Hardback
Exploring Research Methodology and Research Design
Doing Research Across the Business Disciplines
9781800880191 Edward Elgar Publishing
This book introduces research methodology to business scholars. It draws on the experiences of academics at different stages in their careers, from early career researchers to seasoned professors. These serve as examples of actual practice both applying relevant methodological theory and exploring its implications for research across the business disciplines.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
This book introduces research methodology to business scholars. It draws on the experiences of academics at different stages in their careers, from early career researchers to seasoned professors. These serve as examples of actual practice both applying relevant methodological theory and exploring its implications for research across the business disciplines.
The book’s contributors share alternative perspectives and sometimes controversial ideas that call for debate in the theory and philosophy of business research. They focus on the connection between research design and philosophical concepts such as ontology, epistemology and axiology. Ultimately, they emphasise that all researchers must take responsibility for their work and the challenging decisions they face despite being inevitably influenced by political, disciplinary and organisational constraints.
This book will be particularly beneficial to Honours, Masters by research and Doctoral students from a variety of business disciplines, such as accounting, finance, international business, management, marketing and organisational studies. It provides a starting point for learning about the challenges and joys of social research. It also offers experienced researchers, educators and supervisors a reminder and refresh about methodological issues, revisiting and introducing alternative scholarly perspectives.
The book’s contributors share alternative perspectives and sometimes controversial ideas that call for debate in the theory and philosophy of business research. They focus on the connection between research design and philosophical concepts such as ontology, epistemology and axiology. Ultimately, they emphasise that all researchers must take responsibility for their work and the challenging decisions they face despite being inevitably influenced by political, disciplinary and organisational constraints.
This book will be particularly beneficial to Honours, Masters by research and Doctoral students from a variety of business disciplines, such as accounting, finance, international business, management, marketing and organisational studies. It provides a starting point for learning about the challenges and joys of social research. It also offers experienced researchers, educators and supervisors a reminder and refresh about methodological issues, revisiting and introducing alternative scholarly perspectives.
Critical Acclaim
‘This book is interesting and thought-provoking. It strips away the mystique surrounding methodology and research design. Its “jargon busting” approach is novel and helpful, and students will find that it guides them through the minefield of theory to develop coherent and meaningful studies.’
– Mark Crowder, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
– Mark Crowder, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Contents
Contents
PART A Introducing and theorising research methodology
1 Introduction to Exploring Research Methodology and Research Design 3
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
2 A negotiated/personal perspective and overview of research philosophy 11
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
3 Business research in practice 21
Sabine Schührer and Peter John Sandiford
4 Philosophical concept creep or conceptual fragmentation in methodology 32
Peter John Sandiford
PART B Research design and planning
5 The confirmation bias 47
Dirk Boehe
6 Social pressures to conform to a given set of research methods 58
Don J. Webber and Steven Pattinson
7 Researching gossip in organisations through organisational ethnography 71
Ziyun Ziyun
8 The sample size debate: a perspective from a phenomenological doctoral journey 82
Marilena Antoniadou
9 The authentic and the published researcher: reflecting on tensions between epistemology and publishing conventions 93
Sarah-Jane Lennie
10 History, conceptual thinking and systems thinking: does conducting research in history really teach you how to think? 104
Sam Wells
PART C The practice of research: doing research
11 Putting research into practice – creating an interview 117
Sandy MacDonald
12 Doing process research on temporal sensemaking in changing organisation 127
Patrick Dawson
13 Approaches emerging from the questions of practice: autoethnographic fictionalization of the leadership experience 136
Nicole Cheesman-Dutton
14 Doing qualitative, retrospective longitudinal research with audiovisual data 145
Stefan Gröschl and Guillermo Wilches
15 Making reflexivity explicit in qualitative research 153
Ankit Agarwal
16 Using thematic template analysis in qualitative innovation research 163
Steven Pattinson
17 Applying the comparative method to accounting for the public sector 174
Jens Heiling
18 Conclusion: a final note from the editors 187
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
PART A Introducing and theorising research methodology
1 Introduction to Exploring Research Methodology and Research Design 3
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
2 A negotiated/personal perspective and overview of research philosophy 11
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
3 Business research in practice 21
Sabine Schührer and Peter John Sandiford
4 Philosophical concept creep or conceptual fragmentation in methodology 32
Peter John Sandiford
PART B Research design and planning
5 The confirmation bias 47
Dirk Boehe
6 Social pressures to conform to a given set of research methods 58
Don J. Webber and Steven Pattinson
7 Researching gossip in organisations through organisational ethnography 71
Ziyun Ziyun
8 The sample size debate: a perspective from a phenomenological doctoral journey 82
Marilena Antoniadou
9 The authentic and the published researcher: reflecting on tensions between epistemology and publishing conventions 93
Sarah-Jane Lennie
10 History, conceptual thinking and systems thinking: does conducting research in history really teach you how to think? 104
Sam Wells
PART C The practice of research: doing research
11 Putting research into practice – creating an interview 117
Sandy MacDonald
12 Doing process research on temporal sensemaking in changing organisation 127
Patrick Dawson
13 Approaches emerging from the questions of practice: autoethnographic fictionalization of the leadership experience 136
Nicole Cheesman-Dutton
14 Doing qualitative, retrospective longitudinal research with audiovisual data 145
Stefan Gröschl and Guillermo Wilches
15 Making reflexivity explicit in qualitative research 153
Ankit Agarwal
16 Using thematic template analysis in qualitative innovation research 163
Steven Pattinson
17 Applying the comparative method to accounting for the public sector 174
Jens Heiling
18 Conclusion: a final note from the editors 187
Peter John Sandiford and Sabine Schührer
