The case study method is a research method that uses a case, which is a “single example of some phenomenon of interest” (Veal, 2005, p. 169). As such, a case study is a type of research or study that focuses on a single event, product, workplace or workplace unit, or organization. However, it is also possible for a case study to involve more than one case, particularly if the objective of the study is to make a comparison of the cases involved. It should be noted, though, that even in such instances, each of the cases involved remain to be distinct from each other and can be subjected to individual analysis and description. It has the purpose of providing an in-depth explanation, exploration, or description of a specific phenomenon or system through the qualitative or quantitative collection and analysis of data. It aims to test or generate a theory in its particular historical, cultural, and social context (Lee, Mishna & Brennenstuhl, 2010). However, although case studies are usually based on the participants’ experiences, Gagnon (2010) asserts that case studies must still be based on systematic procedures that can be used for demonstrating the reliability and validity of the evidence.
While most experts propose that a case study should focus on a unit of analysis, which must be determined at the onset, VanWynsberghe & Khan (2007) suggest that it is not always possible for researchers to concretely define the unit of analysis at the beginning of the research because it is something that emerges only as the research is being undertaken. Moreover, VanWynsberghe & Khan (2007) assert that the case study is not a research design, method, or methodology. Rather, they define a case study as
a transparadigmatic heuristic that enables the circumscription of the unit of analysis;
[. . . ] accomplished by (a) providing detailed descriptions obtained from immersion in the context of the case, (b) bounding the case temporally and spatially, and (c) frequent engagement between the case itself and the unit of analysis. (VanWynsberghe & Khan, 2007, p. 90)
According to Baxter & Jack (2008), the correct application of the qualitative case study methodology can become valuable in the field of health science research, particularly in the development of interventions, programs, and theory. As suggested by Yin (cited in Baxter & Jack, 2008), the case study methodology may be appropriate when the boundaries between the context and the phenomenon are not clear; when contextual conditions need to be covered because of their relevance to the phenomenon being studied; when the behavior of the research participants or subjects cannot be manipulated; and when the objective of the study is to answer why or how questions.
Similarly, Jackson (2011) cites the usefulness of the case study method in the fields of psychology and medicine where, for example, Freud started to develop his theory of personality by conducting a case study on his own children. In addition, Jackson (2011) highlights how case studies can be useful when studying rare phenomena such as brain diseases or disorders, particularly in the case of split-brain patients.
On the other hand, Lee et al. (2010) suggest that a well-developed case study can be used for the improvement of the transferability of interventions to the field of social work. This is especially helpful in the effort of practitioners to identify and apply the best available evidence that can effectively help their clients. With case studies, social workers can closely examine personal meanings, phenomenological details, and “context-dependent knowledge in practice” (Lee et al., 2010, p. 688), which are all important in conducting a case study research. Moreover, Lee et al. (2010) suggest that a case study research can be used to bridge the gap between practice and research in the field of social work. This is supportive of the earlier claims of Stake (1978) who proposes that case studies will often be the preferred research method because of its tendency to be “epistemologically in harmony with the reader’s experience and thus to that person a natural basis for generalization” (Stake, 1978, p. 5). By making use of experiences, the use of case studies will be more effective at ensuring the reader’s understanding of the research. In particular, the use of experiences will enable readers to understand the various social programs and social problems that they face.
The case study method also proves to be useful in the field of education. In particular, case studies have been used for understanding and evaluating curriculum programs (Simons, 2009). Some of the ways by which researchers gather data include interviews with the key players, classroom observations, image captures of the context, and the exploration of the surrounding milieu. This allows researchers to determine the academic institution’s culture, student achievements, students’ reception of the new curricula, staff-student relationships, staff experience, mobility and confidence, teaching styles, and the academic institution’s history among others. Moreover, with the use of case studies, researchers are able to evaluate the complexity of innovations, which in turn enable them to provide decision makers with the information that they needed.
In another example, a study conducted by Pfeiffer & Rogalin (2012) made use of a case study in teaching research methods. In particular, the researchers used a case study for highlighting the rewards and challenges of conducting various types of research; for integrating a cross-method and cross-discipline discussion among faculty guests; and for incorporating discussion-based learning and active learning assignments in the initiatives to teach undergraduate research methods (Pfeiffer & Rogalin, 2012).
Gable (1994) also asserts the usefulness and strength of using a multi-method model of research where the case study, a qualitative method, is used with the survey research method, which is quantitative in nature. Gable (1994) demonstrates this by using information systems as an example, and provides the following as the reasons for integrating a case study with the survey method: 1.) It allows for triangulation, which improves the internal validity and interpretation of the quantitative results; and 2.) It enables the development of contextual richness, which is of great value in the process of building a model.
In a similar field, Iacono, Brown & Holtham (2011) suggest the use of case studies when conducting research on the success and failures of organizational change, which involve the implementation of information systems and the introduction of practices that go with the system change. In particular, the researchers assert that case studies can be effectively used in the examination of the context behind the implementation of information systems where the main area of concern would be the organizational issues instead of the technical issues (Iacono et al., 2011). Moreover, the researchers posit that case studies can be used not only for hypothesis generation ad exploration, but can also be applied on all phases of the research.
In the same manner, Vissak (2010) proposes that the case study method can be effectively used in obtaining a better understanding of complex processes such as the management of international processes along with the internationalization process. In particular, a case study research may be appropriate when there is an inadequacy with current perspectives, an example of which is the perspective on why companies re-enter foreign markets that they have already previously abandoned. Case studies can also be used if current perspectives are in conflict with each other. An example of this is the perspective on whether foreign subsidiaries are gaining more autonomy or are being increasingly controlled. Moreover, case studies can be used if perspectives contradict current research, an example of which is the disregard of the fact that the internationalization process of most companies is not linear, considering that the company’s involvement in specific markets decline and grow over time and usually does not grow in an even pace. With the use of a case study, it becomes possible to generate, test, refute, refine, and predict theories (Vissak, 2010).
As well, Bengtsson & Larsson (2012) propose that case study research can contribute greatly to the field of merger and acquisition research. In particular, the authors claim that the use of case studies can add value to the field of merger and acquisition research “in terms of the rich idiographic understanding of the complex combination and especially integration processes where the longitudinal, multi-aspect, and multi-level strengths of the case study method excel” (Bengtsson & Larsson, 2012, p. 2). Because of the complexity and the uniqueness of the events that surround mergers and acquisitions, which can either add value or destroy value within organizational processes, Bengtsson & Larsson (2012) assert that this field of research can benefit not only from the results of quantitative surveys but also from idiographic case studies that can provide a complementary understanding of mergers and acquisitions.
In the same manner, Duxbury (2012) posits that there is a need to increase the amount of literature and theory in the field of entrepreneurship in order for it to be at par with other management sciences. For this, scholars advocate for more case study research to be conducted, as this type of research is capable of providing descriptive details that can in turn provide insights into the building of theories within the field. In particular, scholars claim that the most effective case studies for this purpose are those that involve longitudinal and non-retrospective organizations.
As well, Woodside (2010) asserts that the case study research is useful in that the focus of marketing, management, and psychological research is on the behaviors and decisions by groups and individuals between and within organizations. He points out that information about how people subconsciously think cannot be effectively captured by survey or statistical data; rather, it is better gathered through qualitative methods such as conducting interviews and other qualitative means.
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