Case Study Method

Case study research has become in social and scientific inquiry, used in both qualitative and quantitative forms of research (Casey et al., 2013). Case study research has definitional controversies. The problem with the term ‘case study’ is that it is not used in a standardised manner and the use of the term has overlapped substantially with other methods - such as ethnography, participant observation, fieldwork, qualitative research and life history over time, as well as its deployment in research inquiry which is quantitative in nature (Hammersley and Goom,2006:1). Problem with defining case study arise from its usage in various fields and disciplines (e.g. sociology, anthropology) (Moses and Knutsen, 2007; Simons, 2009). It is defined as an in-depth exploration from multiple perspectives, of the complexity and uniqueness of a project, policy, institution, programme or system, in a ‘real- life context’. It generates an in-depth understanding and knowledge and/or inform policy development, professional practice and civil or community actions (Simons, 2009). Also, it is a detailed examination of one setting or a single subject, a single depository of documents or one event (Bogdon and Biklen, 1992). However, Yin (2003:13-14) considers the case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon (or problem) within its

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real-life context, when boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not clear. According to Bhattacherjee (2012), case study research is an in-depth investigation of a problem in one or more real-life settings, (which are sometime called case sites) over an extended period, and it can either be positivist in nature, (for hypothesis testing), or interpretative (for theory building). A case study provides the opportunity for the research to discover a wide variety of social, cultural, and political factors potentially related to the phenomenon of interest that may not be known in advance (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Indeed, case study be an umbrella terms for a family of research methods having in common the decision to focus an inquiry around an instance (Adelman et al., 1984: 94). It is an enquiry which uses multiple sources of evidence to investigate a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, when boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evidence (Johnson, 1994: 20).

According to Keddie (2006), a case study is an approach that uses the in-depth investigation of one or more examples of a current social phenomenon, by utilizing a variety of sources of data. In addition, a ‘case’ can be an individual person, an event, or that of a social activity group, organisation or institution. It can either be a single case, (for example, a community study or a ‘socio-biography’ of a member of a deviant sub-culture), or multiple, (possibly quite large) of cases, (for example, in the analysis of the conflict behaviour of different types of work groups or different organisations) (Keddie, 2006). The main thrust of a case study can be descriptive, exploratory or explanatory (Yin, 2003) and the data are usually more detailed, varied and extensive (Neuman, 2006). Indeed, case studies play a key part in policy research because they are frequently undertaken to provide examples of good practice in the delivery of a specific policy or programme; they may also be undertaken as part of an evaluation project, providing examples of the impact of a policy (Keddie, 2006). A case study uses the logic of analytics, instead of enumerative induction (Neuman, 2006).

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According to Vaughan (1992), case studies help researchers connect the micro-level, or the actions of individual people, to the macro-level or large-scale social structure and processes. Nisbet and Watt (1984:73) note that case study is not simply an example or an anecdote but involves systematic collection of evidence.

Bhattacherjee (2012) noted that the decision to use a case study by a researcher is contingent upon four key questions: (1) is this the right method to use?; (2) what is the appropriate unit of analysis for a case study?; (3) should the researcher use a single case study or multiple case design?; and, (4) what sort of data collection method should be used in case study? These questions are pertinent, as they provide the scope for the research and give the researcher the opportunity to identify different variables necessary for the investigation the unit of analysis. In the context of this research, the case study method is considered appropriate for several reasons. Firstly, this research is exploratory in nature and as such it provides the opportunity to answer the why and how questions, in relation to TETFund; these are relevant to addressing the research question. To Bhattacherjee (2012) the case study method is appropriate for exploratory studies where the experiences of participants and the context of actions are critical, as well as for studies aimed at understanding complex, temporal processes (why? and how? of a phenomenon) rather than factors or causes (what?). As a method, it is well-suited for studying complex organizational processes that involve multiple participants and interacting sequences of events, such as organizational change and large-scale technology implementation projects (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Secondly, it offers the opportunity to acquire meaningful, robust and rich data on issues and problems of agency. Therefore, as a method, it provides a rich and deeper understanding of a phenomenon - in this case the concept of agencification. Thirdly, it offers an opportunity for triangulation. Bhattacherjee (2012) note that the use of case study provides an opportunity for the researcher to use a range of data collection methods and techniques, which offer greater

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opportunity to the researcher to triangulate or validate observed data by comparing responses of the interviewees.

Basey (2002: 115-120) set out seven stages in case study research: (1) identifying the research as an issue, problem or hypothesis; (2) asking research questions (3) drawing up ethical guidelines, (4) collecting and storing data (5) generating and testing analytical statements, (6) interpreting or explaining the analytical statements, and (7) deciding on the outcome and writing the case study report. This thesis has followed the seven stages suggested by Basey (2002).

In academic research, it has been identified that there are two types of case study: single and multiple case studies. The use of single case studies may be appropriate under the following circumstance: (1) the case is unique and as such there is no need conducting additional cases; (2) the scale of the research is such that undertaking additional cases would mean sacrificing depth to achieve breadth; and (3) there are few examples relevant to the enquiry and other potential cases are inaccessible. The choice of using a single case study for this thesis is based on the fact the research questions aims to examine the behaviour of an NPM agency- in this case TETFund, as well as the impact of NPM on a developing nation and on its public sector, in this case, Nigeria. The researcher believes using a multiple case studies would impact on the outcome- as the different agencies within Nigeria operate under separate mandates and were set up for different reasons.

Case study research has often been criticised because its findings are not generalisable, in particular single case studies (Goom et al., 2006). It is argued that case study is about developing knowledge on a topic area or event, and that generalisation does not necessarily apply (Stake, 2006). As Lincoln and Guba (2006) argue that the only generalisation is that there is no generalisation. This argument says that there is no need to call for generalisation

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in all cases of research, and that this is usually informed by the scope of the research in the first instance. It is also argued that the scope of qualitative research is not about generalisation but rather a method of inquiry that seeks to understand in detail what is being studied by the research. Therefore, generalizability can usually be established through additional studies (Bhattacherjee, 2012). In addition, as Silverman (2000) adds that purposive sampling (as used for this research) helps to provide potential for generalisation. The researcher believes that this research, although specific to TETFund can be generalised because the nature of it public sector reforms in Nigeria. The strength of single case study research on in-depth understanding of phenomenon, impressed on the researcher to adopt this method, based on the research aim and objectives. The need to understand the organisational behaviour (in this case- agency behaviour) offers a more plausible reason for using a single case study. This case study will focus on understanding the dynamics present within a single setting which for this research is TETFund. Through data analysis, the researcher aims to develop theoretical positions on agencification particularly in a developing country setting. As such the main aim is not to generalise, but to provide knowledge that is transferable to the study of agencies in developing countries. Case study research is a valuable approach to management research and it provided the potential for rich data and in-depth analysis of real situations, phenomenon and events.