Case studies - approaches for real life problems

Basic Steps
In basic terms, the rough outline of the steps to be applied are as follows:
1)    Read the case and reach a hypothesis
2)    Create a storyline and build a 'ghost' presentation
3)    Do more research and analysis to build out the presentation
4)    Challenge recommendations/anticipate counter arguments
5)    Revise
6)    Practice
7)    Present

So far, so simple. But the real challenge is to ensure that you—whether as an individual or part of a team—are thorough.

Consider the example of one case, where one question was whether to expand internationally.

The first level of analysis is a go/no go decision on expansion

The second level is which geographic regions to consider,

The third is for the specific region—which countries to consider (and rank order them)

The fourth level is to determine the exact method of entry and how that may differ by country and also compared to the existing current model.

That level of rigor enables you to not only have a concrete, reasoned recommendation, but also to easily answer questions as to why you did not go to certain countries/regions. When those questions will come, you will be in the position of having answers which are detailed, cogent and fact-based, enabling one to demonstrate the thoroughness of the analysis

Useful skills

In terms of the skills required to successfully approach case studies one cannot stress the importance of analytical, effective communication and interpersonal skills, as well as having the ability to ask the right questions to elicit the information necessary to crack the case.

One needs to tackle problems from a cross-functional perspective and be a cross-functional thinker. This allows you to address a case question from multiple perspectives as opposed to your prior role or industry.
 
The perils of preparation

Practice is the enabler which makes one become good at filtering information, coming up with hypothesis, criteria, and doing the analysis.
 
Focus on the data—and only the data

The key to success is not fancy slides or groundbreaking insights but a rigorous, data-driven approach to solving the problem in a methodical and reasoned way.
Also, resist the temptation to think too big with their answers: Suggesting something dramatic in one's recommendation should be backed up by a well reasoned and developed decision.
Depending on the case, an incremental, well thought-out approach may make more sense than a drastic change.

Protecting yourself on Facebook

 

Facebook has many advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of Facebook is that everyone gets to know stuff which you intend for a select audience. The "everyone" may include people who are outright enemies, friends who are enemies (frenemy) and people above you in the hierarchy ( you boss etc) who would love to use the data you publish for malicious or harmful intent. How would you go about shielding yourself in such cases. Here are some ways.

Got an oversharing Facebook buddy who can’t stop with the food photos, a sullen friend who’s bringing you down with all his depressing updates, or a frenemy who you don’t want peeking at your Facebook photo albums? Well, you could always hit the “unfriend” button, but doing so might seem a bit extreme—and hey, what if they find out?

Luckily, there are a few of ways to keep marginal Facebook pals at arm’s length without cutting them off altogether, starting with…

1. Add chatterboxes to your “Acquaintances” list

So, you added a long-lost friend you remember fondly from high school, but now they’re constantly peppering your news feed with random links about their favorite TV shows, silly cat photos, and endless snapshots of their kids. It’s not that you want to slam the door on all their updates, mind you—just, well, most of them. Want to see a little less of a friend in your news feed? Just add them to your Acquaintance list.

Here’s a quick, relatively painless solution: add your distant yet ever-chatty friend to your Acquaintances list.

Once you do, Facebook will automatically pare down the number of news feed updates you receive from them to a bare minimum. For example, you might still get notified that a far-flung Facebook acquaintance got married or landed a new job, but you’ll get sweet relief from the daily kitty snapshots.

Indeed, putting an oversharing friend on your Acquaintance list makes for the perfect way to dial down their endless updates without silencing them altogether. And don’t worry: your friend will never know that you relegated them to your Acquaintance list.

To add a friend to your Acquaintance list, just…

• Hover your mouse over their name on their timeline or in your news feed.
• When you see the pop-up window with their profile photo and a “Friends” button, hover your mouse over that button to reveal a new pop-up menu.
• See the “Acquaintances” option? Go ahead and click it.
• Want a little more control over which updates you’ll see from a specific friend? Instead of “Acquaintances,” click “Settings,” then start unchecking categories (from “Life Events” to “Comments and Likes”).

Oh, and one more thing: if you ever want to hide a post of your own from the folks on your Acquaintances list, you can choose the “Friends except Acquaintances” option from the audience selector (the pull-down menu that sits right next to the Post button).

2. Block downers from your news feed

Here’s another scenario: you have a pal who just won’t stop with the links to depressing news stories, the “I hate my job” updates, the bitter diatribes against the politician you voted for, and the off-color, not-so-funny jokes. It’s easy to block all of a friend’s updates from appearing in your news feed.

Now, maybe you’re not quite ready to ban your bummer of a buddy from the updates and photos you share with fellow Facebook friends. That said, here’s a pal whose name you’d rather not see in your news feed at all—not even if they got a promotion, had a kid, or managed to eke out a good day.

Well, guess what: you can completely block updates from that downer of a friend in just a few clicks:

• Again, hover your mouse over the friend’s name on their timeline or in your news feed, then wait for the window with their profile photo to appear.
• When it does, hover your mouse over the Friends button, click Settings, then uncheck “Show in News Feed.”
• Last but not least, enjoy the silence.

3. Banish a frenemy to your Restricted list

Say you added your conniving boss as a Facebook friend your first week on the job … and now you’re regretting it. You’re thinking twice about every photo upload and every update you post, but “unfriending” your boss isn’t really an option. What to do? Had enough of a certain Facebook frenemy? Banish them to your Restricted list.

Try this: put him on your “Restricted” list—a “friend list” for friends and frenemies who you’re this close to unfriending. Once you banish someone to your Restricted list, their links, photos and updates won’t appear in your news feed at all (although you might see their name pop up in the ticker once in a blue moon).

Even better, they’ll no longer see any of your updates, photos, or other Facebook activity—or at least, nothing that you haven’t flagged as “Public” in your privacy settings. In other words, putting a frenemy on your Restricted list is as close as you can get to unfriending someone without actually unfriending them.

Here’s how you do it:

• Once more, hover your mouse over their name in your news feed or on their timeline, wait for the pop-up window to appear, then click the Friends button.
• Select “Add to another list” from the menu, scroll all the way down, then click Restricted.

Note: While Facebook won’t notify a friend that you’ve put them on your Restricted list, an eagle-eyed frenemy may well notice that they’re not seeing your “friends only” updates anymore.

Bonus tip

Want to see a list of all the friends whose posts are blocked from your news feed?

• First, go to your news feed, hover your mouse over the News Feed link in the top-left corner of the page, click the little pencil icon, then click Edit Settings.
• A pop-up window should appear, complete with the names of all the friends whose updates no longer appear in your news feed.
• Change your mind on any of them? Click the little “X” next to their name.

Provident Fund PF - how to check and withdraw

To check your PF the government has provided a website EPF India which allows to

http://www.epfindia.com/

•   Member Portal (Download your E-Passbook)


•    Know Your claim status.


•   Know Your EPF Balance.


•   EPFiGMS (Register your Grievance)


•   Establishment search (Also View Remittances & Member Name)


•   Locate an EPFO Office

All one needs to do is to create a login using the PF account number ( provided on the salary slip) and personal mobile number.

Withdrawal of PF

It is not uncommon for people to switch jobs once in a while. However, while changing jobs, many fail to claim their provident fund. Most people think the process to claim PF is cumbersome. In reality, it is not. All it requires is a little bit of patience and diligent follow up.

To withdraw your PF, you have to fill and file Form 19 (for PF) and Form 10 (for pension) with your employer. It is best to do it while sending your resignation papers in your office. You also need to give a cancelled cheque, which will provide your employer with your bank account details. How fast you get your money will depend on how quickly your company forwards the documents to the PF office.

There is a 'cooling' period of two months from the date of the employee putting in his papers or retiring. It's only after this period will the company forward the papers to the PF department. But not all companies are efficient in sending the papers and neither is the PF department efficient in processing the claim. So, it could take anywhere between three and eight months to get your PF money. The PF money does not go the employer; the PF department will credit the money directly to the employee's bank account. Prior to crediting the money, the department sends an intimation to both the employee and employer, mentioning a tentative date by which the money is likely to be credited.

If you are moving to another organisation, transferring your PF money is a better option,  instead of withdrawing it. PF is a social security scheme and there is a pension component as well. If you withdraw before 15 years, you won't get the pension amount. Another reason why you should transfer your PF money and not withdraw it is to save on tax. If you withdraw the PF before five years, you will be liable to pay tax, depending on your income tax slab. Instead, if you transfer it, you can save the tax and you will continue to earn interest on it. For FY13, the interest rate has been fixed at 8.5 per cent.  To transfer the PF account from your previous job, you have to fill Form 13. Usually, the process is faster than withdrawing the money. In case your earlier job did not have a PF component, then you have to declare this by filling Form 11. If your PF is inactive for three years (that is, if no money has been credited), it will stop earning interest after three years. So, it is better to withdraw or transfer your PF amount within three years of changing jobs or retiring.

If, for some reason, your past employer is not traceable or the company has shut down, then you have to submit an identity proof (such as PAN card, voter's identity card, passport, ration card, etc) and residence proof (utility bill such as electricity bill or landline telephone bill) to the PF department. You will also be required to send a letter from the bank where you want the money transferred to. You will also need to trace the PF account number of your previous employer. You need to know the number even to transfer your PF account. 

Often, we close old salary accounts, as it is expensive to pay annual maintenance charges.

However, some dividend payments due to us, such as the ones from equity or mutual fund investments, could be linked to these bank accounts.If the bank account is closed when the payment comes, then it goes back to the company and the investor has to collect it from there.

The most common reason for dividend payments not being claimed is when the investor has not informed the company of his new address, due to which the cheque returns to the company.

Fund houses and companies also inform investors about the dividend payment through SMS and email. 

In any case, most dividend payments now happen through direct transfer to the investor's account. Only two-three per cent of the total volume of the dividend payouts happen through cheques, says an official from the customer service department of a fund house. In case an electronic transfer fails, if the account has been closed, then the fund house will issue a cheque to the investor. 

If the dividend cheque returns, you need to approach the fund house or the company before the validity of the cheque expires, that is, within three months. Otherwise, it could take up to 30 days for a new cheque to be issued. To know about your unclaimed dividends, write to the registrar and transfer agent of the fund house with details such as folio number and the name of the scheme. If it is a share, you can write to the registrar of the company.To avoid these hassles, always update your personal details with the company.