Understanding the Case Study

8/2/2019 Understanding the Case Study

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Understanding the Case Study

Prof. L. K. Vaswani

KIIT School of Rural ManagementKIIT University, Bhubaneswar,

Orissa, India



The Questions?

• How can a case approach help?

• What are the opportunities for case development?

– In Context of CSISA

• What case research methods will be appropriate?

• How to Write a Good Case





The Case Method

• The case method in the classroom specificallyfocus on its application to business. However,the approach is readily transferable to other disciplines.

• The “real world” tends to produce complexity asthe needs of stakeholders collide in a way thatmakes “fit”, rather than “optimization” the mostrelevant goal.

• Where “fit” is the goal, judgment is nearly alwaysrequired.

• The case method is well suited to presentingsituations where judgment is needed.



Foundations of a Case Experience

Robert F. Bruner, FMA Meetings,October 8, 2004



Case Study is a Holistic Inquiry

• The phenomenon and setting are a bound

system

• Holistic inquiry involves collection of in-

depth and detailed data that are rich in

content and involve multiple sources of

• The multiple sources of information

provide the wide array of information

needed to provide an in-depth picture.

Harling,2002



Case Study is a Holistic Inquiry

• A case study is a holistic inquiry that investigates acontemporary phenomenon within its naturalsetting.

• The phenomenon can be many different things: aprogram, an event, an activity, a problem or an

individual(s).• The natural setting is the context within which this

phenomenon appears.

– Context is included because contextual

conditions are considered highly pertinent to thephenomenon being studied either because• many factors in the setting impinge on the phenomenon or

• because the separation between the phenomenon and thecontext is not clearly evident.



Case Study Output

• The product of the case study can either be a

research or a teaching case.

• The two are of equal scholarly merit.

• The research case is more formal, includes theresearcher’s opinions and judgments, and is

structured to persuade the reader to accept the

researcher’s conclusions.

• The teaching case provides relevant description

of the situation but withholding opinions and

analysis. guide students through the process of

analyzing the data and drawing conclusions.





Research Case vs. Teaching Case

Teaching case is a tool of participative andactive learning. It has focuses on aspecific management problem to arrive at

a decision or describes some managerialprocess.

A research case involves rigorous analysisto develop concepts or theory, or itprovides a thick description of a uniquesituation and helps in understanding theevents of the real-world and their complex

relationships.



Positioning case method research



Positioning case method research-

The Slippery Slope

Quantitative research

O b j e c t i v e ,

a p e r s o n a l

S u b j e c t i v e ,

i n t e r p e r s o n a l



Positioning case method research

• Appreciation of the case method comes withrecognition that it fits within the traditions of qualitativeresearch.

• In qualitative research the researcher is actively

involved in understanding the situation and, indescribing this understanding, creates knowledge.

• On recognizing these differences, one can appreciatethat the qualitative research is as scholarly and

demanding as quantitative research.• The benefit of using qualitative research is that it is

better equipped than is quantitative research to tacklecertain problems.



Telling vs. Experiencing

• Article writer: “I have to tell others.”

• Case writer: “I have to create for

others the discovery experience that Ihad.”

• Article writer: “I should start with my

ideas.” • Case writer: “I should start with what

the learner needs.”



What Is A Discussion Case?

• A comprehensive story of a real situation,decision, event, or managerial process.

• Contains data and information for analysis.

• Contains situations requiring decisions and/or

recommendations

• Simulates real-world experiences



What Are Evaluative Cases ?

• Evaluative Cases review and chronicle some

event

• The purpose is to examine the who, what, why,

where, when and how of an event.• Objective is to provide a concrete example of

some phenomenon of interest.

•

The reader is not asked to make a decision. Thelearning objective is to have reader understand

what happened and to learn from it.



What Is A Case Study Research?

• A case study research is an empirical

enquiry that investigates a contemporary

phenomenon within a real-life context

where the boundaries between

phenomenon and context are not clearly

evident, and in which multiple sources of evidence are used.



WHY WE TEACH CASES?

• The discussion method is effective. One learns

best that which one teaches oneself.

• The discussion method builds the capacity for

critical thinking. Instructors model skills of questioning, debate and challenge.

• The discussion method exercises judgment and

action-taking.

• The discussion method models the process of

inductive learning-from experience

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Understanding the Case Study