Methodology

Abstract

All research work is based on a certain vision of the world, employs a methodology and proposes results aimed at predicting, prescribing, understanding or explaining (Thietart et al., 2001). This work aims to undertake research in the area of business and management. There are two major advantages of business research. Firstly, it can use knowledge from a range of disciplines to gain new insights that cannot be obtained through all of these disciplines separately. Secondly, management research should be able to develop ideas and relate them to practice (Saunders et al., 2007). To evaluate the status of knowledge, researchers can draw inspiration from paradigms. There are three major paradigms representing the main epistemological streams in organizational science: the positivist, interpretativist and constructivist paradigms (Thietart et al., 2001). The latter two belong to the non-positivist approach, which is referred to as phenomenology. The paradigm that is adopted is important since the epistemological positioning will have a decisive influence on the design that a researcher will be able to implement (Thietart et al., 2001).

The starting point in all research is to add value to the body of accumulated knowledge (Remenyi et al., 2005). The research should not be self-indulgent and has to matter to others.

Salmon (2003)