This paper considers issues, insights and lessons about conducting research in business that are drawn from this author’s experiences with gender research in the information technology (IT) field over the past decade. A research program on gender and information technology (IT) is used as the basis for consideration of methodological insights for business research. The purpose in discussing gender research is not so much to focus on the findings of this work. Rather, the purpose is to focus on research issues that have or could arise, the learning from which is transferrable to business research. The reason is that there are similarities between gender research and business research. Both are action oriented in that the research is driven by real issues and practical problems. The research is conducted into the phenomenon in order to inform actions and interventions. This problem‑orientation that drives business research also drives gender and IT research. Seven lessons relevant to business research methods are: the effect of data type, the choice of epistemology, the role of theory, building on disparate literature, the influence of researcher standpoint, stakeholder perspective that is privileged, and resolving the rigor vs. relevance conundrum. This review of insights for business research that is drawn from experiences with conducting research on gender and IT makes a case for increased methodological pluralism. Arguably, the degree to which institutions and publication outlets take these issues into account is indicative of their openness to exploring emergent topics. Methodological conservatism might be in order in some areas. But business research, which endeavors to respond to real world problems, needs to have the methodological tools available to respond to them. It must also be responsive to business trends and issues that might bring with them challenges for current methods for conducting research. New economic constraints, issues such as climate change that blur business area boundaries, globalization, social inclusion and innovation are 21st century issues that will encourage the research community to overcome resistance to different ideas, methodologies, epistemologies and theories. 

In data analysis the qualitative researcher seeks to produce a convincing explanation of the phenomena under investigation. Data analysis is an iterative process and requires reflection and interpretation on the researcher’s part on several levels. Interpretation suggests that there are no clear rules and that the researcher’s judgment, intuition and ability to highlight issues play an important part in the process. As a result, the issue as to how to analyse qualitative evidence is an area often poorly understood by researchers new to the interpretivist paradigm. The complexity of the data analysis process is increased due to the volume of evidence collected as part of a qualitative research study. The role of Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) in supporting this data analysis process is examined in this paper. It explores how CAQDAS can be used in facilitating the management of an extensive qualitative evidence base. CAQDAS enables researchers to manage qualitative data that would prove onerous through manual “pen and paper” methods. The paper examines the author’s use of the CAQDAS package N‑vivo in managing approximately 400 pages of single spaced interview transcripts resultant from a study on the evaluation of a new student ICT administrative system implementation in the Irish Institute of Technology (IoT) sector. This was an extensive empirical research study conducted across several case study sites and involved 49 informants and multiple sources of case study evidence. The objective was to develop a coherent cross‑case primary narrative of the system’s implementation from the evidence collected, reduce this to a set of key findings and ultimately develop a theoretical conjecture that provided fresh insights into the ICT investment evaluation process. The N‑vivo package served primarily as a support tool in managing the interview transcripts; in reflecting on the emerging themes; and in interpreting the body of evidence. It facilitated the identification of key points, the coding of key concepts that emerged from the body of evidence, and comparison between these concepts. It supported the later reclassification of concepts into a series of categories and sub categories; this helped to organise related concepts in relation to the overall research and facilitated greater understanding of the body of evidence. It supported the creation of memos to clarify emerging concepts and the categorisation of interview material to facilitate cross‑case analysis. Further, it facilitated analysis through for example relationship and model exploration. These features of N‑vivo played a vital role in producing a series of narrative accounts and ultimately the distillation of a new theoretical conjecture. 

Photographs have been used as a means of data capture for many years. Their use in recording observable phenomenon in anthropology is well documented. They also provide a valuable tool for researchers from other disciplines. This paper explores the use of photographs in qualitative business research. It demonstrates how the use of photographs can enrich the business research process through a range of techniques such as photo‑elicitation, autodriving, projective prompts and phenomenological interviews. Drawing from a selection of the researchers’ past studies, a comparative review of the use of photographs and the benefits they bring to the data capture process is examined. These studies range from an analysis of visible face makeup, place attachment in a rural community using farmers and town respondents and international students’ perceptions of home. The photographs capture the outside image of what a respondent is sensing and experiencing inwardly, providing a prompt for the respondent to drive the interview with their own words, language and values. In all instances photographs were found to augment the quality and richness of the data captured and provide an extra depth of analysis that otherwise may not have been discovered. In addition, the paper highlights the dynamics involved in the process of using visual data capture methods. The photographs were used for respondents to engage in a free sorting task which is useful in uncovering respondents’ values and meanings when asked to explain choices made between their photographs. This is of particular use in difficult to articulate situations like face makeup self perceptions and personal attachment to the environment. Our findings suggest that photographs are an increasingly important tool to use in business research and that they enhance the breadth and insight of the qualitative research process. The procedures and value gained using photographs are outlined along with a discussion on the benefits and disadvantages of this process. 

TThis paper presents a strategy for delayed research method selection in a qualitative interpretivist research. An exemplary case details how explorative interviews were designed and conducted in accordance with a paradigm prior to deciding whether to adopt grounded theory or phenomenology for data analysis. The focus here is to determine the most appropriate research strategy in this case the methodological framing to conduct research and represent findings, both of which are detailed. Research addressing current management issues requires both a flexible framework and the capability to consider the research problem from various angles, to derive tangible results for academia with immediate application to business demands. Researchers, and in particular novices, often struggle to decide on an appropriate research method suitable to address their research problem. This often applies to interpretative qualitative research where it is not always immediately clear which is the most appropriate method to use, as the research objectives shift and crystallize over time. This paper uses an exemplary case to reveal how the strategy for delayed research method selection contributes to deciding whether to adopt grounded theory or phenomenology in the initial phase of a PhD research project. In this case, semi‑structured interviews were used for data generation framed in an interpretivist approach, situated in a business context. Research questions for this study were thoroughly defined and carefully framed in accordance with the research paradigm’s principles, while at the same time ensuring that the requirements of both potential research methods were met. The grounded theory and phenomenology methods were compared and contrasted to determine their suitability and whether they meet the research objectives based on a pilot study. The strategy proposed in this paper is an alternative to the more ‘traditional’ approach, which initially selects the methodological formulation, followed by data generation. In conclusion, the suggested strategy for delayed research method selection intends to help researchers identify and apply the most appropriate method to their research. This strategy is based on explorations of data generation and analysis in order to derive faithful results from the data generated. 

The aim of this paper is to present the early stages of a critical analysis of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 which is intended to generate a model that can be of practical use in the Research Excellence Framework 2013. By drilling down into the research outputs available on the RAE 2008 website we intend to compare the context and methodologies used in more and less successful submissions. We show how an on‑going study may generate results that are useful in progressing towards both discovering answers to the Research Questions and refining of the methods used. ’. The results of the RAE 2008 in the field of Business and Management may have been disappointing for a number of institutions. However, the feedback in the form of the RAE ratings is difficult to use in making improvements to performance. This paper uses Westminster Business School (WBS) a post‑1992 business school, as an example, and focuses on the Research Output aspect of the RAE ratings. It shows how a comparison of a sample of submitted outputs from this business school and those of two more successful institutions is a relevant exercise which reveals some useful areas for improvement and is worth re‑focusing to provide more constructive feedback. Following a precursory literature review which sets the scene of differing but often not‑quite‑understood statuses of the qualitative and quantitative paradigms, initial findings suggest that the RAE outputs submitted by these three business schools vary substantially in terms of indicators of prestige and features such as topic area, journal rankings and citations; indicators of resources and professional network such as number of different topics, authors and location of authors; and indicators of methodology and method. The analysis takes into account the requirements of the 2013 Research Excellence Framework (REF) in order to progress. In this way the results of the RAE may be used to assist in institutional preparations for the REF. 

Many of the research questions of interest to IS academics and practitioners concern the success or failure of change initiatives involving the introduction of new systems and practices, when the phenomenon interacts with the context, and the focus is on organisational rather than technical issues. These are exactly the types of research questions for which a case study method is well suited. This paper assesses the use of the case study method to test hypotheses and build theory while investigating the phenomenon of steel e‑marketplaces. The paper draws upon the lead author’s experience when working on her doctoral thesis ‘Factors Affecting the Viability of Electronic Marketplaces: an Empirical Investigation into International Steel Trading’. Although the case research strategy has mostly been utilised for exploration and hypothesis generation, the case method is appropriate to all phases of research. In this study the research objectives were identified as theory description and theory testing, and the case strategy was used to describe and test the hypotheses. The lead author undertakes a cross‑case analysis of multiple IT‑powered initiatives in order to develop theoretical propositions to be tested through subsequent research. This paper discusses how issues and concerns inherent in this method were dealt with, and assesses the quality of the findings. 

Research Methodology is a daunting subject for those who have to negotiate its vastness for the first time. Often the knowledge they gain is not coherent and lacks foundation. In this paper a structured system of incremental assignments given to students allows them to experience research by “doing” rather than learning vast amounts of theory. This model allows all students to grasp the process of research by doing a quantitative proposal and pilot study in seven steps. The result is the completion of a first research project which eventually culminates in a publishable paper at internal university level. From this universal foundation every discipline may expand and hone the skills learnt by students by examining the epistemology and ontology of the specific discipline. It also allows students from different disciplines to comprehend and discuss the research of other disciplines and foster inter‑disciplinary research. The model has been developed for Universities of Technology in South Africa over a period of 13 years. It started off as a very theoretical set of lectures which covered as many quantitative and qualitative methodologies as could be taught, but this left students rather bewildered. The simplification of the system to cover just one quantitative method, using the relationship between two variable, or constructs, taught through assignments, self chosen mentors and an e‑mail communication system has had remarkable success with high completion rates and high marks from students in large classes. Rubrics have been the main form of assessments and the final products of a proposal and pilot study, and a publishable paper have been of exceptionally high and uniform in standard. 

In recent years there has been rapid growth in the number of resources available to conduct scholarly research with the assistance of the Internet. While the British Library’s (2009) survey revealed a reluctance among doctoral and post‑doctoral researchers to engage with new technologies, masters‑level students and final‑year undergraduates are often much more open to technological innovation, They are familiar with interactive tools in the classroom (King and Robinson, 2009), and used to the characteristics associated with Web 2.0 (O’Reilly, 2005), but could often benefit from guidance as to how to exploit these tools in their independent work. This paper discusses four general types of tool which can be used to gather primary data in research: Electronic web‑based surveys. These can be set up very simply using software such as ‘Surveymonkey’, Qualtrics, or the Bristol Online Surveys system developed specifically for the UK higher education sector. As a result they are popular with students, but their very ease of use often means that little attention is paid to sampling, or to interpreting the results with caution. Blogs. Again, these are easy to set up, but it is less clear to students how they can be used as a data gathering tool. However the current author has encountered a number of instances where a student has set up a blog to invite comments on a topic, and to gather opinions from readers that might contribute to the students’ work. Personal response systems or ‘clickers’ which are available as a computer peripheral and can be used to gather data from a group of people very rapidly. Conferencing systems which could be used in effect to conduct more or less structured interviews electronically. A simple exchange of emails would be a primitive way of achieving this, and would be asynchronous, in that the interviewee does not need to respond instantly. A synchronous equivalent could be provided using chat or instant messaging software. All four of these have the benefit of being instantly self‑documenting in that any data provided is stored electronically. This is a particularly attractive attribute for masters level students, or final year undergraduates, who may be under pressure to produce some independent and original work with very limited resources. As a general observation these tools offer enhanced scope for students to carry out original and distinctive work, and to place their own stamp on their findings. If nothing else, the use of unique primary data can differentiate one student’s work from that of others. But this needs to be tempered with an appreciation of the limitations of primary data and an understanding of how to use it realistically.