The Case Study Method

The case study method of research seeks answers to a research problem by writing a case study of the problematic situation which is an objective description of an event, occurrence or situation faced by managers at a specific time posing problems and issues that demand not only his attention but also decision and action.

                A case is a written and systematic record of human experience centered on a problem or issue faced by a person or a group of persons or an organization. It is a vehicle by which a dramatic chunk of reality is written and recorded as faithfully as possible in terms of interactions of the people involved. A case study has unique features. It must have life, meaning and value to its readers; has a bit of history, a picture rather than a lecture about people acting, reacting and interacting with each other and depicts motion through the use of expressive tones, gestures, and other indications of live personalities in action.

               

What The Case Writer Should Posses

                The case writer should have some special abilities such as the skill to inspire confidence, skill in scientific processes of identifying, gathering, organizing, interpreting and reporting data in such a manner as the true picture of reality is portrayed. He must also be skilled in communicating the results of his inquiry in such a manner as to make the case clear and readable as well as intriguing and interesting to others. Constant alertness for information that will lead one to select, pursue and discover significant case materials is a must. Objectivity in handling case data is also important.

In preparing each case, the writer must give careful thought to the objectives it is designed to serve, to the contribution it can make to the study of management, to the most effective manner in which it may be presented and to the criteria it should meet.

Guidelines In Writing A Case

The writing of a case is a literary activity, where the facts are organized in such a way as to faithfully portray reality. Concentrate on the focus or thrust by taking into account such factors as the nature and quality of available data, the manifest and latent problems in the case, the alternative courses of action, the decisions to be made, and the kind of teaching objectives it expects to serve.

Five Major Criteria in Case Writing

SIGNIFICANCE
It should have meaning by illustrating a situation that a manager might expect to meet in his particular field.

INFORMATIVENESS
It should help expand the individual’s reservoir of knowledge and vicarious experiences by the kind of problem and description of the evolution of the problem or the methods used to deal with the problems more systematically or the conflicts of divisions or of competing organizations of individuals.

ORIGINALITY
A case should be self-contained and unique.

EMOTIONALITY
A case should be reflective of emotional undercurrents which were present in the original situation. It must show intriguing situations that challenge the emotionality of the readers.

RESPONSIBILITY
To serve its real purpose, the case should contribute to the evolution of one’s growth, maturity and sense of social responsibility

Data Gathering Techniques

The various steps in the preparation of a case study are as follows:

·         Fieldwork

1.        Initiating pre-arranged interview through telephone calls, personal visit to the residence or office of the participant and/or introductory letters.

2.        Establishing rapport and friendship with the person(s) who were in a position to provide authoritative information about the case.

3.        Making use of professional approaches.

a.         The writer should project the image of a professional worker clothed with professional ethics and behaviour by assuring the participants and parties of the confidentiality of their persons and/or identities and that after the cases are written, they will be shown copies of the case for their comment.

4.        Making use of voice recorder with the permission of the subjects.

·         Writing the case

·         Analysis of the case

The Importance of English in Business

English: The Global Language

(The Story of English, by Robert Mccrum et.al. 1992)

·         The richest vocabulary. 500,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary with about another 500,000 technical and scientific terms still uncatalogued (versus  185,000 for German and fewer than 100,000 for French)

·         The most widespread mother tongue. About 350 million users.

·         The most widespread second language. Some 400 million users in more than 50 countries (e.g. India, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore – where it is used for administration, broadcasting and education)

·         The official international language of the Third World. English is an official language in some 34 countries – scattered across four continents and the Pacific basin.

·         The language of communication and telecommunication. Three fourths of the world’s mail, telexes; and cables are in English.

·         The language of Science and Computers. More than half of the world’s technical and scientific periodicals are in English; likewise, the 80% of the information stored in the world’s computers, too.

·         The language of the world. English is the official language of the Olympics and the Miss Universe competition.

·         The language of the airwaves. Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (ABC, BBC, CBC, CBS, NBC) transmit in English to audiences that exceed 100 million.

·         The preferred language of Europe. English is most popular language among young people in European Community; in 1990, 42% of people aged between 15-24 could speak it, versus 34% in 1987.

·         The official language of Europe. 62% of young Germans and 52% of young French people could hold a conversation in English, while most Britons were ignorant of both French and German.

Subject Areas of Spoken Business Communication

AGM and EGM. In most cases the only time shareholders and executives meet is during the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is usually at a set time. However, certain events may require shareholders to come together to solve a certain problem, such as the removal of an executive. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) is usually called on short notice and deals with an urgent matter.

Communication, Components of the Communication Process

COMMUNICATION

Communication (from Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share") is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or a group of person.

One definition of communication is “any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes.”

COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

1.    Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the message to communicate within a context.

2.    Sender / Encoder - Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the required response. For instance - a training manager conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The verbal and non verbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender.

3.    Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear.

4.    Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.

5.    Recipient / Decoder - Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on decoder.

6.    Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.