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Chapter 1 - Introduction to Case Study Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2023

Lakshmi Balachandran Nair ,
Michael Gibbert  and
Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani
Lakshmi Balachandran Nair
Affiliation:
Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, Italy
Michael Gibbert
Affiliation:
Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland
Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani
Affiliation:
Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Management Research, The Netherlands
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Summary

This chapter introduces the readers to case study research, with the help of historical and contemporary examples. We define case study research and briefly discuss the existing case study designs. Subsequently, we explain the main purpose of this book: To take case study research to the next level by discussing the combinations of different case study designs in the same study, which we call "sequencing case study designs." Furthermore, we discuss the building blocks of case study designs, the strengths/weaknesses of archetypical designs, the conundrum surrounding the crafting/relaying of theoretical contributions, some concrete examples of designs, and the differences/similarities amongst different paradigmatic camps in case study research. We end the chapter by briefly introducing the contents of the subsequent chapters.

Keywords

History of case study researchDefinitionSequencingCase study designsTheoretical contributionsPositivistInterpretivistStrengthsWeaknesses
Type
Chapter
Information
Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
A New Sourcebook for Rigorous Social Science Researchers
 , pp. 1 - 9
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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