Methodology

Abstract

The importance of the timeliness of new product rollout, the insights supplied by previous literature on the subject and the emergent theoretical framework were explained in Chapter 2. This chapter describes in more detail the methodology of the present study. Discussion focuses, in particular on the nature of the dependent variable (section 3.2), the context of the study (section 3.3), the justification for selecting the case method (section 3.4), the research phases (section 3.5), sample selection (section 3.6), data collection, formulation of hypotheses and measurement issues (section 3.7), and the method of carrying out the cross-case analysis (section 3.8). The nature of the dependent variable is first explained.