what are the weaknesses of the case study method?

Answer 1

It is not statistically significant because it is just one example. Better to do qualitative interviews, with a significant number of participants.

Answer 2

Since all of the elements needed to solve the problem are usually laid out in a case, it can lead people to believe that when real problems arise, they will always have access to just the right information in order to make a decision.

Because many cases are based upon real business situations, I find that many students, instead of using logic to solve the case, instead tend to look at what actually happened and base their solution on that.

There is also the matter of transferrability. I know that our students tend to object to any case written more than a couple of years ago, assuming that what worked in that situation could not POSSIBLY work now. That was then, and this is now (never mind that exactly the same conditions may exist now). On the flip side of that, there is the danger that a student could fail to recognize the difference between a case and a situation which presents itself in real life, and misapply a solution.

Note that all of the above problems are more likely to plague weaker students than the really strong ones. I actually find that the case method works best with students who are bright enough to understand the potential connections and limitations between what they are studying and the situations they may actually face in business. Those who cannot grasp that a solution used in a bank might also suggest an approach in the airline industry are less likely to derive benefit from the case method.

I also think that very few schools these days use the case method ONLY. That was the case thirty or forty years ago, but now cases are often used in conjunction with other pedagogies, lessening any potential negative effects.

Answer 3

It doesn't account for all other occurences. The case study could be a complete fluke

Answer 4

it needs interjecting with tacit knowledge