An Agenda for Case-Based Research

What is it about?

This research is based on the premise that case-based and large-sample studies are truly complementary as neither alone provides the necessary weight of evidence to draw conclusions about the truth of research hypotheses in the social sciences. It draws on a recent article in which the authors analyzed case-based research manuscripts published in JITCAR and six leading IS journals between 2000 and 2011 to identify imbalances between large-sample statistical research and case-based research. It identifies four sub-disciplines where case-based research is lacking, and for each suggests topics and research questions that are particularly appropriate for case-based research.

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Why is it important?

There is no shortage of research questions for IS researchers to address with case studies. To provide a proper balance between large-sample statistical research and case-based research, we would like to encourage researchers to explore sub-disciplines of IS that previously have not been proportionally represented. We have identified four such sub-disciplines: business intelligence, business analytics and big data, IT use by individuals, value of IT, and human resources. Within each sub-discipline, we have suggested topics and research questions that are particularly appropriate for case-based research.

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