Posted: April 1st, 2015

Elements of a Case Study

Elements of a Case Study

Introduction: The introduction defines the problem to be examined and explains the parameters or limitations of the situation.

Overview/Analysis: The overview/analysis provides a scenario of the situation and offers more detail about the various players in the scenario, including the organization, its employees or other people involved with the issue in question. It may also mention professional, technical or theoretical issues that arise from the situation. It might also include graphic or visual aids such as budgets, organizational charts, mission statements or technical specifications, as relevant. In complex case studies, the overview and analysis may be presented separately.

Problem Definition: The problem definition describes the organization’s actions (or lack of), on the matter. Many case studies may end with one or two case problems, which require the learner to analyze or solve a particular question. Some cases may actually have Case Questions attached. Case problems generally take one of three forms:

1. Give a situation and ask learners what they would do next.
2. Set a task, such as asking learners to prepare a report recommending an action for review by a key official.
3. Illustrate a scenario and ask learners to analyze the faults and recommend how it should have been handled.

Solutions/Recommendations: The solutions and recommendations should outline observations that you have made that may have led to the problem, solutions that could have helped to avoid the problem, or recommendations or a course of action that could help to improve the situation moving forward.

Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the above sections you have addressed providing for a concise strong closing, and neatly tie together all the points you have addressed throughout your analysis.

References: All resources and citations must be properly referenced. Please review proper APA citation for further resource. A simple rule of thumb for using references is: 1.) Always reference the author/source when using external resources to strengthen your analysis. 2.) Always use quotes when directly using someone else’s words. 3.) All references should include information that would allow a reader to easily locate the resource you are referencing.