Research in business sciences: A study of master's dissertation methodologies in management based on case studies

The case study method has been used as a method of academic research in the field of social sciences as well as in management. Different authors argue that the case study is a valid and advantageous research method for certain studies. For some authors this research method is an integrated system and offers the opportunity for a holistic view that combine data collection methods such as archival searches, interviews, questionnaires, and observation. The data collection needed to build a case study and the labor-intensive, can last months or even years, and data overload seems almost inevitable. The case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context. In this research method qualitative data usually predominates, but quantitative data often appears in case studies. Some research studies consider case study a research method to validate and construct theory. Other research highlights that all social science studies must start with a theory based on a review of the literature relating to the subject under investigation and this theory must then be validated through the study of a specific object, phenomenon or social problem. The key point is that before a theory can be validated, it must be constructed. In other words, a theory or theoretical framework first emerges through the inductive approach of studying an empirical case or object, not through a deductive process and finally all theories are initially based on a case or object. The present research focuses on the analysis of the methodological rigor of the defended master's dissertations. In this context were investigated master's theses in the management area of a higher education management institution that use a research method the case study. In order to achieve our goals, four hundred and forty-two master's dissertations defended in management scientific master's degrees in a Portuguese university higher education institution specialized in the area of economic and business sciences were analysed. The results of the qualitative research indicate that 40.0% of the dissertations focus on the case study.