Case Study:

The third general type of exploratory research is the case methods. This research method has long been considered soft or non-scientific but with the modern surge in qualitative research the case method has received more attention. Indeed the case methods might be considered one variation of the survey of individuals with ideas. It involves the comprehensive study of one or a few specific situations and lends itself particularly to the study of complex situations in which the interrelation so several individuals are important for example the effective management of distributor relations or what constitutes good marketing management more precisely a case study in marketing may be defined as:

The empirical study of a marketing situation within its actual context when the situation is somewhat obscure and multiple sources of evidence are used.

The case study methods is a very popular form of qualitative analysis and involves a careful and complete observation of asocial unit, be that unit a person a family an institution a cultural group or even the entire community. It is a method of study in depth rather than breadth. The case study places more emphasis on the full analysis of limited number of events or conditions and their interrelations. The case study deals with the processes that take place and their interrelationship. Thus case study is essentially an intensive investigation of the particular unit under consideration. The object of the case of the case study methods is to locate the factors that account for the behaviour patterns of the given unit as an integrated totality.

The term case study refers to a rather intensive examination of some single unit. The unit however is not always restricted to one person. The unit may be a single school, institution organization district group community an individual or even a single event. Sometimes the case study label is used even when two at three representative units or instances are selected and are subjected to an unusually detailed description.
 
According to H. Odum " The case study method is a technique by which individual factor whether it be an institution or just an episode in the life of an individual or a group is analyzed its relationship to any other in the group."

Pauline V. Young describes case study as" a comprehensive study of a social unit be that unit a person a group a social institution a district or a community."