Research Methods For Managers

This new edition helps management students with the methods they need when undertaking their proejct work, be it at first degree, diploma, MBA or doctorate level. The text incorporates feedback from a range of researchers, educators and students, with new examples of management research included.

The highly-anticipated Fourth Edition of this bestselling text still succeeds in providing a step-by-step guide to implementing particular methodologies, while simultaneously encouraging a strong awareness of philosophical assumptions. NEW to the Fourth Edition: - Expanded coverage to accommodate recent developments in management research methodology. New topics include: doing a literature review, case study research, action research, mixed methods, and writing-up. - Packed with practical research examples and exercises that encourage students to reflect upon the issues raised and relate them to their own experience. - Additional learning features including critical reflection boxes, case studies and chapter summaries. - A companion website with a full Instructors′ Manual and PowerPoint slides. Students have free access to downloadable journal articles and author podcasts. Using a practical approach, but with explicit attention to the role of theory in management research, the new edition of Research Methods for Managers is a stimulating guide for students in management, organization and organization research.

This edition provides a step-by-step guide to implementing particular methodologies, while simultaneously encouraging a strong awareness of philosophical assumptions.

Management Research Methods, first published in 2007, is a comprehensive guide to the design and conduct of research in management-related disciplines such as organisational behaviour, human resource management, industrial relations, and the general field of management. Specifically, the text begins by providing an overview of the research process and in subsequent chapters explains the major types of design used in management research (correlational field studies, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, case studies, historical analysis, and action research). There are also chapters that describe the methods of data collection (interviews, questionnaires, documentation and observation) commonly employed by management researchers. In addition, the text examines the issues of reliability and validity, the construction of multi-item scales, and the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The text concludes with a practical guide explaining how to report research findings and a discussion of the ethical issues in the conduct and practice of research.

Since the beginning of the century, there have been calls for the integration of traditional individualistic (micro) and management (macro) paradigms in Human Resource Management studies. In order to understand this so-called ’black box,’ the HR field needs research which is more sensitive to institutional and cultural contexts, focusing on formal and informal relationships between employees, supervisors and HR managers and the means by which these organizational participants enable and motivate one another. This book presents advanced quantitative and mixed research methods that can be used to analyze integrated macro and micro paradigms within the field of Human Resource Management. Multi actor, social network and longitudinal research practices, among others, are explored. Readers will gain insight into the advantages and disadvantages of different research methods in order to evaluate which type is most suitable to their research. This book is suitable for both advanced researchers and graduate students.

This updated and revised edition offers a comprehensive overview of key research methods and the main choices available when undertaking research in business and management. New to this edition is a comprehensive, practical guide on how to write your dissertation - invaluable to all. It is a clear, concise and practical guide containing wealth of outstanding examples for each method covered.Central to this edition is the 'methods map' (chapter 4), which sets out a logical process for researchers to articulate their position in relation to five key aspects of their research philosophy. In addition, the editors have developed a free app to accompany the book and this enables novice researchers to quickly develop a comprehensive justification of their particular research design in an interactive way. Taking you through the entire life cycle of a dissertation, the text covers everything from the purposes of research through to chapters on gathering primary and secondary data; using literature; quantitative and qualitative research; managing your research; using data and research ethics. Individual chapters are allied to a powerful critical commentary showing how some of the world's leading scholars have used particular methods in their own research. Carefully constructed to achieve the greatest clarity for the student the text gives the reader: * In-text exercises * End of chapter' review questions with solutions* Exemplar papers identified and discussed for each of the main methods *Directed further reading for developing understanding in key areas It is an essential learning aid for upper level undergraduates and postgraduates across a wide range of business and management courses and it comes with a range of supported learning materials including tutorials, lecture slides and tutor notes.Kevin O'Gorman is Professor of Management and Business History and Head of Business Management in the School of Languages and Management in Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He trained in Glasgow, Salamanca and Rome as a philosopher, theologian and historian. His research interests have a dual focus: Origins, history and cultural practices of hospitality, and philosophical, ethical and cultural underpinnings of contemporary management practices. Using a wide range of methodological approaches he has published over 80 journal articles, books, chapters, and conference papers in business and management studies.Robert MacIntosh is Professor of Strategy and Head of the School of Management and Languages at Heriot-Watt University. He trained as an engineer and has worked at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. His research on the ways in which top teams develop strategy and on organizational change has been published in a wide range of outlets. He has a long-standing interest in research methods for business and management studies and has published on the relevance of management research using methods that include ethnography and action research. He has consulted extensively with public and private sector organizations and sits on the board of the charity Turning Point Scotland.

The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods provides a state-of–the-art overview of qualitative research methods in the business and management field. The Handbook celebrates the diversity of the field by drawing from a wide range of traditions and by bringing together a number of leading international researchers engaged in studying a variety of topics through multiple qualitative methods. The chapters address the philosophical underpinnings of particular approaches to research, contemporary illustrations, references, and practical guidelines for their use. The two volumes therefore provide a useful resource for Ph.D. students and early career researchers interested in developing and expanding their knowledge and practice of qualitative research. In covering established and emerging methods, it also provides an invaluable source of information for faculty teaching qualitative research methods. The contents of the Handbook are arranged into two volumes covering seven key themes: Volume One: History and Tradition Part One: Influential Traditions: underpinning qualitative research: positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism, constructionism, critical, poststructuralism, hermeneutics, postcolonialism, critical realism, mixed methods, grounded theory, feminist and indigenous approaches. Part Two: Research Designs: ethnography, field research, action research, case studies, process and practice methodologies. Part Three: The Researcher: positionality, reflexivity, ethics, gender and intersectionality, writing from the body, and achieving critical distance. Part Four: Challenges: research design, access and departure, choosing participants, research across boundaries, writing for different audiences, ethics in international research, digital ethics, and publishing qualitative research. Volume Two: Methods and Challenges Part One: Contemporary methods: interviews, archival analysis, autoethnography, rhetoric, historical, stories and narratives, discourse analysis, group methods, sociomateriality, fiction, metaphors, dramaturgy, diary, shadowing and thematic analysis. Part Two: Visual methods: photographs, drawing, video, web images, semiotics and symbols, collages, documentaries. Part Three: Methodological developments: aesthetics and smell, fuzzy set comparative analysis, sewing quilts, netnography, ethnomusicality, software, ANTI-history, emotion, and pattern matching.

Managers and administrators in the public-policy and nonprofit sectors rely heavily on analytical skills to quickly pore through a massive amount of research. They dissect it and apply specific, useful data that can inform critical policy changes and help them improve their organization’s overall performance and financial position. To master this vital role, it is imperative that they and their staff learn to be more efficient at collecting, analyzing and evaluating research material, by discovering how to ask the right questions and quickly discern valuable information from useless data. A Blueprint to Streamline Every Aspect of the Research Process Focusing on the entire research process from start to finish, the compact but comprehensive Understanding Research Methods: A Guide for the Public and Nonprofit Manager explores the research designs and analytical tools that are the foundation for decision-making. Relying more on concepts and analysis than on mathematics, this text provides insight into the definition, process, importance, and capabilities of research – addressing the topic from the perspectives of both the producer of data and the consumer who evaluates its usefulness. Broken down into three sections, the book: Gives an overview of the research process, the construction of measures, and research ethics Elaborates on planning a research method, presenting common research designs used by practitioners and the most useful, popular ways to collect data Focuses on tools available to analyze and then communicate data – specifically univariate and bivariate analyses This versatile text is intended for dual uses – as a textbook for graduate and undergraduate students in public and nonprofit administration and public policy, and as a practical guide for the average administrator. Both groups will learn how to develop proper research questions, define specific research purposes, and form hypotheses that avoid confusion in measurement and analysis. Imparting basic practical knowledge, it outlines effective approaches to gather accurate, relevant information and then effectively interpret and communicate it.