Unraveling the Mysteries of Case Study Research
Book Review

Jitesh Nair
Research Faculty,
Case Research Center,
IBS Hyderabad.
E-mail: jitesh@icmrindia.org

Authors: Marilyn L Taylor and Mikael Sondergaard; Year: 2017 (Hardback Price: £60.00, Web: £54.00); ISBN: 978 1 78643 721 1 (Paperpack Price: £25.00, Web: £20.00); ISBN: 978 1 78643 723 5; Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing.

The book Unraveling the Mysteries of Case Study Research offers readers very practical advice on taking up case study-based research whether as a class project, thesis, dissertation and research project or action research program in a company. The authors suggest a rational approach to case research and share in great detail the thought process that goes into taking up case study research. They also caution readers on being aware of the challenges of selecting the unit of analysis for a case within the context, the importance of convincing the owner of the unit of analysis to participate in the case research project as well as gaining acceptance from the owner to publish the findings. Each chapter summarizes the learning in the form of questions and answers with multiple examples in the appendices.

Chapter one introduces the reader to the case study adventure and offers various definitions of case study and case research. The authors emphasize the importance of describing not only the phenomenon that is of interest but also its context. Further, ‘a rational approach to case research’ has been laid out and the rest of the book from Chapter two through six follows this approach. Chapter two acknowledges the importance of personal motivation to undertake the adventure of case research. The need to have a clear objective for undertaking case research is necessary and it is closely aligned to the research questions. The research objective, is also closely linked to whether the case researcher wants to undertake exploratory, descriptive or confirmatory research. The need for having a research objective depends on the type of study. For instance, a research paper may not have an objective, while a thesis or dissertation will need to have a clear objective. The authors lay emphasis on the need to develop a deeper understanding of the unit of analysis in particular within its context. They argue that the case is a description of the relevant factors related to the unit of analysis and its context and hence is detached from the unit of analysis. However, they do not delve into where the boundary between the unit of analysis and its context lies. The issues of scope and challenge of timely completion of case research are touched upon in the chapter.

Chapter three covers case research design in great depth. The authors offer advice on the need to determine whether one wants to study one unit of analysis or multiple; whether the study is carried out at a point in time or longitudinally over time. Examples on longitudinal and experimental designs are offered with the suggestion that the choice of methodology depends on the literature related to the phenomenon, the purpose of the research and the nature of the phenomenon. They introduce the concept of inductive and deductive approaches through an example of course design. The authors also draw attention to the choice between qualitative and quantitative measures. In addition, the number of cases and its relationship to determine whether a study is considered a case study project is also discussed. Further, emphasis is made on the importance of literature review and the need for clarity of research design on the part of the researcher based on whether he/she wants to generate or test theory. The chapter also enumerates the different types of data that may be collected in the field and encourages readers to focus more on qualitative data as part of case study research since case research follows an interpretivist approach.

In chapter four, the authors attempt to highlight the need to understand the procedures to collect primary and secondary data, especially considerations to be kept in mind during interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation and documentation. The chapter highlights these variations through discussion on action research and ethnography studies. The importance of gaining entry, managing relationships and exit from the research site (unit of analysis) is also described in detail. This is necessary since no individual or organization would like to spend time if they do not foresee a significant gain for themselves in the case research exercise.

Chapter five offers clear guidance for researchers in their data collection processes by considering how these data may be triangulated and how to analyze extensive databases of qualitative data using content analysis and Qualitative Data Analysis (QDAs) software. The authors present ways to keep track of case study through case study databases and notes and offer ways to present the data as part of analysis and reporting. The authors refer to Yin’s approaches of specifically analyzing case evidence (namely, pattern matching, explanation building, time series analysis, logic models and cross-case synthesis). They caution readers that despite the availability of software, the researcher ultimately has to choose and implement an appropriate analytic strategy. Chapter six offers additional insights for case study researchers. The authors describe the need to understand descriptive, predictive and prescriptive theory and their interrelationships with each other and with case research. The authors further highlight the need for understanding inductive and deductive reasoning approaches and urge the readers to understand a third approach—abductive reasoning that could help case study researchers in reasoning. Abductive reasoning essentially combines the two by moving back and forth between deductive and inductive reasoning approaches. In addition, the authors suggest the need for following an interpretivist approach (introduced in chapter three) to case research rather than positivistic approach (empirical approach) that focuses on reliability, validity and generalizability. This is because case research focuses on capturing the complexity of phenomena, and since interpretivists view the world as complex and largely unpredictable, they can recognize multiple realities related to the same phenomenon within the context.

The authors end by offering a simple recap, through 18 capsules in Chapter seven, of the salient requirements for case researchers. On the whole, this book provides a useful and straightforward guide for those considering case study research, including students and practitioners.