Writing A Case Study

Writing a case study
What is a case study?
Case studies fall into the theory and practice type of assignments. Generally a case study is given to provide a description of a particular practice e.g.a business problem, scenario or situation, as a basis for a critical analysis/review/evaluation. Importantly, the critical analysis/review/evaluation of the case in point is then undertaken using therelevant theory to According to Summers and Smith (2003, p. 48), the main aim of case study type assignments centres around: • • • assisting students in learning to apply selected theories throughsimulated problem solving and decision-making, allowing students to learn actively (i.e. by doing) rather than passively (i.e. by simply listening to lecturers or reading), and reinforcing theapplicability of theory to practical situations.

Writing a case study
There are a variety of ways in which case studies are used, and hence there are a number of different ways that they can be structured.Refer to your Lecturer/Tutor for your School’s requirements.

Writing a case study in report format
A formal case report generally has the following headings/sections (and numbering ifappropriate): Letter of transmittal (not always required) Title page Executive summary Table of contents 1. Introduction or case background 2. Body of the analysis 3. Alternative solutions 4.Conclusion/Recommendation(s) 5. Implementation plan (if requested) References List Appendices
Source: Summers J & Smith B 2003, Communication skills handbook, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton, Qld.

Writing a casestudy in essay format
When a case study is written as an essay, it has an introduction, body and conclusion. The most important point to remember is to present the analysis of the particular case inrelation to the theory and the best practice that stems from that theory.
Updated 20/12/2010

A paragraph from a case study that demonstrates analysis of a case
Note how: • the numbering of...