Exploratory Multiple Case Study Research Articles

EFL Learners' Response to Teacher Written Feedback: An Exploratory Cross-case Analysis

Teacher feedback plays a central role in second language writing research. Although this area of enquiry has been extensively investigated, there is still limited research into learner engagement with the feedback as well as individual difference factors that mediate learner revision processes. Inspired by the ongoing debate around the effectiveness of teacher written feedback and the roles of individual learner factors in feedback activities, the current exploratory multiple-case study examined how two Vietnamese EFL learners of different proficiency levels revised their essays following written feedback provision. Data came from text analyses of the first and revised drafts written by the two case studies. The learners’ revision practices were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative measures. Qualitatively, revision operations were identified using Min’s (2006) revision taxonomy to look at both micro-text-based and macro-text-based changes, while quantitative measures examined the accuracy, fluency, and complexity changes observed from students’ first to revised drafts. Findings suggest some interaction between learner proficiency, revision behaviors, and short-term writing improvement across different drafts within the same essay. Implications for feedback practices are accordingly presented.

A comparative analysis of the internationalization of sub-national and central state-owned enterprises: shreds of evidence from Latin America

PurposeIn this exploratory multiple case study, we aim to compare the internationalization of two state-owned enterprises (SOEs) owned by subnational governments with three owned by central governments in Latin America. This study provides a contextualized answer to the question: What are the differences in the internationalization of subnationally owned SOEs compared to central SOEs? This study finds that the speed and diversification of these two types of SOEs’ internationalization differ because they have a different expansion logic. Subnationally owned SOEs have a gradual and diversified expansion following market rules. Central government’s SOEs are specialized and take more drastic steps in their internationalization, which relates to non-market factors.Design/methodology/approachThis study builds an exploratory qualitative comparative case analysis that uses multiple sources of data and information to develop a comprehensive understanding of SOEs through process tracing.FindingsThe study posits some assumptions that are confirmed in the case analysis. This study finds relevant differences between sub-national (SSOEs) and central authority (CSOEs’) strategies. SSOEs’ fewer resources and needs to increase income push them to follow a gradual market-driven internationalization and to diversify abroad. CSOEs non-gradual growth is justified by non-market factors (i.e. national politics). CSOEs do not diversify abroad due to the broader set of constituencies they have to face.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the exploratory comparative case study of this research, the findings are bounded by the particularities of the cases and their region (Latin America). This paper and its findings can be useful for theory building but it does not claim any generalization capacity.Originality/valueThis study adds complexity into the SOEs phenomenon by distinguishing between different types of SOEs. This paper contributes to the study of subnational phenomena and its effect in SOEs’ internationalization process, which is an understudied topic. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is among the first studies that explore subnational SOEs in Latin America.

Academic Experiences of “Zoom-Fatigue” as a Virtual Streaming Phenomenon During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This phenomenological exploratory multiple-case study design was conducted at an open distance e-learning university and a traditional contact residential university and it was found that the participants viewed video conferencing under the COVID-19 lockdown period as an exhausting experience. A second major finding revealed that the participants were empowered with digital literacy skills to use video conferencing effectively. The current findings add to a growing body of literature on video conferencing with a focus on Zoom fatigue. Further research might explore the lived zoom experiences of administrators, students and a larger group of faculties over a longer period. The study findings must be considered when planning and implementing video conferencing for academics and students in open distance e-learning contexts. This study showed that video conferencing is one tool in the emergence of a digital zoom revolution that has radically changed the workspace. The evidence from this study suggests that zoom fatigue is a reality check for work-related health management.

How firms use inbound Open Innovation practices over time: evidence from an exploratory multiple case study analysis

Firms are increasingly making use of Open Innovation in an attempt to get the most out of external ideas and knowledge in their innovation processes. The existing research on Open Innovation documents a broad set of practices that firms may use to implement inbound Open Innovation, which entail various degrees of integration with the external partner. There is also empirical evidence showing how firms move from a closed to an open approach to innovation over time. However, there is limited empirical work that documents if and how firms that start using open innovation change and evolve the practices through which inbound open innovation is implemented over time. This paper, relying on an exploratory analysis of nine case studies, adopts a temporal perspective to examine how and why firms use different practices for inbound open innovation over time, with attempts at offering a tentative explanation of the underlying drivers triggering this evolution. This paper contributes to the scholarly debate on the organisational enablers of Open Innovation and provides managers involved in open innovation activities with insights into the factors that may determine changes in their use of different inbound open innovation practices over time.

How to Enable Collaboration in Open Government Data Ecosystems: A Public Platform Provider’s Perspective

Open Government Data (OGD) is an important driver for open innovation among public entities. However, extant research highlights a need for improved feedback loops, collaboration, and a more demand-driven publication of OGD. In this study, we explore how public platform providers can address this issue by enabling collaboration within OGD ecosystems, both in terms of the OGD, and any related Open Source Software (OSS) and standards. We conducted an exploratory multiple-case study of four OGD ecosystems with diverse characteristics, using a qualitative research approach. Based on the cases, we present a conceptual model that highlights different attributes of OGD ecosystems that may help public entities in designing and orchestrating new or existing OGD ecosystems. We conclude that enabling collaboration in an OGD ecosystem is a complex exercise yet believe that it offers ways for public entities in how they can leverage open innovation to address their goals and directives.

Literature in secondary EFL class: case studies of four experienced teachers’ reading programmes in China

ABSTRACT The benefits of using literature in second or foreign language teaching have been re-gaining attention and recognition in recent years. With the aim of exploring possible pedagogical approaches and teacher perceptions, this study investigates four reading programmes implemented by experienced teachers in Chinse secondary schools. Different young adult novels were used in these programmes, facilitated by such activities as keeping a reading log and explicit vocabulary learning. This exploratory multiple case study lasted for six months, collecting data from teacher participants’ reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, related documents, and artefacts. Using the framework of comprehensive approach to foreign literature teaching (Bloemert et al. 2019. Students’ perspective on the benefits of EFL literature education. The Language Learning Journal 47, no. 3: 371–384), this study finds that only two of the four dimensions were implemented by the teacher participants: language approach was used predominantly in supporting the reading programmes, while reader approach was mainly applied in writing-after-reading activities. This study provides evidence that reading-writing integration into L2 literature teaching promotes reflection on reading content and internalisation of language input. By presenting some of the difficulties and confusions teachers encountered, this study draws attention to the need for teacher training in the implementation of this pedagogical approach, alongside implications for future practice and research.

Cultural and dynamic capabilities factors facilitating digital transformation of healthcare services

Background Digital transformation of healthcare services was slow until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, global lockdown urged healthcare providers to accelerate the utilisation of advanced technologies in healthcare services. While the researchers focused on the role of technologies, the role of culture as an antecedent of dynamic capabilities responsible for digitalisation of the services, was undermined. Purpose The purpose of the paper is to explore the cultural and dynamic capabilities factors facilitating the digital transformation of healthcare services across three different countries. Methodology/Approach The exploratory multiple case study research design was applied, and data collected in Lithuania, the United States, and Spain. The multiple case study is based on 63 interviews of healthcare providers, start-ups, patients and secondary data analysis across three countries. Results Comparative analysis of the cultural dimensions, dynamic capabilities and performance of the digital healthcare services in Lithuania, California (United States), and Catalonia (Spain) shows that there is a tendency for strong dynamic capabilities to stimulate the more advanced performance of digital healthcare services. In addition, the manifestation of certain cultural dimensions, such as high masculinity and indulgency, might contribute to fostering dynamic capabilities. Conclusion Cultural context matters for developing strong dynamic capabilities in healthcare providers and, in turn, more advanced performance of digital healthcare services. Practice implications In order to accelerate the performance of digital healthcare services, healthcare providers are recommended to enhance dynamic capabilities, paying attention to the specifics of the national cultural dimensions.

Revenue Management Perspectives in Small-Farm Winery Operations

This exploratory multiple case study illustrates how revenue management decisions of small-farm winery owners may contribute to business sustainability in a regulated industry through the lens of dynamic capabilities. Given small-farm winery owners focus on brand development and customer base growth to sustain long-term survival, the findings of this study highlight the connection of revenue management tenets to pricing and inventory decisions to sustain full capacity and maximize revenue. Furthermore, the results indicate that small-farm winery owners’ revenue management strategic decisions may be influenced by resource and regulatory constraints and competitors’ impact on pricing and distribution tactics.

“Enabling circular business models in the fashion industry: the role of digital innovation”

PurposeDigital innovation and circular business model innovation are two critical enablers of a circular economy. A wide variety of digital technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, cyber-physical systems, or big data also diverges the applications of digital technologies in circular business models. Given heterogeneous attributes of circular business models and digital technologies, the selections of digital technologies and circular business models might be highly distinctive within and between sectorial contexts. This paper examines digital circular business models in the context of the fashion industry and its multiple actors. This industry as the world’s second polluting industry requires an urgent circular economy (CE) transition with less resource consumption, lower waste emissions and a more stable economy.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive, exploratory multiple-case study method is employed to investigate the ten cases of different sized fashion companies (i.e. large, small medium-sized firm (SME) and startup firms). The comparison across cases is conducted to understand fashion firms' distinct behaviours in adopting various digital circular economy strategies.FindingsThe paper presents three archetypes of digital-based circular business models in the fashion industry: the blockchain-based supply chain model, the service-based model and the pull demand-driven model. Besides incremental innovations, the radical business model and digital innovations as presented in the pull demand-driven model may be crucial to the fashion circular economy transition. The pull demand–driven model may shift the economy from scales to scopes, change the whole process of how the fashion items are forecasted, produced, and used, and reform consumer behaviours. The paths of adopting digital fashion circular business models are also different among large, SMEs and startup fashion firms.Practical implicationsThe study provides business managers with empirical insights on how circular business models (CBMs) should be chosen according to intrinsic business capacities, technological competences and CE strategies. The emerging trends of new fashion markets (e.g. rental, subscription) and consumers' sustainable awareness should be not be neglected. Moreover, besides adopting recycling and reuse strategies, large fashion incumbents consider collaborating with other technology suppliers and startup companies to incubate more radical innovations.Social implicationsAppropriate policies and regulations should be enacted to enable the digital CE transition. Market patterns and consumer acceptances are considered highly challenging to these digital fashion models. A balanced policy on both the demand and supply sides are suggested. The one-side policy may fail CBMs that entail an upside-down collaboration of both producers and consumers. Moreover, it is perhaps time to rethink how to reduce unnecessary new demand rather than repeatedly producing and recycling.Originality/valueThe pace of CE research is lagging far behind the accelerating environmental contamination by the fashion industry. The study aims to narrow the gap between theory and practice to harmonise fashion firms' orchestration and accelerate the transition of the fashion industry towards the CE. This study examines diverse types of digital technologies in different circular business models in a homogeneous context of the fashion industry with heterogeneous firm types.

Learning from, through and about Differences: A Multiple Case Study on Schools as Practice Grounds for Citizenship

Learning to relate to others that differ from you is one of the central aims of citizenship education. Schools can be understood as practice grounds for citizenship, where students’ citizenship is not only influenced by the formal curriculum, but also by their experiences in the context of teacher–student and student–student relations. In this article we therefore investigate how the practice of dealing with difference is enacted in schools. Data were collected through an exploratory multiple case study in four secondary schools, combining interviews and focus groups. Despite the differences between the schools in terms of population and location, in all schools the reflection on the enactment of ‘dealing with differences’ was limited in scope and depth. ‘Being different’ was understood primarily in terms of individual characteristics. Furthermore, in all schools there was limited reflection on being different in relation to teachers and the broader community. Finally, relevant differences for citizenship were confined to the category of ‘ethnic and cultural diversity’. This article calls for preparing teachers to consider a broader array of differences to practice dealing with differences with their students and to support students in reflecting on the societal implications of being different from each other.

Collaborative Curriculum Design in the Context of Financial Literacy Education

Financial literacy education is being integrated into school curricula at an increasing frequency. However, the majority of teachers lack the required competencies and teacher self-efficacy to effectively teach financial topics. In this study, we evaluated whether participation in teacher design teams (TDTs) results in high-quality educational materials, encouragement of professional learning, and ultimately, enhanced teacher self-efficacy in the face of pending curriculum reform. We conducted an exploratory multiple-case study in Flanders, Belgium. Data were collected from two TDTs that developed materials aligning with the financial literacy learning standards. We observed the team meetings and conducted interviews with the participating teachers and the team coach. Our results suggest that participation in TDTs supports the three outcome variables that we examined. However, they also revealed that each outcome shows room for improvement. Furthermore, the data provided additional evidence for the importance of meeting several input and process factors that had been previously shown to be essential for effective TDT function.

The impact of digital technologies on business models. Insights from the space industry

PurposeIn the past decade, in the space industry, many initiatives intended at offering open access to big data from space multiplied. Therefore, firms started adopting business models (BMs) which lever on digital technologies (e.g. cloud computing, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence), to seize these opportunities. Within this scenario, this article aims at answering the following research question: which digital technologies do impact which components the BM is made of?Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory multiple case study approach was used. Three cases operating in the space industry that lever on digital technologies to implement their business were analyzed. Despite concerns regarding reliability and validity, multiple case studies allow greater understanding of causality, and show superiority respect to quantitative studies for theory building.FindingsBig data, system integration (artificial intelligence, high-performance computing) and cloud computing seem to be pivotal in the space industry. It emerges that digital technologies involve all the different areas and components of the BM.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on the impact that digital technologies have on the different BM components. It is only understanding which technologies can support the value proposition, which technologies make the infrastructural part able to support this proposition, which technologies may be helpful for delivering and communicating this value to customers and which technologies may help firms to appropriate the value that it is possible to seize the impact of digital technologies on BM.

Contextual factors influencing talk in Australian residential aged care

PurposeThis paper offers an exploration of contextual factors that influence carer-to-resident talk in Australian residential aged care.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative exploratory multiple case study methodology and a theoretical framework of service language were applied to explore the perspectives of 21 registered nurses, assistants in nursing, leisure and lifestyle officers, general managers and care managers at three residential aged care homes in Australia.FindingsThe findings demonstrate contextual factors related to the care home environment, the carer and the relationship between carers and residents that impede or enable carer-to-resident talk in residential aged care. Multiple factors related to the care home environment were found to impede carer-to-resident talk, including time pressures, staffing levels, team culture and the prioritisation of tasks. Factors related to carers had potential to either impede or enable talk, including carers' awareness of the importance of communication, level of experience and individual characteristics, values and attitudes. A strong relationship between a carer and resident built on knowledge of individuals was a key enabling factor.Originality/valueThe paper advances an understanding of factors that influence talk and interaction in residential aged care in Australia from carers' and care home leaders' perspectives. The findings can be used to support verbal communication management strategies aligned with a person-centred care approach, including training and development of staff, cultural change interventions and a review of care delivery procedures.

Fostering innovation through Industry 4.0 technologies in emerging countries: An explorative multiple case study of Indonesian Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based start-ups

The Industry 4.0 phenomenon is truly remarkable in the industry’s redesign and the transformation of different facets of human life. This trend has also been put on several nations’ national agenda, both emerging and developed, to improve competition in the global business arena. For Indonesia, this phenomenon offers a chance to reshape Indonesia’s manufacturing industry and become another way to boost Indonesia’s goal of being the 10th world’s largest economy. One of the technologies that play a significant role in this phenomenon is Internet-of-Things (IoT) that could boost small businesses’ performance through developing its innovation ecosystem. This research seeks to propose continuous innovation pathways through case studies of functional IoT in Indonesian start-ups. To this end, we use an exploratory research methodology and in-depth interviews to identify IoT and case studies’ fundamental innovation capabilities to explore the process of connecting these attributes to innovation. It results in five factors as main findings to influence the innovation performance: financial resources, government role, perception for supporting small businesses, hybrid research and development, and business model innovation. We also derive the implication of IoT for businesses and the government to support their innovation.

Identifying architectural technical debt, principal, and interest in microservices: A multiple-case study

Background:Using a microservices architecture is a popular strategy for software organizations to deliver value to their customers fast and continuously. However, scientific knowledge on how to manage architectural debt in microservices is scarce. Objectives:In the context of microservices applications, this paper aims to identify architectural technical debts (ATDs), their costs, and their most common solutions. Method:We conducted an exploratory multiple case study by conducting 25 interviews with practitioners working with microservices in seven large companies. Results:We found 16 ATD issues, their negative impact (interest), and common solutions to repay each debt together with the related costs (principal). Two examples of critical ATD issues found were the use of shared databases that, if not properly planned, leads to potential breaks on services every time the database schema changes and bad API designs, which leads to coupling among teams. We identified ATDs occurring in different domains and stages of development and created a map of the relationships among those debts. Conclusion:The findings may guide organizations in developing microservices systems that better manage and avoid architectural debts.

Decision‐making and leadership challenges in partner‐based, owner‐managed companies

AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to develop a deeper understanding of how owners of partner‐based companies perceive shared‐ownership decision‐making in relation to leadership roles and organizational behavior. Data were collected from two law firms in Stockholm, Sweden. The data were used to identify the partners' perceptions of how the decision‐making process affected the organizations and through an analysis of the collected data six themes were identified: (a) few written instructions, (b) consensus‐driven leadership, (c) importance of strong office manager, (d) partners are foremost lawyers and leadership is secondary, (e) self‐motivated staff, and (f) random communication. Findings of the study suggest there is an awareness of a lack of organizational structure and management procedures among partners, but also a desire to keep an informal style of reaching decisions and managing the firm. The consensus‐based model affects leadership in the sense it makes decision‐making slow, but it also means decisions are well anchored among the owners.

Configuring ecosystem strategies for digitally enabled process innovation: A framework for equipment suppliers in the process industries

Digitalization offers new opportunities for equipment suppliers to support the competitiveness of process industry firms through participating in digitally enabled process-innovation initiatives. However, doing so is not without challenges as it requires equipment suppliers to align with multiple actors within an extended ecosystem to deliver complex product-service software systems as embodied sources of process innovation. This creates various challenges for the equipment supplier because it has to secure its role in an ecosystem where it must simultaneously cooperate and compete with other ecosystem actors. Therefore, it needs to consciously determine what ecosystem strategy to apply. Using multiple exploratory case studies, we investigate how equipment suppliers configure appropriate ecosystem strategies to realize digitally enabled process innovation for process industry firms. Our findings emphasize that different industrial customer contexts require different ecosystem strategies; we have identified four archetypical ecosystem strategies (orchestrator, dominator, complementor, and protector). The core insights from our research are converted into a decision tree framework to guide equipment suppliers in configuring the appropriate ecosystem strategy based on the industrial customer context. Key contingency considerations include determining an appropriate role in the ecosystem (leader or follower) and a suitable coopetitive approach (cooperation dominated or competition dominated).

Quadruple Factors Interference and Its Effects on Quality of Outsourcing Testing: A Case Study

The share of IT companies in the global market has been increasing and many organizations are moving to outsource their software development projects to off-shore vendors. Recently, the IT sector in Palestine has been gaining much ground with many software development companies specializing in software development outsourcing services. Maintaining high-quality and robust software products has always been a key success factor in the outsourcing sector. Software testing is considered to be the main phase in which teams can assure high quality of software products.Therefore, we did an exploratory multiple-case study and this study involvesfour Palestinian software outsourcing companiesof different domain. We provide insights about factors that affect the quality of software testing practice, and explore applied testing techniques, methods and confronted challenges. The results reveal that there is big attention toward software testing assoftware development companies are investing more effort, time, and technical resources into their quality assurance teams. Additionally, among the applied software testing methods, more attention needs to be directed towards test automation. Moreover, more theoretical and technical courses targeting software quality assurance should be included in national Palestinian universities’ curriculum. Finally, we propose a new model that can help practitioners to enhance the quality of their outsourced software products

Social capital and individual entrepreneurial orientation: innovativeness, proactivity, and risk-taking in an emerging economy

PurposeThis paper investigates if and how entrepreneurs' social capital influences their individual entrepreneurial orientation attributes (innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking).Design/methodology/approachThe research method adopted is an exploratory multiple case study. The case chosen is that of an emerging and under-examined entrepreneur, the religious entrepreneur. The study investigates 20 pastors responsible for small enterprise-churches in Brazil.FindingsSocial capital influences individual entrepreneurial orientation, being characterized by a relative paradox. The networks must be dense enough to stimulate entrepreneurs' individual entrepreneurial orientation but not be so dense as to harm innovativeness, proactivity and risk-taking. Further, data show that individual entrepreneurial orientation influences social capital.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation relates to the semi-structured interviews' restricted use. A second limitation is associated with the recognition of churches only as productive enterprises.Practical implicationsThis article suggests the significance of incorporating both themes in entrepreneurial education and training programs. It also stresses the appropriateness of religious entrepreneurship as an empirical research field for business scholars.Originality/valueThe contributions are fivefold. First, the authors build exploratory theoretical propositions on the influence of social capital on individual entrepreneurial orientation. Second, they highlight the significance of dense networks for individual entrepreneurial orientation, expanding the literature that supports the relevance of cohesive networks solely to the construct's organizational dimension. Third, the authors suggest that a relative paradox may characterize individual entrepreneurial orientation. Fourth, the authors suggest the existence of recursion between both constructs. Finally, this study is one of the first to examine social capital and individual entrepreneurial orientation, considering innovativeness, proactivity, and risk-taking, which represents a neglected field in benchmarking studies.

The supporting role of business models in the promotion of sustainable innovations in the energy sector: an explorative study in the Italian SMEs

Purpose of the paper: This paper aims to analyze how small-medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute to the development of a sustainable innovations in the energy sector such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) by implementing effective sustainable business models. Methodology: The study carried out an exploratory multiple case study with 8 SMEs operating in the Italian GHP market on the role of sustainable business models in supporting the development of sustainable innovations. Results: The analysis shows that sustainable business models exert a supporting function between sustainable innovation and sustainable value creation thanks to their ability to overcome the existing barriers to adopt sustainable innovations (i.e. GHP systems). This supporting role thus results from the firms’ capabilities and knowledge to assess and promote the peculiarities of selected sustainable innovation. Moreover, the analyzed business models foresee an ongoing support of customers before and after the adoption of sustainable innovation by communicating potential environmental benefits and providing additional services. Research limits: The main limitation is that the findings derive from a national case study with specific market conditions for GHPs which might influence the development of sustainable business models. Practical implications: The study supports firms aiming to develop and implement business models for boosting sustainable innovations through an effective assessment of selected sustainable innovation and dialogue with policy makers. Originality of the paper: The study opens the black box of unexplored relationships between sustainability innovations and business models by analyzing their main components (value proposition, supply chain and public institutions, customer interface and financial model).