Conducting Case Study Research in International Entrepreneurship: A Protocol for Qualitative Case Study

This paper offers a stepwise research protocol and guide that outlines the plan and procedures to conduct qualitative case study research in international entrepreneurship, ensuring a methodical and rigorous approach to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The paper is based on the authors’ practical reflections on past and recent experiences and learning in conducting in-depth multiple case studies on the foreign market entry in international entrepreneurship. Based on the authors past multiple investigations, it is stated that the qualitative case study strategy is a powerful research method for exploring the complexities and processes of international entrepreneurship. Further, multiple case study design is the most appropriate design for undertaking cross-cultural research on the internationalization process of entrepreneurs. It enables the researcher to bring together the entire vital knowledge and experiences of decision-makers involved in the internationalization process. Moreover, the purposive and theoretical selection of the study cases from among different countries and industries allows the researcher to compare the findings of these different cases and develop a general model for successful international market selection. This paper makes significant methodological and theoretical contributions to literature on qualitative case study research in entrepreneurship by presenting a practical comprehensive protocol and step-by-step guide to assist researchers and business practitioners in successfully conducting case study research in international entrepreneurship.