1. Research Methods – Qualitative II – Case Study
IS6000 – Seminar 8
Research Methods – Qualitative II – Case Study

2. Methods for Qualitative Data
We have seen examples of several different types of data – as well as different ways of analysing that data
Although there are several methods, the Case Study is the one that you are likely to encounter most frequently
Your own report is more likely to be a case study because it is relatively more simple
Two other methods are introduced briefly

3. A case study is an empirical inquiry that:
investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when
the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident (Yin, 2003)
The case study is the most common form of qualitative research method in IS – as well as other disciplines

4. When To Use the Case Study Method?
The case study is preferred in examining contemporary events, esp when you don’t want to manipulate people’s behaviour.
Case studies rely on direct observation, and systematic interviewing.
You cannot control what people do in case studies. You are studying real life – which does what it does, whether you like it or not.
In case studies, we often ask ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ questions.

5. Case Study – Sample Research Questions
How does IT enhance decision making in senior executives?
Why do junior staff refuse to use ?
How can we improve IT literacy in dinosaurs?
How can an SME develop an effective e-business portal?
How can we measure the success of this portal?
Why is TaoBao a better platform than eBay in China?
Why did eBay fail in China?!
How can Wechat add value in the office?

6. Conducting Case Studies 1
Preparation for Data Collection
The researcher should…
be able to ask good questions (interview technique)
be a good listener
be flexible and adaptable to circumstances
have a firm grasp of the issues being studied
be unbiased by preconceived notions
…for the specific context of the case study and organisation

7. Conducting Case Studies 2
The researcher must be able to make intelligent decisions about the data being collected.
This will require knowledge about
why the study is being done;
what evidence is being sought;
what variations can be anticipated
what would constitute supportive or contrary evidence for any given proposition
A Case Study could also include quantitative (survey) data –
We’ll look at this next week

8. The protocol should include
Case Study Protocol
The protocol should include
An overview of the case study project (project, substantive issues, relevant reading)
Field procedures (how to gain access to interviewees, planning for sufficient resources, providing for unanticipated events, etc.)
Case study questions
about individuals, multiple cases, entire study,
normative questions about policy recommendations and conclusions

9. Sources of Evidence for Case Studies
There are six forms of evidence that could be collected
Interviews
Direct observations
Participant observations
Documentation
Archival records
Physical artifacts
Colleting from multiple sources helps increase the reliability of that data

10. Interviews Case study interviews are usually open-ended
Focused interviews can still be open-ended but involve following specific questions derived from the case study protocol
More structured questions
A structured interview would involve the sampling procedures and the instruments used in surveys (see next week’s class)

11. Direct Observations
By making a field visit to the case study "site", the investigator is creating the opportunity for direct observations.
You can’t do a case study if you don’t visit the research site!
To increase the reliability of observational evidence, it is sensible to have two or more researchers, formally or casually.
Each person should have a clear responsibility
Each person will remember different things

12. Participant Observations
The researcher may play a variety of roles within a case situation and may actually participate in the events being studied.
The researcher (if an insider) may be able to gain access to events or groups that are otherwise inaccessible to investigation.
However, researchers may be biased.
An insider-researcher cannot also be an independent outsider.
They could become a supporter or defender.
Having both an outsider and an insider in the same research team can be an advantage

13. Documents, Archives & Artifacts
Current organisational documents
Policies, practices, templates
Historical archive records
Past practices, reports on past projects
Artifacts include physical objects like certificates, awards, etc.
These three forms of data are useful for corroborating evidence from other sources

14. Principles of Data Collection 1
Use multiple sources of evidence
There are many opportunities to collect evidence from multiple sources
And so address a broader range of historical and observational issues.
By developing a holistic understanding of a case, you can triangulate findings better
If different sources support the same conclusion, then the conclusion is stronger
Also, it will be easier to ground a new theory from a richer data set

15. Principles of Data Collection 2
Create a case study database
The lack of a formal database for most case study efforts is a major shortcoming of case study research.
Four components should be contained in a case study database
Notes (including interview data)
Documents (corporate)
Tabular materials (e.g. from surveys)
Narratives (stories; diaries).

16. Principles of Data Collection 3
Maintain a chain of evidence
This is to allow an external observer - the reader of the case study for example - to follow the derivation of any evidence from initial research questions to ultimate case study conclusions.
It means that you need to know who said what
If you are anonymising people, give them a codename, e.g. P45 or K13.

17. Data Collection - Summary
The three principles are intended to make the data collection process as explicit and consistent as possible
If you have good quality data (valid and reliable) then the following analysis is likely to produce better quality results
In the end you need to be able to tell a persuasive story from your data

18. Analyzing Case Study Evidence
Relying on theoretical propositions
Propositions help
to focus attention on some data and to ignore others
to organize the entire case study and to define alternative explanations to be examined
Developing a case description
Develop a descriptive framework to organise the case study and identify
types of event or process or interaction
overall ‘patterns’ that could be used to explain why an implementation succeeded or failed

19. Standards of Case Study Excellence
Uniqueness
Did we learn new things?
Success and failure are both OK.
Completeness
Nothing missing?
Alternative perspectives considered
What else might be happening?
Are you certain your interpretation is correct?
Sufficient evidence displayed
Lots of examples and illustrations
An engaging, attractive and readable style
Enjoyable to read
Persuasive examples

20. Ethnography
“Ethnographic research is one of the most in-depth research methods possible” (Myers, 1999)
The researcher is embedded at a research site
Seeing and hearing what people say and do
Obtaining a deep understanding of the organisation and its people and work context.
Obtaining rich & detailed insights into the roles that information systems play
Engaging in detailed, observational evidence gathering, including ‘participant observation’ and ‘informal social contact’.
Like case studies, ethnographies also include interview data

21. Benefits 1 Depth. Intimacy.
No other method allows the researcher to gain such depth or intensity in studying a phenomenon.
Intimacy.
By staying in ‘the field’ for an extended amount of time, the researcher can become invisible to the research subjects and so gain a degree of intimacy of understanding of the people, their work, routines, frustrations, politics, competing, relationships and dangers in the day-to-day organisational context.

22. Benefits 2 Challenges to accepted knowledge.
When you are deep in the context, you start to question what you already know – if there is contradictory evidence
An ethnography permits a ‘deeper-than-usual’ understanding of the problem – and so can lead to a new appreciation of that problem.

23. For Example
Hughes et al. (1992) found that ‘good design principles’ were actually not good in all contexts
Sometimes ‘best practices’ are actually negative or counter productive
Orlikowski (1991) found that IT contributes to intensifying control in some contexts
But we often imagine that IT will liberate us from control
These findings were unexpected by the researchers and the prior literature.
Perhaps today they are unsurprising?

24. CyberEthnography (Ward, 1999)
Traditional ethnographic methods are designed for physical communities, but what about the virtual world?
Cyber-ethnography (netnography) involves a study of online interactions
The researcher has to be embedded online as a member of a community (an insider)
The researcher engages in a dialogue with the online subjects – who ‘talk back’
The online subjects are much more involved than in a traditional ethnography

25. Practical Guidance 1 Field notes
Participant observations, thoughts, reflections, interviews, feelings and questions
Write them up regularly (within a few hours) – don’t rely on your memory, which is quickly swamped
Keep them up to date and keep them detailed
Something might seem very strange or odd at the beginning – yet later it makes a lot of sense when you know more.

26. Odd Findings
Sherry Turkle is an American Psychologist who studies social media use
She found that not only do we sleep with our phones, but we use them for almost everything
We send messages at weddings – and at funerals
We come to meetings, and then go online
We come together as friends, and spend all the time online, together, but not together (!)
Is this disturbing or normal?

27. Practical Guidance 2 Reflect! Review what you wrote, or thought
On your ideas, impressions, feelings, thoughts
Review what you wrote, or thought
Comment on your reflections – explicitly
Much of the data is observational and personal
But if you don’t reflect on it, you may lose it
Develop a way to manage data
Indexes, classification schemes, summaries, etc.
Same as for case studies

28. Action Research
Action Research requires the researcher both to understand an organisational situation or phenomenon (like a case study) and to improve it (like a consultant)
This requires quite deep knowledge of how people work and what they do (like an ethnography)
It also requires the cooperation of the organisational ‘client’, since changes to org processes may be needed
AR can take many weeks or longer to complete

29. Action Research May require qualitative and quantitative data
Needs strong theoretical support
Usually follows a process model
Should follow clear principles and guidelines
Should deliver clear practical and theoretical outcomes
That benefit the organisation
And contribute to scholarly knowledge

30. Simple Cyclical Process Model
Client-Researcher Agreement
After Susman &Evered, 1978; Davison et al., 2004

31. Summary
The Case Study Method is useful for exploring How and Why questions in organisational contexts
You can draw on a variety of qualitative and quantitative data to find out how people behave – and why
You need to be accurate and precise – structuring your actions carefully. Don’t take short cuts.
Make sure you document everything carefully

32. How Would you Try to Answer these Research Questions?
How does IT enhance decision making in senior executives?
Why do junior staff refuse to use ?
How can we improve IT literacy in dinosaurs?
How can an SME develop an effective e-business portal?
How can we measure the success of this portal?
Why is TaoBao a better platform than eBay in China?
Why did eBay fail in China?!