Case Study Methodology in Management Research

Case studies are a popular research method in business area. Case studies aim to analyze specific issues within the boundaries of a specific environment, situation or organization. A case study involves an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of a particular case or cases, within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on

The Case Study as a Research Method

Using case studies for research purposes remains one of the most challenging of all social science endeavors. The purpose of this book is to help you—an experi­enced or budding social scientist—to deal with the challenge. Your goal is to design good case studies and to collect, present, and analyze data fairly. A further goal

Comparing Case Studies with Other Research Methods in the Social Sciences

When and why would you want to do case studies on some topic? Should you consider doing an experiment instead? A survey? A history? An analysis of archival records, such as modeling economic trends or student performance in schools?1 These and other choices represent different research methods. Each is a differ­ent way of collecting

Different Kinds of Case Studies, but a Common Definition

Our discussion has progressed without a formal definition of case studies. Moreover, commonly asked questions about case studies still have been unan­swered. For example, is it still a case study when more than one case is included in the same study? Do case studies preclude the use of quantitative evidence? Can case studies be

General Approach to Designing Case Studies

In identifying the method for your research project, Chapter 1 has shown when you might choose to use the case study method, as opposed to other methods. The next task is to design your case study. For this purpose, as in designing any other type of research investigation, you need a plan or research

Criteria for Judging the Quality of Research Designs

Because a research design is supposed to represent a logical set of statements, you also can judge the quality of any given design according to certain logical tests. Concepts that have been offered for these tests include trustworthi­ness, credibility, confirmability, and data dependability (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 1990). Four tests, however, have been commonly

Case Study Designs

These general characteristics of research designs serve as a background for considering the specific designs for case studies. Four types of designs will be discussed, based on a 2 x 2 matrix (see Figure 2.4). The matrix first shows that every type of design will include the desire to analyze contextual conditions in relation

Modest Advice in Selecting Case Study Designs

Now that you know how to define case study designs and are prepared to carry out design work, three pieces of advice may be offered. 1. Single- or Multiple-Case Designs? The first word of advice is that, although all designs can lead to successful case studies, when you have the choice (and resources), multiple-case

The Case Study Investigator: Desired Skills

Too many people are drawn to the case study strategy because they believe it is “easy.” Many social scientists—especially budding ones—think the case study strategy can be mastered without much difficulty. Their belief is that they will have to learn only a minimal set of technical procedures; that any of their own shortcomings in

Preparation and Training for a Specific Case Study

1. Human Subjects Protection Some time between the completion of your design and the start of your data collection, you will need to show how you plan to protect the human subjects in your case study. You will need to obtain formal approval for your plan. Such approval should not merely be viewed as

2 Comments

The Case Study Protocol

A case study protocol has only one thing in common with a survey question­naire: Both are directed at a single data point—either a single case (even if the case is part of a larger, multiple-case study) or a single respondent. Beyond this similarity are major differences. The protocol is more than a questionnaire or

Screening the Candidate “Cases” for Your Case Study

Another preparatory step is the final selection of the case(s) to be part of your case study. Sometimes, the selection is straightforward because you have cho­sen to study a unique case whose identity has been known from the outset of your inquiry. Or, you already may know the case you will study because of

The Pilot Case Study

Pilot cases may be conducted for several reasons unrelated to the criteria for selecting the final cases in the case study design. For example, the informants at a pilot site may be unusually congenial and accessible, or the site may be geographically convenient or may have an unusual amount of documentation and data. One

Six Sources of Case Study Evidence

The sources of evidence discussed here are the ones most commonly used in doing case studies: documentation, archival records, interviews, direct obser­vations, participant-observation, and physical artifacts. However, you should be aware that a complete list of sources can be quite extensive—including films, photographs, and videotapes; projective techniques and psychological testing; proxemics; kinesics; “street” ethnography;

Three Principles of Data Collection in Case Study Method

The benefits from these six sources of evidence can be maximized if you fol­low three principles. These principles are relevant to all six sources and, when used properly, can help to deal with the problems of establishing the construct validity and reliability of the case study evidence. The three are as follows. 1. Principle

An Analytic Strategy in Case Study Research: More Than Familiarity with Analytic Tools

1. Need for an Analytic Strategy Introduction. The analysis of case study evidence is one of the least developed and most difficult aspects of doing case studies. Too many times, investigators start case studies without having the foggiest notion about how the evidence is to be analyzed (despite Chapter 3’s recommendation that the analytic

Five Analytic Techniques in Case Study Research

None of the analytic techniques should be considered easy to use, and all will need much practice to be used powerfully. Your objective should be to start modestly, work thoroughly and introspectively, and build your own analytic repertoire over time. The reward will eventually emerge in the form of com­pelling case study analyses and,

Pressing for a High-Quality Analysis in Case Study Research

No matter what specific analytic strategy or techniques have been chosen, you must do everything to make sure that your analysis is of the highest quality. At least four principles underlie all good social science research (Yin, 1994a, 1994b, 1997, 1999) and require your attention. First, your analysis should show that you attended to

Targeting Case Study Reports

Giving some initial thought to your likely or preferred audience and reporting formats serves as a good starting point for composing your case study. It can have a more diverse set of potential audiences than most other types of research, including (a) academic colleagues; (b) policy makers, practitioners, community leaders, and other professionals who

Case Study Reports as Part of Larger, Mixed Methods Studies

Your completed case study may include data from other methods (e.g., surveys or quantitative analysis of archival data such as health status indicators). In particular, Chapter 2 pointed to the possibility that within a single case might exist embedded units of analysis, which might have been the subject of data collection through these other