Page 7 - Ice Breaker Article

7

providing a solution to the case. If it were and if we believe that everything has a price, then the
solution to all cases is simply to sell the company. Finally, research is not a one off event, rather it
is a river at which we drink as the need and occasion demands. The case study simply provides
the access point to the water.

The diagram’s four quadrants also display the necessity for commitment, co-ordination,
collaboration and co-operation between the stakeholders in the development, production and use
of the e-resource case study.

DIAGRAM 2: E-RESOURCE CASE STUDY

The e-resource case method demands:

Commitment
If the objective is to produce effective teaching then commitment on the part of the lecturer to
achieve this is high, particularly if the approach is through the creation and development of blended
learning which calls for a greater input and maintenance of the resources. Furthermore, this has
clear resource implications for the institution which may need a clarification of the institution’s
commitment to this approach. Likewise, if the case study is a ‘live’ one the target company is likely
to be heavily involved e.g. video interviews, access to operational systems, use of past and current
adverts etc.

Co-ordination
Each stage of the case study demands extensive co-ordination. Data collection with the target
company at first sight looks fairly easy but this can often be deceptive for complexity builds as case
research develops e.g. secondary data generation is inevitably extensive as this is the basis upon
which most case studies are built.

Furthermore, if the lecturer’s objectives are to be achieved then co-ordination between case
development and case analysis must be addressed. Here pedagogy is the lubricant facilitating
integration. It starts with what is the case study about and ends with what has happened, what is
likely to happen, and what recommendations for solution resolution may be made.

Collaboration