Embedded Case Study Methods

Roland W. Scholz holds the Chair of Natural and Social Science Interface in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich, Switzerland). He is also adjunct professor (Privatdozent) of Psychology at the University of Zurich and from 2011 to 2013 he is extraordinary professor at the School of Management and Planning, Stellenbosch University (S.A.).Scholz graduated in Mathematics (Dipl.-Math.), Social Psychology (Dr. phil.), and Cognitive Psychology (Dr. phil. habil.). After specializing in game theory and decision sciences he switched to systems analysis, and environmental modeling, evaluation and risk assessment.Scholz was elected as the fifth holder of the King Carl XVI Gustaf′s Professorship 2001/2002 hosted at the Center of Environment and Sustainability of Chalmers University of Technology and Gothenborg University (Sweden). Since 2002, he is speaking at the International Transdisciplinarity Network on Case Study Teaching (ITdNet). His work relates transdisciplinarity as a methodology of organizing sustainable transition processes and interdisciplinary research on inextricably coupled human-environment systems. Since 1994 Scholz has run large-scale transdisciplinary studies on sustainable transitions of urban and regional systems, organizational development, and of policy and decision processes.

"If you were part of a study team trying to figure out what to do in a complicated (i.e., multi-party, multi-issue, technically complex) situation, you would want to rush out and get a copy of Embedded Case Study Methods by Roland Scholz and Olaf Tietje. Using their own Zurich North case study to explain the proper use of case study methods, they demonstrate how eleven different techniques -- including integrated risk assessment, multi-attribute utility theory, scenario analysis, future workshops, and a kind of mediation called Area Development Negotiation -- ought to be used to develop collaborative solutions. Along the way, they destroy conventional distinctions between quantitative and qualitative methods and offer (finally!) an integrated approach that applies equally well to problem framing, option generation, and the management of stakeholder encounters. Most of the relevant literature (from more than a dozen disciplines) is reviewed in detail. What more could a study team member want?"

• 1. IntroductionMethods of Knowledge IntegrationEmbedded Case Studies for Complex, Contextualized ProblemsHistorical LandmarksPART I: CASE STUDY DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS2. Types of Case StudiesDesignMotivationEpistemological StatusPurposeFormatData Collection and Methods of Knowledge Integration3. The Use of Case Studies in Different DisciplinesNeuropsychologyEducational SciencesLawBusinessEnvironmental Sciences4. The Architecture of Knowledge Integration in Embedded Case StudiesThe Architecture of Embedded Case StudiesStrategies of SynthesisThe Brunswikian Lens ModelTypes of Knowledge Integration5. The ETH-UNS Case Study Zurich NorthThe Zurich North CaseCase Prospects and HistoryUnderstanding the CaseFaceting the Case for Embedded Case DesignConstraints of the StudyOrganizing the StudyPART II: METHODS OF KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION6. Overview7. The Methods in Brief8. How to Choose the Right MethodPART III: THE METHODS IN DETAIL9. Formative Scenario AnalysisThe RationaleThe Method in Detail10. System DynamicsThe RationaleThe Method in Detail11. Multi-Attribute Utility TheoryThe RationaleThe Method in Detail12. Integrated Risk ManagementThe RationaleIncorporating Different PerspectivesThe Method in Detail13. Mediation: Area Development NegotiationsThe RationaleThe Method in Detail14. Future WorkshopsThe RationaleThe Method in Detail15. Experiential Case EncounterThe RationaleThe Method in Detail16. Synthesis Moderation and Group TechniquesThe RationaleThe Method in Detail17. Material Flux AnalysisThe RationaleThe Method in Detail18. Life Cycle AssessmentThe RationaleThe Method in Detail19. Bio-Ecological Potential AnalysisThe RationaleThe Method in DetailPART IV: VALIDATION PERSPECTIVES20. The Validation of Embedded Case StudiesThe RationaleValidation of Embedded Case Studies: A Practical ViewReferencesIndexAbout the Authors