1. Dr Erik Stam University of Cambridge
Case Study Research Manufacturing and Technology Management Research Methodology Workshop 2008
hrs, 26 March 2008
Before:
- Working with industry
After:
- data analysis / survey
Interviewing
Background: economics (quantitative analysis of secondary data: econometrics), human geography (quantitative analysis of...; surveys)
Dr Erik Stam
University of Cambridge
Case Study Research

2. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

3. What is a case?
Case Study Research

4. What is a case? A person: …. A site: an organization – a country
An artefact: technology, product
Units of analysis in case studies:
Events, activities
Case Study Research

5. A case study is an empirical enquiry that:
Investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when
the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and
multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin 2003:13-14).
Case Study Research

6. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

7. Why case study research?
Emphasis on (societal, historical) context
Trying to reach a full explanation of a phenomenon within a unit of analysis
Interpret events, uncovering processes (Mohr 1982)
‘how’ and ‘why’ questions
Problem solving: closeness to practitioners (<-> abstract variables in much quantitative research)
Working with Industry
Case Study Research

8. Why case study research?
Rule of thumb: more variables than cases (<-> survey research: more cases than variables)
Relevant mechanisms, variables are not yet clear
Case Study Research

9. Why case study research?
Three important uses:
Motivation of research (falsify theories)
Inspiration for new ideas (theory building)
Illustration: concrete examples of theoretical constructs, show how the causal relationships work
e.g. “dynamic capabilities”: Cisco (Mayer & Kenney 2004); IDEO (Hargadon & Sutton 1997)
Case Study Research

10. Accusation: ‘Case study research is a “convenience” research strategy’
‘… this study used the case study-method because of the complexity of the phenomenon studied. We did in-depth interviews with key actors in the firm.’
‘Not much is known about X, hence we engage in theory building with case study research’
Accusation: ‘Case study research is a “convenience” research strategy’
Quick results:
Too limited search in the literature for similar studies, relevant theories
Too limited efforts to select a proper case / sample
Case Study Research

11. Three types of case study research
Research question
Observation Theory Problem
(Theory)
Theory Observation Observation
Case Study Research

12. Theory building (Eisenhardt 1989)
unchartered waters, research as a voyage of discovery
“grounded theory”: iterations between observations and emerging theory (Strauss & Corbin 1990)
Case Study Research

13. Theory testing (Yin 2003) Social experiment
internal (causal connections) and
external validity (generalisability: stat-anal)
reliability (inter-subjectivity; protocols)
construct validity (operationalisation of concepts)
Case Study Research

14. Problem solving (Van de Ven 2007)
Practical problem central: engage with stakeholders
Working with Industry & Policy
Case Study Research

15. Case Study Research

16. A Diamond Model for Case Analysis (Van de Ven 2007)
Problem/Question
Problem Formulation
Model Building
Case
Reality
Conceptual
Model
Problem Solving
Model Evaluation
Solution
1. Ground the problem & question in reality.
2. Develop a conceptual model to address the question.
3. Evaluate how well the model applies to the case.
4. Implement a solution that solves the problem/question.
Case Study Research

17. Research in practice Problem solving Theory building: existing / new
Theory testing
Case Study Research

18. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

19. Designing case studies
How many cases?
1 (Dyer & Wilkins 1991): Talking pig (exceptional case)
Multiple (Eisenhardt 1989=4-10)
Phineas Gage – Talking Pig
Case Study Research

20. Designing case studies
Sampling:
Statistical generalization (cases are representative for a wider population: sample -> population)
Analytical generalization (adequacy of theoretical inferences): replication logic of sampling (multiple case studies)
Select contrasting cases (independent/dependent variables): counterfactual
Select similar cases: saturation
Case Study Research

21. Accusation: ‘Case study research is unscientific because of limited generalizability’
Analytical generalization, not statistical generalization
Much statistical generalizations are still no universal generalizations (research done in the US (biotech), does not necessarily apply to Germany … (business services) )
Case Study Research

22. Designing case studies
Timeframe:
Retrospective:
+: select on the dependent variable
+: compress time (history)
Longitudinal:
+: no ‘survival’ bias
+: measure the effect of designed interventions
Case Study Research

23. Designing case studies
Qualitative, quantitative data:
Triangulation in method
N: survey (>40) – semi-structured interviews (10-40)– unstructured interviews (1-10) – participant observation (1)
Case Study Research

24. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

25. Why Butterflies Do(n’t) Leave
Locational behavior of entrepreneurial firms
Erik Stam
University of Cambridge
Case Study Research

26. Development of the spatial organization firm B
Case Study Research

27. Explaining changes in the spatial organization of high-growth start-ups (Stam 2007)
No (complete) theory: theory testing
Initial quantitative survey to explore the field
Theoretical sampling:
only 8 high-growth start-ups (defined as…) that moved their headquarters out of the region of origin
Matched pairs with non-moved hgsu, and with non-growth su
...in the end: 33 cases
Semi-structured interviews, retrospective life course analysis of all (128) locational events …
Case Study Research

28. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

29. Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
highest nr of patents per capita (80.8) in the UK (13.7 / inh)
Highest % of product innovating firms (39.7) in the UK (22%)
Highest vc invested per capita in Europe
Case Study Research

30. The decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster (Stam & Garnsey 2008)
Emphasis on quantitative data (employment, establishments, patents)
Longitudinal:
Theory testing:
industry life cycle theory
ecological carrying capacity theory
Need for additional qualitative data to uncover the causal mechanisms
Case Study Research

31. Outline What is a case? Why case study research?
Designing case studies
Example 1: changes in the spatial organization of high growth start-ups
Example 2: the decline of the Cambridgeshire high-tech cluster
Summary
Case Study Research

32. Summary
All research includes cases, but not everything is case study research
Focus on context: uniqueness + analytical generalization
3 types: theory building, theory testing, problem solving
Design choices: nr of cases, timeframe, type of data
Case Study Research

33. References
Dyer, W.G. and Wilkins, A.L. (1991) Better Stories, Not Better Constructs, to Generate Better Theory: A Rejoinder to Eisenhardt, Academy of Management Review 16(3):
Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989) Building Theories from Case Study Research, Academy of Management Review 14(4):
Eisenhardt, K.M. (1991) Better Stories and Better Constructs: The Case for Rigor and Comparative Logic, Academy of Management Review 16(3):
Mohr, L. (1982) Explaining organizational behaviour. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Stam, E. (2007) Why butterflies don’t leave. Locational behavior of entrepreneurial firms, Economic Geography, 83.1,
Stam, E. and Garnsey, E. (2008) Limits to cluster growth, Work in progress…
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1990) Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage: London.
Van de Ven, A. (2007) Engaged Scholarship. A guide for organizational and social research. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Yin, R. (2003) Case Study Research. Design and Methods. 3rd edition. Sage: London.
Case Study Research