important that case research is conducted and published because it is not only
good at investigating how and why questions, but also it is particularly
suitable for developing new theory and ideas and can also be used for theory
testing and refinement. It is also important that case research is conducted well,
so that the results are both rigorous and relevant. Case research is not an
excuse for ``industrial tourism’’ ± visiting lots of organisations without any preconceived
ideas as to what is being researched.
As Drejer et al. (1998) point out, operations management differs from most
other areas of management research, in that it addresses both the physical and
human elements of the organisation, e.g. Hayes and Wheelwright’s (1984)
structural and infrastructural elements of manufacturing strategy. In addition to
the ``hard’’ elements of the area, many researchers focus on the human elements
of the productive system and the arrangements of the physical elements to
support this. Drejer et al. (1998) indicate that there is a particular tradition of this
kind of research in Scandinavia, where case research is widely used in such
research. Case research is widely used in other management disciplines, notably
organisational behaviour and strategy. Yin (1994) has described in detail case
research design, and Glaser and Strauss (1967) described the grounded theory
method. Case research has its roots in the broader field of social sciences, in
particular ethnographic studies and anthropology. In this paper, we will draw on
the experience of these disciplines as well as that of researchers in operations and
technology management. 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. Our intention is to provide a roadmap for designing, developing
and conducting case-based research and also to describe some recent examples of
case-based research in the field of operations and technology management.
Most of the research conducted in the field of operations management is
based on rationalist[1] research methods, primarily statistical survey analysis
and mathematical modelling. However, since ``. . . the explanation of
quantitative findings and the construction of theory based on those findings
will ultimately have to be based on qualitative understanding’’ (Meredith,
1998), case research is very important for our field.
The rest of the paper is structured as follows: first, we discuss when to use case
research. Then, we describe how to develop the research framework, followed by
a discussion on how to select cases (ideal number, retrospective or longitudinal,
sampling and sample controls). Third, we describe how to conduct field research
(who to contact, field data collection, and how to conduct interviews), followed by
a discussion of reliability and validity in case research. Finally, we discuss the
issues of data documentation and coding, analysis and hypothesis development
and testing. The steps described above are summarized as
important that case research is conducted and published because it is not only
good at investigating how and why questions, but also it is particularly
suitable for developing new theory and ideas and can also be used for theory
testing and refinement. It is also important that case research is conducted well,
so that the results are both rigorous and relevant. Case research is not an
excuse for ``industrial tourism’’ ± visiting lots of organisations without any preconceived
ideas as to what is being researched.
As Drejer et al. (1998) point out, operations management differs from most
other areas of management research, in that it addresses both the physical and
human elements of the organisation, e.g. Hayes and Wheelwright’s (1984)
structural and infrastructural elements of manufacturing strategy. In addition to
the ``hard’’ elements of the area, many researchers focus on the human elements
of the productive system and the arrangements of the physical elements to
support this. Drejer et al. (1998) indicate that there is a particular tradition of this
kind of research in Scandinavia, where case research is widely used in such
research. Case research is widely used in other management disciplines, notably
organisational behaviour and strategy. Yin (1994) has described in detail case
research design, and Glaser and Strauss (1967) described the grounded theory
method. Case research has its roots in the broader field of social sciences, in
particular ethnographic studies and anthropology. In this paper, we will draw on
the experience of these disciplines as well as that of researchers in operations and
technology management. 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. Our intention is to provide a roadmap for designing, developing
and conducting case-based research and also to describe some recent examples of
case-based research in the field of operations and technology management.
Most of the research conducted in the field of operations management is
based on rationalist[1] research methods, primarily statistical survey analysis
and mathematical modelling. However, since ``. . . the explanation of
quantitative findings and the construction of theory based on those findings
will ultimately have to be based on qualitative understanding’’ (Meredith,
1998), case research is very important for our field.
The rest of the paper is structured as follows: first, we discuss when to use case
research. Then, we describe how to develop the research framework, followed by
a discussion on how to select cases (ideal number, retrospective or longitudinal,
sampling and sample controls). Third, we describe how to conduct field research
(who to contact, field data collection, and how to conduct interviews), followed by
a discussion of reliability and validity in case research. Finally, we discuss the
issues of data documentation and coding, analysis and hypothesis development
and testing. The steps described above are summarized as
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
![](//thimg.ilovetranslation.com/pic/loading_3.gif?v=b9814dd30c1d7c59_8619)