Strategic Shift to Case Study Research

The case study is a word that has been abused and misused in the management academia, resulting in unnecessary confusion and acceptance of works that do not necessarily advance knowledge. For decades now case studies have been written with the objective of explaining phenomena, rather than enriching and contributing to it. Thus, the requirement of teaching notes, which simply elaborates on the already known concepts in a specific subject. However, we are glad that this stance and approach to case studies are gradually changing.

The unimaginably exponential disruptions are affecting not only the businesses but, societies, economies, ecologies and of course, individuals are also not spared. It is almost impossible to predict anything with linear thinking. The given changes have thrust on us the opportunities to re-look case writing from a research point of view. Although case study research is a well-known methodology in research, we cannot discard the pros of the teaching cases. South Asian Journal of Management Cases has taken the onus to bridge this gap between teaching cases and case study research, by encouraging case writers to link theory to their cases. Since August 2019, we have refrained from accepting pure teaching cases and fully discarded the need for teaching notes. More so, what SAJBMC looks away from are those cases written on the concepts and theories taught in MBA courses. We cannot emphasise enough how important this decision is. This step has been taken to not just increase the quality of the cases but also increase its relevance in international academia and research. This move has pushed good case writers a step forward to be great case writers and we can see that our efforts are bearing favourable results.

Phenomenon, Context, and Theory

To bridge this gap between case study research and teaching cases we advocated the simultaneous presence of phenomenon, context, and theory in a case study. A phenomenon is happening of something which is not fully understood. As vague as it may sound, we observe multiple phenomena occurring around us at any given point in time. Discrimination, Sustainability, Leadership, Employee or Customer Experience, Social Engineering, Mindfulness, Job Crafting, Patient Engagement, Bullying, Talent Retention, etc. all are examples of phenomena. In fact, to study a phenomenon one may not need context, as a phenomenon exists irrespective of the context. However, we insist on the presence of the context as it demystifies the nuances of a given phenomenon. Context is a specific dimension of a phenomenon that allows the researcher to narrow down their array of study while increasing the process of demystification about what, how, and why of a phenomenon. For instance, Japan is known for its ancient practice of mindfulness, which has helped the country to stay ahead of time. Hence, if one is to study the phenomenon of mindfulness in Japan, it would be said that the context of the study is a region. While if one can further narrow down the context by studying mindfulness among the managers in Japan’s automobile sector, the context shrinks to an industry sector. To reduce it to a case, one will study the mindfulness of managers in a particular organization, for instance, Nissan.

Theory link

Once the phenomenon, context, and the case are identified, one can come to the process of theory connection. It is important to note that connecting theory is an iterative process and often mind-boggling, due to the variety of theories available. The best course of identifying an appropriate theory for the case study research would be, that the researcher should allow the dataset to speak for itself. The theory is often the first thing we researchers try to identify, and this process may work in a positivist approach. But in a case, we do not generate data. In an already narrowed down phenomenon and context, the availability of the data is restricted to the case is hand. Hence selecting a theory beforehand is not just illogical but betrayal with what the dataset tries to speak. For instance, one may find that mindfulness among the managers in Nissan may lead to self-determination which is a theory of motivation. This result can only be reached once the data has been analysed. Hence, case study research should never be hypothesis-driven, instead, it should be data-driven.  

To summarise, the South Asian Journal of Business Management Cases is striving to create a case ecosystem, which encourages the case writers to write ‘piece of art’ cases which is a product of the intersection of the phenomenon, context, case, and theory. With the current issue, we can gladly say that we are headed in the right direction. The current issue presents 12 cases that address different phenomena within specific contexts.

In the first case, Mishra and Sharma linked the theory of Humanitarian Supply Chain with the phenomenon of social welfare in the context of sudden disasters in the case of the Non-Governmental Organization Goonj. They distinctively address how the social welfare supply chain within the arena of the humanitarian supply chain, can help in handling disasters either natural or man-made.

The next case addresses the phenomenon of employee wellbeing within positive psychology, in the context of service sector organization in India, further narrowing it down to the middle and senior managers. Using a grounded theory approach Jaiswal and Arun establish a link of the study to the Conservation-of-resources theory and broaden-and-build theory suggesting that indulging in gain spirals enhances employee wellbeing.

Karulkar and Jain in the next case studied how data analytics in HDFC catalyses the phenomenon of Business Persistency in the context of the Life Insurance Industry. Using Time indexed collection of data, he suggests means to predict and forecast variables for business persistency.

Organizational case studies are not always about success; the study of a failure is much more important to understand how success can be achieved. In the next case study, Abraham and Kumar study the phenomenon of Organizational decline faced by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, in the context of the Pharmaceutical Industry. They linked the study to organizational decline-and-turnaround models, to explicate the company’s downfall and struggles to survive.

In the next case study, Ashok and Dhingra study the phenomenon of financial planning in the context of retirees in India. They explored the same using the theory of Coordinated Strategy. They suggest that Reverse Mortgage should be used to do effective financial planning for elderly people.

The following case addresses the need to reduce wastes in the context of the manufacturing industry more specifically in distribution warehouses. Abhishek and Pratap through their case study suggest that applying Value stream mapping from the theory of lean management principle can help in the elimination of warehouse waste.

Exploring the phenomenon of sustainability, Lehtimaki, Piispanen and Henttonen, study how organizations can develop a circular business model to encourage a circular economy while breaking the barriers of path-dependency and lock-in.

Nishikawa in the next case studies the phenomenon of Organizational Development and Change in a small family-owned Japanese organization Nishio Glass and Mirror. The case concludes that using positive organizational scholarship can result in successful organizational change despite all the barriers.

In the following case study, Lamsa and Keranen explore and conceptualise the concept of Responsible leadership using a qualitative approach. Their study draws on relational leadership theory in the context of the manager-employee relationship.

In the next case study, the phenomenon of the international expansion of a family business is studied by Koul, Kumar, Kumar, and Singla. Their case is about the expansion of Komal International, a home décor family business, using compliance and internationalisation theory.

Upadhyay, Purswami, and Jain discuss the phenomenon of Urban Sustainability, in the highly polluted and populated Indian Metropolitan cities. With the help of three pillars of sustainability, they present the case of Yulu Bikes, the affordable and eco-friendly micro-bikes that help reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

In the final case, Yiu, Liu, Shi, and Zhao study the phenomenon of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of contemporary fighting competitions. Using the case of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, they advocate the accommodation of internal stakeholder management in the CRS strategies of organizations.                   

While reading the cases one will realise that each of the cases revolves around a phenomenon. Although the cases are context-specific, they cannot be divorced from the phenomenon. We at SAJBMC are looking only for such cases which expands our understanding of a specific phenomenon and hence, as we previously mentioned that a case cannot be separated from a context and a context from a phenomenon. 

Limitations of Data from Secondary Sources

Moreover, cases are often written with secondary data sources. This is common not just due to their easy availability but also due to the abundance of case studies being written with secondary sources. This a practice we wish to change not only because it is primitive but it hardly furthers our understanding of the phenomenon under question. Cases crafted with secondary sources of data devolves around the context and provides an answer to the ‘what?’ question. Such cases fail to study either a behavioural phenomenon or the strategy adopted by the firm. Often authors use ‘observation of data’ to derive an inference.  To further the understanding of a phenomenon, it is important to use appropriate methodologies for data collection and analysis processes. As noted, secondary data can hardly provide enough understanding beyond the context, hence we advocate and emphasise the use of primary data in case study research.

Here is an example. The turnaround of a firm can be studied with the help of financial ratios drawn from secondary data sources. Whether the turnaround effort was successful or not can also be judged with secondary data. A case with this much analysis may find its use in an MBA course but cannot be included in a case research journal catering to an international audience of accomplished management professors. A case needs to dwell upon how the leadership changed or fresh teams were built or critical talent could be retained. Developing an understanding of such phenomena within the context of turnaround will enhance the appeal of a case. This is what we need.

As discussed earlier, a case is a small part of a universal phenomenon, hence its findings cannot be generalised. This brings us to the need for qualitative study as a better approach to case study research. Although, quantitative techniques have their own advantages and we do not claim that they cannot be used in case research.

In the end, we would reiterate our initial stance, keep writing cases, but with this new perspective. A perspective which not only explains a phenomenon but expands and enriches our understanding of the same. Cases that are data-driven and are built of primary data sources.  

Authors

Dr. Shreya Mishra is currently working as a Research Associate at BIMTECH. She has completed her Doctoral Studies in 2019 in the area of Workplace Bullying. She is also the Assistant Editor of the South Asian Journal of Management Cases, SAGE. She has published in Scopus and ABDC Journals. She is a recipient of the Young Scholar Award at the International Conference of Management Cases 2017 and 2018 organized by Birla Institute of Management Technology and the best paper award from SAGE Publications in the year 2019. A reviewer in management journals, her research interests include studies on Workplace Bullying, Inequality, Power, Identity, Intersectionality, and Qualitative Research.

Dr. Ajoy K. Dey is a Professor of Decision Sciences & Operations Management. His areas of expertise include Curriculum Development and Student Engagement. He is the Editor of the South Asian Journal of Business & Management Cases – a SCOPUS indexed, UGC Care listed SAGE Publication. Dr. Dey is on the EAB of Emerald Emerging Market Case Studies and Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. As Chairperson of the Centre for Management Case Development, Dr. Dey is responsible for creating an environment to facilitate case research, writing, and teaching.