Case Study Report: Difine, Structure and How To Write

Case report study is a document that reflects the execution of the research program, contains the data obtained, their analysis, conclusions and practical recommendations flowing from them. Careful analysis (and not just a description) of the figures and facts obtained is the main task, or rather, the purpose of the report.

Case Study Report Structure

A case study report structure is determined by the purpose of the research, its tasks (purely marketing or more general, theoretical), and its immediate addressee. Logic, the sequence of the description of the data obtained, of course, is related to the sequence of questions in the questionnaire or form, with the sequence of various research procedures but not always exactly repeats it. The author should not miss the data that is momentous both for the researchers themselves and for those who will get acquainted with the results of the research. Building the text, the researcher, proceeds from the logic of the program. He tells how exactly and with what results the tasks set in it are solved. If the program formulated hypotheses, it is necessary to present (based on the received data) their proof or refutation.

A thorough analysis of all available data, identification and detailed description of the most interesting, significant facts and connections is needed. The authors need to pay special attention to the consistency, clarity, literacy of the presentation. An ill-conceived, careless description of the results of the procedure of the investigation itself may misrepresent even a successful work, and the credibility of its authors will disappear. Particularly clearly the shortcomings of the presentation will be visible to those who did not take the direct part in the study. After all, they can not know what you mean or think is not so momentous to specifically talk about it. Business case study report should not be cluttered with numbers; it is better to submit only those data that reveal significant facts and links in the text.

Some tables, lists, other materials can be given in the appendix. It’s also logical to present documentation (questionnaires, interview forms, demand analysis forms), a list of used literature in this part.On the other hand, the actual text part should be supplemented and “backed up” with tables, graphs, diagrams. They will make statements, comparisons, observations more demonstrative, visual and precise and. When listing tables, an author should carefully monitor the correctness of their description.

In many cases, it is useful to include the data about the difficulties encountered by researchers, the impact of these difficulties on the results obtained, and how mistakes and failures will be taken into account in further scientific and practical work.

How to Write a Case Study Report

There is no the universal advice how to write a case study report. However, a standard structure should be followed.

• It is logical to begin with a cover page that includes a topic of a case study, names of investigators and the topic of
• The next part is a summary where a researcher should say in few words about the goal of his work, methods he used and the results received.
• It is followed by an introduction.

  This part allows listeners or readers of the report to enter the course of the case and learn about the main research stages and methods of data collection.

• The body of a sample case study report is its main part. The sequence of the presentation here will depend on the specifics of the research itself. If the research program was compiled correctly and carried out quite accurately, then this part of the report repeats with the minimal logical corrections the text of the program. It describes the problematic situation of research, its goals and objectives, the object and the subject, the tools, the principles of sampling. It is necessary to name the organization (or organizations) under whose auspices the research was conducted, list the members of the research group, and characterize their status and functions.

  In some cases, it is especially momentous to talk in detail about who initiated the study, how it was organized, who helped collect materials on the ground. It should be said when and where the study was conducted; if necessary, this part also explains why this particular place and time was chosen. In this part of the report, data processing methods are usually also characterized. Special attention should be paid to respondents who took part in a study. Depending on the purpose, objectives, and subject of the research, the characteristics of the respondents can be included both in the introductory part of the report and in the next, directly describing and analyzing the data obtained. The first option is usually chosen when the topic of the survey is of an overview nature.

  The second option is related primarily to marketing research. Here the sample and the general population represented by it are not just respondents; this is the audience for which marketing tasks are designed. The author should describe it precisely from this perspective.

• The last part is a conclusion. This last section of the report briefly, clearly and consistently outlines the main results, analyzes their meaning and significance, the possibility of their recording and use for solving specific problems.

  Recommendations should follow from conclusions, be targeted, realistic. They logically complete the work.

• References and appendixes are additional parts of a case study report. The format for case study report, as a rule, corresponds to the format in conformity with a research itself was made.

How to Present a Case Study Report

In order for the report to be presented in the most favorable light, it is necessary to correctly structure the data obtained during the research and highlight the main points.

For clarity, the text should also include graphics and tables, but should not be oversaturated with them. If this is a marketing study of the target audience using sociological methods, the report becomes more interesting if the classified data and statements based on them (and, in the future, conclusions, and recommendations) are supplemented with concrete names, facts, and live statements of the respondents.