Case studies

Source: https://learninglab.rmit.edu.au/assessments/case-studies/ Parent: https://learninglab.rmit.edu.au/

This section will help you navigate your way through the process of reading, analysing and responding to a case study.

Case studies describe real-life situations and events over a period of time. They may centre on a person, group, project or organisation. A case study assessment task requires you to analyse actual or potential problems and identify solutions. For this, you need to consider:

what is happening
why it's happening
how to solve the problem.

You will need to use theories to develop solutions to practical situations.

There are three broad stages involved in a case study assignment:

identify key issues and problems from the case
research then link the problems to relevant theory
develop solutions that lead to actionable recommendations.

Structure

Case study analyses are generally presented in a report-style format. They are usually written for a professional audience (e.g. a client or manager) as well as your lecturer.

A case study should have:

a logical structure
sections with headings and subheadings.

Check your assignment instructions carefully to see what structure you need to use. If you have any doubts, contact your course teaching staff.

A business case study is usually highly structured, as shown in the following example.\

Title page

Table of contents

Executive summary

Introduction
Context (Background)
Purpose
Discussion
Identification of issues and problems
Solutions
Conclusion & Recommendations

Reference list\

See the Reports page for more information.

Stages in the process

Generally speaking, there are three stages to writing a case study. They are:

Analyse the task

focus on task instructions/questions and marking criteria/rubrics
read the case in detail
identify key issues and problems.

Go to Stage 1: Analyse the task

Research and link to theory

research the topic and surrounding areas
link to theory - link problems to relevant theory, models or practice.

Go to Stage 2: Research and link to theory

Developing solutions

evaluate and prioritise for most effective solutions, consider constraints/obstacles
make recommendations - All recommendations need to be practical and actionable
edit/proofread
submit.

Go to Stage 3: Developing solutions

Further resources

[### Case Study reports for Nursing

For Nursing students, the information on on the Case study report for Nursing page will help get you started. It focuses on the concept of a case study report and how it differs from an essay as well as how to keep your writing patient-centred.](https://learninglab.rmit.edu.au/nursing/case-study-report-nursing/)

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