What is a case study?

A case study is a real-world story designed to help you think through a complex decision. Unlike a textbook chapter, a case study does not usually give you one clear answer. Instead, it gives you a situation, background information, competing pressures, and a set of choices that someone has to make.

In entrepreneurship, case studies help you step into the role of a decision-maker. You might be asked to think like a founder, an investor, a community partner, a nonprofit leader, or an ecosystem builder. Your job is not just to summarize what happened. Your job is to think critically: to notice what is included, question what may be missing, weigh evidence, consider different perspectives, and explain what you would do next.

The cases in Harvesting Impact focus on entrepreneurs, organizations, and communities working in food, agriculture, and ocean economies. They are designed to help you see entrepreneurship as more than starting a business. Entrepreneurship can also involve building relationships, changing systems, creating community value, responding to environmental challenges, and imagining better ways forward.

Why case studies matter.

The stories we study shape how we understand entrepreneurship. If we only learn from one kind of entrepreneur, one kind of business, or one kind of success story, we miss much of what entrepreneurship can be.

Inclusive case studies help widen the lens. They make room for different founders, different communities, different forms of innovation, and different definitions of success. They also help us ask more honest questions about power, access, risk, funding, sustainability, and who benefits when new industries grow.

Case studies also help you practice the kind of thinking that real decisions require. In the real world, entrepreneurs and organizations rarely have perfect information. They make decisions while balancing uncertainty, financial pressure, relationships, values, timing, and impact. A good case gives you a safe place to practice that kind of judgment before you are the one making the decision.

How to approach a case study.

Start by reading the case as a story. Pay attention to the people involved, the context they are working in, and the decision or tension at the centre of the case. Do not rush to solve it too quickly. Good case analysis begins with understanding the situation before jumping to recommendations.

Then, read the case critically. Ask what assumptions are being made, whose perspectives are centred, whose voices may be missing, and what larger systems are shaping the situation. A strong case discussion does not only ask, “What should they do?” It also asks, “Why is this decision difficult?” “Who has power in this situation?” “What constraints are shaping the options?” and “Who benefits from each possible path?

As you read, ask yourself:

  • Who is the main decision-maker?

  • What decision, challenge, or tension are they facing?

  • What information do they have?

  • What information is missing?

  • What assumptions are shaping the situation?

  • Who is affected by the decision?

  • What trade-offs are involved?

  • What larger industry, policy, community, or funding systems matter here?

  • What does success look like, and who gets to define it?

Best practices for reading and discussing cases

1. Read for the decision, not just the details

It is easy to get caught up in facts, numbers, and background information. Those details matter, but they are there to help you understand the bigger decision. As you read, keep asking: What is the core issue here

2. Look for tension

Strong cases usually involve competing priorities. A founder may need to balance growth with independence. A nonprofit may need to balance inclusion with financial sustainability. A company may need funding but worry about losing control. These tensions are where the learning happens.

3. Think beyond the individual

Entrepreneurship does not happen in a vacuum. Founders and organizations are shaped by markets, policies, funding systems, communities, histories, and relationships. Try to notice both the personal choices and the larger systems influencing those choices.

4. Question what is missing

A case study gives you selected information, not every possible detail. Ask yourself what you still need to know. Are there missing voices? Missing financial details? Missing community perspectives? Missing industry context? Critical thinking means paying attention to both what is present and what is absent.

5. Do your own research

A case study gives you a strong starting point, but it is not the whole story. Before class, spend some time learning about the company, organization, entrepreneur, and industry. Visit official websites, read recent news stories, scan sector reports, and look for updates that may have happened after the case was written. This will help you bring stronger evidence into the discussion and connect the case to real-world conditions.

6. Avoid looking for the “right” answer

Most case studies do not have one perfect solution. The goal is to make a thoughtful, evidence-based argument. You can disagree with your classmates and still both have strong analysis if you explain your reasoning clearly.

7. Use evidence from the case

When you make a point, connect it back to the case. Use specific details, quotes, exhibits, or examples to support your thinking. Strong case discussion is not about opinion alone; it is about interpretation grounded in evidence.

8. Consider who benefits and who carries the risk

Inclusive entrepreneurship asks us to pay attention to more than profit. When evaluating a decision, think about who gains, who may be left out, and who absorbs the risk. This is especially important in sectors connected to communities, ecosystems, food systems, and the ocean.

9. Be ready to change your mind

A good case discussion may shift how you see the situation. Listen to how others interpret the case. They may notice a risk, opportunity, or ethical issue that you missed. The point is not to defend your first answer at all costs, but to build stronger thinking together.

A simple case preparation process

Step 1: Read the case once for the story.

Get a sense of who is involved, what is happening, and why the situation matters.

Step 2: Read it again for analysis.

Highlight the decision points, pressures, constraints, opportunities, and trade-offs. Look for places where the case raises questions about power, access, risk, inclusion, sustainability, or impact.

Step 3: Do some secondary research.

Look beyond the case. Visit the company or organization’s website. Search for recent media coverage, interviews, reports, industry updates, or policy changes connected to the case. Learn enough about the company, sector, and broader context to understand what may have changed, what additional information matters, and how the case fits into the real world.

Step 4: Identify your recommendation.

What would you advise the main decision-maker to do next? Why? Be clear about what evidence you are using from the case and what evidence you are bringing in from your own research.

Step 5: Prepare to explain your reasoning.

A strong recommendation should consider more than one perspective. Be ready to explain the trade-offs, risks, assumptions, and possible consequences of your choice.

Before class, try this five-step approach

What to remember

A case study is not a puzzle with a hidden answer. It is a chance to practice judgment.

The goal is to become more comfortable thinking through uncertainty, complexity, and competing priorities. In the real world, entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders rarely have perfect information. They make decisions with what they know, what they value, and what they hope to build.

That is the work case studies help you practice.