Content area
Full text
Abstract
It is commonly asserted that qualitative research in the organizational sciences lacks the rigor and objectivity of the quantitative approach. Case studies, while commonly used for educational purposes, have been viewed in a less favorable light in terms of research. This paper suggests that case studies represent an important research track in organizational science, not only as a method of generating hypotheses for quantitative studies, but for generating and testing theory. The paper will develop arguments in support of case study research, will highlight particular issues and constraints relating to case study research, and will offer recommendations for the use of this method.
Empirical research advances only when it is accompanied by logical thinking, and not when it is treated as a mechanistic endeavor
- Richard Yin, 1984.
Introduction
A case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context where the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident, and in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984). Case studies typically combine datacollection methods such as archival searches, interviews, questionnaires, and observation (Eisenhardt, 1989). While quantitative data often appears in case studies, qualitative data usually predominates.
In spite of their frequent use and long history, case studies have historically been stereotyped as a weak sibling among social science methods (Yin, 1984). Investigators who utilize case studies are regarded as having deviated from their academic disciplines and their investigations are purported to lack precision, objectivity and rigor. A major reason why case studies are viewed in a negative light is due to the fact that many equate "precision, objectivity and rigor" with quantitative measures. Gummesson (1991) notes that qualitative measures are often classified as second rate by universities and business schools. Given that qualitative methods of data collection normally predominate in case studies, it logically follows that they are held in somewhat lower esteem. This fact is not surprising given the history of business education and research.
The "Case" For and Against the Use of Case Studies.
The Natural Science School ofSocial Science Research
The traditional school of management thought can be traced all the way back to the seventeenth century and the view of Descartes and Newton that the whole is the sum...