Case Study

Types of Case Study

The Incident Case : Single Incident, illustrate a

concept or raise a issue, quick reading, no pre-class preparation

The Background case : impart more information than

conventional reading, one can identify more with data in case, framework within which other cases explore specific issues

The Exercise Case : Opportunity to apply specific

technique, widely used for quantitative analysis and manipulation of data.

Types of Case Study

The Situation Case : Analysis of information in case, delineate

significant relationships existing among various items of data, Involves questions Why did things go wrong, how could this have been avoided. data, much of which is irrelevant, required to distinguish between vital issues from superficial ones, which only distract attention. Sometimes embodied issues are interrelated. what one would do , formulate action plan , need to develop variety of feasible approaches and exercise judgment in selecting the one with highest probability of success

The Complex Case : Significant issues immersed in mass of

The Decision Case : A step further, one is required to state

Case writing : Deciding on a view point

Omniscient viewpoint : Permits author to see, know

and explore everything that serves the storyline, greatest freedom. Telling story from outside, commenting on anything one chooses
Shortcoming : Difficult to involve the reader directly, authors assessment may pre-empt readers own evaluation

 Character viewpoint : Tells the story through the eyes of

one or more characters, knowing and revealing only what the character knows and feels. They are of 3 types : First and third person viewpoint : Only from one point of view, I, He or she can only relate what he or she knows or feels.
Narrator observer viewpoint : is minor character in story, whose position special knowledge makes this person a convincing observer. Someone with whom reader can relate to. Eg. Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes stories

 Multiple viewpoints : Telling a story from the point

of view of several characters. For eg., a manager may be presented with different perspectives and opinions on a situation by various members of his or her staff. Form these the manager will have to form his or her own understanding of the situation and decide the action it requires

Writing Case : Tips and Pointers

Preparation :

Plan (Whom to meet, what to talk) Know the company and industry Review annual reports of the firm for the past 3 5 years Library search on firm Compile view of the industry from public sources (It helps in 2 ways : Foundation for section in case and prepares the writer for informed discussions with the executives) Develop a theme

 Interviews

Interviews are best conducted two on one (Two case writer where one questions and other writes) Capture every word (Could use Tape recorder) Within 24 hours, fill in the words left out and correct the words that are unreadable. Add notes on context or how the person looked or acted as they spoke

 Writing

Draft : Read all material Look for : Interesting themes & Issues threads that you want to develop Exhibits - Company documents that summarize important data Opening Quote or a statement that introduces the case and sets its entire tone.

Flow
Cases
Start with description of setting The problem or situation at hand Go to company and industry background Three years of financial and current organization chart

 Rest of the case

Three general framework - Chronology Where we were, where we are now, where we need to go. - Organization Structure Describe the situation by moving through key blocks in organization chart (only when chart is reasonable clear and clean) - Problem Structure Lay out the problem as the company sees it, the work through alternative or different positions on what should be done

 Closure

Before sending the draft to the company for review, approval of draft by each person whose quote appears in case The sign off The officer in the company must formally sign off for a case to be published. .

Barriers to case clarity

Jargon

He had an Oedipus complex Acronyms As a medium, her ESP was put to good use. Misplaced expression eg. I hope I have enough compassion to avoid making people redundant if necessary Abstract nouns The public lacks an understanding of the inevitability of exhaustion of North Sea Oil Strings of nouns Eg. The article examines government property tax reform proposals. Strings of prepositional phrases Eg. She had read of the achievements of the Irish of the southern regions of New England. Subordinated clauses Missing links Eg. : They want to raise the voting age to 21 because of immaturity

 Postponed verbs

Pressure to prevent the building of nuclear power stations and even to close the existing power stations is increasing.
Passives

Your question will be answered by my secretary

Superfluous words

She was unable to buy a ticket at student rates because of the fact that she was not carrying her student union card.
Less familiar words

The customer service manager initiated immediate action in her endeavour to placate the customer.
Writing about writing

The case writer will begin by discussing ..

Negative

He knew that unless he failed to apply within three months compensation would not be denied to him.

Case drafting Hints

Objectives

Be clear about the teaching and learning objectives

Case Outline

Produce a case outline, perhaps using headings that will form the main sections of the case. Be prepared to discard irrelevant material.
Case Opening

Think carefully about the opening sentence and its wording. It must capture the readers attention

Case drafting Hints

Structure

Time Structure : Make it clear when events took place. Use dates rather than words such as currently, recently, now. Avoid using present tense.
Narrative Structure : An understandable sequence of events. What led to what. Maintain the flow of an unfolding story. A network helpful in outlining the case

Case drafting Hints

Expository Structure

What the author wants to make explicit to the readers. What do you want them to discover from their own analysis and / or discussion of the case ?
Plot Structure

Case should have an element of drama to develop and maintain interest. One or more issues to be resolved. Issues must be significant enough to capture readers attention

Case Difficulty
Concepts : How many ? How Complex ? Introduced

through case or already known to the reader. Analysis : What methods appropriate for the date in the case Presentation : How long is the case ? How readable ? What diagram, table or other supplementary material are to be included.

Case drafting Hints

Closure

Reiterate key issues. Remind the reader of the need for a decision, evaluation, formulation of opinions. What unresolved problems remain ?

The End