ABSTRACT
While the business plan is prepared by specific individual(s) for a specific purpose and is aimed at a specific audience, the proposal is much broader in nature. This chapter reviews some basic concepts of organizational decision-making that tend to drive the need for business cases. It explains the essentials of crafting a business case and identifies some lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful business cases. Evidence-based decision-making has its roots in one of the oldest research areas in the management literature, namely, decision theory. Evidence-based practice (EBP) – the use of scientific research as the basis for clinical decision-making – was deemed to be the solution to curbing rising healthcare costs while offering quality care and access to services. In the management literature, the practice of evidence-based decision-making in management emphasizes a rational, objective, and empirical approach to addressing business issues. Organizations tend to have their own requirements for the format and layout of written business cases.
