Generalization practices in qualitative research: a mixed methods case study

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine the generalization practices in qualitative research published in a reputable qualitative journal. In order to accomplish this, all qualitative research articles published in Qualitative Report since its inception in 1990 (n =  273) were examined. A quantitative analysis of the all 125 empirical qualitative research articles revealed that a significant proportion (i.e., 29.6%) of studies involved generalizations beyond the underlying sample that were made inappropriately by the author(s). A qualitative analysis identified the types of over-generalizations that occurred, which included making general recommendations for future practice and providing general policy implications based only on a few cases. Thus, a significant proportion of articles published in Qualitative Report lack what we call interpretive consistency.     

Interfirm Modularity and Its Implications for Product Development*

Industries characterized by interfirm modularity, in which the component products of different firms work together to create a system, are becoming increasingly widespread. In such industries, the existence of a common architecture enables consumers to mix and match the products of different firms. Industries ranging from stereos, cameras, and bicycles to computers, printing, and wireless services are now characterized by interfirm modularity. While the increasing presence of this context has been documented, the implications for the product development process remain underdeveloped. For the present study, in‐depth field‐based case studies of seven firms experiencing an environment of interfirm modularity were conducted in order to deepen understanding of this important phenomenon. What unique challenges did this context pose and why? What solutions did firms experiment with, and which seemed to work? Based on an inductive process of data analysis from these case studies, three primary categories of challenges raised by this environment were identified. First, firms were frustrated at their lack of control over the definition of their own products. The set of features and functions in products were constrained to a great extent by an architecture that the firm did not control. Second, while an environment of interfirm modularity should in theory eliminate interdependencies among firms since interfaces between products are defined ex‐ante, the present study found, ironically, that interdependencies were ubiquitous. Interdependencies continually emerged throughout the product development process, despite efforts to limit them. Third, firms found that the quantity and variegated nature of external relationships made their management exceedingly difficult. The sheer complexity was daunting, given both the size of the external network as well as the number of ties per external collaborator. Partners with whom control over the architecture was shared often had divergent interests—or at least not fully convergent interests. The solutions to these challenges were creative and in many cases counter to established wisdom. For instance, research has suggested many ways for a firm to influence architectural standards. While the firms in the present sample followed some of this advice, they also focused on a more neglected aspect of architecture—the compliance and testing standards that accompany modules and interfaces. By concentrating their efforts in a different area, even smaller firms in this sample were able to have some influence. Instead of focusing on the elimination of interdependencies, it was found that firms benefited from concentrating on the management of interdependencies as they emerged. Finally, while layers of management and “bureaucracy” are often viewed as unproductive, these firms found that adding structure, through positions such as Relationship Manager, was highly beneficial in handling the coordination and control of a wide range of external relationships.     

Public inputs and child schooling in Brazil

Household data from a one percent sample of the 1970 Brazilian census are used to analyze the effect of public inputs, i.e., the ‘supply’ of schooling, on children's school attainment in Brazil. The household data are combined with measures of school availability and quality derived directly from the same census data; the measures are based on the income and education of schoolteachers in each of 169 different areas of the country. Elasticities of demand with respect to these public inputs are estimated; these elasticities are high in both rural and urban areas. In urban areas, the positive effect of public inputs is greater for children from households with poorer and less-educated parents. In rural areas, the positive effect of public inputs is greater, if anything, for children from households that are relatively better off, at least compared to other rural households.     

Managing organizational diversity: Observations from cross-border acquisitions

This article examines the processes used over the course of a decade by a European firm managing organizationally diverse acquisitions. The parent company used various human resource management and structural approaches that tolerated diversity while allowing for learning to occur within parent and acquired firms. The parent also provided opportunities for the acquired firms to find their own approaches to working together and integrating, rather than imposing any particular approach on the acquired firms. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Giorgio Riello. A Foot in the Past: Consumers, Producers and Footwear in the Long Eighteenth Century

Through a case study of London's footwear trades, Giorgio Rielloventures to establish the interrelationship of consumption,retailing, and production in the (very) long eighteenth century.Documenting continuity and change from the 1650s to the 1890s,he addresses such disparate themes as fashion history, consumerism,retailing, urban and architectural history, credit and capital,craft organization, and industrialization. Riello succeeds admirablyin demonstrating that productive change is inextricably relatedto both consumption and distribution. And, he makes compellingclaims for     

EXAMINATION OF A PATH MODEL RELATING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE WITH FIRM PERFORMANCE

This article draws on the resource‐based view of the firm to investigate the mechanisms through which information technology (IT) impacts firm performance. Research suggests that the relationship between IT and firm performance may be both direct and indirect. In this study, a path model is tested that proposes a firm's IT infrastructure resources as having both a direct impact on organizational performance, as well as an indirect effect that is propagated through its impact on an intermediate organizational resource, a firm's logistics information system (LIS). The results suggest that positive firm performance may be derived directly from an organization's superior IT infrastructure, as well as indirectly, through its enabling impact on LIS's. These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of the relationship between IT and firm performance by exploring the value of IT at both the process and organizational levels.     

Reflections Upon the Experience of Longitudinal Research into Cultural Event Production in a Developing Destination

Longitudinal studies have the capacity to provide more nuanced explanations of tourism and event phenomena, taking account of complexity, change and context. This paper is a self‐reflexive, methodological study of research practice. It investigates my experience of engaging with cultural event producers in an emerging destination over a seven‐year period. Focussing on my research journey, it considers the social and relational dynamics associated with longitudinal research. Reciprocal relations and co‐production of cultural events reveal nuanced information and expose fluid relationships and networks. Long‐term engagement uncovers evolving practices and develops understanding of event processes embedded within their wider context. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In search of lost leisure: the impact of caregiving on leisure travel

One of the fastest growing market segments of the tourism industry over the last two decades is made up of consumers 55 years of age and older. As we enter the new millennium, over 50 million of these “mature adults” will find themselves on the edge of retirement, equipped with the freedom and financial means to travel, but restricted by a loved one who may become ill or disabled. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of caregiving on the leisure travel behaviors of family caregivers and their care-recipients. Qualitative data collection and analysis methods were employed. In addition to identifying impediments (physical, social, emotional) to pursuing or maintaining leisure travel for caregivers of older adults, the qualitative analysis yielded other emergent themes such as changes in patterns and types of leisure travel, entitlement, resentment, and anger. Implications and recommendations for researchers and practitioners are included.     

Optimal growth with many consumers

A method is described for constructing all Pareto-optimal allocations for a dynamic economy with many heterogeneous consumers, under certainty, in which both the technology and consumer preferences are recursive but preferences need not be additively separable over time. Optimal (perfect foresight competitive equilibrium) allocations are obtained through the study of a dynamic program. For an economy with one consumption good, sufficient conditions are given for the existence of a unique interior stationary distribution of consumption and wealth. For a two-person exchange economy, sufficient conditions are given for the global asymptotic stability of the unique interior stationary point.