The term ‘case study’ is often used quite loosely. They are a way of capturing concrete details of a real or fictional situation, and presenting these details in a structured and compact way. Case studies tell a story, and are often very lively and colourful ways of presenting your research, or to go about conducting research.
Case studies are used widely in a whole range of disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology and criminology. Business analysts have used case studies for over 80 years to discuss particular problems with businesses and how they overcame them. (Business case studies were first developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in the 1920s.)
Because case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analysed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyse a problem.
Case studies often contain both qualitative and quantitative data, adding to the richness and detail of the situation being described, and the problem being analysed.
There are many different structures to case studies, and you will need to decide on the most appropriate structure for what you are trying to convey. If you are doing more than one case study for the same research topic, it is important to ensure that the structure you use is consistent, so that your results can be compared.
Often case studies will contain:
- The essential details of the organization or situation under question (such as name of organization, description of core activities, socio-economic background);
- Some background information that has led up to the situation being presented;
- A detailed description of the situation being analysed;
- A description of the problems encountered;
- An analysis of possible solutions (if a problem is being presented).
Advantages of case studies
- Specific concrete example;
- Can help with problem solving;
- Are often interesting to read.
Disadvantages of case studies
- Can take time to develop;
- Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills;
- Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand.
Research tip: Writing case studies
Charles Warner has some useful tips for writing your own case studies. These can be summarized as follows:
- Keep your audience in mind (you may be writing for someone who doesn’t know anything about the situation you are describing);
- Keep jargon to a minimum (or at least explain jargon clearly);
- Tell a story (make your characters and situations as real as possible);
- Set the scene (make your opening interesting, set up the confrontations, frustrations and the conflicts that you will describe);
- Don’t analyse as you tell the story. Simply present the scenes and situations and make sure that your story proceeds in a logical, step-by-step way (save the analysis for your part on problem solving);
- Provide all the relevant details that are necessary to understand the situation and problem;
- Use lots of dialogue (your characters need to come alive);
- Leave the reader with a clear picture of the major problems at the end. The ending should leave you with the question: ’What is to be done now?’
Some of these tips may not be useful for your purposes. Often case studies are simply a way of capturing factual information in a compact and digestible manner. Decide what works for you, and use it.
Case studies are used widely in a whole range of disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology and criminology. Business analysts have used case studies for over 80 years to discuss particular problems with businesses and how they overcame them. (Business case studies were first developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in the 1920s.)
Because case studies follow a structured format, different situations can be compared or analysed comparatively. Case studies are typically short (often no more than 5 pages long) and usually only contain the essential information needed to present a situation and, if necessary, to describe and properly analyse a problem.
Case studies often contain both qualitative and quantitative data, adding to the richness and detail of the situation being described, and the problem being analysed.
There are many different structures to case studies, and you will need to decide on the most appropriate structure for what you are trying to convey. If you are doing more than one case study for the same research topic, it is important to ensure that the structure you use is consistent, so that your results can be compared.
Often case studies will contain:
- The essential details of the organization or situation under question (such as name of organization, description of core activities, socio-economic background);
- Some background information that has led up to the situation being presented;
- A detailed description of the situation being analysed;
- A description of the problems encountered;
- An analysis of possible solutions (if a problem is being presented).
Advantages of case studies
- Specific concrete example;
- Can help with problem solving;
- Are often interesting to read.
Disadvantages of case studies
- Can take time to develop;
- Depending on format, may need some level of good writing skills;
- Do not usually give broad overview of issue at hand.
Research tip: Writing case studies
Charles Warner has some useful tips for writing your own case studies. These can be summarized as follows:
- Keep your audience in mind (you may be writing for someone who doesn’t know anything about the situation you are describing);
- Keep jargon to a minimum (or at least explain jargon clearly);
- Tell a story (make your characters and situations as real as possible);
- Set the scene (make your opening interesting, set up the confrontations, frustrations and the conflicts that you will describe);
- Don’t analyse as you tell the story. Simply present the scenes and situations and make sure that your story proceeds in a logical, step-by-step way (save the analysis for your part on problem solving);
- Provide all the relevant details that are necessary to understand the situation and problem;
- Use lots of dialogue (your characters need to come alive);
- Leave the reader with a clear picture of the major problems at the end. The ending should leave you with the question: ’What is to be done now?’
Some of these tips may not be useful for your purposes. Often case studies are simply a way of capturing factual information in a compact and digestible manner. Decide what works for you, and use it.
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