So if you’ve just arrived here now, you may have missed a few well-intentioned posts. Just as a recap, here are:

• Planning
• Constructing
• Applying
• Supporting

And now it is time for Timing.

The last of the Wells is Well timed.

Time needs no introduction in the land of case study exams. As you probably already know, managing time properly is important if you want to get through the case study exam. It is very easy to get overwhelmed, flustered and confused especially as time is ticking down and you let it get the best of you.

The best tactic is to remain calm and think your answers through.

Remember our answer plan?

Introduction:

• proposal highlights – director push for online selling, look at points whether they pose threats or opportunities for the company

Body:

• Threat = underperforming shops possibly caused by tough competition
• Threat = closing shops may lead to loss of brand visibility (reduced physical presence)
• Opportunity = selling online may prove successful if this is what customers want
• Threat/Opportunity = customers visiting shops less will make us less customer facing and focused, but more convenient perhaps
• Opportunity = offer of e-commerce and new software will provide technological advancement and boost our competitive advantage

Conclusion:

• Perform due diligence on proposal
  • Finances are declining, can we afford this?
• Comment that it’s a good idea – tapping a potentially bigger market
  • Market is already tough, we need to tap new market to survive
• Be careful about closing shops before making sure that online selling is viable
  • Possible employee unrest if they find out we are closing, we should be more conscientious, we cannot just terminate the employees
  • Run numbers on online selling, do research
• I think I’m all for it for now (you might not, have you noted down why?)

The simplest thing to work out as you plot out your plan is to ensure that you have reasonable expectations of yourself. While it is good and well that you generate all these key points and ideas, you should also ask, “can you reasonably expect yourself to explain and support these points and ideas in the time given?”

Ensure that you leave enough time to write your answers out. Do not overspend your time planning because in the end, it is just a plan. The answers are what will give you the marks.

This is the hardest part. Only when you know how you would react under exam conditions is when you know what you can and cannot do. You can improve with practice and time. And this is where the practice mocks can help.

For Astranti’s Operational Case Study mock exams, click here.
For Astranti’s Management Case Study mock exams, click here.
For Astranti’s Strategic Case Study mock exams, click here.