Case Study

Definition of Case Study

• A case study is a research methodology that has commonly used in social
sciences.
• A case study is a research strategy and an empirical inquiry that
investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context.
• Case studies are based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual,
group or event to explore the causes of underlying principles.
• A case study is a descriptive and exploratory analysis of a person, group or
event.
• A case study reserach can be single or multiple case studies, includes
quantitative evidence, relies on multiple sources of evidence and benefits
from the prior development of theoritical propositions.
• Case studies are analysis of persons, groups, events, decisions, periods,
policies, institutions or other systems that are studied holistically by one
or more methods.
 How to write a Case Study?
• There may be a variety of ways of writting a case
study. There are approximately four types of wriiting
case studies; illustrative (descriptive of events),
exploratory (investigative), cumulative (collective
information comparisons) and critical (examine
particular subject with cause and effect outcomes).
After becoming familiar with the different types and
styles of case study instructions and how each applies
to your purposes, there are some steps that help
writing the case smoothly. These may ensure the
development and delivery of a uniform case study
while that can be used to prove a point or illustrate
accomplishments.
PHASE I – GETTING STARTED
• Step 1 – Determine which case study type, design or style is most
applicable to your intended audiance.
• Corporations may choose illustrative case studies to show what has
been done for a client; schools, educators and students may select
cumulative or critical case studies and legal teams may demonstrate
exploratory (investigative) case studies as a way to provide factual
evidence.
• Whatever case study type you are employing, your purpose is to
thoroughly analyze a situation (or “case”) which could reveal factors
or information otherwise ignored or unknown. They can be written
about companies, whole countries, or even individuals. What’s
more, they can be written on more abstract things, like programs or
practices. Really, if you can dream it, you can write a case study
about it.[1]
PHASE I – GETTING STARTED
• Step 2 – Determine the topic of your case study.
• Once you’ve picked your angle, you need to determine
what your research will be about and where it will take
place (your case site). What have you talked about in class?
Have you caught yourself coming up with questions during
your reading?
• Start your research at the library and/or on the Internet to
begin delving into a specific problem. Once you’ve
narrowed down your search to a very specific problem, find
as much about it as you can in a variety of different
sources. Look up information in books, journals, DVDs,
websites, magazines, newspapers, etc. As you go through
each one, take adequate notes so you can find the info
later![1]
PHASE I – GETTING STARTED
• Step 3 – Research case studies that have been published
on the same or similar subject matter.
• Talk to your colleagues, go to the library, surf the web until
your bum falls asleep. You don’t want to be repeating
research that has already been done.
• Find out what has been written before, and read the
important articles about your case site. When you do this,
you may find there is an existing problem that needs
solving, or you may find that you have to come up with an
interesting idea that might or might not work at your case
site.
• Review sample case studies that are similar in style and
scope to get an idea of composition and format, too.
 PHASE II – PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEWS

• Step 1 – Select participants that you will interview for inclusion in your
case study.
• Experts in a particular field of study or customers that have implemented
a tool or service that is the subject of the study will provide the best
information.
• Find knowledgeable people to interview. They don’t necessarily have to be
on your site, but they must be, actively or in the past, directly involved.
• Determine whether you will interview an individual or group of individuals
to serve as examples in your case study. It may be beneficial for
participants to gather as a group and provide insight collectively. If the
study focuses on personal subject matter or medical issues, it may be
better to conduct personal interviews.
• Gather as much information as possible about your subjects to ensure that
you develop interviews and activities that will result in obtaining the most
advantageous information to your study.
 PHASE II – PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEWS

• Step 2 – Draft a list of interview questions and decide

upon how you will conduct your study.
• This could be via in-person group interviews and activities,
personal interviews, or phone interviews. Sometimes, email
is an option.
• When you are interviewing people, ask them questions that
will help you understand their opinions. I.e., How do you
feel about the situation? What can you tell me about how
the site (or the situation) developed? What do you think
should be different, if anything? You also need to ask
questions that will give you facts that might not be
available from an article–make your work different and
purposeful.[2]
 PHASE II – PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEWS

• Step 3 – Set up interviews with subject

matter experts (account managers in a
corporation, clients and customers using
applicable tools and services, etc.).
• Make sure all your informants are aware of
what you’re doing. They need to be fully
informed (and signing waivers in certain cases)
and your questions need to be appropriate
and not controversial.
PHASE III – OBTAINING DATA

• Step 1 – Conduct interviews.

• Ask the same or similar questions of all subjects involved to ensure
that you get different perspectives on a similar subject or service.
• When you ask a question that doesn’t let someone answer with a
“yes” or a “no” you usually get more information. What you are
trying to do is get the person to tell you whatever it is that he or she
knows and thinks –even though you don’t always know just what
that is going to be before you ask the question. Keep your questions
open-ended.[2]
• Request data and materials from subjects as applicable to add
credibility to your findings and future presentations of your case
study. Clients can provide statistics about usage of a new tool or
product and participants can provide photos and quotes that show
evidence of findings that may support the case.
PHASE III – OBTAINING DATA

• Step 2 – Collect and analyze all applicable data,

including documents, archival records, observations
and artifacts.
• Organize all of your data in the same place to ensure
easy access to information and materials while writing
the case study.
• You can’t include it all. So, you need to think about
how to sort through it, take out the excess, and arrange
it so that the situation at the case site will be
understandable to your readers. Before you can do
this, you have to put all the information together
where you can see it and analyze what is going on.[2]
PHASE III – OBTAINING DATA

• Step 3 – Formulate the problem in one or two

sentences.
• As you go through your data, think about how
you can put what you’ve found into a thesis-like
statement. What patterns have your subjects
brought to light?
• This will allow you to concentrate on what
material is the most important. You’re bound to
receive information from participants that should
be included, but solely on the periphery. Organize
your material to mirror this.
PHASE IV – WRITING YOUR CASE
• Step 1 – Develop and write your case study using the data collected throughout the research, interviewing and
analysis processes.
• Include at least four sections in your case study: an introduction, background information explaining why the case
study was created, presentation of findings and a conclusion which clearly presents all of the data and references.
• The introduction should very clearly set the stage. In a detective story, the crime happens right at the beginning
and the detective has to put together the information to solve it for the rest of the story. In a case, you can start
by raising a question. You could quote someone you interviewed.
• Make sure to include background information on your study site, why your interviewees are a good sample, and
what makes your problem pressing to give your audience a panoramic view of the issue. After you’ve clearly
stated the problem at hand, of course.[1] Include photos or a video if it would benefit your work to be persuasive
and personalized.
• After the reader has all the knowledge needed to understand the problem, present your data. Include customer
quotes and data (percentages, awards and findings) if possible to add a personal touch and more credibility to the
case presented. Describe for the reader what you learned in your interviews about the problem at this site, how it
developed, what solutions have already been proposed and/or tried, and feelings and thoughts of those working
or visiting there. You may have to do calculations or extra research yourself to back up any claims.
• At the end of your analysis, you should offer possible solutions, but don’t worry about solving the case itself. You
may find referring to some interviewees’ statements will do the alluding for you. Let the reader leave with a full
grasp of the problem, but trying to come up with their own desire to change it.[1] Feel free to leave the reader
with a question, forcing them to think for themselves. If you have written a good case, they will have enough
information to understand the situation and have a lively class discussion.
PHASE IV – WRITING YOUR CASE

• Step 2 – Add references and appendices (if any).

• Just like you would in any other paper, reference
your sources. That’s why you got credible ones in
the first place. And if you have any information
that relates to the study but would have
interrupted the flow of the body, include it now.
• You may have terms that would be hard for other
cultures to understand. If this is the case, include
it in the appendix or in a Note for the Instructor.
PHASE IV – WRITING YOUR CASE

• Step 3 – Make additions and deletions.

• As your work is forming, you’ll notice that it may
morph into an object you didn’t otherwise expect. If it
does so, make additions and deletions as needed. You
may find that information you once thought pertinent
is no longer. Or vice versa.
• Go over your study section by section, but also as a
whole. Each data point needs to fit into both it’s place
and the entirety of the work. If you can’t find an
appropriate place for something, stick it in the
appendix.
PHASE IV – WRITING YOUR CASE

• Step 4 – Edit and proofread your work.

• Now that your paper is formulated, look for
minute revisions. As always, correct any grammar,
spelling and punctuation errors, but also keep an
eye out for flow and transition. Is everything
placed and worded as efficiently as possible?
• Have someone else proofread, too. Your mind
may have become oblivious to the errors it has
seen 100 times. Another set of eyes may also
notice content that has been left open-ended or
is otherwise confusing.
Tips

If you are developing many case studies for the same purpose using
the same general subjects, use a uniform template and/or design.

• Be sure to ask open-ended questions while conducting interviews

to foster a discussion.

• Ask case study participants for permission to use their names and
information as sources and protect their anonymity if they choose
not to disclose their participation.

• Ask for permission to contact case study participants as you

develop the written case study. You may discover that you need
additional information as you analyze all data.
Sources

•
http://www.essayforum.com/grammar-usage-
13/to-write-case-study-366/
• http://www.gttp.org/docs/HowToWriteAGoodCa
se.pdf
• http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/cas
estudy/pop2a.cfm Colorado State University Case
Study writing guides
• http://www.hoffmanmarcom.com/casestudy/ho
wtowrite.php Hoffman Marketing and
Communications case study overview