Pages: 6

The role of the research is to be a logical and systematic exploration for a novel and valuable information on a specific topic. They are not practical enough for students and what they need to do for a degree and in the workplace. By recognising the complexity and plurality at the heart of the business discipline, this book will fill a gap in the market by posing a number of original research questions on research methods and seeking to offer multiple, often competing, answers to those questions by reviewing, in a different and integrated perspective, dominant existing themes with the literature and then subjecting them to critical scrutiny through a multifocal perspective. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.

Pages: 34

This chapter explores mixed-methods studies, explains how academics decide whether to employ mixed methods, and describes how mixed-methods research is conducted. Throughout the chapter, the justification for different research methods at various stages is discussed in detail. In addition, we examine whether the business application should determine the general research method, modelling of the situation, and statistical tool selection. Postgraduates in marketing and other business disciplines will particularly benefit from this chapter. As an illustration of how mixed-methods research can provide insight, the employees of a London-based university provide their perceptions of the university.

Pages: 32

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 12

Bibliometric analysis is a quantitative approach for conducting a literature review. This methodology shows the state of the art of the literature by using quantitative methods for exploring topics in the literature as a starting point for understanding the literature in depth and in more detail.

Pages: 18

The systematic literature review (SLR) is an innovative technique to conduct the first phase of the research. This methodology helps map the state-of-the-art of the existing literature, allowing the researchers to organize and explore topics and results that will be the starting point of their future research.

Pages: 198

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 11

Grounded theory is the most common method used by qualitative researchers, especially in management and social sciences. This chapter may guide early-stage qualitative researchers to organize their inquiry to bring rigor and relevance using the grounded theory method. This chapter aims to: (i) provide an understanding of the grounded theory method and its relevance in qualitative research; (ii) comprehend the set of research enquiries deemed fit for employing the grounded theory approach; (iii) discuss the various steps in conducting grounded theory research; (iv) demonstrate how to analyze qualitative data (open, axial, and selective coding); (v) discuss the theory-building process using grounded theory; and (vi) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using grounded theory.

Pages: 16

Netnography is a relatively new, underexplored and underutilised market research method. Netnography can be considered a well-defined and detailed process for identifying and understanding online consumer opinions and changing cultural trends. This chapter describes the nature of netnographic research, describes the netnography stages, and outlines the process through entrée, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, from research ethics to member checks. The chapter also discusses the application of the netnographic approach to qualitative research to determine market trends and consumer preferences and to design and implement a project.

Pages: 11

In this chapter, we have provided guidance for conducting a qualitative case study in business and management research. At the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to: (i) comprehend what a case study research method is; (ii) identify the relevant situation for doing a case study; (iii) understand the underpinning research philosophy of case study research; (iv) design case study research using multi-method data collection; (v) analyze and discuss case study research findings; (vi) conduct a rigorous evaluation of the quality of case study research; and (vii) report case study research.

Pages: 15

Most qualitative studies in management research involve semi-structured interviews. Hence, it is important to understand what constitutes an interview, why it is suitable for a specific study, and how to conduct it. In this chapter, we answer these questions. The key points we discuss in this chapter pertain to the five stages of the research process: (i) plan a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews; (ii) formulate an interview protocol; (iii) conduct the interviews; (iv) manage interview data; and (v) enhance rigor/trustworthiness.

Pages: 16

This chapter focuses on a widely used method of analysis in qualitative research known as thematic analysis (TA). It presents the fundamentals of this method, including its origins, developments, and different forms. Following, it outlines TA’s six-phase process offering some practical guidance on how to conduct and report the analysis. The chapter ends with an overview of the advantages and criticisms of TA compared to other competing qualitative methods. The chapter aims to cover: (i) the origins and evolution of thematic analysis; (ii) similarities and differences with other qualitative analytical methods; (iii) the theoretical and strategic decisions that guide the process of analysis; (iv) Braun’s and Clarke’s six-phase process of thematic analysis; (v) the three main TA “schools”; (vi) advantages, limitations and common mistakes; and (vii) recommendations and solutions.

Pages: 19

This chapter describes the qualitative data analysis with the use of NVivo. Practical examples will be given from a cross-national study which was conducted aiming to investigate the phenomena and experiences of ethnic restaurant owners and consumers. The investigation was qualitative in nature, following a constructivist grounded theory approach.

Pages: 15

Social media platforms have become a prevalent place where customers can share their real opinions about products, services, or brands. This encourages businesses to invest abounding resources to analyse and understand what their customers are discussing on social media. This chapter will attempt to introduce one application of natural language processing (NLP) or text mining in business research. This chapter focuses on understanding: (i) what Topic Modelling in Text Mining is; (ii) how to Collect Textual Data on Social Media; (iii) what latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and hierarchical latent Dirichlet Allocation (hLDA) are; (iv) how to visualise the hierarchical topics generated by hLDA; (v) how to interpret the hLDA results; (vi) how to write the results or findings section for hLDA results; and (vii) what the limitations of topic modelling are?

Pages: 13

This chapter draws a roadmap for researchers to deploy the Delphi method for verifying and validating the novel developments emerging through their research. Within this scope, this chapter aims to develop an understanding of Delphi’s process by exploring a practical example to set the benchmark for future research.

Pages: 12

This chapter sheds light on the qualitative research method of combining eye-tracking with in-depth interviews. By linking people’s gaze behaviour when browsing in a store with in-depth questions, a rich understanding of the customer journey unfolds. The objective of this chapter is to give insight into how to set-up and analyse this type of research.

Pages: 11

This chapter will provide an overview of the methods used for semiotic analysis and steps researchers can use to validate their semiotic interpretation (e.g., triangulation). It will show how semiotic analysis can be used to evaluate the effect of socio-cultural values on image interpretation and the representation of financial events through images.

Pages: 15

Critical Discourse Analysis is a text-focused approach to the study of social institutions which examines language as a power distribution mechanism. How do people use language as a means of influencing their audience? With case studies and examples, this chapter will equip students to understand the relationship between language, discourse and social practices.

Pages: 29

Today, social media images and videos represent useful repositories of practices to investigate emerging patterns of consumption, self-presentation, and socialization. In this chapter, we discuss visual qualitative methodologies to collect, analyze, and interpret visual social media trends. Lastly, we reflect on the main challenges of visual social media research.

Pages: 13

Companies are increasingly interested in knowing the purchasing behavior and opinions of their real and potential customers. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, this chapter demonstrates how to recognize opinions in a text (in academic circles, a document) written in natural language.

Pages: 148

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 8

This chapter introduces nonresponse bias and common method bias as two biasing threats that might afflict the results of survey research. The chapter also presents the main approaches in dealing with nonresponse and common method bias. Finally, it presents a case of addressing nonresponse and common method bias in survey research.

Pages: 12

This chapter introduces two complementary statistical analysis techniques: Scale Reliability Analysis (which is used for establishing a single scale) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (which is used for establishing multiple scales). A scale is a group of fields of data which are believed to, or have been shown to, describe the same thing.

Pages: 23

This chapter is aimed at providing practical guidelines for the implementation of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The chapter, as a thorough and concise guide to key concepts of PLS-SEM, enables researchers to conduct preliminary assessment, measurement model assessment, structural model assessment, mediation analysis, and moderation analysis using SmartPLS.

Pages: 15

This chapter delineates endogeneity bias in survey researches and provides practical remedies to address this concern. Arguably, this chapter casts light on the main approaches to treat endogeneity and, specifically, focuses on two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis as an effective method enabling researchers to make causal claims.

Pages: 12

This chapter aims to introduce readers to the purpose, application and value of market (big) data, particularly to those organizations working in marketing and retailing. It will explore the possible different forms that data takes and the relative use it has within different contexts, review the range of ways in which data might be identified and harvested, and explore ways of interpreting data to get value for marketing purposes. To this end, various approaches to data modeling will be considered, and their application in a range of marketing contexts will be critically assessed.

Pages: 17

Using data sets in the format of cross-sectional, time-series or even panel dataset is typical in Empirical research, such as research in accounting. This study aims to show appropriate pivotal quantities that are appropriate for testing the quality of regression coefficients for several different groups in the panel dataset.

Pages: 15

Growing interest in using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) in research has increased the need for an explanation of the basic concepts, principles, and guidelines of fsQCA as a configurational method. This chapter provides such an explanation by introducing the major concepts of fsQCA as well as by demonstrating an application of the method. The aim of this chapter is to introduce set-theoretic methods and configurational theory by presenting the configurational analysis approach of fsQCA. By introducing and explaining crucial concepts such as data calibration and the truth table algorithm, the chapter sheds light on the differences between necessary and sufficient conditions used in the software ‘fsQCA’, as well as ways in which to read and interpret complex, parsimonious, and intermediate solutions offered by the software.

Pages: 23

This chapter presents the basic principles of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP is a powerful multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique with which decision-makers can solve an MCDM situation at different levels. AHP is a decision support system and is focused on the importance and consistency of experts’ judgments throughout the decision-making process. In fact, the majority of day-to-day decision-making situations require simultaneous consideration of more than one criterion that could affect our final decision. Human judgments have always been challenged by ambiguity and uncertainty. Zadeh first introduced the fuzzy set theory and fuzzy numbers to overcome the vagueness and fuzziness of verbal ambiguities. The aforementioned stepwise calculation of weights using Chang’s extent analysis will determine the relative weights of criteria at their corresponding level as well as the weights of sub-criteria concerning their immediate criteria.

Pages: 22

The R programming language is a free and open-source software environment and programming language created by and for statisticians. Its primary applications are statistical computations and high-end graphics. As a result, the R programming language is also popular for data analysis among mathematicians, statisticians, data miners, and social scientists.