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Sage Publications Limited © 2008 Michael D. MyersAll Rights Reserved

CASE STUDY RESEARCH

Chapter 7

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Introduction

Case studies can be used in teaching and research

The following is concerned with the use of research cases only

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Teaching and research cases

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Teaching cases Research cases

•Written primarily for students•Designed to illustrate an existing theory or principle•Published on its own as a teaching case, often with notes for the instructor

•Written primarily for researchers•Designed to contribute to a new theory or explore/test an existing theory•Published as part of a research article in a journal, conference or book

Table 7.1 – A comparison of teaching and research cases

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Research cases

Research cases can be used:– In exploratory research – to discover

– In explanatory research – to test, to explain, or to compare

The purpose of case study research in business and management is to use empirical evidence from real people in real organizations to make an original contribution to knowledge

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Case study research

The term ‘case study’ has multiple meanings. It can be used to describe a detailed study of a single social unit (e.g. a case study of a particular organization) or to describe a research method.

Yin defines a case study as an empirical enquiry that:

– investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when

– the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident" (Yin, 1994: 13).

Yin’s approach to case study research is basically positivist, since he recommends the use of hypotheses and/or propositions

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Definition of case study research in business

‘Case study research in business uses empirical evidence from one or more organizations where an attempt is made to study the subject matter in context. Multiple sources of evidence are used, although most of the evidence comes from interviews and documents’.

In business and management, case study research almost always involves a firm or organization

Case study research can be positivist, interpretive or critical

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Positivist Case Studies

Good case study design is vital

Yin (1994) suggests five components of good case study design:

1. a study’s questions

2. its propositions, if any

3. its unit(s) of analysis

4. the logic linking the data to the propositions

5. the criteria for interpreting the findings

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Interpretive Case Studies

Interpretive case studies generally attempt to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them

Interpretive case studies define quality in terms of the plausibility of the story and the overall argument (not validity and reliability)

Interpretive case studies focus on the social construction of reality – how and why people see the world the way they do

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Critical case studies

Critical case study research involves critical reflection on current practices, questions taken-for-granted assumptions, and critiques the status quo based on the theories of one or more critical theorists

Words such as ‘validity’ and ‘reliability’, which imply an objective reality independent of social reality, are not normally used in interpretive or critical studies

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Doing case study research

Make sure that you find an interesting case

Make sure you have good people skills

Gather rich data and try to establish the context

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Critique of case study research

Case study research is the most popular qualitative research method used in the business disciplines

Case study research allows researchers to explore or test theories within the context of messy real-life situations

A disadvantage of case study research is that it can be difficult to gain access to the particular company or group of companies that you want to study

Another disadvantage is that the researcher has no control over the situation

Case study research can be time consuming

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What makes an exemplary case study?

The case study must be ‘interesting’

The case study must display sufficient evidence

The case study must be ‘complete’

The case study must consider alternative perspectives

The case study should be written in an engaging manner

The case study should contribute to knowledge

One case study is fine! A common error: sampling logic

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