MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

the way their unions operate in the members’ interests. The argument
is that the data demonstrates that this is what they are seeking to do.
Yin (1994:32 et seq) sets out a number of tests for judging the quality
of research designs. These, together with an indication of the extent to
which this study meets these tests, are set out in Exhibit 3.4:-
Tests Case Study Tactic Treatment
Construct validity • Multiple sources of
evidence
• Chain of evidence
Internal validity • Pattern matching
• Explanation
building
External validity • Replication logic in
multiple case
studies
Reliability • Use case study
protocol
• Develop case
study database
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Interview and
documentary
evidence
QSR NVivo trees of
nodes established
from propositions
Both these tactics
have been employed
as part of the analysis
of this data
This tactic is the basis
of the claims for
generalisability made
in the conclusions.
The protocol is
intended primarily for
cases where there are
multiple researchers,
though one was used.
The whole research
material, however, is
held on an NVivo
database.
EXHIBIT 3.4 Case study tactics. Adapted from Yin (1994:33)
Healy and Perry (1998) propose a set of quality criteria specifically
related to case study research within the realist paradigm. They
develop six criteria for judging realist research. These are shown in
Exhibit 3.5:-