The Case Writing: A Guide for Faculty and Students

310 Pages·2022·8.374 MB·English

by  Gina Vega

“I have no hesitation in recommending this third edition of The Case Writing Workbook. Gina Vega
has responded quickly to contemporary changes and demands, updating the book to consider
the exponential worldwide rise in online delivery and addressing the market appetite for shorter,
concise cases. Whilst the book remains the best comprehensive resource for instructors new to
teaching with cases, it also provides ongoing value to established case teachers who are looking
for immediate solutions and guidance in improving their classroom engagement.”
Rob Edwards, Publisher, International Journal of Instructional Cases, Series
Co-Editor for International Cases in Business and Management
“I find The Case Writing Workbook, 3e, to be a handy reference guide with numerous insider tips,
including for the increasingly popular compact cases. This new version can also be assigned as a
text for students who are field researching and writing a business case in an experiential course.
It walks them through each step in the process.”
Laurie Levesque, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management, Program
Director, Master in Management and Organizational Leadership,
Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, USA
“The Case Writing Workbook is the ‘bible’ of case writing. Anyone wanting to become proficient
in the art of case writing should use this book to start that journey. And for veteran case writers,
it’s always a good idea to go back and review skills. The new third edition of The Case Writing
Workbook promises to sharpen our case writing skills to include more than just the traditional
case writing formats. The third edition introduces us to new innovations in case writing including
short cases and student writing exercises. It also includes some great tips for using cases in the
remote teaching environment. As a case-writing mentor, this is the only book that I use as part
of my instruction. It’s a true gem!”
Miriam F. Weismann, JD, LLM (taxation), Clinical Professor Business Law
and Tax, Academic Director Healthcare MBA, Professor, Humanities,
Health and Society, Wertheim Medical School, Lean Six Sigma
Black Belt, Fellow and President, The CASE Association,
Florida International University, College of Business
The Case Writing Workbook

This case writing workbook offers something unique in the world of case writing manuals.
The third edition of The Case Writing Workbook: A Guide for Faculty and Students provides 11
standalone chapters that focus specifically on challenges related to the case writing process. The
book is meant for day-to-day use as a model of the case writing process, with exercises,
worksheets, and training activities that will guide you through the entire course of writing both a
traditional case and Instructor’s Manual or a concise/short case and its associated Teaching
Note. Brief explanatory notes will lead you step-by-step through all the developmental exercises,
including readying the case for publication and teaching it in the classroom or online.
Designed as an individualized workshop to assist case authors to structure their writing, this
book combines the easy-to-understand, student-focused language with new material covering
the latest developments and challenges in the world of case writing. These include:
 A fresh focus on writing and teaching concise cases, which are particularly suited to the world
of blended learning.
 Emphasis on secondary research methodology, particularly using digital technologies and
social media.
 A new case study running throughout the book, with restructured worksheets and notes to
support it.
 Enhanced online case teaching information and discussion of the development of multi­
media cases, particularly using video.
Complete instructor’s materials to support the text are available online, including PowerPoint
presentations, guidance on embedding cases within the curriculum, a sample syllabus that
incorporates cases within it, and selected student assignments and handouts.
Finishing all the book’s assignments will result in a complete case and Instructor’s Manual
that can be tested in the classroom and submitted to a conference or journal. The Case Writing
Workbook is a must for the shelf of any academic or student conducting qualitative research and
looking to enhance their skill set, and any instructor working with cases in their teaching.
Gina Vega, Ph.D. is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Instructional Cases. She
taught corporate social responsibility and entrepreneurship for 20 years at US universities
and is widely published in academic journals. She has written or edited 11 books, including
The Case Writing Workbook: A Self-Guided Workshop (1e and 2e, also in Spanish). Dr Vega is
a Fulbright Specialist with assignments in Russia (2010), the UK (2012), and Peru (2018). She
has been Editor-in-Chief of The CASE Journal, associate editor of the Journal of Management
Education, and Teaching Case Section Editor of Project Management Journal. She is president
of Organizational Ergonomics, an academic services consulting firm that provides writing
workshops and technical writing assistance (www.orgergo.com). Her full CV is available upon
request.

The Case Writing
Workbook
A Guide for Faculty and Students
Third Edition
Gina Vega
Cover image: Sasiistock/Getty
Third edition published 2022
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Gina Vega
The right of Gina Vega to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2013
Second edition published by Routledge 2017
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vega, Gina, author.

Title: The case writing workbook : a guide for faculty and students/Gina Vega.

Description: Third edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical

references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021046759 (print) | LCCN 2021046760 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032069869 (paperback) | ISBN 9781032069807 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781003204879 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Case method. | Business writing—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC HF5718.3 .V44 2022 (print) | LCC HF5718.3 (ebook) |
DDC 001.4/33—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021046759
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021046760
ISBN: 978-1-032-06980-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-06986-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-20487-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003204879
Typeset in Utopia
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Access the Support Material: www.routledge.com/9781032069869
For Robert: Always there for me.

Contents
l l l l l
List of Illustrations xiii

Foreword xvii

Acknowledgements xix

Introduction: How to Use This Workbook 1

Who Needs This Workbook? 1

How the Workbook Is Constructed 2

Major Changes from the Second Edition 2

A Road Map through the Workbook 3

Chapter Descriptions 3

Chapter 1 Getting Started 5

What Is a Case? 5

Two Main Kinds of Cases: Teaching Cases and Research Cases 6

Frequently Used Case Models 7

Reality v. Fiction 7

How to Use Cases 9

Why Write Cases? 10

References and Readings 11

Worksheets 11

Chapter 2 The Research Process 21

What Is a Teaching Case? 21

Where to Find Your Case Subject 21

How to Approach Potential Sources 22

Getting Approval to Research and to Publish 22

Your Interviewee as Coresearcher 23

A Refresher on the Basics of Qualitative Research: Observation 24

Real Conversation: The Art of the Interview 25

Getting Out of Your Own Way 34

Handling Data: Data Are Perishable, So Transcribe
and Upload Quickly 35

References and Readings 36

Worksheets 37
x C ontents
Chapter 3 Writing Short Cases 55

Creating Cases? 55

Suggested Formats 57

Distilling a Full-Length Case into a Short Version 59

The Teaching Note 61

On Teaching the Short Case 61

Worksheets 62

Chapter 4 Writing the Case 70

Selecting an Appropriate Writing Style 70

Examples of Three Writing Styles 71

The Past Tense—Always 72

The Four Cs of Case Writing 72

Key Elements of Cases 73

Writing a Traditional Case and IM or Short Case
and TN in a Condensed Timeframe 78

References and Readings 82

Worksheets 83

Chapter 5 B uilding the Instructor’s Manual

or Teaching Note 101

The IM: Where the Rubber Meets the Road 101

Who Will Use My IM/TN? 102

Contents of a Typical Instructor’s Manual 102

References and Readings 110

Worksheets 111

Chapter 6 Working with Coauthors 122

Creativity and Productivity: Working Alone Together 122

Benefits and Challenges of Working with Partners 126

Interviewing in Teams 129

Knowledge Management Protocols: The Beauty of Schedules 131

Developing an Institutional Case Writing Mindset 132

References and Readings 134

Worksheets 134

Chapter 7 Special Formats and Delivery Systems 148

Back to Basics 148

Some Alternative Case Formats: Paper-Based 149

Alternative Case Formats: Technology-Based 152

Getting Started with Technology: Advantages and Drawbacks 154