Centre for Case Research focuses on contextual research in the area of business management and social sciences. The centre engages in case based research (CBR) and intends to develop CBR as a distinct methodology of research.

The centre welcomes all researchers,institutions, corporations, and organizations interested in case research for collaborative research with the centre.
The Backdrop:

Research in social sciences has gradually adopted the methodology of natural sciences in the recent decades. In other words, social sciences including management have tried to solve their research problems with workable number of variables. The current approach to research on social / business phenomenon has suited the time and cost constraints of researchers. However, these shortcuts have yielded short-lived explanations to social / business phenomena. To apply the method of physical sciences onto social sciences is rather inappropriate. In physical sciences, the nature of events is rather steady and relatively permanent as compared to business situations that involve the actions of human beings, a highly dynamic entity.

Given the innumerous factors that affect business decisions and the complexities of the interactions among these factors, understanding the context in which a business phenomenon occurs is significant in order to explain any phenomenon in the world of business. A comprehensive analysis of a phenomenon seems to be most suitable for researching and explaining business phenomena. A comprehensive analysis essentially include contextual analysis that is the analysis of the environmental context (social, cultural, economic, political, etc) that greatly influence the business decisions of managers and which lead to business phenomenon in due course of time.

Historical Method, Ethnographic Method and Case Method are a few methods that are rooted in the contextual analysis of a research problem. While the historical analysis is rich in context, interpretation can remain subjective. Ethnographic method is also highly contextual but it has been argued that the researchers need not interpret the ethnic group under study and report the findings as observed. However, the case method does not suffer from these constraints. The case method adopts not only a contextual analysis but also robust analytical tools in its analysis and interpretations and hence is apt for studying business phenomena.

Given the significance of case research in studying business phenomenon, this centre was established in Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) in August 2005. The centre has been initiated by Prof. Amar KJR Nayak with the kind encouragement and support from the management of XIMB, especially that of Prof. (Dr.) W S William, Dean-Academics, Fr. C L George, SJ, Dean-Administration & Finance, and Fr. (Dr.) E Abraham, SJ, Director-XIMB.
Objectives:

The Centre for Case Research will undertake the dual role of conducting various case based research (CBR) and of developing CBR as a distinct methodology of research within the sphere of business and social science research. The research findings of this centre shall be disseminated in the form of working papers, conference papers, journal publication and book publication. Through this effort, the centre shall strive to contribute to the intellectual capital of the researchers involved in the various studies and the overall intellectual capital of XIMB and that of the business and social sciences.