Lecture note on case study and case study research: for MBA students

Lecture note on case study and case study research: for MBA students

 

My query posted to generative AI: Highlight 4 main ideas and suggest 4 practice advices, in the context of doing MBA dissertation projects on the following two topics: 1. case study (as a secondary research method) 2. case study research (Robert Yin's version) (as a research methodology with primary research methods to be used).

The reply: Clarifying the two “case” ideas for an MBA dissertation

You are really asking about two different things that often get muddled in MBA projects:

1.    “Case study” as secondary research – using published teaching cases / consultancy cases / company write‑ups as data that you analyse, without collecting new primary data.

2.    Yin-style “case study research” as a full methodology – a systematic empirical inquiry into a contemporary phenomenon in its real‑life context, where you collect primary data (interviews, documents, observations, etc.) following Yin’s design logic.

Below are 4 main ideas and 4 practice advices for each, tailored to MBA dissertations.

---

1. Case study as a secondary research method

Four main ideas

1.    Cases are pre‑existing, “frozen” data sources

You rely on published cases, company reports, analyst notes, news stories, etc., rather than generating new data.

Your methodological contribution is in how you interpret and synthesise them (e.g., theory-driven within-case and cross-case analysis), not in data collection.

2.    Best suited to theory-illustration and conceptual application

This approach works well when your aim is to apply or illustrate theories (e.g., corporate governance, strategy, leadership) to rich real-world examples, or to build tentative propositions.

It is weaker for claims about “lived experience” or causal mechanisms that would require direct access to actors.

3.    Document analysis becomes your core technique

Methodologically, you are doing a form of qualitative document analysis or qualitative content analysis.

The “case” is the unit of analysis; the documents are data sources about that unit.

4.    Validity rests on transparency and triangulation of sources

Because you cannot go back to the field, you strengthen trustworthiness by using multiple independent sources on the same case (reports, media, books, academic articles) and by being explicit about selection, limitations, and potential biases.

Four practice advices (MBA‑practical)

1.    Define the unit and boundaries very explicitly

Decide what exactly the case is (e.g., “DBS Bank’s digital transformation 2013–2020” vs “DBS as a whole bank”).

Write 1–2 clear sentences in your methodology chapter that specify time frame, geography, and organisational scope.

2.    Use a structured coding frame, even for documents

Derive a small set of categories from your theoretical framework (e.g., “board monitoring”, “shareholder engagement”, “risk controls”).

Then systematically code the case material against those categories, instead of narrating the story chronologically.

3.    Plan explicit cross‑case comparisons if you have more than one case

Even with secondary cases, pre‑decide a few comparison dimensions (e.g., ownership structure, regulation, performance trend) and create a simple cross‑case table in your findings chapter.

This stops the dissertation from becoming a series of isolated stories.

4.    Write a tight limitations section focused on secondary data

Acknowledge issues such as survivorship bias, PR spin in corporate material, and incomplete information.

Then link each limitation to how you have tried to mitigate it (triangulation, critical reading, explicit assumptions).

---

2. Yin-style case study research as a full methodology

Four main ideas (Yin’s perspective)

1.    Case study = empirical inquiry in real context

Yin defines case study research as an in‑depth investigation of a contemporary phenomenon within its real‑life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.

It is driven by “how” and “why” questions and is particularly useful for complex managerial phenomena in organisations.

2.    Design logic is central (not just “I did interviews”)

Yin emphasises case study design with components such as: research questions, propositions, unit of analysis (the case), logic linking data to propositions, and criteria for interpreting findings.

This means you justify why a single or multiple case, and how each case is theoretically chosen (replication logic).

3.    Multiple sources of evidence and triangulation

Yin advocates using several primary methods (e.g., interviews, direct and participant observation, documents, archival records, physical artefacts) to build a “chain of evidence”.

Triangulation is not just having many data types but deliberately using them to corroborate or challenge emerging explanations.

4.    Systematic analysis: pattern matching and explanation building

Yin recommends analytic strategies such as pattern matching (comparing empirical patterns to predicted ones), explanation building, time‑series analysis, and cross‑case synthesis.

Analysis is iterative: moving back and forth between data and theory to refine propositions.

Four practice advices (MBA‑practical, Yin‑style)

1.    Start from propositions linked to your conceptual framework

Convert your theoretical framework into a few tentative propositions or “what you expect to see” in the case (e.g., “Firms with higher board independence will show more proactive risk management”).

These propositions then guide your interview protocol, document selection, and pattern matching later.

2.    Be explicit about single vs multiple case logic

For a single case, justify it as a critical, extreme, revelatory, or longitudinal case (Yin’s categories).

For multiple cases, explain how each case serves as a literal or theoretical replication, and show a simple table of cases, selection criteria, and expected theoretical contribution.

3.    Develop and actually use a case study protocol

Yin strongly recommends a protocol covering: field procedures, case study questions, data collection plan, and outline for the case study report.

In an MBA dissertation, include an appendix with your protocol and then, in the methodology chapter, briefly explain how it helped maintain consistency and reliability.

4.    Maintain a case study database and chain of evidence

Even for a student project, organise your raw data (transcripts, notes, documents) and analysis artefacts (coding files, memos) so that an examiner could, in theory, trace how you moved from raw data to conclusions.

In the dissertation, describe this database and give at least one small example of how specific quotes/documents link to a particular finding.

 

4 academic references related to the discussion here, in Harvard reference format

Here are four solid academic references, formatted in a standard Harvard style and aligned with our discussion of (1) case study as secondary research and (2) Yin‑style case study research with primary data.

1.   Core Yin methodology text (must‑have for your dissertation):

Yin, R.K. (2014) Case study research: design and methods. 5th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

2.   Updated Yin applications text (links to practical MBA‑type uses):

Yin, R.K. (2018) Case study research and applications: design and methods. 6th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

3.   General case study methods overview (helpful for positioning Yin vs other approaches):

Tight, M. (2010) ‘The curious case of case study: a viewpoint’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 13(4), pp. 329–339.

4.   Case study as (often) secondary-document based research (good to justify secondary case work):

Gerring, J. (2007) Case study research: principles and practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.