Page 7 - Why I Like Case Studies

diagnostic tools are brought to bear. However, it is at this

point that the case method often loses it focus.

Cases studies are stories to which the reader contributes to

the narrative in the form of interpretive analysis, coloured

by experiential and discursive enhancements. The object

being to solve or illuminate the actions and decisions

underpinning the case thrust.

In my early exposure to the case method I was a post
graduate asked to solve a case study, usually a Harvard one,

comprising anything in excess of twenty-five typed pages

plus appendices.

The Light Bulb Effect

The task was daunting but usually mitigated by being

conducted in group sessions or tutorial preparation.

However, the beauty of the case method was the light

switch effect of the lecturer teasing out the solution and

building an analysis which made sense of the complex,

unstructured material presented in the case. Inevitably,

there was a sense that the learning process had led to an

end result that meant you had a battery of tools and

techniques that could be used beyond the class

environment.

So, what was the attraction of case study writing? Initially, it

started with the study of a company - Dunlop/Slazenger,