Living Dangerously: Generalizing in Case Study Research

Abstract

The weak representation of case study research in marketing may in part be attributable to a lack of clarity in demonstrating and assessing rigour. The issue of rigour is ever present in research and in case study research has been the subject of investigation in several discipline-specific studies (for example Beverland and Lindgreen 2010; Dubé and Paré 2003; Gibbert and Ruigrok 2010). These studies have generated an array of insights and recommendations for management and management-related researchers whilst observing that extant advice is sometimes overlooked. In marketing, the lack of published papers means that case study researchers unlike quantitative investigators have few models with which to engage and thus limited guidance on how to deal with the vexatious rigour issues such as generalizability. The purpose of this chapter is to review claims for generalizability through a synthesis of the theory underpinning sampling and the nature of case study research. We offer important propositions for case study selection, which illuminate the burning issue of generalizability. The structure of this chapter is as follows: an overview of case study research rigour, sampling theory as applied to case study research, conclusions and further research.