Case Study Research

A case study is defined as “the research strategy that involves the empirical

investigation of particular contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, using multiple sources of evidence” (Saunders et al., 2012, p. 588). Similarly, one of the most prominent authors on case study research, Yin (2009, pp. 17-19) defines a case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clear. Typically, a case study has the following features:

 Selection of a single case of a situation, individual or group.  Study of the case in its context.

 Collection of information via a range of data collection techniques such as observation, interviews or documentary analyses.

 Systematic but flexible research strategy, that provides detailed prescriptions for data analysis and theory generation.

A case study strategy can be used, if the researcher is interested in understanding and gaining a rich knowledge of the context of the research, and the processes being enacted (Morris & Wood, 1991). Merriam (1998, p. 12) believes that “a case study

often builds upon tacit knowledge and provides a thick description of the case under the investigation”.

3.6.1 Case Study as a Vehicle to Knowledge Generation

Case study research can be found in areas as disparate as administration, anatomy, anthropology, artificial intelligence, biochemistry, business studies, clinical medicine, counselling, criminology, education, gerontology, history, industrial relations, jurisprudence, management, military studies, personality, politics, psychoanalysis, social work and sociology (Bromley,1986, cited in Polychronakis, 2011).

A case study is recognised to be a suitable design for an analysis of “process”.

Process as a focus for case study research is viewed in two ways. The first meaning of process is monitoring, and this involves describing the context and population of the study. The second meaning of process is causal explanation and this involves the discovery or confirmation of the process, through which an action had the effect

119 | P a g e

that it did (Merriam, 1998, p. 33). The case study, accordingly, can be virtually anything. Amongst others, it often includes studies of organizations and institutions in the light of issues like best practice, policy implementation and evaluation, industrial relations, management and organizational issues, organizational cultures, processes of change and adaptation.

3.6.2 Types of Case Study

There are different types of case studies described in the literature on business and management research. As mentioned above, the “case” could be anything. Robson

(2002), for example, explains that when an individual person or group is the case, this is a simple, single study which would just focus on that person, organisation or group in its context.

On the other hand, multiple case studies tend to be more complex in nature and would involve the study of several individual “cases” (people, organisations or

groups) again within their context. Table 17 below shows the range of different types of case studies:

Type Attributes

Individual Case Study

Detailed account of one person tends to focus on antecedents, contextual factors, perceptions and attitudes preceding a known outcome. Used to explore possible causes, determinants, processes and experiences contributing to outcome.

Set of Individual Case Studies

As above, but a small number of individuals with some features in common are studied.

Community Study

Study of one or more local communities. Describes and analyses the pattern of relations between main aspects of community life. Commonly descriptive, but may explore specific issues or be used in theory testing.

Social Group Study

Covers studies of both small direct contact groups, for example families and larger more diverse ones such as original groups. Describes and analyses relationships and activities.

Studies of Organisations and

Institutions

Studies firms, workplaces, schools, trade unions and departments. Many possible foci, such as best practice, policy and

organisational issues, cultures, processes of change and adaptation.

Studies of Events and Relationships

Focus on a specific event. Very varied; includes studies of police- citizen encounters, doctor-patient interactions, specific crimes or incidents, studies or role conflicts, stereotypes, adaptations.

Table 17 Case Study Types Source: Adapted from (Robson, 2002)

120 | P a g e

Based on Table17, the most appropriate type of case study for this research would be the study of “organisations and institutions”. This study focuses on the food supply chains of the case study companies, that are located in the United Kingdom. Senior management of the companies, whom are responsible for the management of food supply chains, their operations and service delivery, are the embedded cases.

It is important to note that case study strategy may feel unscientific and that the findings of these types of research are subjective. Therefore, it can be difficult to assert wider, more generalised points from the research (Neville, 2005). Nevertheless, Saunders et al. (2012) argue that a case study strategy can be a very useful way to explore existing theories. There is no clear guide for the number of cases to be included (Perry, 1998). However, Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich (2002) claim that the fewer the cases, the greater the opportunity for in-depth observation. In line with this, Yin (2009) recommends that each case should be selected carefully in order to be able to predict similar results (literal replication) or, alternatively, to predict contrasting results but for predictable reasons (conceptual replication).

3.6.3 Single Versus Multiple Case Designs

Traditionally, in certain fields such as anthropology and political science, the multiple case study approach has been a distinctive methodology. One set of rationales has been developed to do single case studies, and a second for doing so-called “comparative” (or multiple) case studies. Yin (2009), however, suggests that the two should be seen within the same methodological framework and stresses that the main differences rely on their specific attributes. Therefore, their use is dependent on the aims, objectives, and the general design of the specific study. As the evidence from multiple case studies tends to be more compelling and the whole study is consequently regarded as being more robust, this research will be using a multiple case study strategy.

121 | P a g e

3.6.4 Case Study and Alternative Research Method Approaches

The previous section and Table 17 highlight a very important issue. they demonstrate that the case study can be most effectively utilised in the study of an organization and its foci. However, the case study approach is not the only research method available to the researcher. Other alternative research methods include: surveys, experiments, histories, and computer based analyses of archival records.

Robson (2002) reports that a survey is mainly used to facilitate the collection of a small amount of data in standardized form, from many individuals, organizations and departments. So, surveys are not well suited to carry out exploratory work (3.7). However, case studies are very effective when they are used to study organizations and institutions. They are well-suited to exploratory work and, as such, do not need tight pre-structuring. In a sense, they are more “forgiving” in their design, as they

allow space for modifications and a change of focus at every stage (Yin, 2003).