A Qualitative Case Study

The who, the what, the why, and the how.

Presented by: Larraine Carpeso

Who started it?

• Robert Stake

• Robert Yin

– There are two key approaches that guide case study

methodology; one proposed by Robert Stake (1995) and

the second by Robert Yin (2003, 2006). Both seek to

ensure that the topic of interest is well explored, and that

the essence of the phenomenon is revealed, but the

methods that they each employ are quite different.

Who started it?

• Both Stake (1995) and Yin (2003) base their approach to case

study on a constructivist paradigm. Constructivists claim that

truth is relative and that it is dependent on one’s perspective.

This paradigm “recognizes the importance of the subjective

human creation of meaning, but doesn’t reject outright some

notion of objectivity.

• Pluralism, not relativism, is stressed with focus on the circular

dynamic tension of subject and object” (Miller & Crabtree,

1999, p. 10). Constructivism is built upon the premise of a

social of reality (Searle, 1995).

WHAT IS IT?How a case study is defined in many perspectives.

What is it?

" … an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, when the

boundaries between phenomenon and the context are not clearly evident, and in which the multiple source of

evidence are used. It is particularly valuable in answering who, why and how questions in management research.“

(Yin, 1994)

It is a puzzle that has to be solved.

What is it?

• It is an approach to research that facilitates exploration of a

phenomenon within its context using a variety of data

sources. This ensures that the issue is not explored

through one lens, but rather a variety of lenses which

allows for multiple facets of the phenomenon to be revealed

and understood. (Baxter & Jack, 2008)

• The case study research method is a technique for

answering who, why and how questions. The use of

multiple evidence allows the researcher to provide a

convincing argument as an answer to the questions.

• It is a holistic inquiry that investigates a contemporary

phenomenon within its natural setting.

What is it?

Factual vs. Fictional

Intrinsic vs. Instrumental vs. Collective

Analytical vs. Problem-oriented

What is it?

Factual vs. Fictional

•factual ones depicting real organizations, people, and

situations; advantages are that they can provide a wealth of

detail, give credibility to situations and problems, and, most

important, provide real outcomes. Actual

results give those who analyze a case real-world solutions.

•fictional ones that, although usually based loosely on actual

people and events, do not use real organization's or people's

names; advantages are that these are not constrained by the

facts. Case writers can exercise their poetic license and embellish

on problems, issues, situations, and people in order to focus only

on the problems they want to address.

What is it?

Factual vs. Fictional

Drawbacks.

Factual: Analysts tend to focus on the accuracy of the details rather than on the

appropriateness of the solutions.

Factual cases tend to become outdated as organizations, strategies,

problems, and people change over time.

If a factual case portrays real organizations or people in a negative way,

questions of taste, fairness, and even libel can arise.

In a factual case writers are limited to dealing with only those

management topics that are implicit in the case.

What is it?

Factual vs. Fictional

Drawbacks.

Fictional:

Students can never know if a solution worked or not.

Fictional cases are theoretical ones, and thus often do not have

the credibility that factual ones do.

What is it?

Intrinsic vs. Instrumental vs. Collective

Single approach:

Intrinsic case study is done to learn about a unique phenomenon which

the study focuses on. The researcher needs to be able to define the

uniqueness of this phenomenon which distinguishes it from all others;

possibly based on a collection of features or the sequence of events.

The instrumental case study is done to provide a general

understanding of a phenomenon using a particular case. The case

chosen can be a typical case although an unusual case may help

illustrate matters overlooked in a typical case because they are subtler

there.

• Need to provide and defend a rationale

What is it?

Intrinsic vs. Instrumental vs. Collective

The collective case study is done to provide a general understanding

using a number of instrumental case studies that either occur on the

same site or come from multiple sites. Yin (1999) has described these as

analytical generalizations as opposed to statistical generalizations.

When multiple cases are used, a typical format is to provide detailed

description of each case and then present the themes within the

case (within case analysis) followed by thematic analysis across

cases (cross-case analysis). In the final interpretative phase, the

researcher reports the lessons learned from the analysis.

•Again, there is a need for a rationale

What is it?

Analytical vs. Problem-oriented

The Analytical Approach

The case study is examined in order to try and understand what has

happened and why. It is not necessary to identify problems or suggest

solutions.

The Problem-Oriented Method

The case study is analysed to identify the major problems that exist and

to suggest solutions to these problems.

When to use it?

• According to Yin (2003) a case study design should be

considered when:

(a) the focus of the study is to answer “how” and “why”

questions;

(b) you cannot manipulate the behaviour of those involved in

the study;

(c) you want to cover contextual conditions because you

believe they are relevant to the phenomenon under study;

or

(d) the boundaries are not clear between the phenomenon

and context.

On bias

Case studies can rarely be objectively completed due to the bias of

both the supplier and the recipient of the information. Stake

(1994) regards this area of research as fraught with danger, primarily

due to the problem of subjectivity interpreting data after it has been

written down.

Three obstacles:

• The difficulties encountered by individuals in being able to accurately

remember.

• The inhibitions individuals have in disclosing important feelings.

• The suspicion individuals have about revealing information that might

reflect poorly on them or their superiors.

– The use of multiple sources of evidence can help substantially in improving the

validity and reliability of the research.

HOW TO DO IT?Case study methodology.

How to do it?

1. Determining the case or the unit of analysis.

2. Determine what your case will NOT be. (Binding the case)

3. Determine the type of case study to be conducted. (Single,

holistic, or multiple; Explanatory, exploratory, or descriptive)

4. Determine if you’ll have propositions, and what propositions

are these; have a conceptual framework.

5. Use multiple data sources; have a database to organize

your data.

6. Have data collection and data analysis, which occur

concurrently.

7. Report your case study. (a.k.a. defense)

A final word

• Case study research is more than simply conducting research

on a single individual or situation. This approach has the

potential to deal with simple through complex situations. It

enables the researcher to answer “how” and “why” type

questions, while taking into consideration how a phenomenon

is influenced by the context within which it is situated.

• A case study is an excellent opportunity to gain tremendous

insight into a case. It enables the researcher to gather data

from a variety of sources and to converge the data to illuminate

the case.

References

Baxter, P. & Jack, S. (2008, December 4). Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers.The Qualitative Report Volume 13 Number 4 December 2008 544-559. Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR13-4/baxter.pdf.

Harling, K. An overview of case study. Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved August 30, 2010.

Lubbe, S. The Development of a Case Study Methodology in the Information Technology (IT) Field: A Step by Step Approach. Retrieved: August 30, 2010.

Warner, C. How to write a case study. Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http://www.cpcug.org/user/houser/advancedwebdesign/Tips_on_Writing_the_Case_Study.html.

A Qualitative Case Study

The who, the what, the why, and the how.

Presented by: Larraine Carpeso