What is case study?

A case study is an in-depth, systematic investigation of a single entity (individual, group, organization, event, or phenomenon) over a period of time. It focuses on understanding the context-specific dynamics by collecting detailed qualitative (or sometimes quantitative) data through methods like interviews, observations, documents, and archival records.

Key features of a case study include:

• Holistic approach: Examines multiple variables and their interactions.
• Real-world context: Studies phenomena in their natural setting.
• Exploratory/descriptive: Often used to generate hypotheses rather than test them.
• Flexible design: Allows for adjustments based on emerging insights.

Commonly used in business research to analyze organizational behavior, marketing strategies, or policy impacts, case studies provide rich, contextual insights but may lack generalizability.