According to Yin (2009: p.18), a ‘case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon, “the case,” in depth and within its real-world context especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context may not be clearly evident’. Case study research is appropriate when the researchers have to a) define research topics broadly not narrowly, b) cover contextual or complex multivariate conditions and not just isolated variables and c) rely on multiple and not singular sources of evidence (Yin, 2003). Yin argues that case studies should go beyond descriptive questions (who, what, where, how many, how much) to answer how and why questions (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 1998). A case study is also a good choice when the researcher has little control over events and when the focus is on contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context (Yin, 2009). Woodside and Wilson (2003) propose a broader definition of case study research. According to them, a case study is an inquiry focusing on
describing, understanding, predicting and/or controlling an individual (i.e. process, animal, person, household, organisation, group, industry, culture or nationality). Case study investigation allows the researcher to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-life events (Yin, 2009).
Using a case study is recommended when the area of research is new and complex and a limited amount of knowledge is available on it (Yin, 2009). Much theory emerging from case study research is novel, testable and empirically valid (Eisenhardt, 1989). Case studies have been often associated with qualitative inquiry, but they are also compatible with quantitative research (Woodside and Wilson, 2003; Stake 2005) or can contain both quantitative and qualitative data (Bryman, 2016). A case study allows for different data collection methods and can be examined analytically or holistically, hermeneutically or using mixed methods. Case study research is, then, a strategy rather than a methodological choice (Stake, 2005). The quality of a case study can be enhanced by employing multiple tools and both qualitative and quantitative methods in the same study (Eisenhardt, 1989;
Woodside and Wilson, 2003; Yin, 2009).
The strategy used in this dissertation is case study, a relevant choice for many reasons.
Firstly, this dissertation deals with answering the research question, ‘How do socially driven businesses and innovations contribute to social sustainability?’, which requires extensive, in-depth descriptions of the contribution of these socially driven businesses and innovations to the complex, multidisciplinary phenomenon of social sustainability.
Secondly, this dissertation attempts to understand relatively new phenomena on which a limited amount of knowledge is available: the social aspects of sustainability, for example, have received less attention as a research area than other aspects of sustainability (Thomsen and King, 2009). Thirdly, this study attempts to explain a link between socially driven businesses and innovations and social sustainability, and this link is far too complex to be able to grasp using experimental or deductive survey strategies alone. Lastly, this study has employed a full range of evidence – documents, semi-structured interviews, field observations, literature review and questionnaires – which is a unique strength of case study research. The research question is answered through multiple case studies that approach it from various perspectives. These carefully selected cases are distinct in approach, context and level of analysis, yet they all answer the main research question and, taken together, form a meaningful whole.
3.2.2 Case selection and research context
This dissertation starts from the premise that socially driven businesses and innovations (categorised as either social or frugal innovation) contribute to social sustainability; all four cases and five sub-studies (Sub-studies I and IV are both outcomes of Case II) attempt to show this link. Each case study has been carefully chosen to highlight one or more distinct dimensions of this link and to work together to provide an overall understanding of it within the research context. These distinct dimensions form the basis of evaluation in each case of socially driven businesses or innovations.
The case studies were selected according to the following criteria. Firstly, the cases were chosen based on their relevance in terms of sustainability, whether environmental, economic or social. Some cases focus on environmental friendliness, others on economic or social sustainability, and some on combinations with varying degrees of these dimensions. However, all displayed a strong sustainability dimension. Secondly, they represent different fields of business. For example, Case I is a construction material-related business; Case II is green-energy technology business; Case III represents an interesting mix of organisations that are either work integration social enterprises or have earned a social enterprise mark; and Case IV represents organisations ranging from health organisations and energy technologies to mobile money transfer services. Thirdly, most of the organisations are so small they fall into the micro category, while a few are considered small. Case IV is an exception: some of the frugal innovation cases come from larger organisations. Lastly, the cases are a combination of individual businesses or innovations and clusters. For instance, Case I and many business case examples from Case IV represent individual businesses, while Case III represents a cluster of Finnish social enterprises and Case II deals with India’s small hydropower (SHP) industry as a whole.
Case I was selected because cellulose insulation technology is considered to be an eco-friendly technology and its business in Finland has been quite successful. Its applicability to Srinagar, India was investigated, as it was seen as a solution to the problem of uncomfortable housing in Srinagar, especially during winters. Various social, economic and environmental sustainability dimensions of the technology’s potential adoption were studied, with social sustainability being the most important. This research was conducted in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s northernmost state. The climate there is considered humid continental, with warm summers and cold winters; the lowest temperature recorded is -14 °C. The researcher selected Srinagar as a research area, as the harsh winters and lack of comfortable housing makes it a suitable research target for cellulose insulation technology.
Case II was selected because SHP is a green-energy technology considered a lucrative business in India. The renewable energy business in India has generated increased social sustainability in the areas where SHP units are constructed. The purpose was to analyse the contribution of SHP to realising social sustainability (Sub-study II) as well as economic and environmental sustainability (Sub-study IV). This research was conducted in four states: New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir. India is an emerging market known for its tremendous SHP potential, and the selected areas are located in mountainous regions with good water reserves and sites suitable for generating power. These regions offer the most potential for SHP in India.
Case III deals with micro and small social enterprises in Finland. The purpose of this research was to analyse their contributions to social sustainability. This research was conducted in Finland, primarily through a survey sent to the social enterprises found in the Finnish register of social enterprises. Social enterprises are challenging targets due to
definitional problems; Finnish society and its records were assessed as being a sufficiently reliable avenue for conducting this research.
Case IV was selected because the concepts of frugal innovation and sustainability are closely linked. The purpose of this study was to find connections between the practical case of frugal innovation and the more nebulous social sustainability and to analyse how frugal innovation promotes social sustainability. India and other BoP markets, like Kenya and China, were the sources of information on frugal innovations.
Table 1 gives an overall description of the chosen cases.
Table 1: Case selection: an overall description of each case.
Type Case I
Context Study of a Finnish cellulose