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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications

Mark Barratt, +2 more
- 01 May 2011 - 
- Vol. 29, Iss: 4, pp 329-342
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TLDR
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.
Citations
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Renaissance of case research as a scientific method

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.
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Qualitative Case Study Guidelines

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss methodological problems associated with qualitative case-based research and offer guidelines for overcoming them, and some modifications to the dependencies between the six case study stages are suggested.
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Blockchain applications in supply chains, transport and logistics : a systematic review of the literature

TL;DR: A systematic review of the literature finds four main clusters in the co-citation analysis, namely Technology, Trust, Trade, and Traceability/Transparency, and discusses the emerging themes and applications of blockchains for supply chains, logistics and transport.
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Sustainable supply chain management: framework and further research directions

TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue for the use of Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and propose a framework that extrapolates SSCM drivers and their relationships.
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Toward a Theory of Multi-Tier Supply Chain Management

TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical development of multi-tier supply chain management by adopting an inductive case study research design is proposed, which is based on the case studies, propositions are built concerning how MSCs operate, and the results show the impact that the dynamics of the MSC have on power balance, structure, interdependence and relationship stability.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Applying organizational learning: Lessons from the automotive industry

TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an analysis and evaluation of the main perspectives on learning, particularly in relation to organizational change and effectiveness, and identify the issues which appear to be of prime importance when introducing organizational learning, however, they also maintain that organizational learning may be an important factor in building an organization's competitiveness, by itself it cannot and does not guarantee success.
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Routes towards supplier and production network internationalisation

TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate routes towards supplier and production network internationalisation, which support theories that view internationalisation as an incremental process of experiential knowledge accumulation, and suggest that firms undertake three different routes towards suppliers and production networks internationalisation: traditional subcontracting, co-ordinated subcontracting and supply system relocation.
Journal ArticleDOI

Model‐driven, component‐based approach to reconfiguring manufacturing software systems

TL;DR: A model‐driven, component‐based approach to engineering change capable manufacturing systems is described and a system structure is implemented that accommodates rather than inhibits subsequent change, even where that change is of an unforeseen nature.
Journal ArticleDOI

Evolutionary perspectives on the capability accumulation process

TL;DR: This paper attempts to stimulate debate about the incorporation of resource‐based view and dynamic capabilities within operations strategy research and presents a model based on in‐depth field research where the dynamics of the capability accumulation process is explored.
Journal ArticleDOI

Infrastructure and flexible manufacturing technology: Theory development

TL;DR: The operational infrastructure required to benefit from the routine use of flexible manufacturing technology was investigated and eleven propositions and three conceptual models identifying the impact of specific infrastructure elements on the benefits attained from the use of flexibility manufacturing technology were developed.
Frequently Asked Questions (9)
Q1. What contributions have the authors mentioned in the paper "Qualitative case studies in operations management: trends, research outcomes, and future research implications" ?

Boyer et al. this paper provide a review of the current state of qualitative case studies in the OM field. 

The authors then conclude by making suggestions for future research. 

Johnston et al. (1999) proposed three main requirements for using qualitative case studies for such confirmation purposes: (1) the case study must begin with an existing theory for the development of research hypotheses; (2) a systematic and logical research design should be followed; and (3) researchers should implement evaluation criteria to independently assess potential biases and to ensure the methodological rigor. 

The over-arching approach that has been proposed for thedeductive use of qualitative case studies is that of confirmation (or falsification) of the appropriateness of a theory ( Bonoma, 1985; Bryman, 1988; Johnston et al., 1999; Ross and Staw, 1993 ; Yin, 1994). 

Single case studies may be useful for longitudinal research (Narasimhan and Jayaram, 1998 ; Voss et al., 2002) and can be used if they are extreme exemplars or opportunities for unusual research access (Yin, 1994). 

Case studies are used primarily to develop new theories (e.g.,Benbasat et al., 1987; Gersick, 1988; Harris and Sutton, 1986 ; Van de Ven, 1989). 

These criticisms may have simply arisen from the lack of familiarity of qualitative methods (Bitektine, 2008 ; Roth, 2007); nevertheless, many researchers trained in positivist traditions have criticized theory-testing based on qualitative case studies on the grounds of “ambiguity of inferred hypotheses” and the “selective bias” (Bitektine, 2008: 161). 

Because the focus is on these patterns involving a priori determined constructs, there is less opportunity for making Type 1 error (i.e. false positive). 

All that the pattern matching requires is “a theoretical pattern of expected outcomes, an observed pattern of effects, and an attempt to match the two” (Trochim, 1989, p. 360).