Case Studies and Theory Development: The Method of Structured, Focused Comparison

2018 ◽  
pp. 191-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander L. George
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Theory Development

Servitized manufacturing firms competing through remote monitoring technology

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonci Grubic ◽  
Joe Peppard
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Monitoring Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Value Propositions

Purpose – Remote monitoring technology (RMT) is widely acknowledged as an important enabler of servitisation however, there is a dearth of understanding about how RMT is used by manufacturing firms to support servitised strategies. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this important yet somewhat ignored topic in servitisation research. It attempts to address the following questions: what has constrained, and what has enabled the exploitation of RMT in the context of servitised strategies? Design/methodology/approach – The research adopts an exploratory multiple-case study design. Four in-depth descriptive case studies of companies operating in aerospace, industrial equipment, marine, and transport sectors were conducted. The collected data were analysed and synthesised, drawing out conclusions. Findings – The study describes how four manufacturers are using RMT and identifies ten factors that have enabled and constrained the realisation of expected outcomes. The enabling factors identified include: skills, experience, and knowledge; support from customers and other complementary data sources, processes, and structures; operations centres; historical data; and presence of in-house knowledge and capabilities. While the constraining factors include: defining benefits of RMT; limitations of RMT; limited understanding about true capabilities of RMT; knowledge management; and lack of alignment between services and manufacturing strategies. Research limitations/implications – While considerable attention and effort have been invested in designing and conducting the research and analysing the data from the case studies, more empirical work is required to validate and enrich findings and conclusions. For this purpose several research questions to guide further theory development in this area are formulated. Originality/value – This paper is an in-depth study examining the role of RMT in supporting servitised strategies. In particular, it explores how this technology is used in practice to support service-oriented value propositions of manufacturers and identifies the factors that are key to successfully executing this strategy. As such it qualifies as one of the first studies of this kind.

Building Theories for Hospitality Discipline: An Attempt to Describe and Elaborate Required Processes and Procedures

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 619-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood A. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Theory Formation

Considering the need, the primary intent of this study is to spur contemplation related to building theories that specifically pertain to the hospitality discipline. A review of process required for theory formation is preceded with a description related to (a) developing grounded theories using empirical studies and (b) using case studies for theory development. As an outcome of the discussion, steps necessary for theory development are listed and described. Finally, as a test, properties that are vital for a strong theory are provided as a checklist.

Alexander L. George, Andrew Bennett: Case studies and theory development in the social sciences

2007 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-198
Author(s):  
Rasmus Beckmann ◽  
Anna Daun ◽  
Christoph Hagen ◽  
Kai Oppermann ◽  
Henrike Viehrig
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
The Social

Autonomy and paradoxes in family ownership: case studies across cultures and sectors

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gry Osnes ◽  
Angelica Uribe ◽  
Liv Hök ◽  
Olive Yanli Hou ◽  
Mona Haug
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse in-depth how family owners develop autonomy through ownership for family members within the family, the family within the business and the business within its context. Design/methodology/approach A cross-cultural in-depth case study with best practice cases from China, Germany, Sweden, England, Tanzania, Israel and the USA. It was based on in-depth interviews of family members and non-family employees. Findings A business-owning family has to balance paradoxical choices such as safety or loss of attachments; a stable notion of self or grasping new opportunity; own drive or dependency on others. These constituted the micro-dynamics of autonomy. The macro-outcome of negotiating autonomy was strategy formations such as succession, cluster ownership, stewardship, new business models. Research limitations/implications The research findings enable a more differentiated analysis in case studies and qualitative research and with this theory development on family owner motivation. Practical implications It will give insight for practitioners, advisors and family owners, on the complexity of maintaining family health, family member commitment and emotional issues when developing ownership strategies. Social implications The paper offers a model over the complexity of autonomy, a main drive for entrepreneurship within our economy. It shows the complexity of gender and life stage choices. Originality/value The paper offers a model over the complexity of autonomy, regarded as the main drive for entrepreneurship and family ownership. It shows how this process is fundamental for understanding how the family develops its ownership.

Social Media Marketing in the Scandinavian Industrial Markets

2015 ◽  
pp. 1136-1152
Author(s):  
Jari Salo ◽  
Tuula Lehtimäki ◽  
Henri Simula ◽  
Matti Mäntymäki
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Business Markets ◽  
Strategic Actions ◽  
Limited Success ◽  
Industrial Markets

Limited attention is paid in the academic literature to how business markets and marketers have harnessed social media. The purpose of this study is to depict how companies in business markets have been using social media and what kinds of future strategic actions they have planned for it. The research is based on a literature review, six case studies and eight interviews with industry experts. The research shows that managers are hesitant to adopt and use social media mainly due to the challenges of creating compelling content and because open interaction within social media is perceived as a threat, although companies have run trial campaigns with limited success. For academics, this study illustrates areas for further research and theory development.

scholarly journals A Triple Helix systems perspective of UK drug discovery and development: A systematic review of REF impact case studies

2020 ◽  
pp. 095042222096934
Author(s):  
Leonard Kelleher ◽  
Anna Zecharia
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Triple Helix ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Drug Discovery And Development

UK drug discovery and development is increasingly being shaped through a complex interaction of research, policy and practice. However, our understanding of this innovation system is partially due to the dearth of systems-level empirical studies and to simplistic conceptual approaches. This study uses a Triple Helix systems approach to illustrate how a novel database of Research Excellence Framework 2014 impact case studies may be used both to advance empirical understanding of UK drug discovery and development and for theory development. The authors refine the Triple Helix system by identifying relationships between its three components (academia, government and industry) and various social actors. The paper also make two contributions to practice, concerning the relative unimportance for impact generation of geographical clusters relative to strategic alliances, network linkages and knowledge spillovers, and the strong bias towards national and Anglo-American academic–practitioner linkages with few or no links to emerging knowledge economies.

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