MYERS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Sage Publications Limited © 2008 Michael D. Myers All Rights Reserved OVERVIEW OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Chapter 2

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Why do qualitative research?  Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and what they say and do  They allow a researcher to see and understand the context within which actions and decisions take place  It is the context that helps to ‘explain’ why someone said something or acted the way they did  Also by talking to people, or reading what they have written, we can find out what they are or were thinking Overview of Qualitative Research2

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Types of questions using qualitative research  What is happening here?  Why is it happening?  How has it come to happen this way?  When did it happen? Overview of Qualitative Research3

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT What is research?  In a university setting, research is defined as an original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and understanding in a particular field  Research is a creative activity leading to the production of new knowledge  How do we know that the research results are new?  How do we know that the findings are original?  How do we know that the research was conduced in a rigorous manner? Overview of Qualitative Research4

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT The peer review system  Research findings must be open to scrutiny and formal evaluation by experts in a particular field  Experts are those who are experienced and ‘qualified’ to review research  If the research findings are new to these expert reviewers, then we can say that the research findings represent an original contribution to knowledge  This peer review system exists in all scientific disciplines  It is a system of quality assurance  It is a social system Overview of Qualitative Research5

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Quantitative and qualitative research compared Overview of Qualitative Research6 Qualitative Research: A focus on text Quantitative Research: A focus on numbers Action research Case study research Ethnography Grounded theory Semiotics Discourse analysis Hermeneutics Narrative and metaphor Surveys Laboratory experiments Simulation Mathematical modelling Structured equation modelling Statistical analysis Econometrics

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Quantitative and qualitative research  Quantitative research focuses on numbers  Quantitative research is best if you want to generalize to a larger population (find trends, patterns... )  Qualitative research focuses on text. Text is what people say (verbally or in written form)  Qualitative research is best if you want to study a particular subject in depth  Both quantitative and qualitative research are useful and needed in research in business and management. Both are important and both can be rigorous Overview of Qualitative Research7

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Triangulation  The word ‘triangulation’ has at least two meanings –Combining quantitative and qualitative research methods in the one study –Using two or more techniques to gather data  The key idea is to look at the same topic but from different angles  It is relatively common for qualitative researchers to use the second form of triangulation, less so the first  Perhaps one of the best ways to triangulate qualitative and quantitative methods is to involve multiple researchers who have the required expertise Overview of Qualitative Research8

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Research in business and management Overview of Qualitative Research9 Body of knowledge in a business and management discipline (theories, concepts, models, beliefs...) Empirical evidence (qualitative and quantitative data) Figure 2.1 A model of research in business and management

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Rigor and relevance in research Overview of Qualitative Research10 Rigorous ResearchRelevant Research ‘Scientific research’ Emphasis on meeting scientific standards such as validity and reliability Subject to academic peer review Published in academic journals Theoretical contribution Relevant to business practitioners Emphasis on being of practical immediate relevant to practice Published in consulting reports or industry magazines Practical contribution Table 2.2. Rigour and Relevance

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Qualitative research and relevance  Qualitative research allows scholarship and practice to come together  Qualitative researchers in business and management study real situations and engage with people in organizations  It is one way for business research to become more relevant Overview of Qualitative Research11