Term Case Study Managerial Economics ECN 912

Guidelines and Criteria for Case study

I) Term Research Paper: will demonstrate the candidates ability to apply economic
theories related to production , demand and supply forecasting, elasticity and consumer
responsiveness and behavior, resources allocation, market share, competition and
policies comprehended throughout the course and relate them to today’s business
climate and managerial decision making. Students will acquire the skills of describing,
correlating, analyzing, and interpreting data trends related to their businesses
operations and their dynamics. Finally, it allows students to conduct and write a
comprehensive summary based on the appropriate methods and to present their results
in the most effective and objective manner. Although each student will be required to
write, the part s/he claims responsibility to in the case and present it during the last two
weeks of the semester, yet they will be required to have a fully-fledged idea about his
case or project. The due date of the case will not be subject to delays or extensions due
to short time span during this semester.

II) Objectives:

- In groups of 3 students, you are required to be able through this case to apply
some of the theoretical concepts studied throughout the course material and
explore the impact of the macroeconomic and microeconomic environment on the
operative side of your business case and its impact on managerial decision making.

- Students should be able to model and analyze critically current issues such topics of
great impact on the environmental, social and institutional framework of their
businesses. These topics will include and not to be limited to climate change
adaptations, business sustainability strategies digitalization and automation of
production processes and supply chains management, organizational culture and its
impact on performance, and the adoption of artificial intelligence across all aspects
of the business operations.

- It is important as much as possible to focus your case study to address a problem or

resolve a bottlenecks in one of the well-known firms and use a live case about a
realistic existing business to support real life applications. Do not use too broad or
generic cases focusing on several industries to avoid collecting so much data. As a
consequence, your Case study will reflect weak analysis and results.
III) Words Limit :4500 words – 5000 words apply the word count and prepared to be
trained to have a more compact and professional case study, as they accept a maximum
of 14 -17. Use Time new Roman font and size of 12 pt. and referencing style and in-text
citations should follow an APA style.

IV) Selected Research Topics could include and are not limited to:

1) Business sustainability strategies and how it can be achieved through managerial

economics: this realm of managerial economics will make you appreciate and realize
the importance of including innovative climate change strategies to upscale your
firms’ operations. It assists in the design of a climate change strategy which takes into
consideration, conceive, prioritize, and drive carbon-reducing initiatives. It also
predicts consumer driven trends that are related to climate and finally builds a strong
diverse team at your workplace aware of the sustainability issues facing your
business.

2) Organizational culture and architecture and its impact on performance indicators

and how it is related to managerial economics: This topic area tackles the
interdisciplinarity between organizational architecture and managerial economics. It
delves into organizational diversity – core values – code of ethics - rituals –
information communication channels – employees’ motivation – business
profitability – productivity- employees profit sharing – potential financial risks.

3) Theories of the firm: Marginalist, behavioral, managerial: economic theories are

considered the lighthouse for most of the managerial economics ideologies and
concepts and they guide the decision making process. Theories pertaining to
marginal production – diminishing returns – transaction cost theory- utility functions
– behavioral theory of the firm – economic theory of outsourcing and Grossman -Hart
-Moore theory are all vital to a sound and viable managerial decision-making process.

4) The overlap between managerial economics and market structure and power such
as in the case of Monopoly and Perfect Competition: This area of interrelation
between managerial economics and the market structure discusses problems related
to anticompetition laws – market concentration indices – market dominance and
control – choice – price takers and makers – barriers to entry – cartels – game
theories and rivalry strategies used by firms and their competitors.

5) The economics of managerial taxes and corporate risk-taking: It seeks to examine

the relation between managers' personal income tax rates and their corporate
investment decisions – shareholders’ value – market capitalization – tax advantages –
agency theory – double taxation -absence of asymmetry – tax evasion topics.

6) Digitalization of production processes and supply chains management: this realm of

managerial economics focuses on decisions related to design, manufacturing, use
and delivery of products and services and the encapsulation of design and production
information in a digital artifact. It discusses topics related to success stories of firms
to handle the digital inventory monitoring process – inventory stock assessment – the
adaptation and agility of supply chains – provision of logistics guidance, and product-
 lifecycle data and adoption of blockchains and AI applications to orchestrate the
production decisions.

7) Multi-criteria decision methods for CSR management: there is no doubt that

corporate responsibility has become one of the requirement of sustainability aspects
for a business to strive and build a renowned reputation. Hence this theme discusses
topics related to the CSR initiatives and how they accelerate a firm’s growth
prospects – value of the firm under corporate responsible endeavors -community
building – narrowing of gender wage gap- socioeconomic inclusiveness topics.

The suggested Outline for a case study

1. Title: The title of your case should reflect as much as possible the subject of your topic
or case and the question it answers. Think about the two or three keywords regarding the
topics that your case is discussing and try them for the title. Under certain circumstances
a sub-title is necessary for further guidance to how was the methodology conducted. You
may find it useful or necessary to have a title and a subtitle (e.g., “ Becoming a public
sector insider-A case study of Swedish digital healthcare start-ups entrepreneurial
business formation processes”). Avoid titles that are too general or insufficiently
descriptive (e.g “Becoming a public sector insider”or “Entrepreneurial Business Formation
Processes”).

2. Abstract (350 words): An abstract is a brief statement and should concisely reflect the
main elements of the paper in no more than 150 words. The main contents of the
abstract outlines the objective of the case topic, methodology used, and the main
findings. The wording of the abstract should be very concise.

3. Introduction: Introduce your case topic, why is it important, purpose and objective of
your research, who would benefit from it and why is it unique or different from previous
research done on the same topic (novelty). Show that your topic is important, interesting,
problematic, or relevant in some way.

Indicate a gap you will be addressing in context compared to previous cases , raising a
question about it, or extending previous knowledge in some way.
Main objective/thesis Statement. The objective identifies the aim of the case. You can have a
general motivation in the introduction and break-it down into specific objectives later on.

4. Context: Economic theory Discussed with references and Descriptive data: You should
provide evidence that you have done comprehensive reading on the topic. What have
you established about your topic problem from the theoretical and point of view of the
literature? What have other scholars written about the topic? What theories address it
and what do they say? Descriptive data in the format of graphs, comparative indicators
and statistical tables as evidence and support on the case indicators and markers you
would like to shed light on. They should be based on reliable, credible and renowned
databases and sources to facilitate the analysis later. A very important note is that a table
 or a graph is not expected to speak for itself. You must explain what message(s) that
table or figure conveys. Never include a table without referring to it in the text.

5. Alternatives: Data collection and Methods: This should be detailed section of your case
data collection methods and they should be quantitative or qualitative. It should demonstrate
how you will collect, code and use this data to provide alternative remedies to your research
problem. Here you should accurately describe your data sources, special characteristics or
behavior of the data, and why you used this resource and then the steps followed to operate
your data and get the results. Knowledge and usage of data analysis software (i.e., Excel –
SPSS… Atlas it…. others) if possible.

6. Proposed Solutions Discussions and analysis of results: The analysis section is where you
prove what you promised in the introduction. It should prove and explain your case
objectives and support the thesis statement. You should present your results and interpret
them. To your very best, try to relate your recommendations to the main results driven from
the methods and literature section. Do not use external recommendations that are not
previously discussed or elaborated in your paper.

7. Conclusion: In conclusions, you sum up your argument and the main results of your paper
concisely. Based on your conclusions, you are expected to add one advice for future
extension of research based on your finding and policy implications.

8. References: A list of references and in-text citations should be followed throughout the
case using the APA style. Make sure that you include in-text citations, which in- are
consistent with the list of references.

VII) Language and Style

Proofread your paper for grammar and spelling mistakes. Make sure that your tables and graphs are
numbered, and that your text refers to the tables and graphs by their label (e.g. “Table 1 shows....”).
Avoid taking images JPG in graphs , try to construct your original graphs, tables and curves if needed.
It is important to make sure that the different sections of the case are consistent with each other
and your presentation later.

VIII) Face to Face Presentation

Part of your grading will be based on your presentation skills and you are required to present this
case and defend it in public and convey your findings to your professors and colleagues. You can use
all appropriate audio visual aids to support you and enrich your presentation skills. Speak loudly and
clearly and at a reasonable speed, yet when you practice always time your presentation and make
sure to use your time effectively; as each group is given a maximum of 15 minutes. Interact with
your audience through power point, videos prepared, language, terms used, and style

IX) List of References:

- Bengtson, A., Morici, B. C., & Lindholm, C. (2022). Becoming a public sector insider-A case
study of Swedish digital healthcare start-ups entrepreneurial business formation
processes. Industrial Marketing Management, 105, 340-350.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019850122001511

- Remenyi, D. (2022). Case study research: The quick guide series. UJ Pre
X) Rubrics for case study Managerial Economics ECN 912(ECN912)

Fall 2023 Managerial Economics (ECN 912) Group case Study sheet

Students & ID
Case Title:

Criteria Grade First Remarks

Marker
Paper
Abstract/outline 5
Introduction 5
Thesis Statement and Research 5
Objectives
Context: Literature Review and 15
descriptive data
Alternatives: Method used and 15
discussion section
Proposed solutions: 10
Recommendations and conclusion
In-text Citation and References List 10
Language and Structure 5
Total Paper Grade 70
Presentation 30
Student 1:
Student 2:
Student 3:
Total Project Grade 100%
Weighted as 20 marks of
the coursework
Student 1:
Student 2:
Student 3:
Overall Remarks: