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Journal ArticleDOI

Case research in operations management

TL;DR: In this paper, the use of case study research in operations management for theory development and testing is reviewed and guidelines and a roadmap for operations management researchers wishing to design, develop and conduct case-based research are provided.
Abstract: This paper reviews the use of case study research in operations management for theory development and testing. It draws on the literature on case research in a number of disciplines and uses examples drawn from operations management research. It provides guidelines and a roadmap for operations management researchers wishing to design, develop and conduct case‐based research.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Reading a book as this basics of qualitative research grounded theory procedures and techniques and other references can enrich your life quality.

13,415 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In many of the qualitative case studies reviewed, sufficient details in research design, data collection, and data analysis were missing and there was a lack of consistency in the way the case method has been applied.

1,149 citations


Cites background or methods from "Case research in operations managem..."

  • ...Subsequently, a number of articles have suggested the use of a priori constructs to help shape the initial design of theory building research (Bourgeois and Eisenhardt, 1988; McCutcheon and Meredith, 1993; Voss et al., 2002)....

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  • ...Although research questions may evolve over time and constructs may be modified (Eisenhardt, 1989; Voss et al., 2002), there must be focus which helps maintain consistency throughout data collection and analysis (Benbasat et al., 1987)....

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  • ...…2007; Harris and Sutton, 1986; Langley, 1999; Yin, 1989, 1994), information systems (Benbasat et al., 1987; Cavaye, 1996; Lee, 1989), marketing (Bonoma, 1985; Hillebrand et al., 2001; Johnston et al., 1999), and operations management (Meredith et al., 1989; Stuart et al., 2002; Voss et al., 2002)....

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  • ...As an alternative to survey-based research, other OM scholars have promoted the use of qualitative case study research (Lewis, 1998; McCutcheon and Meredith, 1993; Meredith et al., 1989; Voss et al., 2002)....

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  • ...Researchers employ an inductive logic, utilizing a variety of methods to collect primarily qualitative data from which to develop relevant and testable theories (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007; Fisher, 2007; Roth, 2007; Voss et al., 2002)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe three distinct methodological accounts of case study: theory generation, theory testing, and theory elaboration, and argue that each approach has its own idiosyncrasies, in particular when it comes to the interplay between theory and empirics.

945 citations


Cites background from "Case research in operations managem..."

  • ...Further, even though the tools are used by the supplier, retooling is actually paid by the buyer (Walker and Weber, 1984, p. 376)....

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  • ...For example, the situationally grounded observation of echnological uncertainty linking to the make rather than the buy ecision (Walker and Weber, 1984) is made more broadly relevant n two ways....

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  • ...For instance, Walker and Weber (1984) is a representative example of theory-testing case research not because it unambiguously belongs to this category but because it effectively illustrates, in particular, how a researcher can transcend the specific empirical context and seek generality using…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze how Industry 4.0 triggers changes in the business models of manufacturing SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), by conducting a qualitative research with a sample of 68 German SMEs from three industries (automotive suppliers, mechanical and plant engineering, as well as electrical engineering and ICT).

688 citations

References
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Book
12 Oct 2017
TL;DR: The Discovery of Grounded Theory as mentioned in this paper is a book about the discovery of grounded theories from data, both substantive and formal, which is a major task confronting sociologists and is understandable to both experts and laymen.
Abstract: Most writing on sociological method has been concerned with how accurate facts can be obtained and how theory can thereby be more rigorously tested. In The Discovery of Grounded Theory, Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss address the equally Important enterprise of how the discovery of theory from data--systematically obtained and analyzed in social research--can be furthered. The discovery of theory from data--grounded theory--is a major task confronting sociology, for such a theory fits empirical situations, and is understandable to sociologists and laymen alike. Most important, it provides relevant predictions, explanations, interpretations, and applications. In Part I of the book, "Generation Theory by Comparative Analysis," the authors present a strategy whereby sociologists can facilitate the discovery of grounded theory, both substantive and formal. This strategy involves the systematic choice and study of several comparison groups. In Part II, The Flexible Use of Data," the generation of theory from qualitative, especially documentary, and quantitative data Is considered. In Part III, "Implications of Grounded Theory," Glaser and Strauss examine the credibility of grounded theory. The Discovery of Grounded Theory is directed toward improving social scientists' capacity for generating theory that will be relevant to their research. While aimed primarily at sociologists, it will be useful to anyone Interested In studying social phenomena--political, educational, economic, industrial-- especially If their studies are based on qualitative data.

53,267 citations


"Case research in operations managem..." refers background in this paper

  • ...It is important to try to reduce data into categories (Miles and Huberman, 1994; Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The existence of good documentation of observations and multiple sources of evidence allows a chain of evidence to be established. Incidents of phenomena in the data are coded into categories. By comparing each incident with previous incidents in the same category, the researcher develops theoretical properties of categories and the dimensions of these properties (Partington, 2000). Many researchers have followed the coding scheme suggested by Strauss and Corbin (1990). They propose three steps....

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  • ...It is important to try to reduce data into categories (Miles and Huberman, 1994; Glaser and Strauss, 1967)....

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  • ...It is important to try to reduce data into categories (Miles and Huberman, 1994; Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The existence of good documentation of observations and multiple sources of evidence allows a chain of evidence to be established. Incidents of phenomena in the data are coded into categories. By comparing each incident with previous incidents in the same category, the researcher develops theoretical properties of categories and the dimensions of these properties (Partington, 2000). Many researchers have followed the coding scheme suggested by Strauss and Corbin (1990). They propose three steps. The first step is open coding ± data are fragmented or taken apart. Concepts are the basic building blocks of theory and open coding is an analytic process by which concepts are identified and are developed in terms of their properties and dimensions. Individual observations, sentences, ideas, events are given names and then regrouped into sub-categories which in turn can be grouped as categories. The next step is axial coding ± putting together the data in new ways. The objective of this step is to regroup and link categories into each other in a rational manner. The final step is selective coding ± selecting a core category and relating it to other categories. An example of this in operations management research is a study of blackbox engineering by Karlsson et al. (1998). One of the drivers of doing good data documentation and coding is to improve reliability....

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  • ...Yin (1994) has described in detail case research design, and Glaser and Strauss (1967) described the grounded theory method....

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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2009
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the process of inducting theory using case studies from specifying the research questions to reaching closure, which is a process similar to hypothesis-testing research.
Abstract: Building Theories From Case Study Research - This paper describes the process of inducting theory using case studies from specifying the research questions to reaching closure. Some features of the process, such as problem definition and construct validation, are similar to hypothesis-testing research. Others, such as within-case analysis and replication logic, are unique to the inductive, case-oriented process. Overall, the process described here is highly iterative and tightly linked to data. This research approach is especially appropriate in new topic areas. The resultant theory is often novel, testable, and empirically valid. Finally, framebreaking insights, the tests of good theory (e.g., parsimony, logical coherence), and convincing grounding in the evidence are the key criteria for evaluating this type of research.

40,005 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the uses of literature and open coding techniques for enhancing theoretical sensitivity of theoretical studies, and give guidelines for judging a grounded theory study.
Abstract: Introduction Getting Started Theoretical Sensitivity The Uses of Literature Open Coding Techniques for Enhancing Theoretical Sensitivity Axial Coding Selective Coding Process The Conditional Matrix Theoretical Sampling Memos and Diagrams Writing Theses and Monographs, and Giving Talks about Your Research Criteria for Judging a Grounded Theory Study

28,999 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define a leadership event as a perceived segment of action whose meaning is created by the interactions of actors involved in producing it, and present a set of innovative methods for capturing and analyzing these contextually driven processes.
Abstract: �Traditional, hierarchical views of leadership are less and less useful given the complexities of our modern world. Leadership theory must transition to new perspectives that account for the complex adaptive needs of organizations. In this paper, we propose that leadership (as opposed to leaders) can be seen as a complex dynamic process that emerges in the interactive “spaces between” people and ideas. That is, leadership is a dynamic that transcends the capabilities of individuals alone; it is the product of interaction, tension, and exchange rules governing changes in perceptions and understanding. We label this a dynamic of adaptive leadership, and we show how this dynamic provides important insights about the nature of leadership and its outcomes in organizational fields. We define a leadership event as a perceived segment of action whose meaning is created by the interactions of actors involved in producing it, and we present a set of innovative methods for capturing and analyzing these contextually driven processes. We provide theoretical and practical implications of these ideas for organizational behavior and organization and management theory.

22,673 citations


"Case research in operations managem..." refers background or methods in this paper

  • ...Field notes are a running commentary about what is happening in the research, involving both observation and analysis, preferably separate from one another (Eisenhardt, 1989)....

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  • ...Interviews are usually conducted by a single investigator, but as Eisenhardt (1989) points out, the use of multiple investigators can have advantages....

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  • ...In particular, we will draw on the work of Eisenhardt (1989), who brought together much of the previous work on building theory from case research....

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  • ...Eisenhardt (1989) argues that a priori specification of constructs is valuable because `̀ It permits researchers to measure constructs more accurately....

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  • ...However, in case research we often build a sample of cases by selecting cases according to different criteria (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1994)....

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