writing a case study

writing a case study

Writing a Persuasive Case Study

1. Introduction

In a broad sense, case studies of persuasive incidents are accounts of complex influence processes. Although there are some differences between methods of case study and more traditional experimentation, Huitt and Odom (1995) have claimed that any research method shares the goals of describing what occurred and making causal inferences about why it occurred. From the very early days of social psychology, Festinger and Carlsmith’s (1959) classic study of cognitive dissonance theory has been recognized as a case study, and procedures of participant observation have long been used by social psychologists. However, the instance of a case study has received little attention within social psychology, and general publications on method are targeted at more traditional methods of experimentation and survey research. This leaves aspiring case study researchers with little guidance on how to conduct a case study within social psychology, but much can be learned by studying existing case studies in allied fields such as political science and sociology. Research of non-verbal influence attempts lends itself particularly well to a case study method. Since non-verbal behaviors are fleeting and difficult to capture on survey measures, a laboratory setting will not accurately reflect the behaviors that occur in the field. Thus, case studies of actual incidents offer the best opportunity for testing hypotheses generated from preliminary observations of non-verbal behaviors. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to provide a concise guide to writing a persuasive case study for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Although upon reflection many of the stated principles can be seen as common sense, novice case study researchers in social psychology and related fields will benefit from explicit guidance on a method which to date has received little attention. Moreover, publishing a case study in social psychology is an arduous task, often taking many months or years, and much of the published literature is of marginal quality (Crowe, 2010). Instruction on principle and good practice may decrease the probability of marginal outcomes for deserving researchers. This paper is still written with a novice audience in mind, but experienced researchers will also benefit from a fresh look at method with examples from the author’s recent case study of Australian political leader Pauline Hanson (Pedersen, 2002) to which much is referred.

From the time humans learnt to communicate, they have tried to persuade others. Throughout history, master persuaders have persuaded masses of people to do both good and bad things. The good master persuaders have persuaded us to abolish slavery, to grant universal human rights and equality to women. The bad master persuaders have persuaded millions to support war to the death, to support genocide. But today, persuasion is increasingly viewed as an adversary process, that is, in any situation involving persuasive communication, there are winners and losers, and no one really wants to be a loser. For the good master persuaders, the only way to become consensual persuaders is to get better at mastering methods of persuasion, and force of arms is not a method of consensual persuasion. And there are limits to how much progress can be made with just words alone. So the rule of non-verbal behaviors and influence attempts within social influence research is probably a fortuitous direction for consensual persuaders to explore.

2. Background and Problem Statement

MCS involvement with the government sprouted from the Therapeutic Group Exemption (TGE) initiative it was seeking to carry out. In 2002, TGA announced the TGE legislation, which was to allow organizations to apply for a particular group of products to be classified as being of low risk, so that they would be exempt from having to go through the rigorous process of having individual products registered without compromising public safety. As a result, the Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) formed a consortium with the objective of enabling its members to import cheap and effective medical devices that were only available in overseas markets. The TGA had already granted approval for importing the devices, but the consortium was faced with the dilemma that some products needed to be registered with the TGA. It was too costly and time-consuming to register them individually, and there was the possibility that the registration process could force some devices out of the Australian market.

A thorough understanding of the case is important to understand its background and when envisioning a solution emerging from the case study. It is the case that is the heart of the subsequent research. The case can be an individual person, an event, a problem, an activity, or an institution. It is often illustrated by an anecdotal example. A case study must be selected in order to illustrate a more general issue. It must provide clear evidence that a problem exists that can be explained using adequate laws or theoretical ideas. The case must also provide enough information to understand the nature of the problem and its causal factors (Butt, 2004). This explanation is relevant to the case in consideration, as the research follows.

3. Analysis and Findings

The data collected from interviews and biographical information were structured in order to answer the research questions and provide a detailed examination of the case. This involved a systematic approach to identifying key events in the participant’s life and the effects on others. These included clusters of events that warranted detailed case studies of individual issues. The various methods used for the data collection revealed a number of complex issues and unwarranted experiences for both the carer and the person with dementia. This fits the requirement of the information needed to build an in-depth understanding of the experience of the dementias, and also highlights that more than one case study could have been built from this source. These would be detailed investigations on the experience of the person with dementia and that of the main carer. Building on previous findings, carers expected to encounter a number of problems concerning difficult behaviors, the dementing person’s inability for self-care, and the changes in relationships, that build on a role theory framework to imply that transitions of identity will lead to a role adjustment. This serves as the foundation for predicting transitions and bad ends for both the person with dementia and the main carer. The role theory of ‘off-time’ transitions to dissonance or loss has been assessed in previous research and we can use this as a prediction to further cases of the spC and coincide it with the same experience in other types of dementia. Using these predictions, comparison with the situation and experiences of other cases can be used to assess the validity of these theories, but due to the scope of this study, this would be better addressed as a hypothesis for future research.

4. Recommendations and Solutions

In order to increase retention of high potential employees, it is necessary for organizations to make the correct recommendations and provide solutions. If these recommendations and solutions are correct, they allow the company to keep their valuable employees while developing their abilities. There are several key retention strategies that may increase the likelihood of a high potential employee deciding to stay with your organization. Simulation-based learning is one such strategy. This is an educational tool that is technology-based and allows employees to learn in a simulated environment. Since high potential employees typically have a high learning goal orientation, it is a good opportunity for them to develop themselves. Another opportunity to keep and develop high potential employees is to give them challenging assignments. This is a good way to keep highly talented individuals engaged and motivated to work towards their potential. Giving them the option of working overseas may further expand their skills and knowledge and is another challenge for those skilled employees who would consider taking this opportunity.

5. Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced competitive business markets, it is essential that an organization makes competence and intelligence as its edge. The persuasive case study has proved to be an effective marketing tool which is becoming more popular as a means to demonstrate competencies and expertise to prospective clients. It is more than a testimonial. In fact, that is akin to and most times exceeds the sales presentation. At its best, it is a subtle way to show off how good a company is, and what it is capable of doing. It is therefore somewhat ironic that the organizations which are most able to benefit from this form of marketing are most likely to fall victim to its own success in better understanding the case for writing the persuasive case study, and how to get the most value from it. The key for writing the persuasive case study is to demonstrate detailed evidence which shows the value of a service, product, or company decision. However, the vast majority of purchasing decisions are made on the basis of an emotional state, which is then justified with logical presumptions. This means that still inciting the logical events, the case must successfully connect with the reader on an emotive level. This is often a detriment of the technical writers tasked with the job and an area where help from a professional writer can provide good ROI. In understanding that readers are more likely to become or remain customers if they feel that a company’s decision will benefit them personally, a case study can contribute to sales revenue by aiding the later sales and marketing stages. This error avoidance is an area where companies often do not take into enough consideration when weighing up the potential value of case studies. This is also an explanation as to why case studies are effective in selling services but have a higher perceived value in selling products.