Short and sweet: multiple mini case studies as a form of rigorous case study research

IF 2.3 4区管理学 Q3 BUSINESS

Information Systems and e-Business Management Pub Date : 2024-05-15 DOI:10.1007/s10257-024-00674-2

Sebastian Käss, Christoph Brosig, Markus Westner, Susanne Strahringer

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Abstract

Case study research is one of the most widely used research methods in Information Systems (IS). In recent years, an increasing number of publications have used case studies with few sources of evidence, such as single interviews per case. While there is much methodological guidance on rigorously conducting multiple case studies, it remains unclear how researchers can achieve an acceptable level of rigour for this emerging type of multiple case study with few sources of evidence, i.e., multiple mini case studies. In this context, we synthesise methodological guidance for multiple case study research from a cross-disciplinary perspective to develop an analytical framework. Furthermore, we calibrate this analytical framework to multiple mini case studies by reviewing previous IS publications that use multiple mini case studies to provide guidelines to conduct multiple mini case studies rigorously. We also offer a conceptual definition of multiple mini case studies, distinguish them from other research approaches, and position multiple mini case studies as a pragmatic and rigorous approach to research emerging and innovative phenomena in IS.

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短小精悍：作为严谨案例研究的一种形式的多个微型案例研究

案例研究是信息系统（IS）领域应用最广泛的研究方法之一。近年来，越来越多的出版物使用了证据来源较少的案例研究，如每个案例只进行一次访谈。虽然在严格开展多重案例研究方面有很多方法论指导，但对于这种新兴的证据来源较少的多重案例研究（即多个小型案例研究），研究人员如何才能达到可接受的严格程度仍不清楚。在这种情况下，我们从跨学科的角度综合了多重案例研究的方法论指导，从而制定了一个分析框架。此外，我们通过回顾以往使用多重微型案例研究的信息系统出版物，将这一分析框架与多重微型案例研究进行校准，为严格开展多重微型案例研究提供指导。我们还提供了多重微型案例研究的概念定义，将其与其他研究方法区分开来，并将多重微型案例研究定位为研究信息系统中新兴创新现象的一种务实而严谨的方法。

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来源期刊

Information Systems and e-Business Management Multiple-

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

11.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Nowadays, in the age of information technology and the internet, the creation and maintenance of business models has to consider the latest developments in information technology to ensure competitiveness and long-term success of the enterprise. The aim of Information Systems Management (ISM) is to integrate information technology into business models and business processes to explore its potential to meet the business goals. Many international journals in the field of information systems (IS) or information management (IM) focus primarily on the quantitative analysis of information systems phenomena, especially through the use of empirical studies. However, research on qualitative analysis, development, and deployment of information systems is not covered sufficiently by the existing international IS journals. Therefore, the journal Information Systems and e-Business Management (ISeB) focuses on the core tasks of Information Systems Management, the conceptual analysis, design, and deployment of information systems, as well as on all e-business related topics. 1. Editorial objective The central aim of the journal ISeB is to publish original, well-written, self-contained contributions that elucidate novel research and innovation in information systems management and e-business which advance the field fundamentally and significantly. Published quarterly, the journal will: - Provide a vibrant forum for both academicians and industry specialists to explore the information systems and e-business management field - Bring innovative research on all aspects of information systems management from analytical, behavioral and technological perspectives - Enable rapid dissemination of latest research and innovation, supported with a double-blind peer review process. 2. Nature of topics The function of information systems management is the use of information technology (IT) to meet the information requirements of a company. Core tasks of ISM are the generation of project ideas (e.g. identification of business opportunities enabled by new information technologies), conceptual analysis, design, and integration of information systems. Submissions to ISeB should have a clear business focus and use appropriate information systems methodologies. They should either be founded on theory or should have proven their value based on prototypes and their beneficial application in the field. The general applicability of the concepts presented is strictly required. Case studies are welcome, if the insights presented allow general applicability. Moreover, empirical studies are welcome if clear research questions with relevance to the field of information systems and e-business management are given and the studies are carried out correctly. ISeB topics focus on (but are not restricted to) the following areas: - Information Modeling: The central task of information systems modeling is the conceptual specification of information systems from the business point of view. Information modeling includes the development or the application of high-level modeling techniques used for conceptual modeling, e.g. event-driven process chain (EPC) for process modeling, entity-relationship model (ERM) for data modeling, and object-oriented methods like the unified modeling language (UML). - Domain-Specific Information Systems: Different industry domains (e.g. manufacturing, retailing, or finance) are characterized by different requirements to information systems that are reflected in different IS architectures for specific domains. The development and maintenance of information systems in an industry domain can be supported by these architectures. Either the development of generalizable domain-specific architectures or the employment of such architectures in practice can be discussed. - E-Business Management (intra-organization al and inter-organizational information systems): Possible sub-topics include the development and deployment of IS for electronic commerce and supply chain management, market places, new business scenarios enabled through new technologies. Based on a business strategy, submissions have to clearly state how the strategy can be operationalized using IS. - Information Systems Development: The development and deployment of large-scale IS (e.g. enterprise resource planning software) requires the use of appropriate software engineering methodologies, procedure models, and project management. Possible research areas are the development of software engineering methodologies, procedure models, and the design of project management methods. Empirical studies on IS development may focus on the application of well-founded methods in practice. - Information Technology Management: The function of information technology management is the provision and operation of the technical infrastructure and the planning of the technical orientation of information systems in an enterprise. An important aspect is the impact of changing information systems on organizational structures and processes – and vice versa. In this context, the use of information technology to realize a business strategy efficiently can be analyzed. - Latest Information Technology Developments: Latest developments in information technology have to be evaluated to explore potentials to generate new business strategies. Current topics and trends to be evaluated for business use are e.g. business intelligence systems, agent technology, and workflow management systems. Officially cited as: Inf Syst E-Bus Manage