Action research: alternative paths for the transformation of management academic research to practice

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingwang Li ◽  
Jingwei Zhang ◽  
Zhigang Li ◽  
Feng Gao ◽  
Cheng Yu
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Research To Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Application Prospects

Purpose This study aims to let researchers sort out the past, look to the future and boost further management research. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes the exploration of the application of AR in the field of management research as the starting point. Through the combing and induction of AR literature to accurately grasp the essential characteristics of AR, this paper analyzes the application prospects and possible difficulties of AR in the field of management research in China, puts forward specific suggestions and explores the specific path of the transformation of management academic research to practice from the perspective of research methods. Findings In research methods, empirical research and case studies have become the mainstream research methods, but there is a passive research limitation of “study what happens.” Action research is different from the standpoint of empirical research that is independent of the research object. It no longer simply treats managers as the “object of information acquisition,” but as the subject of participating in the research. Management should be oriented towards the transformation of practice, and action research (AR) that can organically integrate researchers and practitioners is just a “bridge” to break the gap between academia and business circles to establish a cooperative relationship. Originality/value This paper takes the exploration of the application of AR in the field of management research as the starting point. Through the combing and induction of AR literature to accurately grasp the essential characteristics of AR, this paper analyzes the application prospects and possible difficulties of AR in the field of management research in China, puts forward specific suggestions and explores the specific path of the transformation of management academic research to practice from the perspective of research methods.

Patients’ assessment of medical services quality – a determinant of changes in medical entity management on the example of Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Dorota Hampel
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Medical Effectiveness ◽  
Medical Entity ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
State Of Affairs

PurposeThe article’s primary goal is to identify areas requiring improvement in the activities of healthcare entities, suggest directions for future changes, and indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the clinic’s operation based on patients’ opinions. Subjectively expressed opinions of patients are treated as acceptance of the current state of affairs or the need to introduce changes in a given area.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical research was based on information obtained from questionnaire surveys on patients’ opinions about services provided by medical entities. The hypothesis was verified by research conducted in 23 (out of 50 possible) the most dynamically developing non-public healthcare institutions in one of the regions of Poland. The conducted research was based on a proprietary survey using questions on qualitative and quantitative scales.FindingsThe results of empirical research allowed us to identify areas requiring improvement and to propose future directions of changes in the surveyed units. The suggested changes should significantly improve efficiency in the organisation and management of a health facility, focused on medical effectiveness and patients’ health effectiveness.Originality/valueFrom a broader perspective, research results may become a starting point for further considerations on changes in the organisation and management of healthcare facilities. Using the study’s conclusions in practice may positively affect the improvement of the functioning of healthcare facilities, their better reputation and contribute to increasing competitiveness in the medical services market.

scholarly journals Psychology and interviewing: what direction now in our quest for reliable information?

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin E. Oxburgh ◽  
Coral J. Dando
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Investigative Interviewing ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Emergent Theory ◽  
And Training ◽  
Do So

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss two distinct but interrelated areas, namely witness/victim and suspect interviewing, and to argue that both must continue to evolve, suggest how they might do so, and that this process must be driven by emergent theory and contemporary empirical research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and empirical research to investigative interviewing in recent decades.FindingsIt is argued that in order to stay ahead of the game, the field of investigative interviewing (suspect and witness) must continue to evolve in such a manner that not only protects and fosters the important practitioner/academic relationship, but also ensures that future directions are driven by empirical research, with recourse to emergent theory.Originality/valueThe paper outlines the impact of psychological theory and empirical research on investigative interviewing and the consequent enhancement of the interviewing of both suspected offenders and witnesses. The paper demonstrates that working closely together academic research can make a difference, and influence law, policy decisions and training guidelines in order to improve practice.

Viewpoint: service research priorities – bridging the academic and practitioner perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerzan Aksoy ◽  
Loïc Guilloux ◽  
Hélène Duneigre ◽  
Sikaar Keita
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Main Ideas ◽  
Two Sides

Purpose As an interdisciplinary and applied discipline, managerial relevance has always been at the forefront of service research. This viewpoint article synthesizes the main ideas presented in one of the 10th SERVSIG conference panels by three practitioners about what they view as the biggest opportunities/challenges they face and two journal editors on current academic research priorities. The purpose of this study is to use this panel as a starting point to bridge more closely the world of academia with practice and propose a collection of recommendations toward this goal. Design/methodology/approach This study synthesizes the academic and practitioner viewpoints presented and research conducted into research priorities. Findings Although there is significant overlap in what is deemed important by the presenting academics and practitioners, there are some important differences when it comes to issues deemed important, how they are articulated and the language that is used. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature and practitioner community by summarizing the viewpoints of the two sides and curating a collection of existing approaches and new recommendations to more closely bridge academic and practitioner perspectives.

Using research methods courses to teach students about sustainable development – a three-phase model for a transformative learning experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-439
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Müller ◽  
Thomas Bäumer ◽  
Jan Silberer ◽  
Stefan Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Phase Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Empirical Research Methods

Purpose Learning about sustainable development in dedicated curricula can be beneficial for students’ personal and professional development and societies alike. However, for various reasons the implementation of sustainable development modules in existing curricula can be difficult in many fields of study. This paper aims to propose an alternative route to give students the chance to learn about sustainable development without the need to change the structure of their study program. Design/methodology/approach The current paper elaborates on the idea that many fields of study have mandatory courses on empirical research methods and these courses can function as a platform to teach applied empirical research methods in combination with education on sustainable development. A three-phase model is proposed to implement sustainable development topics in existing curricula, taking students’ current methodological competency level into account. Findings The proposed model provides a chance to combine education on sustainability with thorough training in scientific research methods. Example projects and evaluation results from an existing social science curriculum and its integration into a real-world laboratory on sustainable energy use illustrate the different phases and their goals. Originality/value The model offers the opportunity to implement education on sustainability into existing curricula without the need for difficult structural changes. It extends students’ learning on sustainability without impairing their learning of research methods. A discussion of the model’s limitations and boundary conditions helps to understand its potential use cases and challenges.

The hunt for computerized support in information security policy management

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Rostami ◽  
Fredrik Karlsson ◽  
Ella Kolkowska
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Information Security Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Literature Reviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to survey existing information security policy (ISP) management research to scrutinise the extent to which manual and computerised support has been suggested, and the way in which the suggested support has been brought about. Design/methodology/approach The results are based on a literature review of ISP management research published between 1990 and 2017. Findings Existing research has focused mostly on manual support for managing ISPs. Very few papers have considered computerised support. The entire complexity of the ISP management process has received little attention. Existing research has not focused much on the interaction between the different ISP management phases. Few research methods have been used extensively and intervention-oriented research is rare. Research limitations/implications Future research should to a larger extent address the interaction between the ISP management phases, apply more intervention research to develop computerised support for ISP management, investigate to what extent computerised support can enhance integration of ISP management phases and reduce the complexity of such a management process. Practical implications The limited focus on computerised support for ISP management affects the kind of advice and artefacts the research community can offer to practitioners. Originality/value Today, there are no literature reviews on to what extent computerised support the ISP management process. Findings on how the complexity of ISP management has been addressed and the research methods used extend beyond the existing knowledge base, allowing for a critical discussion of existing research and future research needs.

Environmental index for Finnish construction sites

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olli Teriö ◽  
Jaakko Sorri ◽  
Kalle Kähkönen ◽  
Jukka Hämäläinen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Environmental Index ◽  
Index Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Simple Index ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose – The primary aim of this study was to better understand the grounds to develop a monitoring and performance measurement method to support the environmental management of construction operations. The practical purpose was to improve environmental activities in construction sites. This study helps to fill the gap between environmental needs and practices on construction sites. Design/methodology/approach – Action research was the principal research method. The research procedure was executed in collaboration with construction companies. The EICS meter was originally developed to create rules for environmental competition between construction sites. Since the time of this competition, the meter has been further improved in other studies. Findings – Based on the literature and feedback gained in the testing round of the EICS, five relevant categories were formulated to evaluate environmental operations: environmental information management, waste management, material handling and shielding, energy use and emissions. A simple index method was applied for these five categories. Furthermore, observation targets and acceptance criteria were defined for these categories. The meter supports environmental management in practise. The method can be used to analyse the starting point level when developing environmental processes. Originality/value – This study offers insights based on action research for both academics and practitioners. The meter is outlined for Nordic conditions, but the structure of the method is also suitable elsewhere. The national demands can be locally fine-tuned.

Transformative potential of events – the case of gay ski week in Queenstown, New Zealand

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1081-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem J.L. Coetzee ◽  
Xiang Neo Liu ◽  
Crystal V. Filep
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Previous research has explored a relatively narrow representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer (LGBTQ) community. Yet modern event attendees are part of a diverse niche group within the broader LGBTQ community. This group comprises a wide range of event attendees in search of more than sex, clubs and feather boas. This paper aims to report on empirical research conducted in Queenstown, New Zealand, during the 2016 Gay Ski Week (GSW) and explores the transformative, inclusive potential of event places, social atmospheres and experiences. Design/methodology/approach Ethnographic and autoethnographic research methods were used in this study for the exploration of transformative tourism experiences. Qualitative data were collected via in-depth interviews, observations and one of the author’s immersive experiences of the event. This author was able to bridge the divide between research and participant, contributing to a contextualised understanding of various participants’ subjective realities. Findings The paper reports on and discusses empirical findings, which are organised under the meta-themes of place and social atmosphere, attendee experiences, acceptance and inclusivity. Research limitations/implications From these themes emerge a broader understanding of how LGBTQ tourism events can contribute to transformative, inclusive experiences. Originality/value This paper explores the need for event managers to revisit and adapt to the demographic, motivational and behavioural characteristics of the modern gay event attendee. In particular, this paper discovers the motivations of Asian gay attendees as a marginalised community within a traditional LGBTQ event in a traditional heterosexual destination.

Sustainability project partnerships in times of crisis: conceptual framework and implications for stakeholder integration

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Grunwald ◽  
Jürgen Schwill ◽  
Anne-Marie Sassenberg
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Integration ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Stakeholder Integration ◽  
Design Options

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the requirements for stakeholder integration in sustainability project partnerships in times of sustainability crisis. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic as a sustainability crisis that has sensitized consumers and other stakeholders to corporate responsibility for social and sustainability issues, a conceptual framework for stakeholder integration is developed from which implications for designing the potential, process and result quality are derived.Design/methodology/approachIn this conceptual paper, design options for stakeholder integration are derived from open innovation and service management research. Specific crisis-related determinants of stakeholder integration are derived from current corporate social responsibility (CSR) and crisis research taking into account the opportunities and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design options and crisis-related determinants are then combined to a conceptual framework for stakeholder integration in sustainability project partnerships in times of crisis. Based on this framework, research propositions are derived that provide insights into the design of the potential, process and result quality of stakeholder integration.FindingsThis paper shows that the COVID-19 pandemic can be viewed as a sustainability crisis, which places special entrepreneurial demands on stakeholder integration in sustainability project partnerships. The pandemic offers potential for integrating a large number of stakeholders and has emphasized the need for integrating a broad range of stakeholders. Higher skepticism of stakeholders toward companies' CSR engagement in the pandemic has raised stakeholder demands for early integration. Higher skepticism and CSR involvement have rendered active forms of integration even more relevant, which, however, should still be adapted to the respective stakeholder prerequisites. The pandemic has increased the need for constant and comprehensive exchange of data on project results between stakeholders and the project leading organization. Measurement of target achievement can be promoted by establishing stakeholder commitment with regard to the target measures on the collective and relationship levels of the partnership. Finally, the pandemic has reinforced the need for more dialogical forms of communicating sustainability project results.Originality/valueSolving problems and exploiting opportunities in times of crisis require a high degree of entrepreneurship and creative leadership in order to gain new ideas and overcome resource deficits. Sustainability project partnerships in which various stakeholders contribute resources and knowledge to collaborate on idea development and finding solutions to sustainability issues are suitable for this. However, previous approaches to stakeholder integration in open innovation and service management research largely neglect the crisis context and only a few are related to sustainability. In CSR and crisis research, stakeholder-related approaches to coping with crises tend to be underrepresented, and the comprehensive concept of stakeholder integration has so far hardly been considered as an approach to crisis management. By taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic as a sustainability crisis, this paper provides new impulses for the integration of stakeholders in sustainability project partnerships in times of crisis. Recommendations for the design of the potential, process and result quality are derived, which provide insights for project leaders and stakeholders alike. In addition, implications for public policymakers are derived, who are assigned an increasingly active role in the pandemic and who can contribute to the success of sustainability project partnerships by setting suitable framework conditions. The developed concept can be expanded to include further company-related determinants and offers a starting point for empirical analysis in the still underexplored research fields of sustainability-oriented relationship marketing and sustainability crises.

Improved Management Understanding of Research Through Concepts and Preliminary Studies for Empirical Problem Solving

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
Po Abas Sunarya ◽  
Eka Budiarto ◽  
Fauziyyah Husna Nurdiayanah Lestari
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Job Management ◽  
Good Management ◽  
Conducting Research

In the process of job management, many problems are faced. So that good management is needed, which is required to provide problem solving. Problem solving is done by conducting research on objects, in order to produce quality management. Research is a way to objectively seek truth, where truth here is not only conceptually or deductively obtained, but also must be tested empirically. The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of 10 (ten) basic research, as a form of research management, namely the understanding of research, research, research steps, motivation and research objectives, research processes, characteristics of research, preliminary studies, benefits and objectives preliminary studies, how to conduct preliminary studies, concepts of research methods and methodologies.

scholarly journals Inter-industry creative collaborations incorporating luxury fashion brands

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethan Alexander ◽  
Luis Ortega Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Creative Collaboration ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceive the concept of inter-industry creative collaboration; a unique kind of cooperation between business partners from diverse industries. It investigates the motivations that encourage their creation and identifies a method to evaluate consumers’ attitudes towards this kind of partnership. The study analyses consumer-based brand equity and links them to inter-industry creative collaborations within the luxury fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – Research was conducted using a comparative case design, which was qualitative in nature. Four cases were selected purposively. The data were obtained using semi-structured interviews with industry informants and consumer focus groups. Transcripts were thematically analysed according to common categories identified in the literature to enable cross-case conclusions to be drawn. Findings – The research proposes the existence of a direct relationship between the consumer-based brand equity effects and consumers’ attitudes towards inter-industry creative collaborations. This research not only proves the existence of the stated relationship but also generates a theoretical framework that specifically analyses inter-industry creative collaboration involving luxury fashion brands. Research limitations/implications – The usage of convenience sampling limited consumer participants to individuals who considered themselves luxury fashion consumers. In addition, the findings are limited to London, UK and cannot be generalised outside the examined cases. That said, the research provides a useful starting point for further empirical research to test the validity and reliability of the model outside of the stated cases. Practical implications – The proposed theoretical framework serves as a practical guide for luxury managers to assess the planning and execution of inter-industry creative collaborations conducted by their brands. Originality/value – The research makes a contribution to brand management literature by creating a connection between four topics of academic research: motivations of inter-industry creative collaborations; consumer-based brand equity; consumers’ attitudes towards inter-industry creative collaborations; and the creative and emotional elements of luxury fashion.

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