The Ethnographic Case Study: An Experiential Approach To Teaching Retail Management

Abstract

This paper describes an ethnographic case study to be used in a retail management course. This technique provides an experiential approach to solving company problems and understanding corporate culture. The ethnographic case enables students to link theory with practice, use own knowledge to develop an understanding of people, and learn about an individual’s job and work environment. Specifically, each student explored a topic relevant to the retail industry. This topic was explored through interviews and field observations of one individual at that person’s work site. The final written analysis is an interpretation of what was said and observed with references made to the cultural domain and modes of behavior.