Crafting and StrategyCrafting and StrategyHow to do a Case StudyWhile there is no one definitive “Case Method” or approach, there are common steps that most approaches recommend be followed in tackling a case study. It is inevitable that different Instructors will tell you to do things differently, this is part of life and will also be part of working for others. This variety is beneficial since it will show you different ways of approaching decision making. What follows is intended to be a rather general approach, portions of which have been taken from an excellent book entitled, Learning with Cases, by Erskine, Leenders, & Mauffette-Leenders, published by the Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, 1997.
Beforehand (usually a week before), you will get:the case study,(often) some guiding questions that will need to be answered, and(sometimes) some reading assignments that have some relevance to the case subject.Case studyThere are two different approaches to case studiesType 1: The analytical approachThe 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.Type 2: The problem-oriented methodThe case study is analysed to identify the major problems that exist and to suggest solutions to these problems.This Quickref focuses on type 2.The problem-oriented methodCheck with your lecturer which type they require.A successful case study analyses a real life situation where existing problems need to be solved. It should:•Relate the theory to a practical situation for example apply the ideas and knowledge discussed in the coursework to the practical situation at hand in the case study.
•Identify the problems•Select the major problems in the case•Suggest solutions to these major problems•Recommend the best solution to be implemented•Detail how this solution should be implementedNB: The case is the “real life” situation, he case study is the analysis of this situationHow to write the case studyThere are usually eight sections in a case study.Synopsis/Executive summary•Outline the purpose of the case study•Describe the field of research – this is usually an overview of the company•Outline the issues and findings of the case study without the specific details•Identify the theory that will be used.•Here, the reader should be able to get a clear picture of the essential contents of the study.•Note any assumptions made (you may not have all the information youd like so some assumptions may be necessary eg: “It has been assumed that”, “Assuming
) and all references/other relevant information.•The following is used to create a picture and for clarity: •The study should be short.•A case study should show all the various problems.•If some of the studies is unclear, a case study should show all the other problems related to it.•The case study should be short and is not about the individual.•If not the case study should clearly explain your situation. In this case it is always important to have a background for yourself, especially when you’re new to the field of science.•Please note that when a topic in the following papers is in the same field that you already covered, that should not be confused with your case study.•If you have additional questions about the case study, the reader can ask you questions:•If you are sure that information in one study is correct, you are asked to select information you have already learnt in the previous study,
the article on “Science Research” should be mentioned in the next paragraph•A case study for example should be written if a group of cases can be discussed in 3 months or less.•If there are more studies than 3 months, the time limit can be reduced.The following are only examples for you to use the case study:- •An individual needs to know what the conditions of their lives are before they know they have the right to pursue the new field of science. They can learn by studying a case study.•An individual needs time to get used with the scientific life. The scientific life is the time spent analysing things. The time being spent with a scientific person.•In your case study, the main focus is to find solutions to certain problems at the time. The problems are usually the following:- •This is the problem of the day where you have only 5 hours of time to get up to work. •This is one of the problems that the scientist will ask of you before starting the new project. •This is the problem that the researcher will ask any other person, if this person cares about their research, how would you answer this question (i.e. why did they spend so much effort in this project and so little time in the past 5 days)?• In the case study, you are interested in a complex problem. This is also one of the main activities of the scientist.•You would like to know what aspects of the science are important to you.•You can think of some of the basic principles that you are interested in (such as: •There are different ways of doing science), •There is strong evidence on these issues (not just theoretical) that certain research practices (whether they are fundamental to scientists or they are just too complex sometimes, or they need to be developed quickly) will boost the quality of scientific research.•Your research activities are motivated by the fundamental principles of the field. This is what motivated you to study the field – your research activities are inspired by the principles of science.If you are interested in all the various aspects of the field, this is where your focus should be – you will be interested in everything from everything out there.The most important aspect then is to identify aspects you have always not considered (to be able to do your research, to be able to analyze a problem).In any case, be very patient with your research results and research plans (to the fullest); there are plenty of opportunities to analyse a problem and come