Transcript Slide 1

Case Study Methodology
Shelley Marshall
Outline
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What is case study methodology?
What is it good for?
Different types of case studies
Time period for case study
Disadvantages of case study methodology
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Introduction
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Case study method is a common technique used in
social science research to test theoretical propositions or
questions in relation to qualitative inquiry.
The strength of the case study approach is that it
facilitates simultaneous analysis and comparison of
individual cases for the purpose of identifying particular
phenomena among those cases, and for the purpose of
more general theory testing, development or
construction
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What is it?
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A case study is a form of research defined by an interest
in individual cases. It is not a methodology per se, but
rather a useful technique or strategy for conducting
qualitative research.
The more the object of study is a specific, unique,
bounded system, the more likely that it can be
characterised as a case study.
Once the case is chosen, it can be investigated by
whatever method is deemed appropriate to the aims of
the study.
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What is it good for?
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If appropriately designed, case study research
will facilitate the identification of significant
features of the subject not discernable within
more general forms of analysis.
Gives you depth and complexity.
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Can be used to test theories
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Case studies are particularly useful for examining a
phenomena in context.
The case study methodology is designed to study
a phenomenon or set of interacting phenomena in
context “when the boundaries between
phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.”
The lack of distinction between phenomenon and
context make case studies ideal for conducting
exploratory research designed to stand alone or to
guide the formulation of further quantitative
research.
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Length of time
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Some case studies may be a ‘snap shot’ analysis
of a particular event or occurrence.
Other case studies may involve consideration of
a sequence of events, often over an extended
period of time, in order to better determine the
causes of particular phenomena.
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Limitations of case studies
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Single case studies will have limited ability to provide
an adequate test for a theory.
Unless there is a very large sample of case studies,
generally cannot draw ‘quantitative’ generalisations.
At best, the evidence drawn from case studies is
generalisable to theoretical propositions and not to
populations or other large subject groups
However, case studies can be used to test whether there
are exceptions to an excepted theory.
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Theoretical generalisations can however be
made.
As long as researchers do not claim more
for the cases than is possible
methodologically, the limitations need not be
an issue.
It is because more is claimed than is sound
that case studies are often seen as “a less
desirable form of inquiry”.
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Types of case study
approaches
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Intrinsic cases are studied because the case itself is of
interest, not because it is representative of other cases or
because it illustrates a more general trend or problem.
Intrinsic cases are not researched for the purpose of
understanding the relationship of the individual case to
a larger sample or population of cases. Moreover, theory
testing or building is not the purpose of carrying out the
case study, although it may be a secondary function of
the study once carried out.
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Instrumental case studies
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The main purpose of instrumental cases is to facilitate
understanding of something other than the case itself.
That is, the case is mainly used to build knowledge of
an issue or to challenge an existing generalisation.
The case is of secondary interest to the broader goal of
advancing the understanding of that other interest.
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Collective case study
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The collective case study can be viewed as the
extension of the instrumental case study to
several cases.
The purpose of choosing the cases is to take
advantage of comparison and simultaneous
analysis of individual cases to more effectively
test or build theory, or develop a better
understanding of a particular phenomenon.
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A common trap in multiple case designs is that of
using a sampling logic rather than replication logic.
That is, treating the cases as if they were a small
survey sample from which findings can be
extrapolated to the population at large rather than
treating them as cases in which we explore the
extent to which theoretical propositions are
replicated.
Being fairly theory driven in both research design
and analysis is important to avoid this trap.
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Examples of case studies
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Corporate Governance and Workplace
Partnerships:
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Aimed to explore the effects of change in corporate
governance on labour relations in different company
settings. Tried to get a good mix of different types of
companies, eg small, large, formerly state owned, listed,
unlisted.
Used a mixture of methods: structured interviews, coding
of industrial instruments, secondary material.
Used event methodology to examine changes over time.
Evidence informed later survey.
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Steps taken
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Decided on major question or hypothesis
Determined the best way to test this
Broke the question down into smaller
questions
Created a short list of companies which
had undergone a corporate
governance/ownership changes, with short
profiles about each from the public record
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Steps taken cont’
5.
6.
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Decided upon subjects for structured interviews
and designed questions for each, eg HR
manager, CEO, Chief Legal Counsel, Union
representatives
Sought ethics approval using multi-case question
and subject questions
Developed a data base for entering data re
companies so that consistent information was
gathered
Began contacting companies to request that they
participate
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Steps taken cont’
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Upon agreement from company, began
background research from public records,
including coding industrial agreements
over the time period in question.
Embarked upon structured interviews, with
subjects which were mainly consistent
across companies but also contextualised
based on background research.
Wrote up case studies
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11.
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Used case studies to inform later survey of
directors, whom we had been largely
unsuccessful in accessing during original
case studies.
Conducted further case studies of
institutional investors to fill in gap in
original case studies.
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Brotherhood of St Lawrence
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A survey of a large of companies conducted
regarding their attitudes and practices to labour
laws, codes of conduct and ethical procurement in
order to gain quantitative data.
Questions which arose from this quantitative data
are now being tested through case studies.
Want to get more detailed story, but also to test
whether the attitudes of respondents - CEOs or
Procurement manager - are reflected by workers,
managers in other sections, and companies in
supply chain.
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Bradshaw, Y. and Wallace, M. Informing Generality and Explaining
Uniqueness: The Place of Case Studies in Comparative Research in
Ragin, C. (ed), Issues and Alternatives in Comparative Social
Research, EJ Brill, Leiden, Netherlands, 1991.
Stake, R.E. Case Studies, in Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (eds)
Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd ed), Sage Publications,
Thousand Oaks, California, 2000.
*** Yin, R.K. Case Study Research (2nd Ed), Sage Publications,
Thousand Oaks, California, 1994.
King, G. Keohane, R.O. and Verba, S. Designing Social Inquiry :
Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Princeton University
Press, Princeton, 1994.
Gregory Mitchell, “Case Studies, Counterfactuals and Causal
Explanations” 2004 152 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1517.
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