How Do I Develop My Assignment Case Study During The Module ✓ Solved

How do I develop my assignment case study? During the module

How do I develop my assignment case study? During the module you will develop a case study for analysis in your end-of-module assignment. Using your case study and the annotated bibliography, critically reflect on the role of public leadership in addressing a public management challenge. Drawing on leadership theories discussed in this module, identify the leadership approach(es) being employed and by whom; discuss the challenges faced and how these were addressed; and reflect critically on the impact of the leadership shown.

Use secondary, well-documented sources (policy reports, academic articles, media) so you can present varied perspectives and link practice to theory. Choose a case—local, national or international—that allows critical thinking: it may exemplify, expand, or challenge leadership theories, provide new insights, propose practical actions, or open directions for research.

When analysing sources ask: who created the document and for whom; when and where was it created; what does it say; how is the message conveyed; and why was it produced. Suggested thematic examples include public leadership during the pandemic, movements such as Black Lives Matter or Extinction Rebellion, or leadership on climate change. Your final assignment should clearly demonstrate the links between practice and theory, identify leadership actors and approaches, evaluate challenges and responses, and reflect on impact.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction

This paper explains how to develop a strong case study for an end-of-module assignment on public leadership in a public management context. It outlines practical steps for selecting a documented case, gathering and critically analysing secondary sources, mapping leadership theories to observed practice, and structuring an analytical write-up that meets the brief: identify leadership approaches and actors, discuss challenges and responses, and reflect critically on impact (Yin, 2018; Stake, 1995).

Selecting a Case

Choose a case with rich secondary documentation so you can triangulate perspectives across academic literature, official reports, and reputable media (Yin, 2018). Select a case that enables theoretical engagement: it should either exemplify, extend, or challenge established leadership theories (Bryman, 2004). Consider scope (local, national, international), topicality (pandemic response, social movements, climate policy), and your own interest—engagement improves depth of analysis (Heifetz et al., 2009).

Gathering and Evaluating Sources

Use a mix of: peer-reviewed articles, government and NGO reports, press coverage from reputable outlets, and organizational statements. For each source apply WHO, WHEN/WHERE, WHAT, HOW, and WHY questions to evaluate perspective and bias: who produced the document and for which audience; when and under what circumstances; what are its key claims; how is the argument presented; and why was it created (Yin, 2018; Stake, 1995). This systematic interrogation exposes gaps, contradictions, and strengths in the evidence base.

Mapping Theory to Practice

Identify the leadership theories relevant to the case—adaptive leadership (Heifetz et al., 2009), transformational vs transactional leadership (Bass, cited in Bryman, 2004), and Kotter’s change model (Kotter, 1996) are commonly useful frames. For each observed leadership action, explain which theoretical construct it aligns with, or if it departs from expectations. For example, a leader who mobilizes collective meaning and reframes public risk demonstrates transformational tendencies (Bryman, 2004), while rapid procedural changes may reflect transactional or crisis leadership dynamics (Kotter, 1996).

Analyzing Leadership Actors and Approaches

Identify the primary actors (political leaders, institutional heads, expert advisers, or movement coordinators) and their approaches (directive, relational, distributed, co-leadership). Use evidence to show who enacted which approach and how they coordinated with others (Garikipati & Kambhampati, 2020). For instance, pandemic responses reveal contrasts: some national leaders foregrounded expert-driven, precautionary action, while others emphasised economic trade-offs—each choice maps to different leadership logic and risks (WHO, 2020; Henley, 2020).

Discussing Challenges and Responses

Structure this section around the problem, constraints, and leadership responses. Identify operational challenges (resource constraints, interagency coordination), political challenges (public trust, partisan conflict), and epistemic challenges (uncertain scientific knowledge). For each challenge, document how leaders responded and assess the effectiveness using evidence from reports and media (BBC, 2018; Spencer, 2020). Critically weigh short-term outcomes against longer-term implications for institutional trust and policy learning (Kotter, 1996).

Reflecting on Impact

Evaluate impact on multiple dimensions: public outcomes (health, safety, service continuity), institutional resilience, public trust, and normative implications (equity, legitimacy). Use contrasting sources to identify contested interpretations and cite empirical indicators where available (e.g., infection trends, policy adoption rates, protest sizes). Reflect on whether leadership reproduced existing power patterns or opened space for distributed and collective leadership (Snow & Benford, 1988; McAdam & Tarrow, 2010).

Structuring the Written Assignment

Organise the assignment as follows: brief introduction of the case and significance; methodological note explaining secondary-source selection and critical appraisal (Yin, 2018); theoretical framework; descriptive account of the case; analysis linking practice to theory (identifying approaches and actors); challenges and responses; reflective evaluation of impact; and conclusions with recommendations for practice and research. Use the annotated bibliography to demonstrate source breadth and critical reading.

Practical Tips

  • Prioritise sources that provide different perspectives—official reports, independent evaluations, reputable journalism, and academic analysis.
  • Be explicit about limitations of secondary data and how you mitigated bias (Stake, 1995).
  • Use theory not only to label actions but to generate analytical questions and alternative explanations (Heifetz et al., 2009).
  • Include clear signposting and subheadings to make arguments searchable and accessible to evaluators and readers.

Conclusion

Developing a rigorous case study requires deliberate case selection, careful source appraisal, and disciplined theory–practice mapping. By applying structured source questions, selecting an analytically fertile case, and linking observed leadership behaviours to established leadership theories, you will produce an assignment that meets the brief: identify approaches and actors, analyse challenges and responses, and reflect critically on impact (Yin, 2018; Bryman, 2004; Heifetz et al., 2009).

References

  • BBC. (2018). Jacinda Ardern interview. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk (BBC, 2018).
  • Bryman, A. (2004). Qualitative research on leadership: A critical but appreciative review. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 729–769.
  • Garikipati, S., & Kambhampati, U. (2020). Leading the fight against the pandemic: Does gender really matter? SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3586640
  • Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership. Harvard Business Press.
  • Henley, J. (2020). Female-led countries handled coronavirus better, study suggested. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com (Henley, 2020).
  • Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.
  • Snow, D. A., & Benford, R. D. (1988). Ideology, frame resonance, and participant mobilization. International Social Movement Research, 1, 197–217.
  • Stake, R. E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Sage Publications.
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Timeline: WHO’s response to COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.who.int (WHO, 2020).
  • Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Related Assignments