Designing Case

Studies
Grupp 2
Jukka Mki-Turja, Johan
Andersson, Joel Huselius

Case Studies from Chapter 1

A case study is an empirical inquiry that

Investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life

context, especially when
the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not
cleraly evident

When to use a CS?

Many more variables of interest than data points

Relies of multiple sources of evidence
Benefits from prior theoretic propositions, guiding data collection
and analysis.
In answering how and why questions

Outline Research Design

What is a Research Design?

The

role of Theory

Criteria for high quality research design

Single vs. Multiple case design
Conclusion and Advice

What is a Research Design

Research Design is a difficult part of doing Case Studies

No roadmaps exists

Logical plan to go from A to B

A = initial set of question to be answered
B = conclusions of study
Logical, not a logistical problem!

Research design can be seen as a blueprint of research

What question to study?
What data are relevant?
What data to collect?
How to analyze the results?

Case studies require its own research design

Not a special case of, e.g., experiment.

5 Components of Research Design

Questions
Propositions
Unit of analysis
Linking data to propositions
Criteria for interpreting the findings

Questions and Propositions

Questions
The

high level questions of the Case Study.

Case studies suitable for how and why questions.

Propositions
Possible

(partial) answers (a.k.a hypotheses)

Directs attentions on what to examine in the study

More

concrete than questions

Forces the study in the right direction
In exploratory studies - no propositions

State purpose instead

Unit of Analysis

What is the case?

Relates to research questions and proposition

An individual?
A decision?
A program?
Without clear propositions, one might be tempted to cover
everything.
Non-favoring research questions too vague or too numerous

Different units of analysis requires different research

design and data collection strategy.

Linking data to propositions

Least well developed
Pattern Matching

Identify

effects/no effects patterns

Which pattern matches best?

effects pattern

no effects pattern

Observation

The criteria for Interpreting the

findings
How close does a match have do be in
order to be considered a match?
No general solution
Hope that patterns of rival propositions are
sufficiently constrasting

Outline Research Design

What is a Research Design?
The role of Theory
Criteria for high quality
Single vs. Multiple case design
Conclusion and Advice

The Role of Theory

Covering these 5 aspects force you to
begin constructing a preliminary theory.
Important to have a theoretical framework
providing guidance

Existing

work

Analytical vs. Statistical generalisation

Replication

Criteria for high quality

Judging the quality of Research Design
Four tests

Construct

Validity
Internal Validity
External Validity
Reliability

Construct Validity

Establishing correct operational measures for

the concepts being studied
Case studies are often criticized that subjective
judgement is used collecting data.
To meet Construct Validity, e.g.
1.
2.

Select the specific type of changes that are to be

studied.
Demonstrate that the selected measures of these
changes do indeed reflect the specific type of
change that have been selected.

Internal Validity
Establishing a causal relationship,
whereby certain conditions are shown to
lead to other conditions, as distinguished
from spurious relationships
For explanatory or causal studies only.
Inferring theory

Study

x leads to y
What happens if unknown z affects y?

External Validity
Establishing the domain to which a
studies findings can be generalized
Critics state that single cases offer a poor
basis for generalization.

Analytical

generalization rather than statistical

Generalization by replication
Replication

logic same as for experiments

Reliability

Demonstrating that the operations of a study

can be repeated with the same results
The goal of reliability is to minimize the errors
and biases in a study.
Case

study protocols to document

General approach: conduct research as if

someone were always looking over your
shoulder
compare

with accounting

Tests

Tactics

Phase

Construct
Validity

Multiple sources of evidence

Establish chain of evidence
Review draft CS report

Data collection
Data collection
Composition

Internal
Validity

Pattern matching
Explanation building
Adress rival explanations
Use logic models

Data analysis
Data analysis
Data analysis
Data analysis

External
Validity

Use theory in single-case studies

Use replication logic in multiple case

Research design
Research design

Reliability

Use case study protocols

Develop case study database

Data collection
Data collection

Case Study Designs

Single vs. Multiple case

Single

case appropriate in certain conditions

Multiple case design better in general

Embedded vs. Holistic

Holistic

= one unit of analysis

Emdedded = several units of analysis

Basic types of Designs

Single-case Designs

Context
Holistic
(single unit
of analysis)

Context

Context

Case

Case

Context

Context

Case

Case

Context

Context

Case

Case

Case

Context
Embedded
(multiple units
of analysis)

Multiple-case Designs

Case
Embedded
Unit of
Analysis 1

Embedded
Unit of
Analysis 2

U1

U2

U1

U2

Context

Context

Case

Case

U1

U2

U1

U2

Single-case Design

Five rationales
1.
2.
3.
4.

Critical case: clear set of propositions

Extreme/unique case
Representative/typical case
Revelatory case

5.

Longitudinal case

6.

Previously inaccessible phenomena

Same things at different points in time
Assumes that conditions changes over time

As a pilot case for multiple case studies

Not considered as a case study of its own

Embedded vs. Holistic Designs

Holistic
When

design

no logical
subunits can be
identified.
study might be
conducted on a too
abstract level
Research question
slippage

Embedded
Avoids

design

slippage
Extensive analysis
Might focus too
much on subunits,
loses higher level
(holuistic) aspects.

Multiple-case Designs
More robust results and compelling
arguments
Require more resources
Replication rather than sampling logic
Each case can be holistic or embedded

Replication vs. Sampling logic

Replication analytical generalization

Analogous

to that used in multiple experiments

Goal is to duplicate results from previous work
Convergent evidence is saught

Sampling statistical
Analogous

to that used in surveys

Goal is to gather general information from large
amounts of data

Literal vs. Theoretical Replication

Literal replication

Theoretical replication

Contrasting results for predictable reasons

If cases are contradictory initial proposition must be

revised

Similar results

Without redesign, you can be accused of distorting or ignoring

the discovery to accommodate your design.

A prerequisite of successful replication is a rich

theoretical framework
Number of cases is very fuzzy.

Rationale for a multiple case design

Comes from understanding theoretical and
literal replication
Simplest multiple case design

Literal

replication among two cases

More complicated multiple case design

Theoretical

replication between different types

of conditions
Literal replication within each type of condition

Conclusion and Advice

When you have a choice (and resources)

choose multiple case design
Two

cases is significatly better than a single one

allows for replication.
Drastical improvment of generalizability
Theoretical replication even stronger argument
Avoids critisism and skepticism

If you use single case

prepare

to make an extremly strong argument in

justifying your choice of case.