Discovering concepts and their relation
8.2 Principles of theory-building research
Propositions can be built by exploration and by theory-building research. Because exploration is not research, we think that it is important to define what is distinctive in theory-building research. Research is building and testing statements by analysing evidence drawn from observation. Whereas it is perfectly acceptable in exploration to derive propositions from what practitioners and other people say about the phenomenon whether or not this is based on evidence that is accessible to the researcher, propositions derived from theory- building research should be grounded in observations that can be justifiably seen as indicators or measurements of the concepts of the proposition that is built. ??? Figure 8.5 Not yet known concept8.1.4 Discovering concepts
In theory-testing, the concepts of a proposition are operationalized in procedures that specify how they can be validly and reliably measured see Appendix 1: “Measurement”. Although it looks as if the criteria of measurement validity and reliability do not apply in theory-building because the concepts emerge from the data, we consider it essential to good theory-building research in comparison to mere exploration that the emerging proposition is proven to be true in the instances of the object of study that are selected for the study. This implies that each concept that emerges from the research must be defined pre- cisely after its “emergence” and that it must be assessed whether the data, on the basis of which the concept was developed, can be con- sidered valid and reliable indicators of the value of that concept in the instances studied. Measurement validity and reliability are, thus, equally important criteria for the quality of theory-building research as they are in any other type of research. The same kind of reasoning as applied here to the measurement of concepts which are discovered and described in the study itself applies to the type of relations between concepts that is discovered in the study. If a proposition is developed in theory-building research, it should be demonstrated that the proposition is true in the instances from which scores were obtained internal validity. This implies that the result of a theory-building study is not only one or more new propositions but also an initial test of them within the study.8.3 Research strategies in theory-building research
We have described how the type of proposition either deterministic or probabilistic determines which research strategy is preferred in theory-testing Chapter 4. However, the reason why we want to design a theory-building study is precisely because we do not yet have any proposition. How could we make a reasoned choice for one specific research strategy? We think that the most important criteria for this choice are efficiency and convenience. Because the only aim of the study is to generate propositions that need to be tested in further studies anyway, it makes sense to keep the theory-building study as simple and cheap in terms of time and costs as possible, i.e. at the minimum level of investment that is necessary to generate some relevant propos- itions or concepts. This is consistent with our preference for exploration in situations in which propositions need to be formulated. Chapter 8Parts
» BUKU | SAIDNA ZULFIQAR BIN TAHIR (VIKAR)
» Our definition of a case study
» Chapter 2: Case studies in business research
» Chapter 3: Principles of research Chapter 4: Theory-testing research general
» Chapters 10–11: Practice-oriented research Overview of the book
» Reading specific topics Overview of the book
» Suggestions for students How to read this book
» References BUKU | SAIDNA ZULFIQAR BIN TAHIR (VIKAR)
» Types of case study research
» Objectives of case study research
» Guidelines for case study research
» Evaluations of case study research
» Conclusion BUKU | SAIDNA ZULFIQAR BIN TAHIR (VIKAR)
» General research objectives of theory-oriented and practice-oriented research
» Orientation: how to choose between theory-oriented or practice-oriented research
» Theory Principles of theory-oriented research
» Theory-oriented research: contribution to theory development
» Replication Principles of theory-oriented research
» Representativeness, external validity, and generalizability
» Exploration of theory Exploration for theory-oriented research
» Exploration of practice for finding a proposition
» Exploration of practice for confirming the relevance of a proposition
» Contributions to theory development
» Practice Principles of practice-oriented research
» Practice-oriented research: contribution to a practitioner’s knowledge
» Exploration of practice Exploration for practice-oriented research
» Research objectives in theory-testing research
» Propositions that express a sufficient condition
» Propositions that express a necessary condition
» Propositions that express a deterministic relation
» Propositions that express a probabilistic relation
» Business relevance of propositions
» Strategy for testing a proposition that expresses a sufficient condition
» Strategy for testing a proposition that expresses a necessary condition
» Strategy for testing a proposition that expresses a deterministic relation
» Strategy for testing a proposition that expresses a probabilistic relation
» Testing more complex conceptual models
» Outcome and implications BUKU | SAIDNA ZULFIQAR BIN TAHIR (VIKAR)
» Summary BUKU | SAIDNA ZULFIQAR BIN TAHIR (VIKAR)
» Introduction How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Candidate cases How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Case selection How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Hypothesis How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Measurement How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Data presentation Data analysis
» Replication strategy How to test a sufficient or a necessary condition with a case study
» Domain Conceptual model Theory
» Research objective Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Research strategy Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Candidate cases Case selection
» Hypotheses Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Measurement Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Radical innovation projects Data presentation
» Incremental innovation projects Data presentation
» Data analysis Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Replication strategy Case Study 1: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Theory Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Research objective Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Research strategy Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Candidate cases Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Case selection Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Hypothesis Measurement Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Data presentation Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Data analysis Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Replication strategy Methodological reflection on Case Study 1
» Research strategy Case Study 2: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Candidate cases Case Study 2: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Case selection Case Study 2: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Hypothesis Case Study 2: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Measurement Case Study 2: Theory-testing research: testing a necessary condition
» Theory Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Candidate cases Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Case selection Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Hypothesis Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Measurement Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Data presentation Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Data analysis Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Replication strategy Methodological reflection on Case Study 2
» Introduction How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Candidate cases How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Case selection How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Hypothesis How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Data analysis How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Replication strategy How to test a deterministic relation with a case study
» Introduction Case Study 3: Theory-testing research: testing a deterministic relation
» Research objective Case Study 3: Theory-testing research: testing a deterministic relation
» Research strategy Case Study 3: Theory-testing research: testing a deterministic relation
» Hypotheses Case Study 3: Theory-testing research: testing a deterministic relation
» Measurement Case Study 3: Theory-testing research: testing a deterministic relation
» Theory Methodological reflection on Case Study 3
» Research objective Research strategy
» Candidate cases Methodological reflection on Case Study 3
» Case selection Hypotheses Methodological reflection on Case Study 3
» Measurement Data presentation Methodological reflection on Case Study 3
» Introduction How to test a probabilistic relation with a case study
» Introduction Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Research objective Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Research strategy Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Candidate cases Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Case selection Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Hypotheses Measurement Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Data presentation Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Data analysis Case Study 4: Theory-testing research: testing a probabilistic relation
» Theory Methodological reflection on Case Study 4
» Specifying the relation between known concepts
» Discovering a not yet known concept
» Discovering concepts and their relation
» Discovering concepts Principles of theory-building research
» Research strategies in theory-building research
» Outcome and implications Summary
» Introduction How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Candidate cases How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Case selection How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Extracting relevant evidence How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Coding How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Data presentation How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Sufficient condition Data analysis
» Necessary condition Data analysis
» Deterministic relation Data analysis
» Sufficient condition An example of data analysis
» Necessary condition An example of data analysis
» Deterministic relation Probabilistic relation
» Outcome How to design and conduct a theory-building case study
» Introduction Case Study 5: Theory-building research
» Candidate cases Case Study 5: Theory-building research
» Case selection Extracting relevant evidence
» Coding Case Study 5: Theory-building research
» Outcome Case Study 5: Theory-building research
» Justification of a theory-building case study
» Candidate cases Methodological reflection on Case Study 5
» Data analysis Methodological reflection on Case Study 5
» Outcome Methodological reflection on Case Study 5
» Research objective in hypothesis-testing research
» Research strategy in hypothesis-testing research
» Research objective in hypothesis-building research
» Research objective of descriptive practice-oriented research
» Research strategy of practice-oriented descriptive research
» Introduction How to design and conduct a practice-oriented case study
» Case selection How to design and conduct a practice-oriented case study
» Implications of the research results
» Introduction Case Study 6: Hypothesis-testing practice-oriented research
» Hypothesis Case Study 6: Hypothesis-testing practice-oriented research
» Measurement Case Study 6: Hypothesis-testing practice-oriented research
» Data analysis Case Study 6: Hypothesis-testing practice-oriented research
» Results and implications Case Study 6: Hypothesis-testing practice-oriented research
» Practice Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Research objective Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Case selection Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Measurement Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Data presentation Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Data analysis Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Implications for practice Methodological reflection on Case Study 6
» Introduction Case Study 7: Descriptive practice-oriented research
» Absence of guidelines or criteria
» Measurement Case Study 7: Descriptive practice-oriented research
» Data presentation Case Study 7: Descriptive practice-oriented research
» Concept definition Case Study 7: Descriptive practice-oriented research
» Implications Case Study 7: Descriptive practice-oriented research
» Practice Research objective Methodological reflection on Case Study 7
» Case selection Measurement Methodological reflection on Case Study 7
» Data presentation Methodological reflection on Case Study 7
» Data analysis Methodological reflection on Case Study 7
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