1st Edition

Research Concepts for Management Studies

By Alan Berkeley Thomas Copyright 2006
    224 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    224 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    By its very nature, management is a multidisciplinary enterprise. Despite this, management research has tended to be organized around a number of discrete management disciplines with their own methodological outlooks. As a result, researchers in different fields often find it difficult to appreciate work outside their own area of specialization, so inhibiting much-needed collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.

    Management has emerged as a major area of research that has attracted students in growing numbers. However, there are still relatively few texts that are tailored specifically to the needs and interests of management researchers. Together with its companion volume, Research Skills for Management Studies (Routledge, 2003), this book offers management students a challenging but accessible introduction to research methods and concepts, irrespective of their field of specialization.

    1. What Does It All Mean?  2. Science in Management Studies  3. Theory in Management Studies  4. Data in Management Studies  5. Validity in Management Studies  6. Significance in Management Studies 

    Biography

    Alan Berkeley Thomas

    'In this brilliant book, Alan Thomas explains important concepts such as science, theory, data, validity and significance in an imaginative, friendly and rigorous manner having in mind the research needs of the student of management. When my students puzzle over theory, data, or validity, as they often do, I can now point them in the direction of this marvellous book. It is indispensable to anyone who engages in research in management and business studies.' - Haridimos Tsoukas, The George D. Mavros Research Professor of Organization and Management, ALBA, Greece and Professor of Organization Studies, University of Warwick, UK

    'Alan Thomas provides us with yet another timely and helpful guide to navigate through the increasingly hazardous methodological swamps of management research. He writes with customary concision, empathy and plain good sense. I anticipate that this book will prove to be a boon to management students grappling with dissertations and theses the world over. It will also provide a tonic for the supervisors who are endeavouring to assist them!' - Dr Brad Jackson, Director, Centre for the Study of Leadership, Victoria University of Wellington