabulary and its usage.
Write business documents clearly, concisely and analytically in
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correct syntax.
Speak coherently, concisely in social and professional
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environment.
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COURSE
OUTCOMES • Space for visual (size 24)
On completion, the students are expected to
CO Title Level
Number
CO1 Demonstrate competency in spoken and written
communication for a specific audience and Apply
purpose in the business environment.
CO2 Create communication material for an
organization, research and write reports in
correct English. Create
CO3 Critically evaluate moral values, communication
ethics and display sensitivity for diversity and Evaluate
inclusion.
CO4 Display professionalism during the placement
process Apply
[Link]
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Case Study Method
• Study the situation as described in the case in terms of facts,
information, decisions, evaluations
• Prepare the problem statement
• Propose the causes behind the problem
• Extract data and information for analysis – to recommend
probable solutions
• For each alternative solution – give likelihood of success.
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Why use a case study?
1. Case studies are a great way to improve a learning
experience, because they get the learner involved, and
encourage immediate use of newly acquired skills.
2. They differ from lectures or assigned readings, because they
require participation and deliberate application of a broad
range of skills.
3. The emphasis is on developing life-long skills.
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The Case Study Method
The case study is full of ‘evidence’
• The aim is to analyze this evidence and present a coherent
evaluation of the company’s decisions and actions
• And to provide logical recommendations that would enhance
the competitiveness of the business
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Advantages
1. Make decision making easier
2. Improve the analytical quality of decisions
3. Reduce the time required to make decisions
4. Increase the frequency of correct decisions.
5. Deeper understanding
6. Fact-driven
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Poll Question
Case Study Method is used to improve a learning
experience, because they get the learner involved, and
encourage immediate use of newly acquired skills.
1. True
2. False
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The Promising Chemist Who
Buried His Results
• Bruce, a research chemist for a major petro-chemical company, wrote a dense
report about some new compounds he had synthesized in the laboratory from oil-
refining by-products. The bulk of the report consisted of tables listing their
chemical and physical properties, diagrams of their molecular structure, chemical
formulas and computer printouts of toxicity tests. Buried at the end of the report
was a casual speculation that one of the compounds might be a particularly
effective insecticide.
• Seven years later, the same oil company launched a major research program to
find more effective but environmentally safe insecticides. After six months of
research, someone uncovered Bruce’s report and his toxicity tests. A few hours of
further testing confirmed that one of Bruce’s compounds was the safe,
economical insecticide they had been looking for.
• Bruce had since left the company, because he felt that the importance of his
research was not being appreciated.
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The Unaccepted Current
Regulator Proposal
• The Acme Electric Company worked day and night to develop a new current regulator
designed to cut the electric power consumption in aluminum plants by 35%. They knew
that, although the competition was fierce, their regulator could be produced more
cheaply, was more reliable, and worked more efficiently than the competitors’ products.
• The owner, eager to capture the market, personally but somewhat hastily put together
a 120-page proposal to the three major aluminum manufacturers, recommending that
their regulators be installed at all company plants.
• She devoted the first 87 pages of the proposal to the mathematical theory and
engineering design behind his new regulator, and the next 32 to descriptions of the new
assembly line she planned to set up to produce regulators quickly. Buried in an
appendix were the test results that compared her regulator’s performance with present
models, and a poorly drawn graph showed how much the dollar savings would be.
• Acme Electric didn’t get the contracts, despite having the best product. Six months
later, the company filed for bankruptcy.
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The instruction manual the
scared customers away
• As one of the first to enter the field of office automation, Sagatec Software, Inc. had built a
reputation for designing high-quality and user-friendly database and accounting programs for
business and industry. When they decided to enter the word-processing market, their engineers
designed an effective, versatile, and powerful program that Sagatec felt sure would outperform any
competitor.
• To be sure that their new word-processing program was accurately documented, Sagatec asked the
senior program designer to supervise writing the instruction manual. The result was a thorough,
accurate and precise description of every detail of the program’s operation.
• When Sagatec began marketing its new word processor, cries for help flooded in from office
workers who were so confused by the massive manual that they couldn’t even find out how to get
started. Then several business journals reviewed the program and judged it “too complicated” and
“difficult to learn.” After an impressive start, sales of the new word processing program plummeted.
• Sagatec eventually put out a new, clearly written training guide that led new users step by step
through introductory exercises and told them how to find commands quickly. But the rewrite cost
Sagatec $350,000, a year’s lead in the market, and its reputation for producing easy-to-use
business software.
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Questions
• Define the rhetorical situation: Who is communicating to
whom about what, how, and why? What was the goal of the
communication in each case?
• Identify the communication error (poor task or audience
analysis? Use of inappropriate language or style? Poor
organization or formatting of information? Other?)
• Explain what costs/losses were incurred by this problem.
• Identify possible solutions or strategies that would have
prevented the problem, and what benefits would be derived
from implementing solutions or preventing the problem.
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Applications
• To communicate effectively at workplace
• Introspect the reason behind the ineffective communication
• To get a fair idea about which barrier is causing ineffective
communication.
• Overcome various barriers to communication by using various
tips.
• Apply 7Cs to make proper communication.
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Assessment Pattern
Students are assessed on the basis of the following
parameters:
• Hourly Tests - 2
• Assignments
• Surprise Test
• Quiz
• Student Engagement
• End Semester Exam
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References
• [Link]
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• [Link]
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• [Link]
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THANK YOU
For queries
Email: [Link]@[Link]
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