scholarly journals Everything Counts in Large Amounts: A Critical Realist Case Study on Data-Based Production

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksi Aaltonen ◽  
Niccoló Tempini
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Network Operator ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Telecommunications Network ◽  
Shape Data

Contemporary digital ecosystems produce vast amounts of data every day. The data are often no more than microscopic log entries generated by the elements of an information infrastructure or system. Although such records may represent a variety of things outside the system, their powers go beyond the capacity to carry semantic content. In this article, we harness critical realism to explain how such data come to matter in specific business operations. We analyse the production of an advertising audience from data tokens extracted from a telecommunications network. The research is based on an intensive case study of a mobile network operator that tries to turn its subscribers into an advertising audience. We identify three mechanisms that shape data-based production and three properties that characterize the underlying pool of data. The findings advance the understanding of many organizational settings that are centred on data processing.

Museums for the Planet : Critical Realist Philosophy and the Possibility of an Eco-decolonial Museology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Carnegie Jeffery
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Museum Practice

This study introduces dialectical critical realism into museology as a philosophical underlabourer for the development of new theoretical potentials for the transformation of museum practice. The idea of the museum is in a moment of fluidity evident in emergent decolonial and ecological perspectives and in the International Council of Museum’s process of redefinition of the museum. The potential to reimagine the museum lacks a coherent philosophical and theoretical foundation. The persistence of museological dualism separates the social from the ecological and absents the emergence of relational modes of thinking and practice. This study conceives an ecological-decolonial or eco-decolonial mode of museology that is disruptive of dualism and generative of relationality, and is thus generative of agency for deeper, more effective and enduring social-ecological justice. The core of this thesis is the development of the eco-decolonial mode of museology through the DCR onto-axiological chain or ‘MELD’ schema. At 1M a depth ontological analysis augmented by interviews with key informants establishes a dialectic of society and ecology in the museological context. 1M surfaces capitalism and the implicit neoliberal ontology of museology as deep causal mechanisms of the 2E persistence of museological human-nature dualism. The paradox of ‘emancipatory neoliberalism’ is a policy-practice contradiction that absents potentials for transformation of the museum and that is held in place by the grounding ontological activity of museology, collection. The 2E perspective on absences enables the emergence of new transformative pathways towards the 3L vision of the eco-decolonial mode of museology as a (4D) new way of thinking and working to resolve neoliberal restrictions. The fundamental 4D change envisioned for museum philosophy, theory and practice is an ontological transformation from traditionalist human-nature dualism to a progressive human-nature dialectic. A case study considers instances where museum workers exercised the agency to expand practice in this way. Future work using the expansive learning methodology of Change Laboratories will develop and implement the potentials generated by the onto-axiological chain for the eco-decolonial mode to bring real change to traditional, dualist museum practice, in order to ensure the relevance and the agency of the museum as a social structure in and for a changing world.

Small Firms, Institutions and Interactions: Low-Technology Innovations from the Perspective of Critical Realism

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nouman ◽  
Mohammad Sohail Yunis ◽  
Owais Mufti
Keyword(s):  
Small Firms ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
North West ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Main Barrier

Sectors or industries characterized by limited or no use of technology to innovate are called lowtechnology (LT) sectors. They are usually dominated by small firms. Identifying a dearth of academicand practitioner work, this paper helps explain how institutions within a small-firm sector and interactions of these firms with institutions influence the occurrence or non-occurrence of LT innovation. Marble sector firms primarily located in north-west Pakistan have been selected for this purpose. Advocating the need for critical realism that has been an often ignored paradigm in management research, this paper offers a unique perspective on the paradigm's fundamental tenets which are events, objects, mechanisms and causal powers through an extensive and robustqualitative analysis using case study methodology. Findings reveal strong normative and cognitive institutions but weak regulative institutions with varying levels of consistencies or otherwise in terms of small firms' interactions with these institutions. Interestingly, cognitive institutions emerge as the main barrier to LT innovation which is a key contribution of this paper along with a hard tofind critical realist perspective. Keywords: Low-technology innovation, LT innovation, institutions, interactions, critical realism

Guidelines for Conducting a Critical Realist Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Deepak Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Philosophical Orientation ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Research Philosophy ◽  
Independent Reality

The case study is a widely used methodology among qualitative researchers irrespective of their philosophical orientation. While positivist and interpretive philosophies are the two most popular research philosophies across diverse research fields, critical realism offers a third alternative. Critical realism is a research philosophy that assumes the existence of an independent reality but also accepts that there may be varied interpretations of it due to a difference in context. Mechanisms are the theoretical building blocks of critical realism and presence, absence, or interaction of certain mechanisms may result in the presence or absence of certain events. However, limited guidelines are available on conducting a critical realist case study. This paper fills this gap by providing some practical guidelines on how a CR-based case study may be planned and executed. Practical guidelines are offered for framing the research question, data collection, writing a narrative, coding, and explanation building while following a critical realist philosophy.

Getting real about BIM

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Fox
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Goals ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Realist Analysis ◽  
Business Outcome

Purpose – For some years, it has been claimed that Building Information Modelling (BIM) will bring about major improvements to the productivity of the building industry. Yet, productivity has declined while claims for BIM have expanded. Often, BIM descriptions comprise the naïve framing and multiple fallacies of hype. The purpose of this paper is to present critical realist descriptions and explain their advantages compared to BIM hype descriptions. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal critical realist case study of BIM causal mechanism and causal context. Findings – Critical realist analysis reveals that hype about BIM underplays many inter-related causal requirements: all of which are needed to bring project business outcome from management action. Practical implications – Many inter-related non-trivial causal factors need to be taken into account to achieve business outcome from BIM implementation action. Further, factors claimed at the outset to be adequate to achieve outcome from action may be less than adequate. Originality/value – The originality of this paper is that critical realism analysis across six years is presented. This longitudinal data reveals that claims for BIM can be more future goals than current certainties. The value of this paper is that detailed analysis of hype descriptions is provided alongside critical realist descriptions.

Guidelines for Conducting a Critical Realist Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 38-56
Author(s):  
Deepak Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Critical Realism ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Philosophical Orientation ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Research Philosophy ◽  
Independent Reality

The case study is a widely used methodology among qualitative researchers irrespective of their philosophical orientation. While positivist and interpretive philosophies are the two most popular research philosophies across diverse research fields, critical realism offers a third alternative. Critical realism is a research philosophy that assumes the existence of an independent reality but also accepts that there may be varied interpretations of it due to a difference in context. Mechanisms are the theoretical building blocks of critical realism, and presence, absence, or interaction of certain mechanisms may result in the presence or absence of certain events. However, limited guidelines are available on conducting a critical realist case study. This chapter fills this gap by providing some practical guidelines on how a CR-based case study may be planned and executed. Practical guidelines are offered for framing the research question, data collection, writing a narrative, coding, and explanation building aligned with a critical realist philosophy.

Logistics management in China: A case study of Haier

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Jason C.H. Chen ◽  
Binshan Lin ◽  
Lingli Li ◽  
Patty S. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Communication Networks ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Collaborative Advantage ◽  
Logistics Systems ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Global Brand ◽  
The Many ◽  
Foreign Competitors

Chinese businesses began with a weak foundation in the intense world trade environment, similar to the many other companies that grew from developing countries. How were these Chinese businesses able to compete with foreign competitors armed with strong capital structures and efficient communication networks? Haier is an excellent example of how Chinese companies have successfully adapted to and prospered in the global economy, using information technology as a strategic weapon to improve its competitive advantage and further to create collaborative advantage. Haier's growth is miraculous: in less than two decades, it grew from a state-owned refrigerator factory into an innovative international giant. The company has become China's first global brand and the fifth largest appliance seller in the world. What are the secrets of Haier's success? Many researchers have conducted extensive studies on Haier's management and found the key is Management Information Systems such as e-Commerce and logistics systems that improve business operations between its suppliers, customers, and business partners. This article recounts the journey of Haier's achievements to excellence through its MIS, and provides analyses of the company's business model, the market chain management model.

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