Page 8 - Short Business Case Studies Article

Diagram 2

It is tempting to think that short case study development might well
encourage lecturers to attempt developing their own case studies. But
writing your own business case study (long or short) is not a simple task.
According to Davis (1993) embodied case characteristics are that the
case:

• tells a “real” and engaging story
• raises a thought-provoking issue
• has elements of conflict
• promotes empathy with the central characters
• lacks an obvious or clear-cut right answer
• encourages students to think and take a position

• portrays actors in moments of decision
• provides plenty of data about character, location, context, actions
• is relatively concise

This said, it seems self-evident that writing a short case study should
manifestly be simpler. The word count for one thing is lower! But, as will

be seen, what is self-evident may not be so when finely scrutinised. For
example, whatever the case study its structure, such as shown in
diagram 3, is common to all business case writing. Combining Davis’s
characteristics with the structural elements in Diagram 3 should in theory
allow the development of a good case study – long or short - that stands
out, bears repeated use and helps achieve the objectives of the course it

is designed for.