Page 769 - The Case Lab Book

sense of a complex unstructured problem. Reva 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.

It seems that business case study development, analysis and use still suffer from a
number of shortcomings, not the least of which is a paucity of choice. In itself, this is a
serious weakness, and one which is further compounded by an even worse supply of
business case study teaching guides. Today, even with the inexorable march of
technology, very little has changed, though the application of new technologies, hold the
promise of radical transformation.

The relationship between key stakeholders of the lecturer and the student in case
methodology as noted by Merseth, 1991, could not be sustained when online, interactive
applications were introduced. A third stakeholder, the higher education institution, entered
the equation when these 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 (2004) commented in the