LibGuides: Preparing for the Business Research Paper: Case Analysis

HBR Case Studies

Case studies from the Harvard Business Review can be purchased from the Harvard Business Review Store's webpage.

Each monthly issue of the Harvard Business Review also includes one case study. You can locate these through the Business Source Premier database by searching for Harvard Business Review and limiting your search to case study as a document type.

How to Analyze and Write about a Case

Writing a Case Study Analysis
Practical, step-by-step advice on how to write a case study analysis from the University of Arizona Writing Center. Includes a sample analysis you can download.
How to Write a Case Study Analysis: Step-By-Step Instructions
Practical advice from Karen Schweitzer at ThoughtCo, published in 2019.
How to Write a Case Study Response
A brief guide from the Queensland University of Technology.

Locating Case Studies

There are other case studies in both the ABI/Inform Complete and Business Source Premier database. These examples of case studies illustrate a variety of ways to analyze a case and could help you think about your own assignment.

For example. the ABI/Inform database includes full-text of Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies from 2004 to the present and the Journal of Business Case Studies from 2009-2011 and 2011-2019.

The following sources also include some freely accessible case studies:

MIT Sloan School of Management Case Studies
The teaching business case studies available here are narratives that facilitate class discussion about a particular business or management issue. Teaching cases are meant to spur debate among students rather than promote a particular point of view or steer students in a specific direction. Some of the case studies in this collection highlight the decision-making process in a business or management setting. Other cases are descriptive or demonstrative in nature, showcasing something that has happened or is happening in a particular business or management environment. PLEASE NOTE that all case studies available from this site are "watermarked." Only instructors affiliated with academic institutions can obtain non-watermarked copies.
The Case Centre [FACULTY REGISTRATION REQUIRED]
The UK-based Case Centre makes available over 3,400 free case studies from a variety of sources, including the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Rotterdam School of Management, the International Institute for Management Development, Copenhagen Business School, Babson College, and other institutions. PLEASE NOTE that access to free case studies is available only to faculty members and requires creation of a personal account with the Case Centre.

If your case is...

...fictional - Look for articles in the business literature about the key issues you have identified. You should get some leads from your textbook.
...based on a real company - look for articles in the business literature on the company considering the years in which the case is set. Search for articles on the issues addressedin the case regardless of the specific company

Case studies require you to apply your knowledge and experience to a real business problem. Your textbook may recommend some articles for you to read to guide your analysis.