Research methods and research practice: History, themes and topics

Abstract

Research methods and research practice provide relatively new foci for academic reflection and enquiry in the business and management field. There has been an increase in the number of forums and range of debates in the area. This paper provides a historical and thematic overview of the field as a means of contextualizing the other papers in the remainder of this special issue. Each paper covers one of a broad spectrum of issues about research methods and research practice: namely, measurement in quantitative research; theory development in qualitative research; visual methods; evaluation of concepts; issues experienced when researching extreme events; paradigm wars; and the changing pattern of coverage of qualitative research papers in leading journals. © 2012 The Authors International Journal of Management Reviews © 2012 British Academy of Management and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.