Selecting case study as a research design

This research adopts case study as an appropriate strategy for this research method which falls into this paradigm and often used in IS research. As case study concerns investigation of a particular situation that concerns a social entity or social event and consists of a variety of methods and strategies that enable the researcher to select the source of data and to collect and analyse the data in a particular period of time (Blaikie, 2010). This was found to be relevant to this research study as the case study will be investigating the e-Umrah system in a specific period of time and will enable this research study to qualitatively collect and analyse the data.

Case study also enables the facilitation of the exploration of a particular phenomenon, entity, event or individual from diverse data sources (Yin, 2003, Baxter and Jack, 2008). This is another relevant reason which will enable the researcher to collect data from various sources which will be described in detail in the research procedure section. It ensures that the exploration takes a profound understanding from multiple perspectives (Baxter and Jack, 2008).

This also enables this study to investigate all the users of the e-Umrah systems with their different perspectives on the e-Umrah system infrastructure.

Furthermore, case study is used when the questions why and how are involved, to deliver reasons to understand the differences between what was practically proposed and the actual occurrence through questioning why issues occur in contextual reality and how these issues exist (Noor, 2008; Yin, 2003).

This will also enable the researcher to understand how the system developed and why the phases of the system and the changes that occurred in the scope of the e-Umrah system infrastructure throughout time.

Case study has also been lauded for giving researchers a holistic view of certain phenomena, as well as for providing a round picture of the evidence made available. It is useful in capturing the emergent properties of life in organisations, including the flow and changes in organisations (Noor, 2008).

This is another reason why case study is used in this research to enable the researcher to give a holistic, clear and wide image of the phenomena under investigation which is e-Umrah system infrastructure.

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Benbasat et al. (1987) proposed three strengths of case study research strategy that they recommended as fitting well in the information systems discipline. Firstly, case study enables the researcher to investigate a particular phenomenon in the natural setting and learn the nature of the existing state of the art, such as protocol, processes and procedures of the phenomenon. This was found to be relevant to the aim of this research which is to investigate e-government phenomena in their natural settings and to learn about the state of the art that is designated in the relationships of government to business specifically in the e-Umrah system. Secondly, the case study was found to empower the researcher to understand the nature and complexity of the processes that occur in the phenomenon and to enable us to answer the questions of how and why. Hence, this was found applicable in this research study since the researcher aims to have some answers as how the relationships between government and business are established, how these relationships developed and changed chronologically throughout time, how infrastructure is perceived from the perspective of the private sector (whether visible or invisible), and why obstacles exists which hinder government and private sector from having a robust relationship. Thirdly and most essentially is, as Benbasat et al. (1987) summarised, that the case study fits well when little knowledge is known about the phenomena in the area which the research study aims to investigate. The rationale for this study was to investigate e-government and government to business relationships through its infrastructure, because little consideration has been given to this topic, and few previous studies have concerned G2B.

As the case study has strengths, it also has weaknesses in its general application. Case study has been considered as lacking in scientific rigour and reliability, and also limited in its ability to deal with the issues of generalisability (Noor, 2008). Another considerable weakness of case study research is that case study presents subjectivity in the data collection process, due to the fact that the researcher is interpreting from a single perspective which is the researcher’s perspective (Noor, 2008). Steps have been taken to overcome the problems of reliability, generlisability, and subjectivity. As regards generlisability, this case study adopted one example of government to business projects which is e-Umrah system, hence if similar conditions occur in other projects, this

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research study can be applied. The researcher attempted to link the findings of this study to the findings of other studies from the same context which is e-government literature. As regards reliability, the data were reviewed by interviewees after the researcher finished collecting the data. And as regards subjectivity, the researcher was working with supervisors during the whole case study processes when interview questions were developed, data collected, analysed and reported. The supervisors worked closely with the researcher and reviewed all the steps and processes to overcome subjectivity, therefore the interpretation does not interpret solely from the researcher’s perspective but with consultation and feedback from other perspectives.

Case study can either be single or multiple. A single case study highlights one case only; and a multiple case study includes two of more cases within the study (Yin, 2003). This research study selects a single case study because it describes one single case which is the e-Umrah system’s infrastructure where diverse aspects such as social, technological, organisational and managerial are embedded within this bounded system.

Case study has different types (Table 4.5). This research study can be categorised as an exploratory study. The reason why this study takes an exploratory approach is due to the ability of an exploratory approach to provide a new set of questions and knowledge for e-government infrastructure and government to business that enables the researcher to get a single set of outcomes in a situation that is not clear, is complex, or has not been investigated previously (Yin, 2003; Baxter and Jones, 2008). In addition, exploratory study enables the researcher to have insight into the existing status of the investigated subject and permits the production of new insights and generates ideas for new research (Runeson and Host, 2009).

Case study type

Definition Published study

example

Explanatory This type of case study would be used if you were seeking to answer a question that sought to explain the presumed causal links in

real-Joia (2002). Analysing a web-based e-commerce learning community: A case study in Brazil.

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Exploratory This type of case study is used to explore those situations in which the intervention being evaluated has no clear, single set of

outcomes (Yin, 2003).

Descriptive This type of case study is used to describe an intervention or

phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred (Yin, 2003).

A multiple case study enables the researcher to explore differences within and between cases. The goal is to replicate findings across cases. Because comparisons will be drawn, it is imperative that the cases are chosen carefully so that the researcher can predict similar

Intrinsic Stake (1995) uses the term intrinsic and suggests that

researchers who have a genuine interest in the case should use this approach when the intent is to better understand the case. It is not undertaken primarily because

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the case represents other cases or because it illustrates a particular trait or problem, but because in all its particularity and ordinariness, the case itself is of interest. The purpose is NOT to come to understand some abstract

construct or generic phenomenon.

The purpose is NOT to build theory (although that is an option; Stake, 1995).

Instrumental Is used to accomplish something other than understanding a particular situation. It provides insight into an issue or helps to refine a theory. The case is of secondary interest; it plays a supportive role, facilitating our understanding of something else.

The case is often looked at in depth, its contexts scrutinised, its

Collective Collective case studies are similar in nature and description to

Table 4.5: Case study types, definitions, and examples (Source: Baxter and Jack (2008: 549))

In order to achieve the aim of this research, an interpretive stance is the appropriate paradigm. This is because the researcher interacts subjectively with

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the e-government phenomena to unveil the knowledge that lies behind the relationships between government to business from a business perspective.

Hence, the researcher’s focus in this research study is on delivering in-depth and holistic knowledge about the relationships between government and business and its infrastructure by stressing close attention to describing and explaining the existing relationships, its infrastructure, and highlighting its significance. Also, the interpretive paradigm enables the researcher to obtain the knowledge from the Umrah companies in order to construct, shape and conceptualise the knowledge that enables the creation of a meaning to these relationships and to understand government to business relationships through its infrastructure, based on Umrah companies’ perspective. In addition, utilising an interpretive paradigm in this research study assists the researcher in highlighting the barriers and limitations that obstruct understanding of these investigated relationships. For the above reasons, interpretive case study, single case and exploratory approach were the most suitable strategy for achieving the aim of this research.

It is also worth mentioning that the researcher selected e-Umrah system as a case study for numerous reasons. Firstly, the researcher’s core education and background was focused in the field of Information systems and management information systems. Secondly, the researcher had a background on the political issues in his country through family members working in several Ministries. This enabled the researcher to have an understanding of the governmental projects and ease of accessibility to the field of Umrah and investigating and exploring e-Umrah system. Thirdly, the researcher was from the western province of Saudi Arabia and living in the holy city of Madinah which is considered a part of Umrah activities. Fourthly, the researcher had some knowledge about the Umrah activities and desired to provide a research that increased the understanding of Umrah and add knowledge in the Umrah field through exploring and investigating the e-Umrah system as this research is original and had not been investigated and explored before.

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4.4.2 The design and procedures of the preliminary