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Chapter 4 - Do It Again

The Evidentiary Basis of Case Studies Is Plural

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2023

Lakshmi Balachandran Nair ,
Michael Gibbert  and
Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani
Lakshmi Balachandran Nair
Affiliation:
Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, Italy
Michael Gibbert
Affiliation:
Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland
Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani
Affiliation:
Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Management Research, The Netherlands
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Summary

We discuss multiple case studies in this chapter. We start off with a discussion of theoretical sampling and replication logic. We specifically discuss literal and theoretical replication (LR and TR) in connection with multiple case studies. The strengths and limitations of LR and TR are discussed thereafter. In particular, we deliberate upon the potential of TR to enhance the internal and external validity of a case study. Henceforth, we address some common (mis)conceptions regarding replication logic, internal validity, external validity (generalizability), and reliability. We also discuss how multiple case studies might need to sacrifice the depth of observation for breadth. Other potential weaknesses, such as the smaller number of independent variables and the difficulty in controlling context, are also discussed thereafter.

Keywords

Multiple holisticTheoretical samplingReplication logicLiteral replicationTheoretical replicationReliabilityInternal validityExternal validity
Type
Chapter
Information
Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
A New Sourcebook for Rigorous Social Science Researchers
 , pp. 50 - 77
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Do It Again
  • Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, Italy, Michael Gibbert, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland, Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani, Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Management Research, The Netherlands
  • Book: Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009023283.004
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Do It Again
  • Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, Italy, Michael Gibbert, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland, Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani, Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Management Research, The Netherlands
  • Book: Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009023283.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Do It Again
  • Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, Italy, Michael Gibbert, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland, Bareerah Hafeez Hoorani, Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Management Research, The Netherlands
  • Book: Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009023283.004
Available formats
×