Case studies have been developed to make the learning experience more relevant for students in the applied social sciences area. The idea is simply to provide for students a situational  vehicle which will enable them to  apply analytical techniques and develop certain skills towards effective decision making.

What is a case study?

A case study is simply a history or description of a firm or industry facing a particular set of circumstances, or a problem of some sort. It is usual for there to be some discussion of how the organisation’s current situation developed, and there is often a central character who is charged with the task of resolving the problem.

Cases vary in length from a few sentences to many pages (but it is wrong to associate length with difficulty), and may concern the activities of real people and organisations, or may be purely fictitious.

The essential function of the case study is to enable students to develop their ability to resolve relatively complex, unstructured problems. This may involve the use of learned  techniques,  but  usually also  requires  the application of common sense and creative thinking.

Skills developed by case study

There are numerous skills which need to be brought to bear in case study analysis. Everyone possesses these various skills to some degree, but the case study method of learning gives the individual a useful, although simulated, situation to which they can be applied.

Easton (‘Learning from Case Studies’, 1982) defines six major skill areas to be developed by case study work.

Analytical skills

Cases contain data that must be analysed to  provide information. This involves the classification, organisation and evaluation of information, which with practice aids clear and logical thinking.

Application skills

The case method also provides the opportunity for the application of concepts, techniques and principles learned in class. For example, techniques such as discounted cash flow, break-even analysis, decision trees etc. can be used in the analysis of case material. These techniques cannot, in themselves, provide the solutions to case problems, but they can provide useful input to the problem solving process.

Creative skills

Depending on the nature of the case, it is generally perceived that creativity is vital to good quality case analysis. Logical processes are not enough, the candidate needs to be able to think creatively, just as a manager is often required to do when responding to a situation for which ‘traditional’ solutions are either not appropriate, or have failed to resolve the problem. 

Creativity is particularly important in generating alternative solutions to problems, and also helps when trying to predict the outcomes that could result from following a particular course of action.

Communication skills

These may be developed in a number of ways depending upon the requirements of the Lecturer. Most often the case results will need to be presented in the form of a written report. In some cases, however, the findings will need to be reported orally (either in groups or as individuals), in which case the presenter may be required to defend a particular idea, suggestion or statement.

Social skills

It is expected that on certain occasions students should work together on a case or series of cases. This will enable the individual to learn to communicate, listen, argue, and support an argument.

This process enables the individual to gain a greater understanding of their own behaviour, and that of others in a loosely structured social situation.

Self-analysis skills

The business world is frequently portrayed as a world without morals and ethics, yet the study of ethics, particularly business ethics is becoming increasingly popular.  It is a necessary part of the case study process that individuals frequently express different opinions and values, because it is precisely these values and beliefs which will be brought to bear on real life situations in the future.

Many students are somewhat apprehensive when it comes to tackling a case study problem. Often the material presented to the candidate asks no specific questions. Students have to determine the problem, analyse the data and come up with a solution, which may be one of many acceptable solutions. In addition, some material may be irrelevant while other material may be deliberately ambiguous.

Moreover, the student who works on case study material alone realises at examination time that the course he  has completed has not provided handy, easy to revise facts. Working through a case is of much more value than the end result (the answer), yet the process itself can seem long, rambling and inefficient. This is because the improvements in the skills promoted by the case study method are difficult to detect.

A urther problem of case study lies with the teaching of the course. Most students expect Lecturers give lectures. These lectures comprise ideas and facts which the student can easily revise prior to an examination or test. Case studies do not allow that process to develop. Each case is different.

Many of the requirements for successful case study solution the lecturer is not in a position to teach (creativity, for example). It is expected that students must come to rely on their own judgement and not look to the lecturer for confirmation of a right answer. Business Policy students have to learn to face complex, ambiguous situations and cope with them.

An approach to case study

Although all case studies tend to be different,  and therefore should be approached differently,  there are certain steps which should be taken in order to analyse a case satisfactorily.

Understand the situation

The information contained in the case study should be sufficient to enable the student to understand the basic problem(s). It may be helpful to the student’s understanding of the case to list what are perceived to be the key issues. However, it must be remembered that not all of the information contained in the case will necessarily be relevant.

Identify problem areas

A typical case study scenario focuses on a firm’s problem, usually defined as the difference between what the situation is and what the firm would like it to be. Sometimes key individuals have proposed solution(s) to the problem, which the student is required to comment on, whilst on other occasions the student is invited to propose his/her own solution(s).

Generate alternative solutions

This is where the creative imagination of the student plays an important role, although the nature of the situation may be suggestive of some alternatives. In some cases a wide range of possible solutions may be generated. In this case the student must make use of preliminary evaluation techniques in order to reduce the alternatives to a manageable number.

Evaluating alternatives

This step involves the application of more rigorous evaluation techniques to the alternative proposals suggested in the case, or generated by the student. At this point the student is attempting to isolate one particular strategy or development possibility as being appropriate to the organisation in the circumstances (as those circumstances have been understood by the student).

Communicating the results

Generally, once all the work has been done the student has to put his/her analysis, ideas and suggestions into a written report. On other occasions (eg. for tutorial) the student will be required to present information orally.

At this stage of the process the student should be prepared to recommend a course of action for the organisation concerned, and support that recommendation in either written or spoken form.

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