The best decisions made by public managers are based not on instinct, but on an informed understanding of what’s happening on the ground. Policy may be directed by ideology, but it must also be founded on reality. The challenge of making the right decisions as a public manager is often, therefore, based on the need for rigorous, actionable research. Now in a thoughtfully revised second edition, this textbook shows students of Public Administration exactly how to use both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to give them the best chance to make the right decisions. Uniquely, Eller, Gerber, and Robinson present research methodologies through a series of real-life case studies, with each chapter exploring situations where a public manager can use research to answer specific questions, demonstrating how that research can inform future policy. Taking readers through the key concepts, from research design and sampling to interviews, survey data, and more statistical-based approaches, this new edition provides a complete guide to using research in the public and voluntary sectors. New to this edition: To better orient the student, the second edition is thematically arranged. Five sections, each with a short essay, provide not only previews of the content of each section, but more importantly guide the reader through how the concepts and techniques covered relate to real-world use and application. A new chapter on applied quantitative analyses has been added to offer coverage of several commonly-used and valuable analytic techniques for decision making for policy and management: benefit-cost analysis, risk assessment, and forecasting. The second edition is accompanied by online materials containing suggested course plans and sample syllabi, PowerPoint lecture slides, and student support materials to illustrate the application of key concepts and analytic techniques. Each chapter also includes discussion questions, class exercises, end of chapter review questions, and key vocabulary to provide students with a range of further tools to apply research principles to practical situations.

The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods provides a state-of–the-art overview of qualitative research methods in the business and management field. The Handbook celebrates the diversity of the field by drawing from a wide range of traditions and by bringing together a number of leading international researchers engaged in studying a variety of topics through multiple qualitative methods. The chapters address the philosophical underpinnings of particular approaches to research, contemporary illustrations, references, and practical guidelines for their use. The two volumes therefore provide a useful resource for Ph.D. students and early career researchers interested in developing and expanding their knowledge and practice of qualitative research. In covering established and emerging methods, it also provides an invaluable source of information for faculty teaching qualitative research methods. The contents of the Handbook are arranged into two volumes covering seven key themes: Volume One: History and Tradition Part One: Influential Traditions: underpinning qualitative research: positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism, constructionism, critical, poststructuralism, hermeneutics, postcolonialism, critical realism, mixed methods, grounded theory, feminist and indigenous approaches. Part Two: Research Designs: ethnography, field research, action research, case studies, process and practice methodologies. Part Three: The Researcher: positionality, reflexivity, ethics, gender and intersectionality, writing from the body, and achieving critical distance. Part Four: Challenges: research design, access and departure, choosing participants, research across boundaries, writing for different audiences, ethics in international research, digital ethics, and publishing qualitative research. Volume Two: Methods and Challenges Part One: Contemporary methods: interviews, archival analysis, autoethnography, rhetoric, historical, stories and narratives, discourse analysis, group methods, sociomateriality, fiction, metaphors, dramaturgy, diary, shadowing and thematic analysis. Part Two: Visual methods: photographs, drawing, video, web images, semiotics and symbols, collages, documentaries. Part Three: Methodological developments: aesthetics and smell, fuzzy set comparative analysis, sewing quilts, netnography, ethnomusicality, software, ANTI-history, emotion, and pattern matching.

"The book deals with the concepts and applications of information systems research, both theoretical concepts of information systems research and applications"--Provided by publisher.

Consolidating existing knowledge in Design Science, this book proposes a new research method to aid the exploration of design and problem solving within business, science and technology. It seeks to overcome a dichotomy that exists in the field between theory and practice to enable researches to find solutions to problems, rather than focusing on the explanation and exploration of the problems themselves. Currently, researches concentrate on to describing, exploring, explaining and predicting phenomena, and little attention is devoted to prescribing solutions. Herbert Simon proposes the need to develop a Science of the Artificial (Design Science), arguing that our reality is much more artificial than natural. However, the research conducted on the Design Science premises has so far been scattered and erratic in different fields of research, such as management, systems information and engineering. This book aims to address this issue by bringing these fields together and emphasising the need for solutions. This book provides a valuable resource to students and researchers of research methods, information systems, management and management science, and production and operations management.

This book is a one stop guide to all your research methods needs. It is tailored specifically towards business and management courses, and central to this edition is the balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative methods to clearly and concisely lead students through the research process, whatever their project may be. Now in its much anticipated fifth edition, Business Research Methods has been revised and updated to reflect all the latest trends in research methodology. The integration of statistical issues, as well as coverage of web-based surveys, qualitative interviews, big data, and content analysis of social media, aims to support the current student experience. A Running Case Study charts the progression of two student research projects - one qualitative and one quantitative - and shows how the content of each chapter can be used to develop their projects. Thought provoking questions are included to help students consider the issues and decisions involved, and how these might be applied to their own project. Deeper Insight into Research Methods boxes delve further into particular research issues, offering a detailed description to increase understanding of these areas, whilst Real Life examples put research methods into context, by showing how they have been applied in real world situations. New pedagogy features include: Research in Practice boxes provide an insight into situations and research decisions that students may encounter in real life projects. They contain hints, tips and sometimes questions to help think through a project. Theory Explained highlights key theories and demonstrates how these can be applied in practical research examples. Statistics in Action provides practical alternatives to qualitative research methods and gives examples of how statistical data can be presented, analyzed and interpreted to improve students data insights skills. The Online Learning Centre contains a vast amount of extra resources to support lecturers and student, including power points, instructor manuals, and a question bank. New to this edition are short case studies with teaching notes covering current topics and key theories, and worked examples and videos with associated questions for further practical exercises and real world examples. Boris F. Blumberg is Senior Lecturer and Executive Director of UMIO, the postgraduate unit at the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, the Netherlands. Boris has supervised hundreds of dissertations and teaches courses in strategic management, entrepreneurship and innovation. His research focuses mainly on entrepreneurship, networks and methodology. Claire MacRae is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Centre for Public Policy, University of Glasgow. Claire has taught courses on research methods for undergraduate, masters and Professional Doctorate students. Her research focuses mainly on policymaking, risk and resilience, and the impact of policy design and implementation on society.

Complete proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies Valletta, Malta Published by Academic Conferences and Publishing International

This timely Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the methodological challenges of qualitative research in family business. Written by an international, multidisciplinary team of experts in the field, the Handbook provides practical guidance based on the experiences of senior researchers, and features reflective discussion on how to craft insightful, rigorous studies.