A memo is a short piece of communication to a reader who wants to be enlightened. You need to pay attention to two things: organization of ideas and the structure of your writeup. Why do we write a case memo? A good reason for the memo exercise is to help you prepare for class. Students find the writing process helps them pay more attention to detail and dive deeper in to the issues. But there are also applications of this skill in practical terms. If a manager asks you to consider a problem and share your thoughts in a short memo (e.g., an email), you are to both define the problem and provide insight. A summary of the facts is not going to be too helpful (as the manager knows the facts already). Your memo must add value by either helping the manager understand the problem better or providing some suggested actions. If you were 4 the manager who are seeking advice, how would you judge the quality of a memo? Most likely by how much new insight it provides. How should a case memo be structured? • Have a clear introduction: what my memo is about and how you plan to make your case. No need to be long. • A memo is not a summary of the case, but an analysis • Focus on a core issue (e.g., if the case ends with two questions, you may choose to focus on one) • Have a core argument and state your position early in the memo (don’t make your reader wait; no need to create suspense) • Layout your evidence in a logical manner. Let the facts and your analysis speak for themselves. Avoid statements like “I strongly believe…” • Support argument will facts and evidence from the case. (Avoid citing subsequent developments and information outside of the case.) Be specific and avoid generalities. One useful test: if you replace the name of the company with Starbucks and the memo still make sense, it is too general.)