Exploring Research Methodology and Research Design: Doing Research Across the Business Disciplines

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.

Edited by Peter John Sandiford, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Sabine Schührer, Research Fellow, University of Adelaide Business School, University of Adelaide, Australia