Research Methods for the DBA

Françoise Chevalier, L. Martin Cloutier, Nathalie Mitev

Description

The thesis completed as part of the Doctorate in Business Administration, called the DBA, requires the candidate to choose from a wide range of research methods and tools so this project can become reality. Determining, choosing, implementing and contextualizing research methods and tools are all crucial steps for the success of the research work undertaken as part of the DBA thesis.

The 30 chapters of this book have been prepared to the attention of DBA candidates, to orient and guide them in choosing research methods and tools. The first part raises the question of the choice of research methods; the second one deals with data collection methods; the third part focuses on data analysis methods; and the fourth surveys the contextualization of methods. Written so as to ensure contents are accessible and to foster learning, the chapters provide the foundations and resources to guide methodological choices.

This book is the English augmented edition of the French edition published as part of the Business Science Institute collection. The aim is to produce reference books to guide the academic work of doctoral candidates in the scientific training curriculum of the DBA. The first collective book published in 2015, The Creation of Knowledge by Managers (available in French), aimed to establish the main guidelines for this new role assumed by managers in management practice: that of new knowledge producers. Also part of the collection, the book How to Successfully Complete Your DBA?, aims to guide the research elaboration and execution of the DBA thesis.

Sujets

• Référence
• DBA

Informations

• Publié par: Éditions EMS
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9782376873266
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

CollectionBusiness Science Institute

Research Methods for the DBA

Edited by Françoise CHEVALIER, L. Martin CLOUTIER e t Nathalie MITEV

136 boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc 14000 CAEN

© 2019. EMS Editions All rights reserved www.editions-ems.fr ISBN : 978-2-37687-326-6 (ebooks)

Table des matières

List of Editors and Contributors

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction. Research Methods for the DBA: Researc h Fieldwork, for the Field and Through the Field

Preface. The Importance and Relevance of Methods of Knowing for Efficient Management Practices

PART I. Choosing a Research Method Adapted to the Field Question Introduction topart I Chapter 1.The General Framework of Field Studies Introduction 1. Place of the Field in the Research Process 2. Purposes of a Research Field 3. Place of the Field in Choosing a Thesis Topic 4. The Field: Source and Destination of a DBA Conclusion Chapter 2.Hope, Despair and the Doctoral Candidate Introduction 1. The beginning of the thesis: questions 2. The middle of the thesis: doubts 3. The end of the thesis: uncertainties Chapter 3.From Literature Review to Research Problem and Question Introduction 1. Why is the literature review essential? 2. Conducting your literature review 3. Key issues with the literature review Conclusion Chapter 4.From the Research Problem to the Research Method Introduction 1. Identifying a research problem 2. Problematization: determining the research topic 3. Links to the research problem: research questions, research objectives, and research methods Conclusion Chapter 5.The Portfolio of Field Research Methods: Qualitative Methods, Quantitative Methods and Mixed Methods Introduction 1. Starting from your research objective: what is the ‘cognitive project’ of your thesis? 2. Understanding the quantitative/qualitative distinction to better overcome it 3. The portfolio of methods Conclusions and recommendations Chapter 6.The Emergence of Design Science Research in Management as a Research Approach Introduction

1. Presentation of an example of DSR 2. Main foundations, concepts and activities of DSR Conclusion

PART II. Collecting Data From The Field Introduction topart II Chapter 7.Observation Introduction 1. Definition and types of observation 2. The benefits of observation 3. The difficulties of observation 4. Observation in practice Conclusion Chapter 8.Strategies for Interviewing Introduction 1. Definitions: interview and interview types 2. The practice of semi-structured interviews Conclusion Chapter 9.Case Studies Introduction 1. What is the case study research method? 2. Why use the case study method? 3. How should cases be selected? 4. What are the different types of case studies? 5. The research design: single case study or multiple case studies? 6. Advantages and disadvantages of case study method Conclusion Chapter 10.The Ethnographic Method Introduction 1. Ethnography as a data gathering method in the field 2. Application of the ethnographic approach and method Conclusion Chapter 11.Life Narratives Introduction 1. Life narratives in the social sciences: a definition 2. When and how should life narratives be used? Conclusion Chapter 12.Data Collection on the Internet Introduction 1. How can the scientific quality of consulted online data be ensured? 2. How can data collected on the internet be used when conducting an empirical study? Conclusion Chapter 13.Questionnaires and Online Questionnaires Introduction 1. The use of questionnaires for research 2. Online questionnaires: strengths and weaknesses 3. Some examples 4. Designing a questionnaire or evaluation grid and posting it online

Chapter 14.Quasi-Experimental Design Introduction 1. The quasi-experimental approach 2. The advantages of the quasi-experimental approach 3. The keys to success for quasi-experiments and practical advice

PART III. Analyzing Field Data Introduction topart III Chapter 15.The Analysis of Qualitative Data: A Journey to the Center of Coding Introduction 1. A little theory: what is coding? 2. A little practice: how do we connect concepts with data? 3. A little reflection: how can we make data meaningful? 4. Before acting: how can we justify coding? Conclusion Chapter 16.Software and Qualitative Data Analysis Introduction 1. Qualitative data: collection and processing 2. NVivo: software that analyzes the meaning and connections between qualitative data 3. The process of deconstruction-reconstruction: an example of using NVivo Conclusion Chapter 17.Visual Data Analysis 1. Analyzing the visual: definitions and related methods 2. Using visualization in management research Conclusion Chapter 18.Multivariate Statistical Analysis Introduction 1. Common properties of first-generation data analysis methods 2. Specific properties of the main first-generation data analysis methods Conclusion Chapter 19.Survey Methods and Data Analysis Introduction 1. The manager-researcher is at the articulation of the world of ideas and phenomena 2. Doing research: reflections, investigations, and analyses 3. ‘Qual’ to explore: the case of clinics 4. ‘Qual/ quant,’ explore and describe: the case of the state of geneva 5. ‘Quant’ to measure and understand Conclusion Chapter 20.Data Visualization and Dynamic Infographics: Sphinx Software Introduction 1. The techniques: infographics, data visualization and interactivity 2. Languages: uses and examples with Sphinx 3. Scope and limitations of data visualization Conclusion Chapter 21.Meta-Analysis Introduction 1. Meta-analysis and the different methods for the generalization of findings 2. The ‘file drawer problem’ or publication bias

Conclusion: contributions and limitations of the meta-analysis Chapter 22.Tools and Methods of Conceptual and Creative Representation: The Contribution of Neuroscience Introduction 1. Methods related to conceptualization 2. Creativity and neuroimaging processes 3. Practical implications of the neuroscience of creativity 4. Discussion Conclusion

PART IV. Contextualizing Methods Introduction topart IV Chapter 23.Anchoring Research in the Field: Threading Beads Together Introduction 1. Reading, acting, discussing, intuiting, writing: the dynamic of threading beads into a necklace 2. From threading to fishing: a research approach in line with the field Conclusion Chapter 24.Creating a Measure of Managerial Mindsets to Support Research: An Occupational Culture Perspective Introduction 1. Conceptualizing managerial mindsets: a breif review of the extant literature 2. Methodological considerations 3. Measure development process Conclusion Chapter 25.‘Context’ and Field Research in Africa: Epistemological and Methodological Implications Introduction 1. What does ‘context’ mean in research? 2. Context and contextualization: conditions for situated generalization 3. Return to basics Conclusion Chapter 26.The Relevance of Grounded Theory in Management Research in Africa: Illustration and Decryption in the Cameroonian Context Introduction 1. Management research in Africa 2. Three cameroonian illustrations of the promotion of research through grounded theorization 3. Grounded theory: a promising avenue for the renewal of management research in Africa Conclusion Chapter 27.An Action Research in Practice in Benin Introduction 1. Choice of the action research method: the Qualimetric Intervention Research (QIR) 2. Illustration of the implementation of the QIR at a private school in Benin 3. Lessons learned and impact of QIR Conclusion Chapter 28.Management Science Research in Asia: Recommendations for Where Asian Scholars Should Go Introduction 1. What do we mean by Asia? 2. Status quo in research in management science in Asia

3. Future research in management science in Asia: recommendations for an agenda Conclusion Chapter 29.Field-oriented Contextualization of the Group Concept Mapping Method: Illustrations in the Health Sector in France; and Canada, The United States and The United Kingdom Introduction 1. Group Concept Mapping (GCM): a primer on execution steps 2. Conversations about the use of Group Concept Mapping (CGM) in context Conclusion Chapter 30.Developing a Thesis, or The Art of Creating your Own Little Music Introduction 1. Legitimacy 2. A paradox Implications

Conclusion

List of Editors and Contributors

The Editors

Françoise Chevalier, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at HEC Paris, and former Head of HEC Human Resources and Management Department. Françoise conducts field research and specializes in qualitative and longitudinal methodologies. Her research topics include managerial innovation, change management, pedagogy and creativity. Her most recent books includeDes PME aux ETI – réussir la croissance (De Boeck, 2018), andMéthodes de recherche du DBA (EMS, 2018). She has published several research and professional articles and book chapters. Françoise regularly lectures in China, Vietnam, Iran, Lebanon, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

L. Martin Cloutier, Ph.D., holds a joint doctoral degree in Strategic Management and Applied Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a Professor at the School of Management, University of Quebec at Montreal, where he teaches research methodology and methods. He has published articles in international peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and coordinated five collective books. He specializes in the development of mixed methods-based research frameworks (system dynamics, group concept mapping (GCM)). He is interested in information technology in support of collaboration and group decision-making, mixed research methods, design science research.

Nathalie Mitev was an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at the London School of Economics. Her research uses qualitative methods to study the social and organizational aspects of information technology. Her books includeMateriality and Space, Materiality and Time, Materiality and Regulation, and Materiality and Managerial Techniques (Palgrave Macmillan). She is an Associate Researcher at Université Paris-Dauphine, and Visiting Professor at the University of Muenster in Germany.

The Contributors

Pierre-Jean Barlatier, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Strategy at EDHEC Business School. His research focuses on strategic management and organization theory, with particular interest in strategic innovation management. His work has recently been published inResearch Policy, Technological Forecasting and Social Change,Strategic Organizationthe and Journal of Business Strategy. Pierre-Jean has been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (Australia) and at the University of Technology Sydney Business School (Australia) as well as a Marie Curie Fellow at Copenhagen Business School (Denmark).

Paul Beaulieu is a Professor at the School of Management Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada. His teaching is dedicated to EMBA / EDBA programs and his research expertise focuses on the capabilities of organizations, as well as on the development of higher education institutions. He is particularly interested in issues concerning the foundations of management sciences, the epistemology of pragmatism, and the practice of knowledge in management situations. He is the author of books on the management of higher education institutions and international development.

Violette Boko holds a doctoral degree in Management Sciences, and is an Associate Researcher at the ISEOR (Institut de Socio-Economie des Entreprises et Organisations) Magellan, iaelyon School of Management, Jean Moulin University. She has been a consultant and has conducted qualitative intervention research in companies and organizations in West Africa.

Marc Bonnet is a Professor of Management Sciences at the iaelyon School of Management, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University and ISEOR (Institut de Socio-Economie des Entreprises et