Crafting and Strategy

How to do a Case Study

While 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 study

There are two different approaches to case studies

Type 1: The analytical approach

The 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 method

The case study is analysed to identify the major problems that exist and to suggest solutions to these problems.

This Quickref focuses on type 2.

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The problem-oriented method

Check 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 implemented

NB: The case is the "real life" situation, he case study is the analysis of this situation

How to write the case study

There 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 you'd like so some assumptions may be necessary eg: "It has been assumed that...", "Assuming