| Course | DDBA 8303 Qualitative and Case Study Methodology for Business Analysis Research |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 1 |
| Paper type | Case boundary memo |
| Length | About 610 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DDBA 8303 Week 1
Memorandum
To: Doctoral study chair
From: DBA candidate
Date: October 5, 2026
Re: Boundaries of the service plan case
The Case
The case is the shift by Keller Comfort Services, a composite heating and cooling contractor of about sixty employees in suburban Indianapolis, from earning most of its residential service revenue through one-off repair calls to selling annual service plans, between January 2023, when the owner announced the plans, and June 2026, when plans reached about 2,400 households. My research question asks what strategies the contractor's leaders used to move residential customers from single repairs to recurring service agreements. Yin (2018) argues that a case must be bounded so a researcher knows what data to collect and what to leave aside; this memo sets those bounds and gives a reason for each one.
What Is Inside the Boundary
Inside the case are the residential service department, its 22 technicians, three dispatchers and service manager; the owner and general manager, as the leaders who designed and led the change; the plans themselves, their pricing, terms and revisions; the department's records of calls, plan sales and renewals for the period; and customers who bought, renewed or canceled plans. The time boundary runs from the announcement in January 2023 to June 2026, with records from 2022 used only as a baseline. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) describe a case as a single unit with a fence around it, which is why the inside must be listed as carefully as the outside.
What Stays Outside, and Why
Each exclusion below carries its reason, since an edge without a reason cannot be checked by a reader.
The installation division, which sells and installs new systems, is outside. It shares a building and some customers with the service department, and installation sales sometimes include a first-year plan. But the question concerns moving repair customers to plans, and the installation division's customers arrive through a different sale. Including it would make the case about the whole company's revenue mix rather than the shift in service.
Rival contractors are outside. Two competitors launched similar plans in the same period, and comparing them would be interesting. But I have no access to their records or staff, and a comparison would turn a single-case study into a multiple-case study with uneven evidence.
The owner's earlier ventures are outside. The owner ran a plumbing business before founding Keller, and in a preliminary conversation described lessons from it. Those lessons may shape how he led the change, and I will record them as he tells them, but the earlier business itself, its records and staff, is not part of the case.
Commercial service customers are outside. Keller holds maintenance contracts with about forty businesses, which predate the residential plans and are negotiated individually. Including them would mix two different kinds of agreement.
What the Boundaries Cost
Excluding the installation division means I may miss customers whose path to a plan began with a new system. Excluding rivals means I cannot say whether Keller's strategies differ from others'. Excluding commercial contracts means I cannot say whether residential plans borrowed from them. Stake (1995) observed that a case is a specific, bounded system, and its value lies in understanding that system well rather than in covering everything near it. I will note each excluded area in the limitations, so readers know where the case stops.
Boundary Changes
If evidence shows that one of these edges matters more than expected, I will record any change to the boundary with its date and reason in a boundary log, rather than letting the case expand without saying so.
References
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. SAGE Publications.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
What the DDBA 8303 Week 1 instructions ask for
The first week asks you to define the boundaries of your case in a memo to your chair. Name the case in one sentence as a bounded instance of something happening, with dates. State your research question. List what is inside the boundary: units, people, records and the time period. Then list what stays outside, giving a reason for every exclusion, because an edge without a reason cannot be checked. For each exclusion, say what the case loses by leaving it out. Explain how you will record any later change to the boundary. Draw on case study sources to justify bounding. Keep it to roughly two pages, written so a reader can see exactly what evidence belongs to the case.
Inside the DDBA 8303 Week 1 example
The memo opens with the case in one sentence and the research question about moving customers to recurring agreements, citing Yin on why cases must be bounded. The inside section lists 22 technicians, three dispatchers, the service manager, the owner and general manager, the plans and their revisions, call and renewal records and customers who bought or canceled, with 2022 records as a baseline only; Merriam and Tisdell's image of a fenced unit explains the care. Four exclusions follow: installation sales that arrive through a different route, two rivals with similar plans but no access, the owner's former plumbing business and about forty commercial contracts. A section names what each exclusion costs, citing Stake, and a boundary log is promised for changes.
DDBA 8303 Week 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Credit rests on reasons. A boundary memo that lists inclusions and exclusions without explaining them gives a reader nothing to check; one that ties each edge to the research question or to access shows judgment. Instructors weigh the statement of what each exclusion costs, since naming losses shows the boundary was drawn deliberately rather than conveniently. The case should be defined by an event or change with dates, not by an organization alone. Including people, records and time within the boundary shows the writer understands what a case contains. A plan for recording later changes earns credit because boundaries often move. Sources should support the logic of bounding rather than define case study in general.
DDBA 8303 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students often define a case as a whole company. Narrow it to the change or decision your question concerns, with a start and end date. List what you will collect inside that boundary. Then list everything nearby that a reader might expect, and for each say why it is outside: the question, access, a different process. Write what you lose by each exclusion. Keep a dated log for later changes. Avoid describing the company in detail here; that belongs in the site profile. If you are unsure where your case should stop, a tutor can talk through the edges with you.
Get a DDBA 8303 Week 1 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 1 memo prompt and its rubric, plus a sentence on the organization and the decision you have in mind. A boundary memo with its full table comes back within 24-48h, and the first one is free. Only the case needs describing, never the company's name, because every edge is argued from role, unit and date.
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DDBA 8303 Week 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DDBA 8303 Week 1 sample paper?
The full case boundary memo, inside list, exclusions and their costs, is printed lower on this page and is free to read.
What case does the DDBA 8303 Week 1 memo bound?
A heating and cooling contractor's shift from one-off repair calls to annual service plans between 2023 and 2026.
What is inside the boundary?
The residential service department, its leaders, the service plans and their records, and customers who bought or canceled plans.
Why is the installation division outside?
Its customers reach plans through a different sale, and including it would turn the case into a study of the whole company.
How will later boundary changes be handled?
Each change will be recorded in a dated boundary log with its reason.