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CASESTUDYMETHOD

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CASESTUDYMETHOD

Real life situation in real time

Limited in space and time

Immediate impact

Immediate relevance

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RESEARCHPHILOSOPHY

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 sayyou found out? Can you convince others that you have

done so? Can you generalise the results to another

situation?

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THESLIPPERYSLOPE

Quantitative research

Objective,

apersonal

S

ubjective,

in

terpersonal

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MAKINGNON-SCIENCEINTO

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

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CASESTUDYMETHODOLOGY

Plan and chart techniques to be used

Identify site(s) for access & convenience

Schedule data collection

Regular review

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

Hackman and Oldham'sJob Diagnostic

Survey (1980)

Participant observationSemi-structured

interviews

In-depth interviews

Results

Direct output from research method

Information for research method formulation

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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

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STORAGEANDCATALOGUING

Label, number, code

Transcribe, translate

Index, catalogue

General overview plus detailed scrutiny

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DESTINATIONDEVELOPMENTTHROUGH

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: ACOMPARISONOFTWOCASES

Compared Hay on Wye Town of Books with Stavanger

Town of Culture

Objective: to contrast the factors underlying (a)

successful and (b) unsuccessful tourismentrepreneurship

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.

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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

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BUILDINGREFLECTIVEPRACTITIONERSONBUSINESS

PROGRAMMES: ANACTIONRESEARCHSTUDY

Faculty on Masters programmes at a Swiss hotelschool

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 studentsand 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.

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BORDERTOURISM INISRAEL: CONFLICT,

PEACE, FEARANDHOPE

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 illustratethe 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 co-operation 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.

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INTERNATIONALFRANCHISEPARTNERSELECTIONAND

CHAINPERFORMANCETHROUGHTHELENSOF

ORGANISATIONALLEARNING

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 byhigh 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 cautiousinternational 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) 225238.