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1
Implications of Case Study Research in Information Systems in
Supply Chain Management
Yi Wu
Warwick Business School
University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 24 7657 5816
Email: [email protected]
Supervisor, Name:
Supervisor, Email:
16th
EDAMBA Summer Academy
Soreze, France
July 2007
Abstract
This research is concerned with Information System (IS) integration in the
context of agile capability of supply chain management (SCM). Case studyresearch has been carried out for empirical research. Interviews and survey were
employed for data collection to provide comprehensive data on the role and
impact of IS in relation to supply chain agility, and to reflect a range of
perceptions from ‘thick description’ of interviews and quantitative presentation.
In conclusion, several strengths and weaknesses are discussed for each method,
by highlighting the value of a mixed-methods approach in this study.
Key Words
Case study, interviews, survey, qualitative methods, quantitative methods
1 Introduction
This research is concerned with the role of information systems (IS) in achieving
agile capabilities in supply chain management (SCM), which includes customer
sensitivity enhancement, process integration, network integration and virtual
integration through the process of logistics, procurement and operations in
supply chains. More specifically, it explores the value creation process from IS
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integration in supply chain agility and how IS realizes values in several
operational dimensions in supply chain. A conceptual framework has been
developed in order to gain insights into the impact of IS on agility and to develop
propositions which highlight the role of IS as a platform to various integration
processes in supply chain agility.
Empirical research is carried out through a pilot case study and follow-up
multiple case studies1
along Chinese automotive supply chain. The initial case
study is for modifying the research propositions and testing the overall research
design, followed by case studies to provide an in-depth understanding of the
conditions under which IS creates value along supply chainsSemi-structured
interviews are deployed to IT professionals and senior managers from logistics,
procurement and operation departments to gain an in-depth understanding and
surveys will be handed out to test propositions.
The paper is set out to gain an in-depth understanding of the implications of
case study in this research. The paper is organized as following. Section 2
discusses the reasons to adopt case study. Section 3 is concerned with the pros
and cons of the research techniques applied in this research and section 4
evaluate case study, while section 5 explores the issues needed to be addressed.
2 Reason to adopt case study
I choose the case study design to explore the relations of IS integration andsupply chain agility as many studies fall short on unraveling potential
mechanism in which IS may affect supply chain agility
According to Ritchie (2003), the use of methods is heavily influenced by the
aims of the research and the specific questions that need to be answered. Case
study approach is appropriate because ‘it is a research strategy, focusing on
understanding the dynamics present within single settings’ (Eisenhardt 1989).
The research focuses on the contemporary phenomena, and in the context of IS
research, the focus has been moved from technical to managerial and
organizational questions, and as a consequence, the research will investigate how
context interacts IS applications. In order to understand the phenomenon, the
research focuses on organizational structures, the business processing taking
places etc (Benbasat et al., 1987).
1 In this research, a case study is ‘an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary
phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon
and context are not clearly evident ’ (Yin 1994), usually combining data collection methods such
as archives, interviews, questionnaires and observation (Eisenhardt 1989).
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Case study research is one of the most common approaches applied in IS field
(Alavi et al., 1992), because it has multiple perspectives which are rooted in a
specific context and provides multiple data collection methods (Richie et al.,
2003). Therefore, case study research is not exclusively concerned with
qualitative methods as all evidence will go to the data collection (Gillham, 2000).
In addition, a case study approach is well-suited to IS study because the nature of
the discipline is the study of IS as the technology per se in the context of
organizations (Myers, 1997).
3 Data collection
3.1 Interview
Semi-structured interviews2
with open-ended questions will help collect the field
data concerning with the organizational patterns of IS and their relation to supply
chain agility. The interviews have been carried out with IT professionals, senior
managers from logistics, procurement and operation departments in companies.
Each interview lasted around 40 minutes under the interview guide related with
list of questions.
Semi-structured interview has already focused on a particular subject;
however, it is still free to build up the conversation within this subject area. Such
flexibility makes the interview a good technique for exploration (Chein &
Proshansky, 1959).In particular with the research objective to develop the way to maximize IS
applications in supply chains, interviews can provide an in-depth understanding,
insights on people’s experiences, and help to approach the research questions
from different dimensions (Mason, 2002). Meanwhile, interviews also allow
accessing a wider variety of people to achieve a greater breadth of coverage
(Ryman, 2001).
Another advantage is that with the interview guide, it can help me to carefully
decide how best to use the limited time available in an interview and also to help
to interview a number of different people more systematic and comprehensive by
delimiting the issues to explore in advance (Mishler, 1996).
On the other hand, there are limits of using interviews. First, it has the
common problem of bias in the interview processes that interviewers can only
2 A semi-structured interview is that the researcher has an interview guide, but interviewees
have ‘a great deal of leeway in how to reply’. Questions may not follow the sequence listed in
the guide. Questions that are not on the list can also be asked as they pick up on the answers
from interviewees (Ryman, 2001).
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hear what they want or interviewees give what interviewers want to hear (Yin,
1994).
Second, the meaning of words sometimes can become ambiguous as ‘the
spoken word has always a residue of ambiguity, no matter how carefully we
work the questions or how carefully we report r code the answers’ (Fontana &
Frey, 2000).
Third, there has possibility of reluctance of talking insides in an interview
context along as they may concern on the interviewees with regard to how much
the interviewer can be trusted (Ryman, 2001).
In order to improve data accuracy, interviews will be recorded under
interviewees’ permission so that I can be more attentive to the interviewees (Yin,
1994), and interview reports will be sent back (Myers & Newman, 2007).
3.2 Survey
In this research, I applied survey to evaluate propositions about the critical
factors of IS and the relations to supply chain, using a 5 point Likert-scale,
mainly answering the questions of the casual relationship, for instance, what the
values are and to what degree the values have been achieved. There are relevant
examples in the IS and SCM field supporting the methods (Goldman et al., 1995;
Mondragon et al., 2004).
Quantitative methods in social research are aiming to develop casualpropositions between concepts (Bryman, 1988). Through being able to
quantifying the data, it can help complement or extend the range of evidence (e.g.
from interview) on the topics under study.
The impersonal nature of q survey, e.g. standardized wording and sequence of
questions, ensures some uniformity from one measurement situation to another
(Chein & Proshansky, 1959), because a common pitfall in qualitative data
collection is an ‘bias’ in the selection of informants and in the evaluation of
statements. Survey can help to correct bias in the interpretation of events.
Replies to survey can also provide leads for later interviews and eliminate the
need to ask routine background questions (Sieber, 1973). Furthermore, survey
also contributes to qualitative data analysis. When qualitative method plays an
important role in the theoretical structure, survey data become essential for
buttressing the argument, and can help to verify the field interpretation (Seiber,
1973).
However, on the other hand, the weakness of the survey lies on its incapacity
to reveal covert and hidden activities (Bryman, 1995).
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4 Mixed methods
4.1 IS Research traditions
Many studies have been carried out to examine the effects of one or more
variables of applying IS. For example, they regard IS as an important factor or
view organizations as acting in rational consort to achieve outcomes through IS
application (Kaplan et al., 1988). Therefore, many researches are based on the
quantitative outcomes such as technical, effectiveness and performance
measurement. Such study treats organizational context, technology features, user
applications as static, and objective instead of dynamic and interacting. These
studies focused on the static constructs, but they neglect the aspects of social
interaction that may influence outcomes (Lyytinen, 1987).
Concepts or context may change over time according to how participants view
and experience (Kaplan et al., 1988). For example, studies are concerned with IS
with respect to organizational structures etc, and in these studies, IS is viewed as
‘impact’ rather than a social construct (Danziger, 1985).
However, with the recognition of qualitative research for conducting IS in the
social context, interpreting IS in terms of social action and meanings is
becoming popular, as evidence grows that IS development and use is a social, as
well as technical progress that includes constructs related to social,
organizational and conceptual aspects of the systems (Kling and Scacchi, 1982;
Markus, 1983), for example, the research on the IS with the organizationalchange (Markus &Robey, 1988).
In fact, each research method has its own appropriate uses, based on research
questions and analytical assumptions (Markus & Robey, 1988; Weick, 1984).
Although there is still disagreement concerning the use of approaches, it is
possible to integrate the methods as combining the methods introduces testability
and context into the research (Kaplan and Duchon, 1988).
4.2 Mixed methods in this research
Bulk of literatures has discussed the values of combining methods in social
research as it is becoming increasingly common in recent years (Bryman, 2006).
It helps us to ‘think outside the box’, to theorize beyond the micro-macro divide,
and to enhance and extend the logic of qualitative explanations (Mason, 2006).
Each of these two approaches provides a distinctive kind of evidence and when
used together they can offer a powerful resource to inform and illuminate
practice (Ritchie, 2003).
I choose to integrate these methods in order to provide a full picture of the
research. In fact, both methods are brought together to study the same
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phenomenon but divided according to research objectives on what is explored,
and according to which information needs collected, as this has been discussed
by Ritchie (2003). Specifically in this research, the investigation will be needed
(requiring for qualitative methods) for integration processes, accompanied by
some measurement of outcomes (requiring quantitative methods).
Quantitative data can indicate relationships which may not be noticeable to the
researchers. It also keeps the researchers from ‘vivid, but false impressions in
qualitative data’. On the other hand, qualitative data lies in the knowledge it
provides the dynamics of social processes, change and social context so that it
can answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions in these domain, and also the results can
be strengthened by quantitative support (Eisenhardt, 1989; Mason, 2006).
Therefore, these techniques can provide comprehensive data on the role and the
impact of IS in relation to supply chain agility, and reflect a range of perceptions
from ‘think description’ of interviews and quantitative presentation to gain a
fuller picture of the phenomenon under study (Byrman, 1995; Mason, 2002).
Moreover, using multiple methods increases the robustness of results because
findings can be strengthened through triangulation (Jick, 1979). That is the
validation through different sources of data converge (Benbasat et al., 1987;
Bonoma, 1985), or divergence when an explanation is developed to account for
(Trend, 1979). Therefore the results can be based on convergence of different
sources and methods.Mixed methods are followed the approaches of ‘the logic of triangulation
3’
(Ryman, 1995).Denzin (1978) outlines four types of triangulation, including
diverse sources of data, different investigators, perspectives to the same data and
different methods. In this research, I will collect data mainly adopting interviews
from different people in a company to obtain comprehensive information, and
richer descriptions of phenomenon result on the processing of implementing IS
integration among firms, the business objectives of applying IS and their
understanding of using IS across departments. Meanwhile surveys were
distributed to a random sample of employees quantifying the critical success
factors of IS integration and the impacts from IS.
Qualitative data from interviews play the main role in this research. It should
be underscored that the quantitative results were used largely to supplement the
qualitative data as ‘the survey became more meaningful when interpreted in light
of critical qualitative information…Triangulation can lead to a prominent role
for qualitative evidence’ (Jick, 1979).
3 Triangulation is defined as ‘the combination of methodologies in the study of the same
phenomenon’ (Denzin, 1978).
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4.4 Quality of the research
Case study research has been advanced for information system research in order
to understand the nature and complexity of the processes taking place (Benbasat
et al., 1987; Kaplan and Dunchon, 1988). Although many scholars argue that one
can not mix research methods across qualitative and quantitative paradigms due
to the different philosophic premises, purposed and epistemic roots (Leininger,
1991; Lincoln and Guba, 1985), one can mix methods in each paradigm
(Leininger, 1990) to achieve cross-validation, which is combining two or more
sources to study the same phenomenon to gain a complete understanding (Denzin,
1970), and to achieve complementary results by using the strengthens of one
methods to enhance the other (Morgan, 1978).
Validity4 of Qualitative Data Collection
In the qualitative research, ‘the issue of validity is…a question of whether the
researcher sees what he thinks he sees’ (Kirk and Miller, 1986). In current study,
I collected from various interviewees in one organization and also sent out the
survey. During the interview process, the interview guide was used and interview
was recoded under the permission or the note was taken when they did not allow
the tape recording. Following the interview was the interview report sent back to
interviewees. Theses procedures were intended to maximize the validity of
interview as a data collection by ensuring that interview was not misunderstoodor included my bias of interpretation as an interviewer. Silverman (2000)
proposed two common responses to improve the data validity are data
triangulation and respondent validation.
Generalization
Difficulty in generalizing from case studies has been considered a major
shortcoming of the methods, no matter involving single case or multiple cases
(Yin, 1999). Theoretical generalization is the rational for generalizing from
qualitative research (Mitchell, 1983). On the other hand, generalization in
quantitative research is based on choosing representative samples and using
probability. However, in this research, interviews still tends to prevail as a major
source of data collection. It is unusual to find examples of investigations in
which qualitative and quantitative research have a roughly equal role (Bryman,
1995).
Bryman (1995) outlined several ways in which the use of number can help
qualitative research to establish the generalizability, such as combining survey
4 Validity is defined as the truth interpreted as the extent to which an account accurately
represents the social phenomena to which it refers (Hammersley, 1990).
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with case study, or sampling within the case. For example, in Silverman’s
research (1984) of clinics, he used participant observation to obtain an in-depth
understanding of patient behavior, and applied the quantitative comparisons of
various indicators of interaction as evidence in the study.
In this research, I mainly applied qualitative data to explore the IS in the
context of organizations, employing the quantitative information to measure
performances as a means of establishing the generalization.
5 Conclusions
The study aims to use case study research to explore the IS integration in the
context of supply chain agility. In terms of contribution to the literature,
collecting qualitative data provides a rich description of IS integration processes
and its relation to agile capability, and it can be supported by quantitative survey.
Especially in IS field, it needs a variety of approaches to study as ‘no one
method can provide the richness that the information systems, as a discipline,
needs for further advances’ (Kaplan & Duchon, 1988). However, there are
several caveats with the application of mixed methods in the study of IS. For
example, Replication is difficult, especially for the qualitative methods (Seale,
1999). It has been largely absent from most organizational study, but it is usually
considered as an important step in scientific progress (Jick, 1979).