Applications of Case Study Research

PART I: Starting PointsChapter 1. A (Very) Brief Refresher on the Case Study Method Chapter 2. Field Notes Chapter 3. The Role of Theory in Doing Case Studies PART II: Descriptive Case StudiesChapter 4. Start-Up for a Newly-Appointed Education Leader Chapter 5. Citizens on Patrol Chapter 6. A Case Study of a Neighborhood Organization PART III: Explanatory Case StudiesChapter 7. A Nutshell Example: The Effect of a Federal Award on a University Computer Science Department Chapter 8. Essential Ingredients of Explanatory Case Studies: Three Drug Prevention Examples Chapter 9. Transforming a Business Firm Through Strategic Planning Chapter 10. Rival Explanations PART IV: Cross-Case SynthesesChapter 11. Proposal Processing by Public and Private Universities Chapter 12. Case Studies of Transformed Firms PART V: Case Study EvaluationsChapter 13: Evaluation of a Community Coalition Chapter 14. Sheriff's Combined Auto Theft Task Force Chapter 15. Technical Assistance for HIV/AIDS Community Planning

Robert K. Yin is President of COSMOS Corporation, an applied research and social science firm. Over the years, COSMOS has successfully completed hundreds of projects for federal agencies, state and local agencies, and private foundations, and most of this book's applications come from these projects.

Outside of COSMOS, Dr. Yin has assisted numerous other research groups, helping to train their field teams or to design research studies. A recent engagement has been with the United Nations Development Programme, and another assignment has been to provide guidance to assist doctoral students at the University of Copenhagen. Currently, Dr. Yin holds the position of distinguished scholar-in-residence at American University's School of International Service (Washington, DC). Earlier, he served as Visiting Scholar at the U.S. Government Accountability Office's research methodology division.

Dr. Yin has authored nearly 100 journal articles and books. His first book on the case study method, Case Study Research: Design and Methods (2014) is in its fifth edition. He has edited two case study anthologies (Yin, 2004; and 2005) and has most recently authored a new text on qualitative research methods (Yin, 2011). Dr. Yin received his B.A. in history from Harvard College (magna cum laude) and his Ph.D. in brain and cognitive sciences from M.I.T.

This text brings the theory of case study research to life by presenting real-life illustrations of research techniques in practice. Professionals and advanced students can learn a lot by modeling their own research strategies on these examples.