ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The chapter reports a study that was designed to establish the circumstances in which different levels of quality with regard to a feature of steel reinforced concrete structures were achieved. A procedure in the research process is discussed in order to consider ways in which the research paradigm used influences findings and the practical inferences that may be drawn from them. Four research paradigms are considered and contrasted, two of them are referred to as 'applied' and two as `critical'. It is argued that if developments like that of lean construction are to realize their potential benefits, 'critical' research has an important contribution to make.
