Treadway Tire, Case Study Example

This case study showcases a series of problems for Treadway Tire Company as a result of a poor system that is currently in place. One of the major problems is that under the current system, managers and supervisors are responsible for developing their own talent within the company and setting up their own individual training procedures for each employee, each job or position and finding the necessary time to implement the training for new hires. This caused much inefficiency as supervisors were telling each group of employees something different and there was very little consistency in how training was conducted and what topics were covered during the training. By effectively implementing a uniform training program, this would unify the topics that are covered and present complete and accurate information to all new hires within the company. Furthermore, this would take a great deal of responsibility out of the hands of the supervisors and managers who were experiencing greater pressure every year for issues that were clearly outside of their control.

According to Patton & Appelbaum (2003), the case study can provide an in-depth analysis in a series of issues including the background of information presented on a given topic as well as specific examples and how issues were resolved in a clear circumstance. This is important because case studies can not only include quantitative statistics that are beneficial for interpreting and analyzing data, but case studies can also provide qualitative research elements that can show strong application in the real world outside of just theoretical application. Patton & Appelbaum (2003) continue by stating that “the ultimate goal of the case study is to uncover patterns, determine meanings, construct conclusions and build theory” (p. 67). Therefore, the goals of the case study provide researchers with the basis to conduct a strong analysis and find applications using theory and patterns as supporting elements.

Bibliography

Patton, Eric, & Appelbaum, Steven H. (2003). The case for case studies in management research. Management Research News, 26(5), 60-71.

Class DQ: Why would a case study be an appropriate method of research?

Applebaum and Patton specifically mentioned that case studies are basically a presentation of what happened allowing the researchers to find out “why”. Understanding the elements that make up a particular case study specifically entices the researchers into an interesting journey of exploring what has actually happened in a case, as well as what particular solutions could have been made to solve certain issues. Relatively, the practice of getting involved in a situation to see the actuality of the process makes one researcher more immersed in the process hence making him more capable of deciphering how the problem could be resolved in a more practical and direct manner. Unlike the approach on depending on theories alone, case studies provide an actual application of theories and a definition of whether or not such theories actually work. It is through this that the researcher becomes more relatively connected to the use of the theory in actual operations of business based on realistic situations that put the skills and decision making capabilities of the researchers in actual practice.