The role of qualitative methods in production management research

Abstract This paper examines previous approaches to the identification and measurement of strategic flexibility and concludes that the use of quantitative methods alone cannot capture the essence of such a complex and intangible subject. It is reasoned that a holistic approach to research design should be adopted when carrying out particular categories of production management research. A research design used to investigate the concept of strategic flexibility in manufacturing industry is briefly outlined as an illustration. The role of the case study within this and the contribution it was able to make to the investigation is described.

[1]  R. P. Davis,et al.  Flexible manufacturing systems: Characteristics and assessment , 1987 .

[2]  Suresh P. Sethi,et al.  Flexibility in manufacturing: A survey , 1990 .

[3]  T. Richards,et al.  The NUDIST qualitative data analysis system , 1991 .

[4]  Ramon J. Aldag,et al.  Issues in Research Methodology , 1988 .

[5]  John A. Sharp,et al.  A review of manufacturing flexibility , 2000, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[6]  H. Correa.  Linking Flexibility, Uncertainty and Variability in Manufacturing Systems: Managing Un-Planned Change in the Automative Industry , 1994 .

[7]  D. Upton.  The Management of Manufacturing Flexibility , 1994 .

[8]  Lyn Richards,et al.  Analyzing unstructured information: can computers help? , 1992 .

[9]  Nigel Slack,et al.  The Flexibility of Manufacturing Systems , 1987 .

[10]  W. Gibb Dyer,et al.  Better Stories, Not Better Constructs, To Generate Better Theory: A Rejoinder to Eisenhardt , 1991 .

[11]  D. Campbell,et al.  Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. , 1959, Psychological bulletin.

[12]  C. B. Besant,et al.  Flexibility in manufacturing , 1989 .

[13]  K. Eisenhardt.  Building theories from case study research , 1989, STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI.

[14]  John,et al.  Reclaiming Qualitative Methods for Organizational Research: A Preface. , 1979 .

[15]  Yash P. Gupta,et al.  Flexibility of manufacturing systems: Concepts and measurements , 1989 .

[16]  P. Swamidass,et al.  Assessing Operations Management from a Strategic Perspective , 1989 .

[17]  Brian Leavy,et al.  The Craft of Case-Based Qualitative Research , 1994 .

[18]  N. Slack.  Flexibility as a Manufacturing Objective , 1983 .

[19]  N. Denzin,et al.  The Research Act , 1978 .

[20]  Nagen Nagarur.  Some performance measures of flexible manufacturing systems , 1992 .

[21]  Brian Leavy.  A Process Study of Strategic Change and Industry Evolution – the Case of the Irish Dairy Industry, 1958–74 , 1991 .

[22]  P. Swamidass.  Empirical Science: New Frontier in Operations Management Research , 1991 .

[23]  Sten-Olof Gustavsson,et al.  Flexibility and productivity in complex production processes , 1984 .

[24]  R. Calantone,et al.  The marketing-manufacturing interface and manufacturing flexibility , 1992 .

[25]  Christopher A. Voss,et al.  Managing Advanced Manufacturing Technology , 1986 .

[26]  John A. Sharp,et al.  A system to support the enhancement of strategic flexibility in manufacturing enterprises , 1998, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[27]  J. H. Hyun,et al.  A Unifying Framework for Manufacturing Flexibility , 1992 .

[28]  D. Gerwin.  Manufacturing flexibility: a strategic perspective , 1993 .

[29]  D. Campbell,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENT Al DESIGNS FOR RESEARCH , 2012 .

[30]  John M. Longshore.  The Management of Strategic Change , 1990 .

[31]  T. Jick.  Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Triangulation in Action. , 1979 .

[32]  אסתר טולידנו,et al.  מקבלי דמי אבטלה בשנת 1993 , 1994 .

[33]  Toni M. Somers,et al.  The measurement of manufacturing flexibility , 1992 .

[34]  Cheryl Gaimon,et al.  Flexibility and the choice of manufacturing facilities under short product life cycles , 1992 .

[35]  J. Robb Dixon,et al.  Measuring manufacturing flexibility: An empirical investigation , 1992 .

[36]  L. Fry,et al.  Flexible manufacturing organiza-tions: implications for strategy fonnulation and organization design , 1988 .

[37]  Mary Jo Maffei,et al.  Dealing with the Uncertainties of Manufacturing: Flexibility, Buffers and Integration , 1993 .

[38]  Aloke Dey,et al.  Orthogonal Main-Effect Plans for Asymmetrical Factorials , 1979 .

[39]  S. Addelman.  Orthogonal Main-Effect Plans for Asymmetrical Factorial Experiments , 1962 .

[40]  Steven Wright.  Manufacturing strategy: Defining the missing link , 1984 .

[41]  David M. McCutcheon,et al.  Conducting case study research in operations management , 1993 .