Using Case Studies in Research

Case study as a research strategy often emerges as an obvious option for students and other new researchers who are seeking to undertake a modest scale research project based on their workplace or the comparison of a limited number of organisations. The most challenging aspect of the application of case study research in this context is to lift the investigation from a descriptive account of ‘what happens’ to a piece of research that can lay claim to being a worthwhile, if modest addition to knowledge. This article draws heavily on established textbooks on case study research and related areas, such as Yin, 1994, Hamel et al., 1993, Eaton, 1992, Gomm, 2000, Perry, 1998, and Saunders et al., 2000 but seeks to distil key aspects of case study research in such a way as to encourage new researchers to grapple with and apply some of the key principles of this research approach. The article explains when case study research can be used, research design, data collection, and data analysis, and finally offers suggestions for drawing on the evidence in writing up a report or dissertation.