Case Study Research: Design and Methods

1
Case Study Research Design and Methods

• Introduction
• Designing Case Studies
• Conducting Case Studies-Preparing for data
  collection
• Conducting Case Studies-Collecting the evidence
• Analysing Case Study Evidence
• Composing the Case Study Report

2
Introduction to Case Study Research and Design

• the case study as a research strategy
• comparing case studies with other research
  strategies
• different types of case studies, but a common
  definition
• general approach to designing case studies
• criteria for judging the quality of research
  design
• case study designs

3
Case Study as a Research Strategy

• Case study is one of several ways of doing
  research in information systems. Other ways
  include
• experiments
• surveys
• histories and,
• analysis of archival information.
• Case studies are the preferred strategy when
  how or why questions are being posed.

4
Case Study as a Research Strategy

• Case study is used in many situations, including
• policy, political science, public admin
• community psychology and sociology
• organisational and management studies
• city and regional planning research and.
• information systems.

5
Comparing Case Studies with other Research
Strategies

• When and why would you want to do case studies on
  a topic?
• Should you consider doing an experiment instead?
• A Survey?
• A History?
• A computer based analysis of archival records

6
When to Use Each Strategies

• The three conditions consist of
• the type of research question posed
• the extent of control an investigator has over
  actual behavioral events and,
• the degree of focus on contemporary as opposed to
  historical events.

7
Designing Case Studies

• A research design is the logic that links the
  data to be collected to the problem
  statement/questions of a study (Yin, 1994).
• Five components of a research design are
• a studys questions
• its propositions, if any
• its unit(s) of analysis
• the logic linking data to the propositions and,
• the criteria for interpreting the findings.

8
Criteria for judging the quality of research
design

• Case study tactics four design tests
• construct validity--establishing correct measures
  for the concepts being studied
• internal validity--establishing a casual
  relationships
• external validity--establishing the domain to
  which a studys findings can be generalised and,
• reliability--demonstrating that the operations of
  a study cab be repeated.

9
Conducting Case Studies-Preparing for data
collection

• The case study investigator-Desired skills
• Training and preparation for a specific case
  study
• The case study protocol
• The pilot case study

10
Conducting Case Studies Collecting and Analysing

• Collecting the Case Study Evidence
• six sources of evidence
• three principles of data collection
• Analysing the Case Study Evidence
• general analytical strategies
• models of analysis
• pressing for a high quality analysis

11
Composing the Case Study Report

• Audiences for Case Studies
• Varieties of Case Study Compositions
• Illustrative Structures for Case Study
  Compositions
• Procedures in Doing a Case Study Report