Embedded Case Study Methods

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In an embedded case study, the starting and end point is the comprehension of the case as a whole in its real-world context. However, in the course of analysis the case will be faceted either by different perspectives of inquiry or by several sub-units. The book presents different methodological approaches to organize this faceting process. It uses the power of the system approach in order to apply methods, which allow a scientific treatment of complex cases in a way that will be also acknowledged by the quantitative research community. The authors emphasize that a qualitative analysis starting from the real-world level is an indispensable part of case analysis. Thus the book bridges the gap between quantitatve and qualitative approaches to complex problems when using the case study methodology.

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.