Researching via case studies
Case studies are not just a teaching methodology, they can also be used as a qualitative research method (Research Case). “They contribute to generating new scientific knowledge, especially in a context of discovery and conceptual exploration,” said Prof. Lluís Renart, and “they are very useful in the initial stage of the research process, especially if there is very little literature on the subject.” Professor Renart is a passionate partisan of the case study method. He has written many case studies throughout his academic career, and five of them have won awards from the European Foundation of Management Development (EFMD).
First of all, “it is very important to define the phenomenon that you want to analyze and to rigorously limit the scope of study.” Then a convenience sample is made and a variety of cases are chosen. By analyzing them, you become more familiar with the phenomenon and observe the regularities and discrepancies, and define the success and failure factors. “This is a lengthy process,” he notes, “and it is important for the writer to be neutral and to neither include value judgments nor tinker with the reality.” Based on the conclusions, propositions can be draw up that “although not universal, can be applied in a vast number of cases,” he adds. After that, these hypotheses can be verified by means of a statistical process, although this would not actually be a part of the case study itself.
Company cooperation
The participation of companies is essential when writing case studies, and firms can also benefit from the process of drafting them. There are two key factors when getting them on board. The first is “never to trick them; writing a case study requires time and dedication,” cautions Renart. The second factor is that the “writer must offer an unconditional commitment to total confidentiality, to reassure the company that nothing will be published until he or she has the company’s written permission.”
There are many reasons why a company might accept such a challenge. They could do it for altruistic reasons, or because they wish to “reflect on a specific situation, systematize it and get a better grasp on it,” explains Renart, always with the understanding that “the researchers are not acting as consultants.”
Niko Muñoz (MBA ‘96), who worked with Renart to draw up the case study titled “The Metro Group position in RFID in June 2005,” agrees. He said that “in today’s busy world in which what is urgent often takes precedence over what is important, drawing up a case study is the perfect excuse to stop, look, think and draw conclusions about the past.”
Ramón Añaños (PDD ‘95), who helped write IESE’s Imaginarium case study, explains that “it helped me to get to know my company better, to get further knowledge in functional areas other than my own.” Gary Andrew Lewis (MBA ‘93), who wrote the Chupa Chups Vending case study, acknowledges that “having to explain what happened to a third person requires you to understand the concepts very clearly and it helps you to get a better grasp on the situation.”
Plus, when the case study is presented in class, the company is invited to attend the session, where it has the chance to listen to the opinions of other executives and get to know other points of view.
“And if the project is still up and running, it helps you to guide it towards the future,” said Lewis. And the benefits do not end there. Being featured in a case study can also be synonymous with prestige, especially if it discusses a successful situation, because it generates brand awareness and offers a certain degree of fame. Añaños concurs with these benefits, and he adds another one: networking, “thanks to direct personal contact with the research team, with the school itself and with executives and students participation in the sessions taught in the classroom.” Plus, if the material ends up being published in a book, as happened to Lewis, the brand’s fame only multiplies.
