Combining qualitative methods in practice

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Carù ◽  
Bernard Cova ◽  
Stefano Pace
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Consumer Experience ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Consumer Experiences ◽  
Multidisciplinary Working ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss within a corporate context the advantages and limitations of combining different qualitative methods (namely consumers’ introspection and observation) to grasp consumer experiences. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reflexively examines the evolution of a research process through which a team of researchers and a company tried to understand how the online consumer experience unfolds. The paper discusses the research process, the problems addressed and the way results were shared and acted upon within the company. Findings – The findings show how the search for and implementation of the combination of observation and introspection is rooted in the kinds of organizational change processes that allow companies to appropriate new methodological approaches and modify the conduct of their service innovation processes. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a single research project, analysed only retrospectively and reflexively. As to its implications, the proposed qualitative methods help mediate the collaborative interaction between researchers and the company during a research project. Practical implications – The research findings already have been appropriated and used by a multidisciplinary working group, operating within a corporate environment. Similarly, other companies can manage this type of research process following three major guidelines: prepare the cultural background, be iterative and maintain a conversation. Originality/value – The paper offers a unique account of the process of using combined qualitative methods within a company to understand consumer experiences.

Re-conceptualizing escape in consumer research

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Cova ◽  
Antonella Carù ◽  
Julien Cayla
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Research ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Consumer Experience ◽  
Escape Route ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Consumer Experiences ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
New Type ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the notion of escape, which is central to the consumer experience literature, yet remains largely undertheorized. By surfacing the multi-dimensionality of escape, the authors develop a more fine-grained conceptualization of this notion. In addition, this work helps shed new light on past consumer research findings that mobilize the notion of escape.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review and interpretation of literature referring to the notion of escape in consumer research.FindingsThis paper’s first contribution is to extend the concept of escape based on the Turnerian framework of structure/anti-structure, by establishing a key difference between objects to “escape from” and the major themes of “escape into”. A second contribution is to identify other forms of escape that are mundane, restorative and warlike, and that mobilize the self in different ways.Practical implicationsThe paper provides a more precise conceptualization of escape to motivate further research on this particularly important concept for understanding consumer experience.Social implicationsEscape from one’s own self has become an important feature of contemporary life. Consumer experiences may be ways of crafting identities, but they also form the means of escaping the pressures that come with the burdens of identity.Originality/valueThis paper goes beyond past research on escape by identifying other types of escapes, which have not really been theorized in consumer research. The authors especially note the importance of ephemeral moments where people temporarily suspend their reflexive self, which the authors conceive as a new type of escape route.

Navigeren in het onderzoeksveld en het onderzoekersveld: reflecties op onderzoekspositionaliteit in (vermeend) insideronderzoek

KWALON ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
Jing Hiah
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Insider Research ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract Navigating the research and researchers’ field: Reflections on positionality in (assumed) insider research To challenge rigid ideas about objectivity in social science research, qualitative researchers question their own subjectivity in the research process. In such endeavors, the focus is mainly on the positionality of the researcher vis-à-vis their respondents in the research field. In this contribution, I argue that the positionality of the researcher in academia, what I refer to as the researchers’ field, is equally important as it influences the way research findings are received and evaluated. Through reflections on positionality in my insider research concerning labour relations and exploitation in Chinese migrant businesses in the Netherlands and Romania, I explore how my positionality as an insider negatively influenced my credibility and approachability in the researchers’ field. I conclude that it is necessary to pay more attention to researchers’ positionality in academia as it may shed light on and make it possible to discuss the written and unwritten standards of researchers’ credibility and approachability as an academic in the researchers’ field. Accordingly, this could provide insights into the causes of inequalities in academia and contribute to the current challenge for more diversity in academia.

The Research Audit Trail: Methodological Guidance for Application in Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Carcary
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Information Systems Management ◽  
Audit Trail ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Research Findings

The merits of qualitative research remain an issue of ongoing debate and investigation. Qualitative researchers emphasise issues such as credibility, dependability, and transferability in demonstrating the trustworthiness of their research outcomes. This refers to the extent to which the research outcomes are conceptually sound and serves as the basis for enabling other researchers to assess their value. Carcary (2009) proposed trustworthiness in qualitative inquiry could be established through developing a physical and intellectual research audit trail – a strategy that involves maintaining an audit of all key stages and theoretical, methodological, and analytical decisions, as well as documenting how a researcher’s thinking evolves throughout a research project. Since 2009, this publication has been cited in greater than 600 studies. The current paper provides an analysis of the use and value of the research audit trail, based on the author’s application of this strategy across diverse research projects in the field of Information Systems management over a ten year time period. Based on a critical reflection on insights gained through these projects, this paper provides an in‑depth discussion of a series of guidelines for developing and applying the research audit trail in practice. These guidelines advance existing thinking and provide practical recommendations in relation to maintaining a research audit trail throughout a research project. Based on these guidelines and the core issues that should be covered at a physical and intellectual research audit trail level, a checklist that can be tailored to each project’s context is provided to support novice researchers and those who are new to the research audit trail strategy. As such, this paper demonstrates commitment to rigor in qualitative research. It provides a practical contribution in terms of advancing guidelines and providing a supporting checklist for ensuring the quality and transparency of theoretical, methodological, and analytical processes in qualitative inquiry. Embedding these guidelines throughout the research process will promote critical reflection among researchers across all stages of qualitative research and, in tracing through the researcher’s logic, will provide the basis for enabling other researchers to independently assess whether the research findings can serve as a platform for further investigation.

The methodological challenge of cross-national qualitative research

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Martinus ◽  
David Hedgcock
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Cross National

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the difficulties faced during the interview process in a cross-national qualitative comparative case study between Japan and Australia. It discusses the challenges in producing insightful data and preserving the integrity of findings when methodologies are influenced by different cultural and professional environments. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores literature on cross-national qualitative research in the context of policy research as well as the philosophical and professional differences between Japan and Western countries (like Australia). It reflects on practical examples and strategies used by the researcher during the ethics and interview processes when adapting widely accepted qualitative case study methodology to suit the Japanese cultural and professional environment. Findings – The paper finds that linguistic, cultural, professional and philosophical differences between the countries challenged initial researcher assumptions that comparability between the case study regions would be maintained through the application of accepted methodologies and an “insider” status. It observes that the quest to generate rich and insightful data places the character and capability of the researcher as central in the research process. Originality/value – This paper provides practical examples and strategies for social science researchers using interview methods in Japan and Australian. It points to a need for further research on the ambiguous and elusive nature of the “insider” paradigm as well as the “comparability” of cross-national qualitative case studies when methodological “flexibility” is used to enrich and preserve the integrity of research findings.

Political reflexivity in post-bushfire research

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
Colin MacDougall ◽  
Karen Block
Keyword(s):  
Research Participant ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Disaster Research ◽  
Qualitative Researcher ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Reflexive Practice ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose – Post-disaster research presents particular challenges for the qualitative researcher due to the wider contextual demands of media attention, public debates and intense scrutiny of policy and service delivery. It highlights the importance of reflexive practice to identify and address any unintended influences on the research processes and outcomes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors present three case studies of post-bushfire research to demonstrate how the authors adopted a reflexive approach to address external pressures on the conduct and presentation of the research. Findings – There are various types of reflexivity identified in the literature to identify influences on the research participant and the research findings arising, for example, from the way the researcher shapes the research findings (personal reflexivity), and the influence of the research process (epistemological reflexivity). In this paper the authors argue for a different reflexivity: one that is political and has a direct influence on the researcher. Practical implications – Adoption of political reflexivity is an important tool in post-disaster research to ensure that external influences do not undermine the integrity of the research processes, findings and dissemination. Originality/value – The importance of reflexivity in research is well recognized as a means of addressing power and unintended influences on research participants and research processes. The authors introduce the notion of political reflexivity to this debate in recognition of the need to address the potential for research findings and reports to be compromised by political agendas.

A reflexive account on my positionality in a collaborative action research project in a Seychelles secondary school

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemma Simeon
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Strategy Instruction ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The paper is based on a doctoral action research project in which three ESL teachers and the author in one secondary school in the Seychelles focused on strategy instruction in the process approach to writing instruction with the aim of helping students become effective writers. The project enabled the author to establish relationships with the participating teachers as educator, facilitator and collaborator. To ensure the trustworthiness of the research, the author needed to clarify and explore the complex relationships to the setting and participants being studied. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the author reflexively discusses the development nature of my research: language learning strategies (LLS) and draw upon my experience of working with three ESL Seychellois teachers in the reflection and planning stage of the Core Action Research project to critically reflect on the negotiation of my position in practice. Findings – Reflecting on the author’s positionality in relation to how the teacher participants constructed the identity has helped the author to be more reflexive and engage with the research process in a more meaningful way. Originality/value – The author’s experience suggests that one’s positionality is never fixed and stable, but rather may be characterized as changing and fluctuating according to the context, content, feelings and ideas expressed.

Family+Stories=Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-355
Author(s):  
Francis Bobongie
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Paradigm ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Stories ◽  
Kinship System ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Collection Phase

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to draw on the author’s research involving girls who leave their Torres Strait Island communities for boarding colleges in regional Queensland, Australia, and the academic, social and cultural implications that impede the transition process between community and school. While this paper discusses some of the research outcomes, its main focus is the unique indigenous research paradigm “Family+Stories=Research”, devised for and utilised within this project. This paradigm centres on the Australian indigenous kinship system and was implemented in two specific phases of the research process. These were: the preliminary research process leading up to the implementation of the research project; and the data collection phase. In turn, both phases enable the cultural significance of the kinship system to be better understood through the results. Because observations and storytelling or “yarning” were primarily used through both phases, these results also endorse the experience of the participants, and the author – both professionally and personally – without requiring further analysis. Design/methodology/approach The indigenous research paradigm and methodology unique to this research project implements the kinship system, allowing the researcher to access the appropriate resources and people for the project. Prior to the data collection phase, contact with significant community members in both boarding colleges and the Torres Strait Region was made. The methodology implemented for the research project was ethnographic and used observations, individual interviews and focus groups. The views and experiences of 26 past and present students, and 15 staff, both indigenous and non-indigenous, across three different boarding colleges were recorded. Findings Through both phases of the research project, the kinship system played a significant role in the ethnographic research process and data collection phase, which focussed on two key areas encompassed within the kinship system: “business” and the “care of children”. Stories from the researcher and the participants confirm the significant role that the kinship system can play within the indigenous research paradigm: Family+Stories=Research. Originality/value The paper introduces an indigenous research paradigm and methodology designed around two factors: family and stories. This paper brings to light the impact of the kinship system used within communities of the Torres Strait Islands and explains how this system advantaged the research process and the data collection phase by enabling the researcher to freely access stories specific to the research project.

scholarly journals Reflexivity in Qualitative Research: A Journey of Learning

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlinda Palaganas ◽  
Marian Sanchez ◽  
Ma. Visitacion Molintas ◽  
Ruel Caricativo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Research Process ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Conducting Research

Conducting research, more so, fieldwork, changes every researcher in many ways. This paper shares the various reflexivities – the journeys of learning – that we underwent as field researchers. Here, we share the changes brought about to ourselves, as a result of the research process, and how these changes have affected the research process. It highlights the journey of discovering how we, as researchers, shaped and how we were shaped by the research process and outputs. All these efforts were done in our attempts to discover and understand various social phenomena and issues such as poverty, development, gender, migration, and ill health in the Philippines. This article includes the challenges encountered in our epistemological stance/s and personal and methodological concerns shown in our reflexivity notes/insights. Indeed, it is when researchers acknowledge these changes, that reflexivity in research constitutes part of the research findings. It is through this consciousness of the relational and reflective nature of being aware of personal and methodological concerns that we honor ourselves, our teammates/co-researchers and all others involved with the research project. As researchers, we need to be cognizant of our contributions to the construction of meanings and of lived experiences throughout the research process. We need to acknowledge that indeed it is impossible to remain “outside of” one's study topic while conducting research.

The effects of knowledge management processes on human resource management

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halil Zaim ◽  
Yavuz Keceli ◽  
Ashraf Jaradat ◽  
Selma Kastrati
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Knowledge Utilization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company

Purpose Managing knowledge effectively and efficiently is considered to be a key success factor to gain sustainable competitive advantage for organizations. This study aims to analyze the impact of knowledge management (KM) processes on human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach To test the relationship of KM processes on HRM, a case study was conducted using structural equation modeling based on data collected from employees and managers of a Telecom company in Turkey. The survey instrument is a self-administered questionnaire composed of 37 questions. Three of them are demographic questions; 20 questions aim to reveal KM processes and 14 for HRM practices. The questionnaire was distributed via google survey link to employees and managers in headquarters office and two branches in Istanbul. Findings In this paper, the authors tried to investigate the impact of KM practices on the HRM performance of a company. The results indicate that companies with better KM practices tend to perform better at HRM. The main contribution of this paper lies in pointing out that, among the dimensions of KM, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization have direct impact on HRM, whereas knowledge generation and knowledge sharing have indirect impacts. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study lies in the fact that data are collected from a single company in telecom industry. Therefore, it is difficult to generalize the results. Although the research findings are aligned with those of the previous studies, further research using data from numerous companies in various industries is still needed to generalize the research findings. Practical implications The paper includes implications for the development of knowledge utilization generated and stored within the company. The knowledge can create improvements in the company’s HRM performance if it is shared and used effectively. The paper addresses an important subject and the findings may be used by human resources and KM practitioners interested in the development of organizational knowledge through human resource practices. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to investigate the impact of KM practices on the HRM performance of a company.

Immediacy pandemic: consumer problem-solving styles and adaptation strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1051-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadali Zolfagharian ◽  
Atefeh Yazdanparast
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Consumer Experience ◽  
Personal Essays ◽  
Virtual Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Experiences ◽  
Consumer Problem

Purpose This paper aims to delve into the complexity and multiplicity of consumer experiences in relation to mobile and virtual technology, and provides a lived-experience account of the Consumer Immediacy Pandemic (CIP) and related consumer experiences and responses. Design/methodology/approach Using open-ended, in-depth interviews, as well as personal essays, the research questions are addressed through the interpretive hermeneutic approach. Findings The CIP is an important, multifaceted consumer shift, whose ramifications are traceable in consumer behavior. It encompasses three consumer problem-solving styles (i.e. real-time, mobile and virtual problem-solving). Consumers adapt to the CIP through such strategies as unbundling of presence, temporal gain and synchronization, task continuity, work-fun integration and multi-tasking. Research limitations/implications With conventional theories ineffectively explaining consumer experiences with such products as smart phone, social media and selfie stick, this paper provides fruitful directions for studying consumer-technology relationships. Practical implications The findings point to untapped and novel needs rooted in consumer experience with mobile and virtual technology such as the needs for personal information management and/or professional counseling. Social implications The paper provides evidence as to a deep-seated shift in the role of technology in consumer life. Underestimating the ongoing and future success and power of mobile and virtual technology can be too costly for society at large. Originality/value This study exposes the dialogical interplay between consumer agency and structural influences that compels consumers to internalize immediacy as a taken-for-granted expectation. Such pandemic alters the ways consumers go about satisfying their needs and wants. The findings can help understand the twenty-first century consumer, theorize product agency and chart marketing and policy directions.

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