Case study research setting

Through case study research, the dynamics presented within a single setting can be explored in depth. Case study research is particularly suitable for new research areas or such research areas where existing theory seems inadequate (Eisenhardt, 1989).

In the context of this research, case study research is a natural consequence of the purpose of the research and the nature of the research phenomenon as a whole.

In general, case study research is used to gain a deep and versatile understanding of the research phenomenon. Importantly, it should be regarded more as a research approach or strategy²³ than a mere research method (Eriksson &Kovalainen, 2008, 115–117; Eisenhardt, 1989). Similarly, in the context of this research, case study research is understood as a research methodology; a strategy or a plan of action to achieve the purpose of the research (compare with Crotty, 1998, 3). It is understood as a holistic approach, where the case is used as a tool to empirically illustrate the research phenomenon. As argued by Stake (2005, 445):

The case is of secondary interest, it plays a supportive role, and it facilitates our understanding of something else. The case still is looked at in depth, its contexts scrutinized and its ordinary activities detailed, but all because it helps us pursue the external interest.

Similarly, Tellis (1997) argues that common to case study research is striving for the production of detailed and holistic knowledge based on rich empirical data.

According to Ghauri and Gronhaug (2005, 171), case studies differ “from the experimental, quantitative, and deductive research tradition in business research that aim to produce statistical generalization” (Eriksson&Kovalainen, 2008, 117). Also within the scope of this research, empirical reasoning is conducted rather through abduction than deduction. From the methodological point of view, case study research is connected to the research tradition of interpretive, ethnographic and field

23 Contrary to the classification by Crotty (1998), here case study is perceived more as a methodological approach than a single research method.

research (Dyer&Wilkins, 1991). It is also considered to be in line with the scientific tradition of hermeneutics (Gummesson, 2003). Thus, in that respect, case study research can be regarded as a suitable research methodology also in the context of this research.

Case study research has been criticized as producing only anecdotal evidence without the possibility for scientific generalizability, but it has nevertheless been widely applied, for example, in psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, economics, public policy and management (Yin, 1994). In addition, what has been argued as a weakness of case study research is nowadays recognized more as an opportunity (Dubois&Gadde, 2002, 554):

Learning from a particular case (conditioned by the environmental context) should be considered a strength rather than weakness. The interaction between a phenomenon and its context is best understood through in-depth case studies.

What is a case study, though? Or more precisely, what is it a case of (Ragin &

Becker, 1992, 6). Defining and determining a case is found a difficult task and there are different ways it is understood and conceptualized in research. Yin (2009, 18) defines a case study as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.” Consequently, case studies are often preferred when research questions such as “how” and “why” are posed and the researcher has little control over the events. These characteristics distinguish case study research from other forms of social science research (Yin, 2009). More specifically, case studies are used especially as means to develop theory through the utilization of in-depth insights on an empirical phenomenon and its context (Dubois &Gadde, 2002). Similarly, Stake (2005, 455–457) emphasizes the role of case study research in refining theory. This aspect of case study research is of special importance in the context of this research. Through case study research, interesting insight about the emerging research phenomenon can be empirically leveraged. The case study under investigation is understood as an object for empirical inquiry.

There are many ways to classify case studies into different types. Harré (1979, 132–135) has divided case studies to intensive and extensive case studies; a

classification that has been widely used. The intensive case study is more about focusing on one or a few cases and finding out as much as possible from those specific cases. Extensive case study, on the contrary, is about comparing different cases against each other in order to uncover differences and similarities in them. Yin (1994; 2009, 16–20), in turn, has identified three types of uses of case study research: descriptive, explanatory, and exploratory. Descriptive case study research is focused on getting a detailed description about events; whereas explanatory case study research is more interested in explaining presumed causal links that are present in the case study context (see also Yin, 2009, 19). Explorative case study, in turn, is about getting an in-depth understanding of a research phenomenon by focusing on the case at hand. Stake (2005, 445) has identified two types of case study: intrinsic case study, where the focus is on the case itself, and instrumental case study that is examined mainly to gain insight about a certain phenomenon.

These different alternatives for case study research are summarized in Table 9.

Table 9. Classifying case study research

Harré(1979) Yin (1994; 2009) Stake (2005)

Extensive case study Descriptive case study Instrumental case study Intensive case study Explanatory case study Intrinsic case study

Exploratory case study

In this research, the focus is on gaining an in-depth understanding of reverse use of customer data. Hence, referring to the classifications by Harré (1979), Yin (1994;

2009), and Stake (2005), this case study research is intensive, exploratory and instrumental. The aim is to present the case study at hand in a way that it can be read with interest toward the case itself, but that it eventually has another agenda (Stake, 2005, 447); the case itself can be regarded as a tool; an empirical illustration through which a certain research phenomenon is approached.