Research Methods and Data Collection Flashcards
What is a Case Study (Definition)?
- Research method
- Research that produces an in-depth detailed account of a case (≠ research on populations)
- Investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, with the researcher having no control over the situation
- The boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident
- Most evidence comes from interviews and documents
What is the Unit of Analysis of a Case study?
- Various Possibilities: Decision process (investment), Event (crisis), particular state or condition (workplace culture)…
- Almost always involves a firm or an organisation.
What is an Ethnography (Definition)?
- Research Method
- Originally associated with Anthropology.
- The researcher has DIRECT and SOCIAL contacts with the agents she study.
- Recognises the ROLE of THEORY as precursor, medium and outcome.
- Gives CENTRALITY to CULTURE: how populations evolve from inherited cultures, and the practices associated to life in public spheres.
- Has a CRITICAL FOCUS: critically assesses taken-for-granted meanings and everyday practices.
What is the Purpose of Case Study?
Use this empirical evidence to make an original contribution to knowledge
- Discover new topics and contribute to a new theory in the exploratory phase of research
- Test and compare theories in the explanatory phase of research
When and Why to use Case Study?
- To answer “How” or “Why” questions
- When the investigation has little control over events
- The focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context
What are the different Approaches to Case Study?
1- POSITIVIST: tests and refines hypotheses or propositions in the real world.
2- INTERPRETIVE: attempts to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them.
3- CRITICAL: questions current practices and taken-for-granted assumptions.
What are the different Types/Categories of Case Study?
A- SINGLE: often entails the study of a unique, rare, critical, or hard-to-access phenomenon.
B- MULTIPLE: involves the replication and comparison of the cases.
1- REPRESENTATIVE / TYPICAL
- Captures the conditions of a commonplace situation.
- Informs about the experiences of average persons or institutions.
2- CRITICAL
- Tests for a significant and often well-formulated theory.
- Used to confirm, challenge or extend the theory.
- Example: MIS Implementation (Seminar).
3- REVELATORY
- Explores a previously non-accessible phenomenon.
C1- LONGITUDINAL
- Explores the causal mechanisms playing a role in the patterns of transition over time.
C2- EXTREME/UNIQUE
- Documents the precise nature of a phenomenon not well understood, rare or unique.
- Example: Mann Gulch disaster:
=> Studied Group Behaviour under adverse conditions.
=> Explored the precise nature of group disintegration mechanisms under extreme conditions.
What are the Advantages of Case Study?
+ FACE VALIDITY: a case study is a real story that most researchers can identify with
+ Allow researchers to TEST THEORY in messy real life situations. It enables the researchers to get ‘close to the action’
What are the Disadvantages of Case Study?
- It can be DIFFICULT TO GAIN ACCESS to a targeted groups of companies, due to this scepticism about the research benefits or their reluctance to disclose information
- Since the researcher has NO CONTROL the researcher is highly DEPENDENT ON THE PERTURBATIONS in the organisation (resignations, takeovers…)
- TIME CONSUMING
- YOUNG RESEARCHER might be SWAMPED when confronted with the large amount of data
- It can be difficult to KNOW WHAT TO FOCUS ON
When and why use Ethnographic Research?
- When an IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING of the subject studied WITHIN its CONTEXT is needed.
- To QUESTION TAKEN-FOR-GRANTED ASSUMPTIONS. This is allowed by the orientation of the ethnographer.
What is the role of the Ethnographer?
- Sliding scale from Involvement to Detachment; however, the ‘complete observer’ role is not appropriate.
- GETTING INVOLVED helps to gain CREDIBILITY and TRUST.
- REFLEXIVE PERSPECTIVE: intervention can distort and disturb; the responses to these distortions reveal the underlying social order.
- Participation might be problematic for illegal activities.
What are the Approaches to Ethnography?
1 - HOLISTIC SCHOOL
- Empathy and Identification are needed.
- The ethnographer is a sponge that soaks up language and culture.
2- SEMIOTIC SCHOOL
- No need for Empathy.
- The ethnographer must search and analyse symbolic forms (words, institutions, behaviours) and the webs of significance that people weave.
3- CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY
- Sees ethnography as an emergent process of dialogue.
- Studies hidden agendas and power centres.
What are the Quality Criteria of Case Study? (How is the quality of a Case Study assessed?)
- Sample size and confidence level are meaningless here
For Positivist Approaches:
- CONSTRUCT VALIDITY: the degree to which influences can be made from the operationalisation of concepts to theoretical constructs
- INTERNAL VALIDITY: excluding alternative explanations
- EXRTERNAL VALIDITY: the domain to which the findings of the study apply
- RELIABILITY: providing detailed accounts of data collection procedures
For Interpretive and Critical Approaches:
- Interesting case
- Contributes to knowledge
- Story and arguments are plausible
- Provides sufficient evidence
- Provides a clear description of procedures
- Recognises different perspectives
- Questions taken-for-granteed assumptions (for critical research)
What are Documents (Definition)?
- Documents are written recordings of statements or events.
- Documents can be reports, press releases, emails, blogs, pictures, websites…
- Documents can be personal, private or public.
- More and more documents are being stored in digital form. These usually contain a timestamp, giving details about date and location.
What is the purpose of Documents?
- They can serve as historical records.
- They can be seen as actors in some situations (e.g. a contract enforced in a court law).
What are the Advantages of using Documents?
+ Relatively CHEAP and QUICK to access.
+ Make things VISIBLE and TRACEABLE (e.g. a marketing plan reveals the thinking about the market and the company’s place at that time).
+ UNIQUE SOURCE OF INFO in some cases.
What are the Disdvantages of using Documents?
- Can be DIFFICULT TO ACCESS
- Need to be aware of the GENRE and its CONVENTIONS.
- QUALITY CRITERIA are not always easy to assess.
What are the Quality Criteria of Documents? (How is the quality of a Documents assessed?)
- AUTHENTICITY: is the evidence genuine and of unquestionable origin?
- CREDIBILITY: is the evidence free from error and distortion?
- REPRESENTATINESS: is the evidence typical of its kind? If not, is the extent of untypicality known?
- MEANING: is the evidence clear and comprehensive?
Are they any Ethical Considerations concerned with the use of Documents?
Ethical aspects must be considered when using personal/private information.
=> PERMISSION to use the material in one’s own work must be ASKED and GRANTED.
Example of Case Study?
- Markus, 1983 (she).
- Describes the implementation of a new FIS in a corporation.
- Divisional accountants resisted to the system, whereas corporate accountants were happy with the FIS.
- DATA COLLECTION: Interviews, Documentary Evidence, Memos.
- ARGUMENT: 3 main theories of resistance (i.e. people, systems, interaction of both) + interaction theory had superior explanatory and predictive power.
- GENERALISATION: results are not generalisable but offer insight + Interaction theory provides good insights but is probably not the only or best approach to explain and avoid resistance in all cases.
- QUALITY OF RESEARCH: good internal validity, plausibility and evidence thanks to triangulation + All parties had voice + Generalisation is questionable + Contributes to knowledge (especially through the intro of interaction theory).
