Page 338 - The Case Lab Book

plug and play automatons [Wertheim 2006]. Business case studies allow them to use theory in anger and
to test the boundaries of their knowledge.

Case studies are designed to bring out the details from the viewpoint of the case participants by using
multiple sources of data [Tellis, 1997]. Essentially it is used to amalgamate disparate sources of information
into a structure and analysis that makes sense of a complex unstructured problem. Reva Brown
[Brown,1995] put it succinctly when she observed that:

“..the case study is many things. It is systematic story-telling; it is a way of writing (or talking) about seeing;
it is a tool for teaching; it is a philosophy for approaching research; it is a technique for researching; it is a
reason (or an excuse) for taking seriously investigations into vague, blurred or fuzzy topics; it is a rigorous
vehicle which sits comfortably and equally alongside more quantitative research; and I could go on.”

This is augmented by the view that

“ rather than using large samples and following a rigid protocol to examine a limited number of variables,
case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event: a case.
They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting
the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened
as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. Case studies
lend themselves to both generating and testing hypotheses [Flyvbjerg, 2006].”
The case study and the case method hold a tremendous potential for bringing life, reality, credibility
and utility to the pedagogic process. Moreover, when linked to Managed Learning Environments (MLE) and
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) developing as new technologies are introduced and applied, a new
educational paradigm emerges which is more efficacious to the achievement of active and deep learning.
Some years ago the author adapted a Robert Heller’s, (2003) quote when commenting:
“Strategy [Case studies/Multimedia Applications are] is like sex when all is said and done more is said
than done.” [Gallagher,2007].

At the time it seemed that business case study development, analysis and use suffered from a number
of shortcomings, not the least of which was a paucity of choice. In itself, this was a serious weakness, and
one which was further compounded by an even worse supply of business case study teaching guides.
Today, very little has changed, though the application of new technologies hold the promise of radical
transformation.

As already said, it rapidly became apparent to me that my initial thoughts on case study creation,
development, and use, based on the relationship between key stakeholders of the lecturer and the student as
noted by Merseth [Merseth, 1991], could not be sustained when online, interactive applications were
introduced. A third stakeholder, the higher education institution, entered the equation when interactive, online
applications were developed and dramatically realigned all stakeholder expectations. Where before, the
lecturer could, when developing a paper-based case study, undertake this research from his own resources
now, when online interactive business case studies are undertaken that call for a greater resource base, this
may no longer be the case. As Bonk [Bonk, 2004] commented in the

“Perfect E-Storm ……. [there] are now dozens of innovative learning technologies to cloud the online
landscape.”

This fact alone has resource, training, pedagogic and process issues which impact on case development.

Diagrammatically, the relationships between these constituent elements of the lecturer, the student and
the institution can be shown as in the Case Study Flow Chart, diagram 1. Two streams of activity flow from
the traditional business case study methodology A and B both of which generate research output.