AMNT 416 Aviation Maintenance Management: A Global Perspective
Case Analysis: Guidelines
The case analysis approach is intended to compliment respective modules with current, real time occurrences and issues within the aviation maintenance management industry. What you have here are guidelines to conduct an analysis. You should consider them base line requirements; you may elaborate to any extent you wish. However, part of the exercise is for you to express yourself efficiently and effectively. You do not need to be verbose. State the facts, as you see them, clearly and concisely.
This case analysis process may also be considered a decision making exercise. All good decisions are based upon a thorough evaluation of a problem or an issue. What are the causal factors, what are the consequences, does the problem warrant immediate action, what might that action be, and what priority should be assigned to it? Many times decisions are based upon limited resources. Rarely do managers have unlimited resources at their disposal to deal with the problem at hand. The best decisions lie somewhere between limited and unlimited resources, reality and imagination.
The analysis that you submit must meet the minimum criteria set forth here. Alternative actions and the recommendation are mutually exclusive. The alternative actions that you present must be based upon a combination of what is available to you in the periodical and the assigned chapter(s). The recommendation that you present should be based upon your experiences and your imagination. Please keep in mind that the alternatives must be separate, and distinctly different than the recommendation. The overall intent is that you have provided upper management with all the information they need to make the final decision.
It will be your responsibility to find a periodical for analysis. It is imperative that it is related to the module content. You may use hardcopy or the internet. The article must be current, published within the preceding six months. Use of the internet is highly encouraged. You must cite all sources, the periodical and the assigned chapter(s). This gives credibility to your work. At the end of your analysis, on a separate page, you must provide a reference list for your sources in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), sixth edition, second printing. http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html
Case analysis assignments must be related to the module, assignments that are not module related will not be accepted. Late assignments will not be accepted without penalty.
The following guidelines have evolved over time and they are based on the following publication:
Lutte, R., & Bowen, B. (1995). Analysis of the case writing method for college teaching. The Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 5(3), 16-22.
Case Analysis Guidelines
I. Summary
The primary purpose of the summary is to develop the nature or the background from which the problem/issue evolved. What is the environment that enabled this problem to exist? Keep this section to no more than one to two paragraphs in length. Here is an example of an in-text citation from a periodical with no author (“Composites in the Sky,” 2005).
II. Problem/Issue
Begin this section with a clear problem statement, i.e., “The problem is….” Elaborate on what caused the problem. The problem should be specific and action oriented. The problem or issue statement reflects a situation that must be addressed. However, do not confuse SYMPTOMS/RESULTS of the problem with the problem itself. This entire section should be no longer than one to two paragraphs in length. This is the foundation of your analysis; everything that follows must be linked back to your problem. “Do not introduce more than one problem” (McConnell, 2005, p. 12)-as an example of an in text citation for a direct quotation from a printed source.
III. Significance of the Problem/Issue
Identify what you consider to be the most relevant result(s) of the problem, not the cause of the problem. The significance of the problem might be industry decline, weak financial position, etc. Identify three to five critical factors/results of the problem and tell why you believe they contribute to the significance of the problem (Jacobs &Chase, 2011)-as an example of a paraphrased citation. The significance of the problem is intended to justify the problem, to give it validity, and to determine what priority should be assigned to its resolution. This section should be no more than one to two paragraphs in length. The focus should be on what will happen/result, if the problem is not resolved (Wensveen, 2007)-as an example of a paraphrased citation.
IV. Development of Alternative Actions, two each
Alternatives (two each) should provide a feasible, realistic way to solve the problem. Provide rationale for each alternative and then provide two advantages and two disadvantages for each alternative. Be consistent with the problem and significance of the problem. Alternatives must be derived directly from the source of the issue/problem and/or the assigned chapter(s) from the textbook. Use the information that you have, the source document and/or the assigned chapter(s) from the textbook, to resolve the situation. “You must have two alternatives, each must have rationale, each must have two advantages and two disadvantages” (McConnell, 2005, para. 4)-as an example of an in text citation for a direct quotation from an internet source. This section should be no more than two paragraphs in length. “It is imperative that you not use any part of the
recommendation from number V” (D. S. Worrells, personal communication, January 4, 2010)-as an example of personal communications. As an alternative method of formatting your alternative actions please consider the matrix format (see Table 1).
V. Recommendation
“Now, based upon what you have read in the source document, the assigned chapter(s) from the textbook, and/or your professional experiences, provide a recommendation, just one, completely outside of what is identified in the source document and/or the assigned chapter(s) from the textbook, that will solve the problem you have discovered” (Jacobs & Chase, 2011, p. 23)-as an example of an in text citation from a direct quotation from a printed source. The recommendation must be distinctly different from either of the preceding alternative actions. You may explain why your recommendation is superior and why the advantage outweighs the disadvantage.
You may discuss how the disadvantage might be overcome or minimized. You may discuss what is involved in implementing this recommendation. How long will it take? How much will it cost? What results do you anticipate? BE CREATIVE! You may have to make assumptions in formulating your recommendation. Assumptions are acceptable to the extent that they are clearly articulated. Use the information you have and work with it.
Rarely do decision makers have all the information they would like to have. This is an opportunity to take a chance, to risk putting forth an idea or thought of your own device; use your imagination. Be sure you provide rationale, one advantage, and one disadvantage for it. Do not hesitate to go out on a limb. Innovation is highly desirable.
The recommendation should be no more than two paragraphs and no less than one paragraph in length. Put this analysis into your conception of what should be done to address the problem/issue. It doesn’t have to be pretty but it should work, theoretically.
Note that the preceding in-text citations are provided as examples only.
Reference List
You must have a reference list identifying appropriate in-text citations. They must be cited and referenced in compliance with the APA (see the following examples).
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Blanchard, B. S. (2004). Introduction to logistics. In Logistics engineering and management (6th ed., pp. 1-45). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall.
Composites in the sky with Dreamliner. (2005, May). Aviation Maintenance, 24,
12-18.
Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. B. (2011). Strategy and sustainability. In Operations and supply chain management (13th ed., pp. 20-37). NY: McGraw-Hill.
McConnell, V. P. (2005, May). Composites in the sky with Dreamliner. Aviation Maintenance, 24, 12-18.
McConnell, V. P. (2005, May). Composites in the sky with Dreamliner. Aviation Maintenance. Retrieved from http://aviationtoday.com/cgi/am/show_mag.cgi?pub=am&mon=0505&file=
compositesinthe.htm
Wensveen, J. G. (2007). Forecasting methods. In Air transport: a management perspective (6th ed., pp. 243-256). Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
Note: The McConnell entries are examples of a print source and an internet source for the same periodical.
