Case Study Assignments

The case study you are assigned to analyze is Signet Banking Corporation. Each team should do a thorough analysis of the case and prepare a written report to be submitted during the last week of the semester.

In preparing your analyses, all team members must share equally in the work. Regular face-to-face meetings are encouraged. Each team will receive a grade on the report based on clarity, style and content. In other words, the grade will be based on the collective work of all team members. In addition, however, each team member will be asked to grade the other members of his/her team on the overall case experience. These peer grades will be weighed in assigning a final grade to each team member.

The following are guidelines to be used for your analysis and reports.

Note on Analyzing Cases

It is the task of each team to identify the main problems or questions raised in its assigned case and to present feasible answers to these questions. Each analysis should contain

1. A short summary of the facts of the case (the people involved, the situation, etc.).

2. A statement of the questions raised in the case and/or the problems to be solved by the institution in the case.

3. An analysis of the problem. The principles of financial institution management discussed in the course should be utilized to uncover answers to the questions raised by the case. Tools used in your analysis (e.g., tables, pro-forma financial statements) and/or summaries of your results could be used at this point.

4. A summary of the team's answers to the questions and/or suggested solutions to the problems.

Notes on Written Case Reports

Each team is to submit a written report summarizing its analysis of the assigned case by the last week of the semester. In general, each report should be prepared with the following in mind:

1. Your report should include the following:

‑ Statement of Facts

Present the facts clearly. This is more or less a summary of the background of the case.

‑ Statement of the Problem(s)

Exactly what are the problems facing the firm and/or the people mentioned? These should be put in the form of questions to be answered in the next stage

‑ Analysis

Solve the problems (answer the questions) as efficiently as possible. All relevant data should be analyzed and all the interrelationships explored. You must decide on the most appropriate techniques and analytical procedures to use, given the data and the nature of the problem. All steps taken must be justified by explanation, the evidence in the case study or outside references.

‑ Conclusions

State the solution(s) to the problem(s) based on your analysis. This should include suggestions for improvement if, in fact, the problems were real and any qualifications you may have concerning your analysis.

2. Write the report using an internally consistent style (i.e., proper footnotes, list of references, headings, margins, equation and/or table numbers, etc.). Watch out for errors. As you know, success in business depends in large part on your ability to communicate clearly; neat, well constructed reports are mandatory.

3. Your reports will be graded using the following criteria:

1. Content (75%)

· Accuracy of computation and correct use of analytical techniques

· Completeness. All relevant information used and all alternatives explored.

· Feasibility. Your conclusions must logically follow from your analysis. Conclusions not supported by your evidence are not acceptable. Also, suggestions must be workable. For example, "get Congress to pass a law" is not usually a feasible suggestion since Congress is beyond the control of an individual firm.

2. Clarity (25%)

· logically organized and written clearly

· proper stylistic format used

· errors kept to a minimum (typographical, grammatical, numerical, etc.)