A as a Research Method - Case Study Example

CASE STUDY A case study is a research that focuses only one particular issue over a particular period of time. Thus, this issue or object at hand must have to be important and crucial enough to be sorted out with all the attention and focus. Case studies are usually held about some social issues or entities which are “…intricately connected to political, social, historical, and personal issues, providing wide ranging possibilities for questions and adding complexity” It follows the same pattern as any other critical study, yet there are a few important steps that one has to take care of while designing and conducting one.

These include the following: 1. Determination of the research question is the first and the foremost demand of any research endeavor. In this step the researcher can focus on the complexity of the subject within consideration and tries to seek answers to a few questions starting with ‘how’ and ‘why’. 2. The second step is to determine the type of case-study. Whether it be intrinsic due to researcher’s personal interest, or instrumental for more than mere surface knowledge about the issue, or collective because of the consideration of a group of similar cases, or exploratory, or explanatory, or descriptive. 3. After the determination of the type of research type, the next is to select the data collection tools which are to ensure validity and reliability of the data.

Cross-examination and within-examination are important tools in this regard. 4. To organize the huge amount of data to be gathered via different sources, the researcher needs to plan a “databases to assist with categorizing, sorting, storing, and retrieving data for analysis”. 5. Field study and notes are the most important in this regard as they and to the exemplariness of the issue. 6. Next step would be to draw valid, accurate and precise results of the data collected. The most important feature is to be remain unbiased so that to create new insights into the problem under consideration.

As far as the application of a case-study method is concerned, there are four major ones (Yin, 1994): 1. “To explain complex causal links in real-life interventions 2. To describe the real-life context in which the intervention has occurred 3. To describe the intervention itself 4. To explore those situations in which the intervention being evaluated has no clear set of outcomes.” question 02 1. According to Applegate et al what are the characteristics of the network economy? i. It is a source of opportunity for innovations and creations ii.

It is the strategic part of most businesses iii. Has redefined the markets and industries iv. Has created a healthy competition among organizations v. Has connected everyone to make the world a global village in the truest sense of the words 2. Applegate et al have defined 9 themes in the networked economy. Identify and briefly explain each of the 9 themes. The 9 themes discussed are as follows: i. The confrontation with emerging technology has provided the network planners with an opportunity to bring innovation in the design and building of newer markets and industries. ii. The power and differentiation of IT is attracting the long established business models of industries to evolution. iii. The approach towards the development, operation and management of IT is modified by the opportunities offered by the technology. iv. The change to the strategic and asset-based approach in investment and decision-taking in IT is due to the development in the standard and modulation of IT. v. The practical speed of change is limited by the ever increasing and changing knowledge and assimilation regarding technologies vi.

The preference for the purchase, rather than innovation of newer technology is due to certain pressures on organizations. These pressures are caused by the internal organization, external industry as well as technological changes. vii. Business executives, IT executives, the users as well as the Providers of IT services have to be cooperated and highly engaged to get benefitted in technological change viii. There are four factors which determine the ultimate, even immediate, success of an organization: security, reliability, availability and privacy ix.

The change in the approach towards IT has brought out a revolution in the users, organization’s and designers approach in networking technologies 3. In the case study I-1 on page 21, Professor McPherson seemed to keep changing his view of the role of information systems in the network age. What are his view changes? What role has IT played in his personal experience? The views of Professor McPherson seemed to have a really great regard for information technology at first. His preference for a particular airline which had earlier proved to be really efficient in communicating between air and territory for the benefit of its customer (him) hints at his blind trust at the power of technology.

He seemed to be of the view that his schedules would not be disturbed if he chooses the most up-to-date technology. However, his personal experience helped to change his views at once. Facing from problem in management, he fall directly into time-lapse and missed his flight. Later he found the possibility of unexpected, yet inevitable problems in technology that have cause the other flight to get delayed for 2.30 hours. References The Case Study as a Research Method. 2011. The Case Study as a Research Method.

[ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~ssoy/usesusers/l391d1b.htm. [Accessed 18 June 2011]. Yin, R, 2008. Case Study Research: Design and Methods (Applied Social Research Methods). 4th Edition. Sage Publications, Inc.