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Description

Trend Analysis of Ethics Case Studies

Case studies are designed to help you link a ‘real life’ example to the bigger picture’ (a theory or a broad trend).

Trend Analysis

Approaching the case study assignment 

Whether you are presented with an analytical or problem-oriented case study, there are a number of steps involved in the process of writing it up:

1. Read through the case and gain an overview of the whole picture. Establish what has happened (explore events, factors and connections in greater detail) – use a theoretical approach/approaches to explain your findings 

2. Determine the reasons/causes 

3. Develop and assess possible solutions (if required) 

4. Make recommendations (if required)

Steps to writing a case study

• Introduction - Introduces the case, including the background and any previous studies of the issue. 

• Aims - Describes the purpose of the study and the specific questions you are trying to answer. 

• Method - Explains how the study was carried out, e.g. what research methods did you use to collect data: interviews, observations, questionnaires, etc.? What were the circumstances of your data collection? 

• Results - Describes what you found through your investigations, e.g. the main themes that came out in interviews, responses to questionnaires, significant observations. 

• Discussion - Explains the significance of the study and what can be learned from it. Note that a case study is a study of a particular situation so you can’t generalise the results to all other situations. That means your discussion should focus on what can be learned about that particular situation and the individuals involved. 

• Recommendations - Provides proposals for future action to solve the problem or improve the situation, e.g. by applying a particular kind of treatment or intervention.