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7.5 Types of case study 169

Despite the advantages of multiple-case studies, there may be some times when a
single case design is the more—or only—appropriate option. If you are studying the
use of a custom piece of software in a single workplace, you may be unable to find
additional cases. Single-case designs are the only option in such cases (Yin, 2014).
Cost—both in terms of financial and human resources—can also play a role in the de-
cision to use a single-case design. Case studies can often be labor intensive, requiring
extensive effort for preparation, data collection, and analysis. You may be unable to
find the time needed for additional cases, as much as you might want to include them.
The goals of your study may play a role in determining whether you should use a
single case or multiple cases. Multiple cases are most useful when you are interested
in generalizing your results, but this may not be your goal. Some case studies may
describe a unique case that cannot easily be compared to others, making a multiple-
case study difficult, if not impossible. Other studies—such as Sara's—may be ex-
ploratory in nature, focusing on the generation of ideas and formulation of questions
for future research (see Section 7.4.1). These exploratory case studies might lead to
in-depth inquiries with broader populations, using surveys or other less expensive
data collection approaches.
Although generalization may be appealing, extrapolating from a small set of
cases to a larger population is not something that should be done lightly. Even if
you do choose to use multiple cases, you should always be very cautious about any
claims of generality. Some researchers feel that generalizing from case studies is al-
ways inappropriate—without a broad-based sample that can be shown to adequately
represent a population, how can you conclude that any of your findings apply to all
members of the larger group? Multiple cases can help you identify phenomena that
might apply across larger groups, but you would need to conduct further research to
truly justify claims of generality. By all means, look for these trends, and use mul-
tiple cases to show that they apply in multiple instances, but steer clear of any claims
that imply that they will always apply.

7.5.3 EMBEDDED OR HOLISTIC

Even with only one participant, Sara's case study may be more complex than you
might initially think. Although only one individual is involved, this case study dis-
cusses 12 tasks. Each of these tasks is a unit of analysis—a distinct subject of inves-
tigation. The inclusion of multiple units of analysis within a single case is referred to
as an embedded case study, in contrast to holistic studies that address only one unit
in each case (Yin, 2014).
This distinction arises at least in part from the nature of the questions being
asked: as Sara uses multiple tools in different ways to address daily activities, any
investigation of her use of technology should discuss these differences. A case study
that did not address these differences might miss many interesting insights. Other
examples of embedded designs might include academic departments in a university
or designers on a product team.