Apple Inc

General characteristics

 When to use case study method?

1) The type of research question: typically to answer questions like “how” or “why”

2) Extent of control over behavioural events: when investigator has a little/no possibility to control the events

3) General circumstances of the phenomenon to be studied: contemporary phenomenon in a real-life context

 Case study is an empirical inquiry, in which:

-Focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context & boundaries between phenomenon and its context are not clearly evident

 Suitable for studying complex social phenomena

-Procedural characteristics in the situation include: Many variables of interest; multiple sources of evidence; theoretical propositions to guide the collection and analysis of data

-Types of case studies might be: explanatory; exploratory; descriptive

-Designs can be single- or multiple-case studies

-Used methods can be qualitative, quantitative, or both

 Typical criticisms towards case studies & correcting answers:

-Lack of systematic handling of data -> Systematic reporting of all evidence

-No basis for scientific generalization -> Purpose is to generalize to theoretical propositions, not to population as in statistical research

-Take too long, end up with unreadable documents -> Time limits & writing formula depend on the choices of investigators

Case study research design

 Central components of a case study design & their functions:

1) A study’s questions – “how”, “why”

2) Study’s (theoretical) propositions – pointing attention, limiting scope, suggesting possible links between phenomena

3) Study’s units of analysis – main units must be at the same level as the study questions & typically comparable to those previously studied

4) Logic linking the data to the propositions – matching pieces of information to rival patterns that can be derived from the propositions

5) Criteria for interpreting the findings – iteration between propositions and...