Theory-oriented research: contribution to theory development
3.2.3 Replication
We emphasize the importance of replication, which is a much- underestimated contribution to theory development. The scientific literature is replete with reports of outcomes of initial theory-testing research: single studies in which a hypothesis is formulated, tested, and confirmed “one-shot studies”. The study might be a single experi- ment in which it is demonstrated that an experimental stimulus has an effect, or a single case study in which evidence confirms the hypothesis, or a single survey of a population in which the likelihood of the cor- rectness of the hypothesis is proven to be “significant”. Proposition not tested before Proposition tested before Proposition not available Proposition available Proposition not available Exploration of theory for finding propositions Exploration of practice for finding propositions Exploration of practice for confirming relevance of proposition Theory-building research See Flowchart 2B Theory-testing research Initial theory-testing See Flowchart 2A Replication See Flowchart 2A Theory-oriented research Proposition available Flowchart 2 Deciding on the type of theory-oriented research Although one-shot tests of propositions can be valuable contribu- tions to theory development, results should always be treated with cau- tion because of two reasons. First, erroneous conclusions might be drawn regarding the instances studied. Second, one instance or one group of instances is not representative of the domain to which the proposition is assumed to be applicable. With respect to the first problem, even though the study would have been set up according to scientific standards, the study might have been flawed and the reported conclusion regarding the hypothesis rejection or confirmation might be erroneous. The usual checks on the veracity of published empirical work – mainly through peer review Box 3 Scientific realism We define the survey as a study in which a a single population in the real life context is selected and b scores obtained from this population are analysed in a quantitative manner. We define the case study as a study in which a one case single case study or a small number of cases comparative case study in their real life context are selected and b scores obtained from these cases are analysed in a qualitative manner. A conclusion based on one or a small number of observations cannot be generated by statistical means and can be characterized as “qualitative”. This distinction between quantitative or statistical and qualitative methods of analysis does not imply a differ- ence in epistemological grounding of these methods. Epistemologically, both approaches are the same in all relevant respects: “they attempt to develop logically consistent theories, they derive observable implications from these theories, they test these impli- cations against empirical observations or measurements, and they use the results of these tests to make inferences on how to modify the theories tested” George and Bennett 2005: 6. Basic assumptions underlying this epistemology are a that there are phenomena that exist independent of our theory and that they have attributes that exist independent of our scientific observations, b that we can make these attributes observable through scientific instruments even in those cases in which the relevant phenomena are not observable in the everyday sense of the word, and c that, subject to a recognition that scientific methods are fallible and that most scientific knowledge is approximate, we are justified in accepting findings of scientists as true descriptions of phenomena and, therefore, as facts that matter in practice. We adhere to this common sense conception of science, known as scientific realism, in this book. We see no reason to ground this position in philosophical arguments or to defend it against alternative ones, such as constructivism and other positions that argue against the possibility of approximately true knowledge of aspects of a really existing world.Parts
» 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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