3.1 Writing and analyzing ethics cases in business and research  (Page 3/5)

This quote from donaldson and gini also provides insight into how the case study method was first imported into business teaching.

Michael Davis in Ethics and the University also provides an excellent case taxonomy. Below are the sixteen distinctions he uses to classify cases. It is best to think of this taxonomy, not as a static matrix within which we slot a case, but as a set of specifications and constraints we can use to design or modify cases to fit our needs and purposes.

1. Long (and very long) v. short (and very short)
2. Documents (or pseudo-documents) v. summary
3. Single perspective v. several perspectives
4. Narrative v. dialogue
5. Pure fact v. descriptive commentary
6. Realistic (hypothetical) v. real (actual)
7. Stories v. problems
8. You (agent) v. they (judge)
9. Would v. should
10. Top v. bottom
11. Success (the positive) v. failure (the negative)
12. Single issue (poor) v. multi-issue (rich)
13. Single stage v. multi-stage
14. Ordinary v. technical language
15. Personal v. policy
16. Living v. frozen

Case taxonomy (taken from huff and frey)

• Thick vs. Thin Cases : Thin cases are useful for abstracting a single point and focusing work on that point. Thick cases can give the student practice in making ethical decisions in the full context of the messy real world.
• Historical vs. Hypothetical : Historical cases are based on actual experience in the field. The Therac-25, Ford Pinto, Hughes Aircraft, and Machado cases are all historical. these provide the sort of excitement and immediate relevance that help students to recognize the importance of ethical enquiry. On the other hand, cases that are hypothetical, fictional, or abstract remove much of the impact of the historical case, though they allow the case writer the freedom to structure, abstract and focus the discussion on precisely the issues of concern. Harvard Business cases are generally thick and historical. Useful--in fact excellent--for in-depth study, they present difficulties for those interested in directing shorter activities.
• Good vs. Bad News cases : The tendency in ethics cases is to have only bad news cases in which some bad outcome occurs because of poor choices. These cautionary tales do grab students' imaginations but the asymmetrical emphasis on bad news gives the impression that good--or even decent--action is impossible, rare, and heroic. Bad news cases should be balanced with cases of morally exemplary scientists and engineers as well as with good choices toward good outcomes made by ordinary scientists and engineers.
• Big vs. Small News Cases : Bad news cases are frequently big news cases; bad news is more sensational and often more newsworthy. Bad news cases are also rare events which make them big news. But these cases frequently present students with a spectacle which, while interesting, precludes involvement. On the other hand, small news cases are about the everyday decisions that scientists and engineers make in the way they handle reporting, data collection , process management, personnel and other day-to-day issues. So big news cases are more sensational and exciting; little news cases are more appropriate to the day-to-day ethical situations that students are likely to face.
• From Huff, C. W. and Frey, W. (2005) "Moral pedagogy and practical ethics" Science and Engineering Ethics Vol. 11, 1-20.)