CASE STUDY METHOD

CASE STUDY METHOD

Real life situation in real time

Limited in space and time

Immediate impact

Immediate relevance

RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY

Ontology: Who are you, who are you studying?

Are they your equals or your subjects? What
rights do you consider them to have?

Epistemology: What do you consider to be

knowledge and how does this affect your data
collection and analysis?

Validity, reliability: Have you found out what

you say you found out? Can you convince
others that you have done so? Can you
generalise the results to another situation?

Objective,
apersonal

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

Quantitative
research
Qualitative
research

Ca
re se s
se
ar tudy
ch

n
se
re
ch
ar

Subjective,
interpersonal

tio
Ac

MAKING NON-SCIENCE
INTO SCIENCE?

Get as many different views on the

situation as possible (triangulate)

Demonstrate that the techniques and the

way they will be used were decided in
advance

Be scrupulously careful with recording

and cataloguing all data.

Underpin your case with theory and

derive theory from the case itself

CASE STUDY METHODOLOGY

Plan and chart techniques to be used

Identify site(s) for access & convenience

Schedule data collection

Regular review

EXAMPLE OF CASE STUDY RESEARCH DESIGN

FROM JOHNS & LEE-ROSS (1998) P. 148

In-depth
interviews

Hackman and Oldham's Job

Diagnostic Survey (1980)

Results

Semi-structured
interviews

Participant observation

Direct output from research method

Information for research method formulation

RECORDING

Analysis is the key, so dont gather

anything until you know how you will
use it

Notes vs Audiotape vs videotape: too

little data or too much?

Investigative journalist in the field: cold

scientist out

STORAGE AND CATALOGUING

Label, number, code

Transcribe, translate

Index, catalogue

General overview plus detailed scrutiny

DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT THROUGH

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A COMPARISON OF TWO
CASES

Compared Hay on Wye Town of Books with

Stavanger Town of Culture

Objective: to contrast the factors underlying

(a) successful and (b) unsuccessful tourism
entrepreneurship

Methods:

Interviews with key entrepreneurs

Interviews with other stakeholders

Relevant news items and other literature

Johns, N. and Mattsson, J. (2005) Destination development through entrepreneurship: a comparison

of two cases. Tourism Management. 26(4):605-616.

CONSIDERATIONS

Why is this a suitable situation for a case

study?

Aims & objectives

Theoretical basis

Appropriateness of data collected

Appropriateness of data-gathering methods

Credibility/validity/reliability of findings

BUILDING REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONERS ON

BUSINESS PROGRAMMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH
STUDY

Faculty on Masters programmes at a Swiss

hotel school

one specific issue: that students would be

encouraged to become reflective
practitioners.

Three academic years

Centred around gathering student feedback

Data gathered: course paperwork, student

course feedback, course and programme
reports, committee minutes, interviews
with students and faculty

Johns, N. And Henwood, J. A. (2008) Building reflective practitioners on business programmes: an

action research study . Journal of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Education. Accepted awaiting
publication.

BORDER TOURISM IN ISRAEL:

CONFLICT, PEACE, FEAR AND HOPE
The main aim of this research is to describe and analyse cultural elements
that express the symbolic landscape of Israel's border-tourism attractions.
The methodology selected is based on the naturalistic approach of
landscape interpretation. A descriptive analysis is provided of the
symbolism of elements in two case studies of border tourism in Israel.
These places have grown into unique tourist attractions, and they illustrate
the conflict or the co-operation between Israel and its neighbouring
countries. Visits to Israeli border sites usual y entail observation and hold a
special meaning f or tourists, either because they can sense the danger and
fear of battles conducted in the past near the border, or because they have
a close and clear look at the neighbouring country. On the other hand, these
sites are also places of hope for a better future - one of peace and cooperation between the two sides. In many cases the observation points have
Grown to signify both the core of the conflict and a prayer for peace, a
special simultaneity of fear and hope.
Gelbman, A. (2008) Border tourism in Israe l: conflict, peace , fear and hope . Tourism
Geographies. 10 (2) 193-213.

INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE PARTNER SELECTION AND

CHAIN PERFORMANCE THROUGH THE LENS OF
ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING

This study aims to investigate how international franchisors engage in

exploratory and exploitative learning in the partner selection process and the
implications for chain performance. Based on an embedded case study of a
leading international hotel organisation, the findings reveal that the franchisor
attempted a balanced learning approach in response to challenges caused by
high cultural distance in international markets. However, the crowd-out
effect of exploration and exploitation created a tension: exploration
emphasising adaptation to local needs dominated the partner identification
stage in country markets, whilst exploitation stressing standardisation and
efficiencies dominated the partner decision-making stage at division. As a
result, a consistent brand image came at the cost of very cautious
international expansion.
Wang, C. L. and Altinay, L. (2008) International franchise partner selection and chain performance
through the lens of organisational learning. Service Industries Journal. 28 (2) 225 238.