Case-Study Method in Small Business and Entrepreneurial Research

TLDR

The case‑study method, long respected in mainstream management, is gaining acceptance in small‑business and entrepreneurial research, yet its distinctive philosophical implications remain underexplored. This article maps the paradigms adopted by small‑business and entrepreneurial case‑study researchers to fill that gap. The resulting framework offers a platform for examining how researchers’ paradigmatic positions influence their work.

Abstract

The case-study method has a long and respected history in the mainstream management literature. The philosophy and implications of the case-study method have received considerable attention and there are a number of standard texts on the approach. The method is also gaining acceptance, along with other qualitative methods, within the small business and entrepreneurial research community. Yet there has been little discussion of the distinctive philosophical consequences of applying the case-study approach in this area. This article will address this gap by mapping the paradigms adopted by small business and entrepreneurial case-study researchers. This will provide a platform upon which to explore the consequences of the paradigmatic position that researchers adopt.