Abstract
Marketing scholars have repeatedly called for more conceptual work. Despite this, the number of conceptual contributions within the discipline of marketing is declining. This chapter argues that one strategy to change this is development of methodological frameworks that can guide and accredit the creation of conceptual scientific knowledge. This chapter offers a framework—the Conceptual and Empirical Research (CER) model—to guide conceptual and empirical research. The model consists of three embedded layers—ultimate presumptions, abductive logic and research design, which describe and interrelate the processes of conceptual as well as empirical research and show how knowledge creation is an emergent process. A range of conceptual research strategies are proposed that facilitate both the discovery and justification of conceptual insights.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Alderson, Wroe. 1957. Marketing behavior and executive action. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin.
Alvesson, M., and K. Sköldberg. 1994. Tolkning och Reflektion. Vetenskapsfilosofi och Kvalitativ Metod. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Andersen, I. 2003. Den skinbarlige virkelighed. Gylling, Forlaget Samfundslitteratur.
Andreewsky, E., and Bourcier, D. 2000. Abduction in language interpretation and law making. Kybernetes 29: 836–845.
Arbnor, I., and B. Bjerke. 2009. Methodology for creating business knowledge. London: Sage Publications.
Arndt, J. 1985. On making marketing science more scientific: Role of orientations, paradigms, metaphors, and puzzle solving. Journal of Marketing 49: 11–23.
Barker, A., C. Nancarrow, and N. Spackman. 2001. Informed eclecticism: A research paradigm for the twenty-first century. International Journal of Market Research 43: 3–27.
Bateson, G. 1972. Steps to an ecology of mind. Chicago: The University of Chicago.
Blackmore, S. 1999. The meme machine. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bonoma, T.V. 1985. Case research in marketing: Opportunities, problems, and a process. Journal of Marketing Research 199–208.
Booth, W.C., G.G. Colomb, and B.C. Williams. 2003. The craft of research. London: The University of Chicago Press.
Borg, S.W. 2012. Conceptualisations of a relational oriented B2B selling process—and exploring the role of neuro-linguistic programming. Ph.D., University of Southern Denmark.
Brodie, R.J., M. Saren, and J. Pels. 2011. Theorizing about the service dominant logic: The bridging role of middle range theory. Marketing Theory 11 (1): 75–91.
Buttriss, G., and I.F. Wilkinson. 2006. Using narrative sequence methods to advance international entrepreneurship theory. Journal of International Entrepreneurship 4: 157–174.
Chalmers, A.F. 2007. What is this thing called Science?, 3rd ed. St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press.
Cleeren, K., H.J. Van Heerde, and M.G. Dekimpe. 2013. Rising from the ashes: How brands and categories can overcome product-harm crises. Journal of Marketing 77 (2): 58–77.
Danermark, B., M. Ekström, L. Jakobsen, and J.C. Karlsson. 2002. Explaining society critical realism in the social sciences, Routledge.
Darden, L. 1991. Theory change in science. New York: Oxford University Press.
Davis, M.S. 1971. That’s interesting!: Towards a phenomenology of sociology and a sociology of phenomenology. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, June, 309–344.
Denzin, N.K. 1988. The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Dosi, G. 1988. The nature of the innovative process. In Technical change and economic theory, ed. G. Dosi, Christopher Freeman, R. Nelson, G. Silverberg, and L.L. Soete. London: Pinter Publishers.
Dubois, A., and L.-E. Gadde. 2002. Systematic combining: An abductive approach to case research. Journal of Business Research 55: 553–560.
Duymedjian, R., and C.C. Rüling. 2010. Towards a foundation of bricolage in organization and management theory. Organization Studies 31 (2): 133–151.
Easton, G. 2002. Marketing: A critical realist approach. Journal of Business Research 55: 103–109.
Elder, L., and R. Paul. 2009. A glossary of critical thinking terms of concepts: The critical analytic vocabulary of the English language. CA, Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Ely, Margot. 1991. Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles, (Vol. 3.). Psychology Press.
Flick, U. 2009. An introduction to qualitative research. London: Sage Publications.
Frazier, Gary L. 1983. On the measurement of interfirm power in channels of distribution. Journal of Marketing Research, 158–166.
Freytag, P.V., and K. Philipsen. 2010. Challenges in relationship marketing. Viborg: Academica.
Gaski, John F. 1984. The theory of power and conflict in channels of distribution. The Journal of Marketing, 9–29.
Gordon, W. 1999. Goodthinking: A guide to qualitative research. London: Admap.
Guba, E.G., and Y.S. Lincoln. 1994. Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In Handbook of qualitative research, ed. N.K. Denzin, and Y.S. Lincoln. London: Sage Publications.
Hanson, N.R. 1958. Patterns of discovery. Cambridge, UK: University Press.
Healy, M., and C. Perry. 2000. Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability of qualitative research within the realism paradigm. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal 3: 118–126.
Hunt, S.D. 2011. Theory status, inductive realism, and approximate truth: No miracles, no charades. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 25: 159–178.
Jensen, H.S. 1995. Paradigms of theory-building in business studies. In European research paradigms in business studies, ed. T. Elfring, H.S. Jensen, and A. Money. København: Handelshøjskolens Forlag.
Kauffman, S. 1995. At home in the universe: The search for the laws of self-organization and complexity. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
Kerin, R.A. 1988. From the editor. Journal of Marketing 52: 1.
Kuhn, T. 1962. The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kirkeby, O.F. 1990. Abduktion. In Videnskabsteori og metodelære, ed. H. Andersen. Gylling: Samfundslitteratur.
Lundgren, A. 1995. Technological innovation and network evolution. New York, Routledge.
Lvi-Strauss, C. 1966. The savage mind. University of Chicago Press.
MacInnis, D.J. 2004. Where have all the papers gone? Association for Consumer Research Newsletter (Spring): 1–3.
MacInnis, D.J. 2011. A framework for conceptual contributions in marketing. Journal of Marketing 75: 136–154.
Marshall, C., and G. Rossman. 1989. Designing qualitative research. London, Sage.
Maxwell, J.A. 1996. Qualitative research design—An interactive approach. London: Sage Publication.
Mick, D.G., S. Pettigrew, C. Pechmann, and J.L. Ozanne. 2012. Origins, qualities, and envisionments of transformative consumer research. In Transformative consumer research for personal and collective well-being, 3–24.
Parasuraman, Anantharanthan, Valarie A. Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry. 1985. A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. The Journal of Marketing, 41–45.
Pike, S., and S.J. Page. 2014. Destination marketing organizations and destination marketing: A narrative analysis of the literature. Tourism Management 41: 202–227.
Punch, K. 1998. Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. London: Sage.
Ridley, M. 2011. The rational optimist: How prosperity evolves. New York: Harper Collins.
Robson, C. 2009. Real world research. Singapore: Blackwell Publishing.
Rong, B., and I.F. Wilkinson. 2011. What do managers’ survey responses mean and what affects them? The case of market orientation and firm performance. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ) 19 (3): 137–147.
Sartre, J.P. 1974. Between existentialism and Marxism (www.philpapers.org).
Saunders, M., P. Lewis, and A. Thornhill. 2009. Research methods for business students. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Silverman, D. 2010. Doing qualitative research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Sheth, J.N. 2011. Impact of emerging markets on marketing: Rethinking existing perspectives and practices. Journal of Marketing 75 (4): 166–182.
Srivastava, Rajendra K., Tasadduq A. Shervani, and Liam Fahey. 1999. Marketing, business processes, and shareholder value: An organizationally embedded view of marketing activities and the discipline of marketing. The Journal of Marketing, 168–179.
Stewart, D.W., and G.M. Zinkhan. 2006. Enhancing marketing theory in academic research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 34: 477–480.
Taylor, S.S., D. Fisher, and R.L. Dufresne. 2002. The aesthetics of management storytelling: A key to organizational learning. Management Learning 33: 313–330.
Webster, F.E.J. 2005. Back to the future: Integrating marketing as tactics, strategy, and organizational culture. In Marketing renaissance: Opportunities and imperatives for improving marketing thought, practice, and infrastructure. Journal of Marketing 69: 4–6.
Welch, C., and I. Wilkinson. 2002. Idea logics and network theory in business marketing. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing 9: 27–48.
Wilkinson, I., and L. Young. 2002a. On cooperating: Firms, relationships and networks. Journal of Business Research 55 (2): 123–133.
Wilkinson, I., and L. Young. 2002b. The role of marketing theory in studying marketing. Proceedings: Journal of Macro Marketing Conference, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Wilkinson, I., and L. Young. 2013. The past and the future of business marketing theory. Industrial Marketing Management 42 (3): 394–404.
Yadav, M.S. 2010. The decline of conceptual articles and implications for knowledge development. Journal of Marketing 74: 1–19.
Young, L., and L. Freeman. 2008. A case for contrast as a catalyst for change. International Journal of Learning 15 (3): 295–304.
Zikmund, W.B., J.C. Babin, and M. Griffin. 2012. Business research methods. Cengage Learning.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Borg, S.W., Young, L. (2018). A Framework for Undertaking Conceptual and Empirical Research. In: Freytag, P., Young, L. (eds) Collaborative Research Design. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5008-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5008-4_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5006-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5008-4
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)