The Case For Case Studies: Deriving Theory From Evidence

Abstract

While case studies appear frequently in business classrooms as learning exercises, they appear only infrequently in scholarly journals as an accepted basis on which to demonstrate a theory or test a hypothesis. While scholars have contributed much in recent years to improving the rigor and design of business case studies, this research approach may yet be underutilized. The academic approach to the study of law in the US and England draws heavily on the use of case studies; management scholars may benefit from an understanding of the ways in which lawyers construct, analyze, and draw lessons from cases.