Case Study-Theory

Introduction

A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every
aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case
studies can be used in various fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology,
political science, and social work.

The purpose of a case study is to learn as much as possible about an individual or group so that the
information can be generalized to many others. Unfortunately, case studies tend to be highly
subjective, and it is sometimes difficult to generalize results to a larger population.

While case studies focus on a single individual or group, they follow a format similar to other
types of psychology writing.

Benefits and Limitations

A case study can have both strengths and weaknesses. Researchers must consider these pros and
cons before deciding if this type of study is appropriate for their needs.

Pros

One of the greatest advantages of a case study is that it allows researchers to investigate things that
are often difficult to impossible to replicate in a lab. Some other benefits of a case study:1

 Allows researchers to collect a great deal of information

 Give researchers the chance to collect information on rare or unusual cases
 Permits researchers to develop hypotheses that can be explored in experimental research

Cons

On the negative side, a case study:

 Cannot necessarily be generalized to the larger population

 Cannot demonstrate cause and effect
 May not be scientifically rigorous
 This can lead to bias

Researchers may choose to perform a case study if they are interested in exploring a unique or
recently discovered phenomenon. The insights gained from such research can help the researchers
develop additional ideas and study questions that might be explored in future studies.
However, it is important to remember that the insights gained from case studies cannot be used to
determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. However, case studies may be used to
develop hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental research.

Definition

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event,
organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and
business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods, but quantitative methods are
sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing, comparing, evaluating, and
understanding different aspects of a research problem.

Types of Case Studies

There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might
utilize:

 Collective case studies: These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers might
study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community. For example,
psychologists might explore how access to resources in a community has affected the
collective mental well-being of those living there.
 Descriptive case studies: These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects
are then observed, and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
 Explanatory case studies: These are often used to do causal investigations. In other words,
researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have caused certain things to occur.
 Exploratory case studies: These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-depth
research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing their
research questions and hypotheses.
 Instrumental case studies: These occur when the individual or group allows researchers
to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
 Intrinsic case studies: This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal interest
in the case. Jean Piaget's observations of his children are good examples of how an intrinsic
cast study can contribute to the development of a psychological theory.

The three main case study types often used are intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Intrinsic case
studies are useful for learning about unique cases. Instrumental case studies help look at an
individual to learn more about a broader issue. A collective case study can be useful for looking at
several cases simultaneously.
8 STEPS TO SOLVE THE CASE STUDY
Case studies are used in many professional education programs, primarily in business schools, to
present real-world situations to students and to assess their ability to parse out the important aspects
of a given dilemma. In general, a case study should include, in order: background on the business
environment, description of the given business, identification of a key problem or issue, steps taken
to address the issue, your assessment of that response, and suggestions for better business strategy.
Solving cases with the help of these theories often become difficult we have to track our ways.
There is no ideal path to solve realistic problems but looking forward I traced new ways to solve
it. It may not be the ultimate option to solve your case but guide you in the right direction where
you have to be.
In the first stage, you have to pass through the four stages
 Study
 Contemplate
 Decide and
 Implement

The most difficult part of solving the case study is to understand the case where the majority of
student fails. To overcome this, the above four stages can be beneficial.

Presently, an average Indian student does not have a specific procedure to solve the case study.
This procedure has different logical steps. A comprehensive list of steps to attain the best possible
solution for the case is as follows.

Case:
“John is a salesperson in an insurance company, yesterday at 6:30 pm he gets an urgent
appointment from his client for what he was waiting for 20 days, this deal may increase his sales
volume, so he has to meet him tomorrow by 10:30 to 11:00 am at his office in Mumbai, presently,
John is in Delhi.”
With the help of the case mentioned above, we can better understand all the steps.
1. Problem Identification:

This should describe what is required to be achieved through the proposed solution. As per the
above case, the problem with John is to go to Mumbai by tomorrow morning itself. He has a very
short time to go to Mumbai.
2. Define Boundaries:
In this stage specify the limits and boundaries under which the case has to be solved. These may
be given in the case clearly or you need to assume it. (Some information has to be considered while
solving the case.) As per our case, John has to arrive in Mumbai before 11:00 otherwise he may
miss the opportunity.
3. Case:

This heading should contain the keywords given/narrated in the case. This is a very important step
but often students rewrite the whole case in this heading. But it gives a bad impression to the reader
of the case.
4. Assumption:

The gaps in the data noticed while writing the keywords have to be filled in by making
assumptions. These assumptions should be clearly stated and the reason for making the assumption
should be stated.
5. A possible solution for the case:
Under this heading as much as the solution you can give that should write under sub heading.
Ex.
1. Solution:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
2. Solution:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
6. Select the best possible solution:
This paragraph should answer why this solution is the best solution for the case and how it can be
helpful for the case, what competency it has. It may be a single solution or a mixture of more than
one solution.
7. Managerial Application:
Under this heading, students should write which managerial theory was used to get the solution.
8. Conclusion:

A summary by comparing what was the problem, and how the action plan was based on optimal
solution.