Research strategy can be defined as a procedure to structure the research. It is the overall plan of the way in which the researcher will go about answering the research questions with the purpose of satisfying the research aim and objectives (Saunders et al., 2012). Naoum (2007, p37) define research strategy as: “a way in which research objectives can be questioned. It is dependent on the purpose of the study and the type and availability of the information which is required.” Yin (2009) identifies that the choice of strategy should be reliant on the research area. However, there are many research strategies in social science research, including surveys, experiments, historical analysis, and case studies (Yin, 2009; Velde et al., 2004). Table 3.3 summarises these research strategies.
Table 3.3: Different Research Strategies. (Yin, 2009).
Strategy Form of Research Question Requires Control
of Behavioural Aspects
Focuses on Contemporary
Events?
Experimental How, Why? Yes Yes
Survey How, What, Where, How many,
How much?
No Yes
Archival analysis
How, What, Where, How many, How much?
No Yes/No
History How, Why? No No
65
3.6.1 Case Study Strategy
The use of case study strategy has become extremely prevalent in social science research. A case study is a perfect methodology when a holistic, in depth analysis is required (Yin, 2009). It is also suitable if the researcher has little control over the events, focuses on contemporary events, and wants to gain rich information and deep understanding of the situation into real life. It plans to take out the details from the perspective of the participants by using several sources of data. It enables a researcher to closely study the data within a specific situation (Yin, 2009). In this method, evidence is collected systematically by observation and/or interview.
However, as in all strategies, case study has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of case study are that it allows the researcher to use a multiple sources of data; also, it is beneficial if the research has a qualitative orientation (Denscombe, 2003). However, the disadvantage of case study is that the conclusions drawn may be specific to the certain organisations studied and may not be generalizable (Yin, 2009).
As a research strategy, the case study might be used in management studies and organisational; in the academic disciplines; in conducting research theses in the social sciences; plus in professional areas for instance management science and business administration (Yin, 2009).
Yin (2009) specifies that the case study is the best suitable strategy when ‘why’ or ‘how’ questions are being posed. This lets researcher explain not only what happened but also how it happened. Referring to the above discussion, the case study strategy has been adopted, as it is the most suitable research strategy to identify and investigate facilitates data management in building handover practices of public sector construction projects in the KSA and to answer the research questions. The occasion is contemporary and the researcher has no control over this phenomenon.
3.6.2 Multiple Cases or Single Case
The main distinction to make when implementing a case study strategy is among multiple case and single case designs. Yin (2009) declares that multiple case studies are
66 usually used to replicate results and maintain theoretical generalisations and also increase the external validity of the research. On the other hand, Yin (2009) gives five justifications for implementing a single case study: critical case, unique case, representative or typical case, a revelatory case, and longitudinal case. However, a single case study has a shortage on the generalizability of conclusions drawn (Voss et al., 2002). Thus, the researchers must have a strong justification if they choose a single case study as a research strategy.
Referring to Yin, (2009) the single case study strategy can be used when the case is a representative or typical case. In this rationale, the case may represent a typical project among many different projects, a factory is supposed to be typical of many other factories in the same industry, or a representative school. The lessons learned from these cases are supposed to be useful for the experiences of the average individual or organization. Dependent on the above discussion, the researcher implemented the single case study design, where the context is the Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Regional Municipality in the KSA as the case.
Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Regional Municipality in the KAS can be used as an effective case study and has sufficient scale for the study. As a representative case and one of the large cities experiencing significant growth in the field of construction, this is a good choice; it will provide answers to the research questions and will give a rich understanding about the influence of obstacles that affect lifecycle data management in new airports, universities, hospitals, and modern cities. The presence of the holy mosque in Al-Madinah, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year, leads to the growth of the economy and the construction market in this city. Additionally, from the research point of view, there is a lack of published literature in data management in building handover practices of public sector construction projects in the Saudi Arabia. The choice of a single case study will allow for an in-depth analysis. Thus, the lessons and knowledge that could be obtained from studying and investigating the data management in building handover practices from Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Regional Municipality will be chosen, and results will be extrapolated to other municipalities across KSA.
67 Logistically, accessibility to the Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Regional Municipality is undemanding, as the researcher was working at this organisation and has good relationships with decision-makers and other staff in the organisation. Thus, according to the importance of social relations in Arabic society, the researcher will benefit from an in-depth understanding of some of the key projects undertaken recently in this municipality. In this context, the researcher's contacts will help arrange interviews with some of the high level managers, and will be able to convince the targeted managers within Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Regional Municipality to assist in the data collection process, thus saving the researcher’s time in searching for organizational documents and approvals. Also, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah is where the researcher lives; consequently, from the time, effort and cost view, it is suitable.
Another potential strategy for this kind of research is that of the survey, which is commonly linked to the deductive approach. It tends to be used in the collection of a large quantity of data from a huge population in a highly inexpensive way, and is mainly achieved by using a questionnaire through appropriate selection of a representative sample. Furthermore, the survey strategy research may also add greater confidence in the generalizability of the in-depth results found in a case study. Results from survey analysis will be combined with case study analysis to achieve better insights (Saunders et al., 2012).
However, the methodological plurality can generate a comprehensive result with a useful level of detail. Based on the above discussions, a two-research strategy case study and survey have been implemented in this research. Combining these two research strategies will help overcome some of the weaknesses and limitation of a singularly method.