Search results

The purpose of this paper is to leverage the lessons learned from three published studies on volume flexibility in the capital goods industry to demonstrate the effective use of methodological triangulation in operations management research.

The paper uses lessons learned from three published studies to address several issues that researchers encounter when using methodological triangulation. It also develops a coherent framework for developing a research strategy that uses methodological triangulation.

In demonstrating the use of triangulation, the paper documents several tradeoffs that researchers face including: outlining a triangulation strategy; considering the strengths and weaknesses of different data sources; assessing convergent, complementary divergent and meta inference; and paying attention to errors of inference during the triangulation process.

As with every research method, methodological triangulation has limitations that can be amplified by method specific issues and assumptions related to across‐method generalization and inference.

Provides a detailed example of why and how researchers make critical decisions on the appropriate use of methodological triangulation.

This work will assist future researchers who use triangulation to better position their work and to make informed choices that ultimately lead to more complete theories. This work would also be on interest to practitioners interested in keeping up with academic literature.

The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the contributions of multiple theories to accounting and organizational research, which is often referred to as “theoretical triangulation” or “theoretical pluralism”, with a particular focus on the manner in which chosen research methods have informed these efforts at theoretical triangulation.

The authors conduct an analysis of how to employ theoretical triangulations and methodological pluralism in accounting and organizational research. To this end, they use prior empirical evidence for illustrative purposes.

The authors argue that using theories with epistemological tensions that are captured by appropriate research methods enable one to explore different, sometimes even contradictory, layers of meanings of realities pertaining to management accounting information and processes in organizations and society.

The paper contributes to the thinking about the interaction between theory development and research methods chosen by demonstrating how and under what circumstances multiple theories could be meaningfully integrated and executed to provide deeper understandings of accounting and organizational phenomena.

The objective of this paper is to focus on a spousal influence strategy that has not been investigated previously by consumer researchers: triangulation. Triangulation is the process by which a third‐party is enlisted to intervene and convince the other spouse; this person can be a friend, a relative, or one or more of the couple's children.

A survey questionnaire was completed by 192 couples who were asked to evaluate their own and their mates' influence strategies in four different purchase decisions.

It was found that, in general, men tend to triangulate more frequently than women. Men triangulate most frequently during a vacation decision. Less frequently, triangulation was found regarding a new residence place, followed by Saloon furnishing and TV set. Women tend to triangulate most frequently in a new residence place, followed by a vacation. Regarding all of the third persons which comprised this strategy, with the exception of “ask our child/children”, men reported a significantly greater tendency to ask a third person to influence. Conversely, women reported a significantly greater tendency to ask the child/children to influence their husbands. The longer the marital relationship, the less the use of triangulation strategy among men.

Advertising messages for products that are purchased by a joint decision can encourage or discourage triangulation. If there is a reason to expect that triangulated persons would have a positive attitude toward the product, the message would be more effective if it encourages triangulation, and vice versa.

Findings documented in the paper shed light on the triangulation strategy, a hitherto unexplored aspect in consumer behavior literature. Consumer researchers should take into account the influence of close friends and relatives that might play a role in couple purchase decision processes.

Construction management research (CMR) embraces many research paradigms and resultantly, methodological debate can proliferate. Triangulation is one specific method employed and this too has attracted discussion. This paper aims to subjectively but critically assess the role of triangulation within CMR. Resultantly, a “3D triangulation” (3DT) decision support model is proffered whose purpose is to improve triangulation's use.

Following review of CMR methodological debate and the (multidisciplinary) application of triangulation to research; case study examples of triangulation applied among a sample of published CMR papers are observed in subjective detail, and contrasted with the invited opinions of researchers.

Triangulation is adduced as a methodological aspect of many CMR studies – but researchers' perceptions of how it should fit within a research design and the extent to which it can contribute or should be relied upon – is varied. The authors' viewpoint is that triangulation use in CMR could sometimes be afforded more thought; and the decision to use it, be better “justified” within the broader methodological context. Accordingly, a 3DT decision support model is developed to assist in these objectives.

It is argued that 3DT can lend toward a more robust methodological design, in the context of applying triangulation to CMR specifically, and management research generally.

The 3DT model is entirely novel and evolves as a result of this specific study alone.

Delaunay triangulations provide a good alternative to existing approaches of modelling unstructured unconventional computers. Experimental research in novel and emerging computing paradigms and materials shows a great progress in designing laboratory prototypes of spatially extended computing devices. In these devices, computation is implemented by excitation waves and localisations in reaction‐diffusion chemical media, geometrically constrained and compartmentalized excitable substrates, organic molecular assemblies, and gas‐discharge systems. These unconventional computing substrates can be formally represented by Delaunay triangulations with excitable nodes. Thus, it is important to uncover most common types of excitation dynamics on the Delaunay diagrams. The purpose of this paper is to define excitable automata on Delaunay triangulation and demonstrate how to control a space‐time dynamics of excitation on the triangulation using absolute and relative excitability thresholds.

The paper modifies classical Greenberg‐Hasting model to topology of Delaunay triangulations and considers not only a threshold of excitation but also a ratio of excited neighbours as an essential factor of nodes' activation. Delaunay triangulations for various densities of nodes packaging are considered.

The paper defines excitable automata on Delaunay triangulation and demonstrates how to control a space‐time dynamics of excitation on the triangulation using absolute and relative excitability thresholds. The paper uncovers several interesting phenomena ranging from reaction of excitation waves by edge of triangulation to branching domains of activity guided by travelling localized excitations.

The findings reported in the paper will contribute towards designs of novel computing substrates in non‐crystalline structure. Also, automaton interpretation of activity dynamics on Delaunay triangulation can make a viable model of automaton‐network approaches to design of nano‐computing devices.

This research paper seeks to advance the techniques of “within-paradigm” triangulation and theoretical generalization adopted in qualitative field studies for new theory development in management control.

Using the evidence gleaned from three positivist case studies along with some published interpretivist studies, this paper identifies three triangulation approaches and links them with three forms of theoretical generalization in qualitative field studies.

While the “literal” approach to triangulation has its place in the extant literature, this study finds that two other approaches, labeled “convergent” and “normative” triangulation, which are relevant in many circumstances to link multiple pieces of evidence in order to build credible explanations. In theory development, while the extant forms of theoretical generalization (constructive and contextual) are useful for identifying new solutions for both practical and theoretical concerns, this paper finds that a third form, namely “transposed” logic, is relevant in identifying new control problems that can benefit by adopting the observed unusual solutions.

Within triangulation, while the extant literature endorses the role of literal triangulation in obtaining consistent evidence, including how verifying inconsistent responses helps improve the validity of the obtained evidence, this paper advances two new triangulation approaches that can enrich the extant literature. Within theoretical generalization, while the extant literature deems constructive and contextual forms as “rhetoric”, this paper (1) expands their status to “logic” by clarifying their theoretical purpose and (2) introduces one new form, namely “transposed” logic that helps identify a generalizable range of management control problems that can adopt the observed unusual solution.

Organizational consultants employ scientific methodologies to collect data and generate an organizational diagnosis. Between‐method triangulation is a means of leveraging the strengths of several methods while mitigating weaknesses. This article briefly reviews common scientific data collection methodologies and provides an illustration of between‐method triangulation in organizational diagnosis. Interpretations of organizational social reality were based on the triangulation of data from interviews, systematic observation, observer‐as‐participant observation, and archival data. Between‐method triangulation resulted in a more complete assessment of organizational problems than any lone method.

The purpose of this paper is to provide instructional guidance on how to increase validity and reduce subjectivity in qualitative studies, such as grounded theory. The paper also demonstrates how different techniques can help management research by including informants/managers in a time efficient way.

This paper describes how three complementary triangulation methods can be used for validation and exploration of concepts and themes in qualitative studies. Tree graphs, concept mapping, and member checking are applied in a managerial case study, complementing a conventional grounded theory approach.

The paper suggests that naturalistic inquiries, such as grounded theory and thematic analysis, can use mixed methods and multiple sources and coders in order to offset biases and to validate and sort findings. The case study presents three different perspectives on how an organization comprehends diversity as a strategic issue.

The paper suggests a mixed methods design that addresses some of the potential shortcomings often found in grounded theory and other qualitative studies, their theory development and their documentation of processes. It positions the approach over the range of the triangulation literature and it argues that it is important to be aware of different triangulation mindsets, and these they are not necessarily contradictory.

The purpose of this paper is to respond to Modell’s paper entitled “Theoretical triangulation and pluralism in accounting research: a critical realist critique” (AAAJ this issue), which offers a two-part exposition of topics and issues pertaining to the recent paper “Theoretical triangulation and pluralism in research methods in organizational and accounting research” (Hoque et al., 2013).

Critical analysis of Modell’s observations pertaining to the paper drawing on the classical work of Burrell and Morgan (1979).

The authors reemphasize the need for an interaction between adopting an ontological stance and then conducting empirical research where the authors stated that the intention was not to argue any idea that theoretical triangulation approach should become the dominant approach and “take over” single theory approach. Instead, the authors demonstrate the ways theoretical triangulation can advance the understanding of multifaceted organizational realities.

The authors make a contribution to the generation of knowledge in research by addressing the tradeoffs involved such as possible theoretical incoherence and lack of focus when integrating theories with different ontological and epistemological assumptions.