case study: Vodafone Qatar

The case study is about Vodafone Qatar. Their Marketing problem is about "brand image and how the company position itself in customers’ minds. Also, the company want to be strong in young Qatari segment.

Field-based case study guidelines and Rubric Fall 2018

The output of this term project is a 2000-3000 words (excluding exhibits, references; size
12, double spaced, Times New Roman) marketing case study. Marketing case is a
detailed account of a real-life marketing situation, describing the dilemma of the
“protagonist”—a real person with a real job who is confronted with a real problem. You as a
researcher need to spend time at the company that is the subject of the case, detailing the
background of the situation, the problem or decision, and the perspectives of the managers
involved. The resulting case presents the story exactly as the protagonist saw it, including
ambiguous evidence, imperfect knowledge, and no obvious right answers (www.hbs.edu).
It should take a narrative format that presents unresolved and provocative issues, situations,
or questions. Cases usually challenge readers to analyze, critique, make judgments, speculate
and express reasoned opinions. The information included must be real and rich enough to
make the situation credible, but not so complete as to close off discussion or exploration.
Cases are important for bringing real world problems into a classroom or a workshop—they
ensure active participation and may lead to innovative solutions to problems (www.iub.edu).
Formats and structure
Cases are written in a narrative style, which is a story-telling format that gives details about
actions and persons involved in a problem situation. There is no standard structure for
business/marketing cases, however the basic structure is advised to include:
1- Opening section:
This is important window to the case and pulls the reader into the situation. Six key pieces of
information should appear in the opening section:
– The decision maker name
– His/her position
– The company or organization’s name
– The dates of the case events
– The firm’s location and type of business
– The statement of the problem or trigger (often in a question format). This provides
the reader the focus of the case.
2- Background (context)
This section presents the context of the case. The context of a case is very important to the
case as decisions are influenced by the pressures of the variables/constrains at that time. As a
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writer you may not be able to capture all these points but you should be able to give a feel of
what was going on. Elements that may be covered:
– Describe the industry and especially highlight the unique quirks or issues that
make the market challenging
– Describe the country of origin and focal market of operation
– Describe the organization, its history, its vision, structure (large, small,
diversified, SME, adaptable?) and its culture.
– Conduct a competitive analysis.
– Describe your focus product and help the reader understand its potential and its
realistic performance in the market place vis a vis competitors. How is this
product objective fit within the organization objective
3- Main body
You will need here to present a specific area of interest including events leading into the
problematic situation. You can use sub-headings that allow readers to follow the story and
easily find information. This section should be developed based on the information you
gather about your decision maker’s company through:
– Company’s annual reports, website
– What others say about the company (analysts, scholars)
– Media and consumers reviews
– Interview(s) with decision maker. Prepare an interview guide (questions) to find
answers to your questions, information you didn’t understand, how executives come
to make specific decisions. Please check tips on how to conduct an effective indepth interview.
4. The closing section
This section should draw the reader back to the issues at hand. It should present the case
issue, trigger, or situation from the first section, but stated in a different manner.
5. Exhibits
Case exhibits should follow the closing section and may include: financial data, historical
information, geographical details, diagrams, charts, tables, or graphs. Exhibits should be
numbered and noted with the case body.
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