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quantitative paradigm, and pertain to a research’s: (1) "truth value" instead of "internal validity", (2) "applicability" instead of "external validity", (3) "consistency" instead of "reliability", and (4) "neutrality" instead of "objectivity".

It must be admitted that the question of objectivity imposes a greater degree of awareness on a researcher in a study premised on the assumption that totally objective reality may well be attempted by a researcher but is very difficult to achieve in absolute terms. However, maximising the right conditions for siding with objectivity should be attempted through the rigour, breadth and depth of the investigation as well as the study’s reliability measures.

Interpretation forms an important part of the study. Its credibility, therefore, has to be maximised via appropriate controls for bias. This is based on a fundamental concern that a respectable place in interpretation should be guaranteed for both the researcher's own version and those of the actors.

This chapter is meant to support the present research’s credibility by explaining its theoretical and methodological approaches. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 will build upon this basis and proceed further to describe the data of the social reality under investigation. Various techniques will be used for presenting and analysing the findings and developing the theoretical propositions of the study (see Chapters 6, 7 and 8). Such measures, when taken together in an integrated manner, aie meant to strengthen the credibility of the theoiy to be developed. In addition, the use of codified procedures for analysing data, as will be explained in the following chapter, will help clarify how theory is developed from the data.

In short, to ensure maximum possible reliability, validity and credibility of the present research, a number of measures were deployed. Twelve measures were deployed to maximise the reliability and validity of the study in general. In addition, five extra measures were also taken in order to maximise the researcher's interpretation credibility. Firstly, the reliability and validity measures could be summarised in the following points:

1) Data was collected using various methods. Combining multiple sources of data to bear on a single point was sought in order to strengthen the reliability of data collection. This was used not merely as a tool for, but an alternative to, validation^'^. Its aim was to minimise misinterpretation of meanings inferred from the collected data.

2) Continuous data collection, assessment and analysis throughout the course of the research was meant to provide an on-going evaluation mechanism. A continuous dialogue with informants regarding the researcher's interpretations of the their realities and meanings was sought to ensure the true value of the data.

3) Four specific controls to increase the reliability of the case study component of the research design were incorporated into it in the form of a protocoF^ which included: (a) an overview of the project, including a statement of the research issues; (b) field and data collection procedures, including the specification of sources of information; (c) case study questions; and (d) a guide for the case study report, including its outline and format.

4) Representativeness would raise an important question for any case study research. The present research did not adopt a statistical logic and, thus did not propose a reliability assessment against quantitative criteria. However, it was important for it not to rely on a single case study. A multiple-case study approach was pursued to provide more confidence in claiming a degree of representativeness proportional to the quantity of cases studied but without claiming universality of the research’s overall conclusions. 5) Regular and repeated on-site obseiwations of similar phenomena occurred over a long period of time and were compared across the cases studied.

6) Negative instances of the findings were shown and accounted for.

7) Theoretical significance and generalisability were made explicit wherever applicable. 8) Data collection strategies and methods were explained explicitly in this chapter and the following one.

9) Three academic members of staff (excluding the research supervisors) and three doctoral students were requested to play the roles of an interviewee and peer examiner and provide a critical feedback.

10) The researcher's biases and assumptions were articulated in writing in this chapter. 11) Participants' truthfulness was assessed. The aim was to try to explore and detect any implausibility that might have been present in a given participant’s account. This involved a special attention paid by the researcher - accumulatively over a period of time - to learn about and take into consideration individual informants’ (a) values, attitudes, sentiments and patterns of behaviour and (b) current emotional state whilst providing

information and reactions to the subject under discussion. Learned knowledge in this area was used in: (i) cross-checking an informant’s account with what other participants told the researcher about the same events^^, (ii) looking for consistency in an informant’s earlier and later statements.

12) Tape-recorded data was reserved.

Secondly, the interpretation credibility measures^^could be summarised as follows: 1 ) A person was asked to play the role of a "devil’s advocate" in critically questioning the researcher's analysis on a continuous basis.

2) Data was checked and rival hypotheses assessed continuously.

3) Reports of analysis of findings were sent to the companies in the study and feedback on the researcher's interpretation sought^^.

4) The guidance of experienced researchers to control the quality of the data was followed.

5) An audit of the data collection and analysis strategies was conducted.

3.10 Summary

This chapter discussed theoretical and methodological issues of concern to the present study. It identified a relationship between theory and methodology with a view to meeting the objectives of the research in the light of the researcher's ontological, epistemological and axiological assumptions. A qualitative research methodology was chosen. The methodology was based on the following assumptions:

1) Since social reality is interpreted by various human beings through their cognitive capacities, therefore various perceptions will be available to the researcher. These should be investigated so that a reasonably realistic picture of an organisational setting can be developed, one that will reflect the wealth of variation likely to be found at a perceptional level.

l^This resembles weighing and balancing the testimony of different witnesses, appraising their motives, comparing their reliability and considering circumstantial evidence in a courtroom setting. l^Based largely on measures derived from the methodology literature (e.g. Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Lincoln and Guba, 1985; Mtirshall and Rossman, 1989).

I^Based on the assumption that feedback prior to publication would süengthen the credibility basis for any research. It was necessary to have a continuous feedback during the course of the field work to check the researcher’s understanding of the field against those involved in it.

2) Different accounts of reality, which are likely to emerge from data, will be indicative of such variation.

3) The researcher must cross-check such accounts through the research methods utilised to establish his/her own independent account.

4) During the course of the field work, the researcher should distinguish, by means of cross-checking, between planned tactical or strategic action and unplanned or accidental action or that imposed upon an organisation by its environment. Also, it will be important to distinguish between innovation and imitation behaviours an individual and organisational levels.

5) The researcher should utilise multi-factor analyses because of the inherent complexity of social reality. These will be likely to guide the criteria to be developed for theory development.

6) An organisation can be conceptualised as an homogeneous entity in terms of its technological infrastructure but not so in terms of the individuals and groups that constitute its social system.

The chosen methodology blended GT and case study approaches with a longitudinal research design outlook. This combination was designed such that the overall objective of the study could best be met. Data collection, analysis, and theory are meant to stand in a complementary relationship with each other by virtue of such research design. The methodological outlines described in this chapter will facilitate theory development by means of induction through the utilisation of raw data to construct thematic categories of investigational concern. The aim is to outline the guidelines needed by the researcher to make sense of a situation in which several actors play their respective roles in CADCAM integration. This approach gives flexibility in the way further data will be collected as earlier analysis can be used to modify the tentative research questions, assess and test competing working hypotheses and continuously develop theory in a dynamic manner.

Finally, this chapter has, hopefully, succeeded in demonstrating that the researcher is aware of the advantages and limitations of the present research design, his role in the research process vis-a-vis the data sources in concern, the devised measures for supporting the reliability and validity of the study in general and the credibility of his interpretation in particular. This chapter has discussed the measures specifically taken for these purposes.

Details of the research process, methods, and the case study conduct and analysis will be described in the following chapter. In this sense Chapter 4 is an extension of this chapter. The substantive and formal theoretical propositions and hypotheses resulting from the grounded research described in this thesis will be presented in Chapter 8.

CHAPTER FOUR