ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors assume that a theory-building research objective has been formulated and that, after it has been assessed that an experiment is not possible, it has been decided that a theory-building case study needs to be designed and conducted. If the theory-building case study begins with a conceptual model with an unknown concept, candidate concepts must be found in the selected cases. The authors discuss case selection, the discovery of yet unknown concepts, measurement, data presentation, and the manner in which relationships can be discovered in the obtained scores. Michael Porter’s theory on The competitive advantage of nations (1990) is based on case study research. Porter and his team wanted to find conditions for a nation’s industries that could explain the success of a nation’s global competitiveness. The theory focused on the strategies of firms rather than the strategies of nations, as “firms, not nations, compete in international markets”.
