European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies

The Legal Research Methodology as a Method for Researching in Business Area: A Case Study Applied to Gymnasiums

Susana Aldeia — 2024-06-26

Abstract: Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to understand how the analysis of laws and jurisprudence influences the decisions of gym managers in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose, the Portuguese tax law was investigated, particularly the Value Added Tax law and additional legal dispositions. It also researches the arbitral case law related to nutrition consulting in sports activity companies. Findings – The nutrition consultation is considered a medical act subject to the legal disposition of article 9º of the Value Added Tax Code, which means that when the medical service is provided by a professional, the beneficiary of the services can benefit from the VAT exemption. This disposition observes the European Union Directive 2006/112/EC of the European Council. Nevertheless, when a nutritionist provides these services through an entity that offers sports activities like gyms, some doubts are raised because it can be considered that nutritional monitoring has no therapeutic purpose. Customers could not benefit from the VAT exemption if some conditions were not observed. The arbitral tax court has been considering that it needs to keep some requirements for that exemption could be applied to the gym services. In several cases, fulfilling the conditions is complex and generates litigation between the Portuguese Tax Authority and gyms. In the personal sphere, there are two possibilities for the service's recognition i) if the service is recognized as a consultation, it could benefit as a medical expense in the personal income tax statement; ii) if it is not considered as a medical expense, each person can deduct 15% of the VAT in the same statement. Originality: This paper demonstrates the role that court rulings play in clarifying day-to-day issues for managers. It also shows that laws and court rulings are an essential source of data in management research. Research limitations/implications – This study only analyses the Portuguese case, it could be interesting to study other countries that do not apply the value-added tax law.

A Landscape of Case-Based Research: Methodological Rigor in an Emerging Economy Context

Paulo Cauchick-Miguel — 2024-06-26

In the evolving field of Production Engineering, the robustness of case-based research plays a crucial role in
theory development and practical application. Recognizing this criticality, this paper delves into a systematic examination
of methodological rigor in Production Engineering case research, scrutinizing a significant corpus of research to discern
patterns and practices in methodological execution. This work seeks to shed light on the prevailing trends and identify
potential avenues for strengthening the methodological foundations of case study research within the Production
Engineering domain. The search was based on case studies from select publications in the Scielo database, a relevant
Brazilian source that make available journal articles published in journals in various areas of knowledge. The analysis
delineates a framework of four quality criteria – construct validity, internal and external validity, and reliability – to
augment methodological rigour. The findings reveal a critical need for a more explicit engagement with these criteria in
research design, data collection, and analysis. The research highlights strategies to fortify rigour and, by extension, the
quality of case-based research, paving the way for more robust theoretical contributions in Production Engineering. This
work in progress not only considers the recent landscape of case-based research but also provides actionable insights to
refine future research methodologies, ultimately fostering a paradigm of excellence in qualitative research. The
enhancement of methodological rigour in Production Engineering case-based research within the scientific community in a
developing country is of paramount importance. As scholars strive to amplify their voices in the international arena, the
meticulous application of robust research methodologies becomes critical. It serves not only to fortify the validity and
reliability of findings but also to ensure the reproducibility of research. Enhancing methodological rigour aids in building a
legacy of credibility and trust in the Brazilian scholarship that can contribute significantly to both regional and global
advancements in Production Engineering.

A Mixed-Methods Strategy for Small Samples in Ill-Structured Literature

Irene Ciccarino — 2024-06-26

This paper contributes to general research by providing a tested protocol to extract structured information with analytical and statistical significance from an exploratory context, despite small samples. Exploring new trends in business and management can be challenging. Sometimes the singularity of the phenomenon observed, or its novelty, offers small samples. The research protocol was developed to study social business models, providing understanding of differences between profiles of a taxonomy. Results were consistent when applied to other samples. The research protocol relies on a mixed method based on pattern identification through qualitative and quantitative analysis. Detailed methodological decisions and procedures offer a guide for dealing with ill-structured literature lacking consensus and empirical studies, addressing emergent phenomena. The theoretical background is developed in two parts: first, by contextualizing the literature where the mixed-method protocol was developed, and second, by referencing various business and management studies that informed the protocol. The research evaluated significant differences in social business models dimensions and profiles, aiming to classify them and understand how these differences influence social value creation. In the absence of theoretical definitions, social investment and award criteria were researched. The research context, including its strengths and constraints, is explained to assist researchers facing similar challenges. Online data and interviews underwent content and pattern-matching analysis to fill a model selected from the literature. This exploratory research helped overcome theoretical limitations and incorporated diverse perspectives needed to understand social entrepreneurship. The mixed-method strategy identified profiles and classified business models, proposing a taxonomy. The resulting taxonomy is supported by the literature and consistent with the contexts where it has emerged. All procedures are described with examples from the research project to enhance understanding and usage. This comprehensive approach allows researchers to navigate the complexities of social entrepreneurial literature, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the field.

Econometric Advances in the Estimation of Housing Price Determinants

Antonio M. Cunha — 2024-06-26

This paper aims to help improve the estimations produced by researchers who rely on conventional housing market pricing models to determine housing prices. The widespread use of panel data in estimating housing prices is justified by the richness of cross-sectional regional or metropolitan data analysed over several periods. Unfortunately, panel data has slope coefficient heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence, producing inconsistent and misleading estimates of the coefficients using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimator. Recent advances in econometrics address these panel data limitations, producing better estimates. We analysed the empirical application of these new estimators on housing market panel data, showing that the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares Augmented Mean Group (FMOLS-MG) estimator produces the best estimates of the long-term housing market equilibrium and that the Dynamic Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (DCCE-MG) estimator produces the best estimates of the housing market's short-term dynamics. Adopting a trending methodology like Difference-in-Differences (DID) in housing market research to explain the effects of policy decisions on housing prices also has complications related to using the OLS estimator with fixed effects when the data has serial correlation. We show these problems can be overcome using the Feasible Generalised Least Squares estimator in a Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations (FGLS-SURE) system. Recent econometric developments produce more accurate housing price determinant estimates than conventional econometric methods. These new methodologies can help researchers better estimate the effects of fundamental economic changes and policy decisions on housing prices, which can, in turn, support policymakers in implementing better housing policies.

Design Science for Networks Designing: A Service-Dominant Logic Approach

Agostinho da Silva — 2024-06-26

This research explores the dynamics of coopetition among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) during digital transformation, using Design Science Research (DSR) anchored in Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic. It examines the integration challenges of manufacturing SMEs into digital supply chains, highlighting the critical role of coopetition—a blend of competition and collaboration—in driving sustainable growth in this essential sector. Prompted by a consensus on reducing SME vulnerabilities, the study underscores the need for a resilient framework, especially given an 85% attrition rate in digital networks where only a minority, often supported by giants like Amazon and Microsoft, succeeds long-term. The proposed framework focuses on leveraging technology to enhance SMEs' competitiveness, innovation, and growth. This study contributes to academic discourse by suggesting future research directions, such as defining value creation in coopetition networks and assessing the impact of innovative artefacts, but also reveals the potential of coopetition networks as platforms for mutual value creation. This research enriches scholarly discussions on coopetition in the digital age and offers strategic guidance for SMEs navigating digital transformation, aiming to prepare European SMEs for upcoming challenges and opportunities.

A Bidirectional Research Method to Design a Smart City Evaluation System

Renata Dameri — 2024-06-26

This paper develops a two-way research method – both top-down and bottom-up – to define a “standard but tailored” assessment framework for smart cities, based on shared smart city concepts, but designed to respond to different needs of each city. The method aims not to design a measurement standard, but to define a process able to create the best smart city measurement system. It is based on a standard framework but tailored on each city – with its own features, problems, values, and ideas about the quality of life. This method overcomes the limitations of using standard framework, as it links smart city assessment tools to local policies but giving to the tool the authoritativeness deriving from the scientific literature and the robustness acquired from international nest practices. An empirical implementation supports the theoretical background and allows to validate the method, as it has been successfully implemented in Genoa, a medium-sized city in Italy looking for its own performance measurement system that allows comparison with other smart cities at the same time. The bidirectional method is designed by the authors of this paper, and it is a novelty in the international literature about research methodology for business and management studies.

Rational Thinking in Complex Qualitative Business and Management Research Using Systems Methodologies.

Julian de Villez — 2024-06-26

This paper describes the application of Systems Methodologies when dealing with complex qualitative business and management research studies, when seen in their true light, as “wicked projects”. It will demonstrate the power, flexibility and effectiveness of these approaches. This paper focuses on studies undertaken by mostly part-time postgraduate students on Business and Management related degrees who are managers in their full-time roles. Such research studies in the “messy” real world often deal with complex, difficult, unstructured and ill-defined problematic situations, with many stakeholders, multi-perspectives, uncertainties, soft factors. Hence “wicked projects”. Systems methodologies and Soft OR (Operational Research) are very suitable approaches for structuring the research project, gathering data, carrying out rigorous analysis, and enabling clear, unbiased and rational thinking. They provide the researcher with a fully informed holistic approach. They have been employed successfully by the author, when supervising, or in collaboration with students undertaking research studies or dissertations. Soft systems methodologies are not mainstream, and thus are often ignored in university research methods courses, and rarely mentioned in business research methods books. Yet they help the student design the project, help the supervisor guide the project, enable clear communications between the participants in the research, and aid collaboration. They are highly efficient and effective, and will deliver “joined-up thinking!” The paper will describe the studies carried out, and methods and techniques chosen. They have proved of real value to the students, not only in their degrees but also in the learning and development needed for their ongoing managerial roles, to the organisations in question, and to advance knowledge in the particular field.

Reimagining how the Critical Realist Ways of Methodological Triangulation Might Allow for Resolving Paradigm In/Commensurability in Research Methodologies

Valindawo Valile M Dwayi — 2024-06-26

For a long time research methodology scholars have tended to adopt the diverse and non-convergent positions when it comes to the possibility of the paradigm in/commensurability. However, not much is well researched and thus evidenced in practice, about the potential ways of addressing the binaries. This paper will report on the recently completed project where the reviewers seemed to take contrasting positions on the particular case of research methods. While in practice, the research could have been declared as anchored on mixed methods and the power of methodological triangulation, it seemed that the positionality of the reviewers conditioned the ways they would assess the final research report and thus make them differ in ways that would call for the external assessor/adjudicator beyond the review stage. The case, as it were, seemed to pose risk to the project itself. This would be the case of a raw deal for the project and from the reviewers comments, which indicated their limited understanding about the philosophical or social basis for one's work. Based on this experience, the paper then suggests how engaging research as the idea of being/ontology and becoming/epistemology might allow for the potential resolution points about research especially from the perspective of educational management and development fields of study and of practice.

Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm

Mohamed Elgeddawy — 2024-06-26

A paradigm is a worldview, a set of beliefs, values, traditions, and conventions that shape our understanding of how we know what we know and what knowing is. With this definition in mind, the purpose of this paper is to point out the added value of articulating the research paradigm of a mixed methods case study that examined the preparedness of university graduates for today’s job market. The paper intends to examine how the exploration of participants’ worldviews of the phenomena under inquiry lends itself to pragmatism, a paradigm that underpins the philosophical premise of mixed methods research (MMR). The discussion demonstrates (1) how pragmatism as a research paradigm informs the chosen mixed methods design, and (2) how the chosen research paradigm, pragmatism, values multiplicity of worldviews that enrich the development of viable solutions for the problem under inquiry. Articulating the research paradigm that informs the overall design of a study is oftentimes marginalized especially in case studies. This paper intends to explain the value for highlighting the philosophical paradigm of case studies.

Natural Experiments and Causation in Strategy Research

Scott Erickson — 2024-06-26

Research to inform organizational strategy decisions studies the impact of specific managerial decisions on performance. While links from decisions to outcomes can be convincingly identified in individual, specific circumstances, trying to do the same with a larger set of decisions and outcomes can be problematic. In a situation with a substantive sample, relying on standard metrics such as financial statements, the link to particular outcomes can be difficult to establish. Especially when trying to choose metrics not already correlated in some way.

Our research is generally in the field of knowledge management (KM). The discipline has an extensive history of attempts to link better management of knowledge and other intangibles to performance outcomes. While the performance outcomes are fairly straightforward (financial success such as profitability or return on investment, innovation success, etc.), the metric for knowledge management is harder to pin down. The literature shows dozens of approaches. Some are for single firms or a small sample, but even if focusing only on metrics for a larger sample of firms, disagreement exists.

But even when a KM metric is chosen for a larger sample, there is often a direct tie between input and output measures, making correlation difficult to establish, let alone causation. If profitability is part of both the input and output measures, of course they are correlated. The most advanced statistical techniques don’t establish anything more than what the researcher should already know from a cursory look at the logic of the study and the specifics of the variables. As a result, whether KM actually results in better organizational performance is still an open and much debated question in the field.

One research approach that can get around this issue is the natural experiment. Pioneered by Nobel winner David Card and others, the natural experiment uses two measurements with a clear, consequential event separating the two—minimizing the impact of samples that might otherwise be connected contemporaneously. The event, such as a change in law, provides a change in circumstances delinking the measures. Whether structured as a pre/post experiment (measuring before or after the intervening event) or control/experimental group experiment (one group exposed to the event, the other not), the outcome can provide convincing results and can even suggest causation.

This paper will cover our work with natural experiments in relation to KM and performance outcomes for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. Can KM metrics before an M&A event predict the success of the event? Success can be defined by the change in financial performance after the event takes place.

Advancements in Bankruptcy Prediction Models and Bibliometric Analysis

Amanda Zetzsche de Abreu Gomes — 2024-06-26

Since the economic downturn of the 1930s, there has been a growing interest in predicting company bankruptcies. Though not a new topic, the prospect of business bankruptcy has gained increasing relevance due to globalisation. This study explores various methodologies employed in predicting bankruptcy. Preventing bankruptcies also bolsters economic stability by averting the adverse effects of insolvency on the community. Companies with a solid and flexible economic foundation are more likely to succeed. This article reviews existing literature, discusses prevalent predictive models, and presents a statistical analysis of bibliometric data associated with bankruptcy prediction. This work aims to answer the research question of identifying the trends over time in the econometric models used to predict bankruptcy. This article may be useful for finance and business students in providing an overview of the subject and for business managers to identify the key determinants of financial distress. Exploring the R package, Bibliometrix® demonstrates its efficacy as a powerful tool for science mapping.

Applicability of Both/and Thinking in International Sustainable Business Studies

Juan Marcelo Gómez — 2024-06-26

The purpose of this article is to provide a methodological demonstration making use of the both/and thinking (BAT) framework to perform analysis of intertemporal tensions. The BAT framework as an analytical tool is able to holistically examine complex multi-level business problems that involve tensions, contradictions and paradox that could be useful to others. Engaging the BAT framework in international sustainable business studies can be a challenging choice as it requires holistic understanding of the affects in the separation of contradictory elements across time and distance to shape research inquiry and direction. The approach considers that while paradoxes deal with contradictions, as a methodological process it enables a strategy for juxtaposing apparent opposites using an integrative lens embedded in BAT. As such, the use of BAT is discussed using a constructionist approach to gain insight and understanding on surfacing intertemporal tensions exemplified by the socio-business case study that is situated in the chocolate industry. The article draws on BAT primary and sub-themes and discusses implications and applications as a technique to frame the grappling of tensions. The findings are guided by the existing literature and the analysis from the empirical case study providing contributions in practice to further support the use of the BAT framework. Paradoxes examined in this article are based on affects for the themes of organizing, belonging, performing and learning. This article provides understanding of the findings to gain insight from an empirical and theoretical perspective to illustrate the practical implications of the methodological approach. As such, the principles of paradox theory are placed in the context of the BAT framework which are exemplified by making use of the empirical case study data to surface the potential applicability of the approach for future research. This article aims to contribute to the business and management methodological literature by demonstrating the use of the BAT approach and contributes with specificity in relation to the paradox taxonomy and the use of the BAT framework. Despite certain limitations, the BAT framework can be an excellent choice for qualitative sustainable business research that deals with contradictory demands.

Experimental Designs in Management Studies for Bias Assessment: Setting and Stimulus Material

Maria João Guedes — 2024-06-26

This manuscript stems from an ongoing research project on gender inequality in Portuguese businesses, particularly concerning access to leadership positions. It aims to provide new insights into the constraints that limit women’s access to managerial roles – both from the worker/employee’s perspective, by exploring expectations, aspirations, and perceived barriers, and from the employer/hierarchy’s perspective, by analysing which biases in recruitment and promotion processes are likely to limit women’s rise to top management positions. Against this analytical background, this paper aims to provide a reflection on the inquiry protocol developed within the project, with particular emphasis on the quantitative approach based on an experimental design. A survey has been developed targeting professionals and directors of large, listed companies and large/medium unlisted companies, where the respondents are given the framework of hiring hypothetical applicants for a management position. The methodological protocol involves elaborating different fictitious CV profiles, representing hypothetical candidates. These profiles are constructed by varying attributes according to various dimensions, specifically gender, combined with educational and professional characteristics. Based on the process of designing the experimental setting, the aim is to reflect on the nuances, obstacles, and limitations in constructing a set of stimulus materials and manipulating the experimental conditions regarding the fictitious applicants’ characteristics (including gender), vertical segregation (‘glass ceiling’ in access to top management positions), horizontal segregation (i.e., associating candidates with typically female or male occupations) and measurement items/scales for assessing the applicants in different dimensions (e.g., perceived competence, job fit, promotion recommendation, etc.). Therefore, this paper aims to reflect on the methodological challenges and advantages of an experimental research design and data analysis strategy to address gender bias in hiring contexts and capable of sustaining an ongoing data observatory to support the definition of public policies and organisational practices aimed at promoting gender equality in top positions.

Effects of Action Learning Strategies and Reflection in Teaching Business Research Methods in Business and Management Education

Ketty Grishikashvili — 2024-06-26

In a rapidly changing business world, Research Methods (RM) and their application to real-world problems are becoming skills that equip students for the rest of their lives. Thus, there are ongoing debates about several practical and pedagogical challenges to teaching research methods. One of the questions to address challenges is how to make RM interesting to Business and Management (B&M) students. Addressing this issue becomes even more debatable for the large class seatings in an increasingly internationalised context. Arguably, to remain relevant, Management Education (ME) must reflect the realities that influence its subject matter, while at the same time addressing social needs and expectations. Therefore, introducing innovative and inclusive methods for learning, teaching and assessment is becoming undoubtedly important for shaping the future of ME. This article presents a reflective analysis of introduced innovative learning, teaching and assessment methods for teaching RM on one of the largest PG taught courses in one of the UK’s higher education institutions. In this course, students learn and develop a research proposal for the final PG project. The innovative methods employed in this course were to address the above-mentioned challenge, making RM more interesting for B&M students by improving an engagement. This was achieved by incorporating an active and action learning strategies in flipped classroom settings. The idea was to create an interactive environment where students could master technical information through Learning Set Conversation (LSC), Reflection, and Critical Analysis. Having, LSC about the Case Study, which was linked to research process, helped students to adopt multicultural environment and have a great experience while they were learning and developing their Research Proposal. In addition, introducing the weekly Reflective Work/Reflective Diaries submission as a form of assessment, helped students to keep Reflective Diaries, which allowed them to observe their own research practice and the lessons they have learnt. Effectiveness of the introduced methods and recommendations are based on the Mid-module feedback data which was taken form 3 different intakes between 2021-2023.

Research Methods – is Agile different ?

Elizaveta Gromova — 2024-06-26

: The fourth industrial revolution was a radically new round in the evolution of many processes in society, including management processes. The digital revolution has provoked the development of new management models and concepts. Agile manufacturing is one of such managerial production concepts that meets modern challenges and requirements of the business environment. Literature review as a research method plays an important role in the studies. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the papers published in SCOPUS and Web of Science database about agile manufacturing since 2000. Specifically, we aim at analysing the research methods on this very popular topic on the economy and management. We believe that by defining the methods used in the agile field we may understand the nature of the research. It is well known that agile manufacturing methods are meant to be upfront in terms of efficiency, but in this paper we want to make a review on research methods to check how research has been made. Therefore, we believe this research is useful for scientists and practitioners

Developing Methods for Assessing the Social Impact of Scientific Study

Tadeusz A. Grzeszczyk — 2024-06-26

In many countries, there is a need to introduce new or improved existing methods for evaluating the social impact of scientific study on the environment of scientific institutions and universities. It is necessary to apply complex methodological solutions that should consider using research results by the non-academic world. The results of this evaluation are often crucial for building a university's position in national and international rankings. They may influence decisions regarding the level of financing of scientific institutions and the distribution of public funds for subsidies, scholarships, and financial aid concerning research grants. The paper aims to review existing methodological solutions and identify key trends in developing methods for assessing the social impact of scientific study. In this case, the scope of the research was limited to evaluating the study conducted within the field of social sciences. Running such assessments is more complicated than for the technical domain, for which more easily measurable bibliometric indicators and patents are available. The research used quantitative bibliometric analyzes based on the Scopus citation database, supported by bibliometric network analyzes. The results enable the identification of crucial methodological trends, potential opportunities and directions for developing research conducive to improving methods for assessing the social impact of study. Providing an overview of existing knowledge in this field creates a foundation for continuing further research.

Researching the Topic of AI Data Analysis in Loyalty Programs

Andrii Kushnarevych — 2024-06-26

Loyalty programs have long served as valuable tools for customer engagement and retention. Today, with the increasing availability of customer data, new methods for analysis and program optimization are becoming a necessity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also been a topic of high relevance in recent years, and its connection with loyalty programs has not been researched and discussed enough to date. In this paper we aim to explore the emerging topic of AI data analysis in the context of loyalty programs. We examine various applications of AI data analysis in loyalty programs, including personalized rewards and incentives, customer segmentation and targeting and fraud detection and risk management. Covering these possible applications of AI data analysis provides a general understanding of AI data analysis functioning and its integration into loyalty programs. The provided information also serves as a good basis for understanding how AI data analysis functions and may be applied in various fields. In our paper we look at the outcomes of AI data analysis applications in loyalty programs from the point of view of a customer who is using those programs as well as from the point of view of the brand who manages them. By analyzing the identified points, we then highlight the benefits and challenges of using AI data analysis in loyalty programs. Key research gaps are also presented, emphasizing the need for further research on the topic, with particular attention given to problems such as ethical considerations, data privacy concerns, and the transparency of AI models. The main goal of our article is to provide readers with complex information on the topic of AI data analysis usage in loyalty programs and the ways this technology may benefit customers and the brand in the selected context. The article is theoretical-empirical and is based on external information from trustworthy sources, both digital and printed, completed with our own research outcomes.

Data Scientist Knowledge and Skills Evaluation towards a Data-Driven Research Methodology

Jing Lu — 2024-06-26

The modern business world increasingly requires a higher level of data science expertise as well as abilities in problem solving and data analytics. Data science is a broad and fast-moving field of methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract insights from data. The University of Winchester has followed the guidance of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and worked in partnership with a number of international, national and regional employers in the design and development of its Data Scientist (integrated degree) programme, which leads to a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science. This degree apprenticeship supports students in gaining the knowledge and skills that are in demand by employers today and into the future, where working in multi-disciplinary teams alongside domain experts will often be the norm. IfATE specifies an End-point Assessment (EPA) plan to enable the apprenticeship to be completed in accordance with its Data Scientist degree apprenticeship standard. This paper considers professional practice and competence in data science and links the processes used in completing the EPA with domain-based knowledge and expertise. It reviews representative solution methodologies before demonstrating the applicability of a data-driven research methodology to discover insights and achieve organisational goals.

The Influence of Demographic Factors on Creativity Level of Undergraduate Agricultural Students

Mbulaheni Lordwin Mavhungu — 2024-06-26

The purpose of this study is to establish the influence of demographic factors on the creativity level of undergraduate agricultural students. It seeks to understand how gender, status of family owned business, field of study, and place of upbringing affect the creativity level of these students. The research adopts a quantitative approach, using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey data, collected from 421 participants, is analyzed using structural equation modelling. Hypotheses are statistically tested to establish the relationships between demographic factors and creativity level of undergarduates students. The survey data for this research was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were undergraduate agricultural students from various South African universities. To statistically test the hypotheses and analyze the relationships between demographic factors and the creative level, structural equation modelling was used. The study reveals that all demographic factors do not significantly influence creativity level of agricultural students. This suggests that gender, status of family owned business, field of study, and place of upbringing are not reliable indicators to test creativity level of undergraduate agricultural students. This research adds to the existing creativity literature on entrepreneurship by providing insights into the role of demographic factors in shaping the creativity level of agricultural students. It contributes to an understanding of how these factors influence students' perception on their creative abilities. The findings highlight the grounds of not considering demographic factors when evaluating creativity in educational settings.

Sensory Panel Training: Developing Hospitality Students Analytical and Research Skills

Sandra Vasconcelos — 2024-06-26

Having been conducted for many years, sensory and flavour analysis have been instrumental in not only developing and assessing the quality of products, but also understanding their nature and unique characteristics. Relying on a variety of methods, this analysis can take on different forms, ranging from mostly descriptive to more instrumental approaches, which can include sensory panels, whose training is often time-consuming and demanding. Valued by winemakers, descriptive analysis procedures carried out with the help of sensory panels has been extensively used in the food and beverage industry and can be perceived as key within the scope of sommelier training and hospitality programs. However, despite this importance, given its subjective and intensive nature, sensory analysis can be affected by bias and fatigue, requiring regular calibration exercises, combined with structured tasting procedures and protocols. As a result, training sensory panels requires knowledgeable and experienced instructors, dedicated facilities and continuous support, in addition to a comprehensive view that includes other research approaches and tools that can be combined as to produce more valuable and accurate assessment.

Focused on wine production and drawing from the authors’ experience, this paper aims to reflect on exploratory research methods involving sensory evaluation, putting forward strategies that can be used to support sensory training. Consistent with a work in progress, it addresses the topics of research methods, action research and reflective practice, contributing towards the development of novel approaches within the scope of teaching research methodology in business and management. Despite the focus on wine production, the strategies described aim at enhancing tourism and hospitality students’ research and analytical skills, ultimately being able to benefit other practitioners in the field.

On the Use of Generative AI for Literature Reviews: An Exploration of Tools and Techniques

Peter Mozelius — 2024-06-26

To carry out a literature review often involves hard and tedious work. There is a tradition of using facilitating tools, that extended to the AI field in 2018 when iris.ai appeared. Today, in the emerging field of Generative AI tools based on Large Language Models, there has been rapid development of new literature search tools and approaches. This study has the aim of exploring this vast array of Generative AI tools, in a literature study where some of the found tools were used to facilitate the selection of relevant publication. Three research questions guided this study: RQ1) "What Generative AI tools can be found in literature?", RQ2) "Which of these tools could be of use in the literature review conducted in this study, and how?", and RQ3) "What are the ethical aspects of using Generative AI tools in literature studies?” The approach has been a scoping review, built around a search that combined the keywords: "AI supported", "AI generated", "AI based" and "Literature review". An initial result set was filtered with inclusion exclusion criteria in a strive for an interesting quality answer to the research questions. However, most publications that passed the filtering lacked any potential to contribute to answer the research questions. The most interesting finding in the first search was a hint about the new feature 'Scopus AI'. A new search with the Scopus AI tool resulted in a small but very relevant set of publications. These publications were analysed in a deductive inductive thematic analysis, and primary sorted into the categories of: 'Generative AI Tools', 'Supportive AI Techniques', and 'Ethical Issues'. Findings indicate that there is a wide variety of tools that can facilitate the skimming process of a literature, and to provide adequate summaries of retrieved publication. However, authors recommendation is to keep the tools on the facilitating support level, and that the main analysis and conclusion should be human conducted. With this, rather traditional approach, researchers will have clearly less ethical issues to consider. Finally, the ethical aspects of Generative AI tools in research ought to be investigated more in detail, in a separate future study.

Making Sense of Legitimacy Across Universities: Ecocritical Ontological Perspective

Pumela Msweli — 2024-06-26

This paper reflects on research methodological considerations of how legitimacy of publicly funded universities
occurs. From an ecocritical ontological perspective the paper uses a metaphor and sense-making techniques to shed light
into effective modalities universities use to connect with local economies. The Milky way Galactic ecosystem metaphor is
used not only to make sense of the ecocritical ontological stance taken to make sense of legitimacy but is used as a metaphor
to make sense of the findings. The paper asserts that the legitimacy theoretical lens is particularly appropriate to probe
universities’ legitimacy and connectedness to the local communities they are embedded in. The rationale behind this
assertion is that legitimacy is only conferred to the extent the actions of an entity are perceived as desirable, efficient, proper,
or appropriate by the ecosystem stakeholders. The theory is thus useful for examining connectedness of publicly funded
universities to its local community. The paper argues that the university system that is delinked from local economic
development is like a Milky way Galaxy delinked from its Galactic ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the paper juxtaposes
Mondragon University, located in a rural part of Northern Spain with two South African universities embedded in poverty
stricken rural South Africa. Mondragon University is presented as a hallmark of success when it comes to local community
legitimacy. The paper is centered around the following question: (1) how does university legitimacy yield impactful local
community outcomes? Using the Milky way Galaxy metaphor, the findings show a considerable variety in local community
connectedness depending on bureaucratic arrangements of the universities. The findings also showed that alternative
income sources, outside the public purse, just like the gravitational force in the galactic ecosystem, is the key force that
determines legitimacy in a university setting. The paper contributes to business research methods by fusing metaphorical as
well as sense-making research techniques to bring to sharp focus permeability of the university space to enable local
economic development.

Influence of Quality Education on FDI Inflows in Subs-Saharan Africa: A Theoretical and Empirical Research

Aman Nthangu — 2024-06-26

The non-traditional influences of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are increasingly gaining attention in international business studies; however, the empirical evidence of these influences is still scant. Using human capital theory within the context of the national competitive framework, the study reported in this paper considers the progress towards achieving Quality education as a likely influence of FDI inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The paper employs a panel data research design and conducts fixed effects estimations. The analysis categorizes FDI flows into global FDI, FDI from developed countries, and FDI from developing countries to SSA. Thus, the paper is centred around three research questions: (1) How does progress toward quality education influence global FDI inflows? (2) How does progress towards quality education influence FDI inflows from developed and (3) from developing countries? The analysis mainly utilizes a bespoke dataset from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and data from trustworthy databases such as UNCTADSTAT and the World Development Indicators (WDI). The results support the claim of the increasing importance of non-traditional influences of FDI flow. Quality Education significantly influenced FDI inflows from the globe and developing countries to SSA. This research provides further evidence that the national competitive framework can thoroughly explain the factors that have different significant powers in influencing FDI flows to SSA from developed and developing countries. The study is highly policy-relevant because it examines the effects of the degree of attainment of specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (quality education) on inward FDI performance. It, therefore, shows the benefits of SSA countries investing in the SDGs for the policy goal of attracting more considerable amounts of inward FDI.

Applying a Systematic Literature Review Process in a Grounded Theory Investigation

Sinéad O'Mahony — 2024-06-26

This paper offers a critique of the application of a systematic literature review (SLR) process during a grounded theory (GT) investigation. The place of the literature review (LR) within GT has long been discussed, contested, and frequently misunderstood. One of GT’s hallmarks is its inductive nature, allowing salient concepts to ‘arise’ rather than being deduced. Hence, there are differing perspectives on the role of the LR concerning enabling or constraining this inductive process. However, scant guidance is available on conducting LRs for GT studies. Wolfswinkel, Furtmueller and Wilderom (2011) offer a five-stage GT method for reviewing literature. This paper will provide insights into the advantages and disadvantages of their method. Though grounded in theoretical principles surrounding the LR’s purpose in GT, this paper gives practical guidance on operationalising this five-stage SLR process. This is done by demonstrating the application of their stages in a doctoral dissertation. A contemporaneous research audit trail was used to document each stage, reflect on challenges, and justify deviations from the original five stages. Excerpts from the audit trail will be used to illustrate how the process was applied. Based on the findings from applying these stages, tentative advancements to the model will be offered so that other researchers will have more detailed guidance on how a SLR may be conducted within GT studies.

Teaching Research in an Employability-Focused Undergraduate Curriculum

Martin Rich — 2024-06-26

Employability has emerged as a key part of many universities’ strategies, with initiatives to integrate work with employers, and input from professional careers advisers, into course material. This is especially relevant for business and management courses, and particularly at the undergraduate level offers some scope for courses to be differentiated through the nature of the interaction which they provide with employers. Undergraduate students are expected to learn some research techniques and to demonstrate an ability to carry out a measure of independent inquiry as part of their studies. Superficially these research techniques can appear to represent a very different facet of academic study from employability, and be seen as training in purely academic techniques. This paper explores the potential to build connections between research and employability and to harness students’ knowledge of research methods when working on practical business issues. This paper is based on experience of developing a series of projects which students in their final year of an undergraduate degree can carry out in partnership with employers. These projects are on a smaller scale than independent projects that students have worked on in the past and allow for more focused aims and more structured supervision than other student research projects. While the original motivation was to increase the structure and certainty for students their final year the approach has evolved to be aligned with the university’s policies around practical experience and employer engagement. Therefore the project, while not mandatory for students, is positioned as one of a number of possible ways to gain practical experience, with the expectation that students will take up at least one of these options so that they will graduate with this experience. Setting up these projects has depended on collaboration between academics, careers advisors, and others involved with employer engagement including the team working with alumni. The approach has been implemented across a range of business, management, and finance degrees and has proved effective in creating a connection between independent research and employability.

The Challenges of Health Units During Covid19: Qualitative Analysis Through the Lens of Dynamic Capacities

Jorge Simões — 2024-06-26

In all sectors, whether public or private, the current organizational context is characterized by technological, economic, political, social, and cultural changes, which affect the ongoing relations between countries and companies. In the public sector, the political factor and its political cycles are more present, as well as social and human responsibilities in health allow us to differentiate our study environment from all the others. Currently, during the pandemic phase, according to the need for adaptation and dynamics of the Health Units, this was even more visible. Dynamic capabilities (DCs) need to be renewed to respond to emerging changes in the environment, and organizations must develop their capabilities to sustain good levels of performance. Therefore, CDs play an essential role in the performance of organizations. The main objectives of this study are to study the HC in Health Units during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the objective of developing a mapping of indicators that would allow a more efficient response to the organizational and structural changes of the Health Units, users' needs (whether COVID or non-COVID). This article presents preliminary data from an investigation still ongoing on the topic. As contributions, we highlight how the study helps to identify the relationships between the various capacities, relating the importance of technological capacity, human resources capacity and the special importance given to learning resources (through routine activities).

Efficiency Indicators as Management Research Tools at Scientific Institutions

Inese Spica — 2024-06-26

The theme of research is topical in the present situation with management research tools at scientific institutions of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The object of the research are the management research tools of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions. The subject of the research is the comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science in Latvia. The objective of the research is to study efficiency indicators of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks are set in order to reach the objective: to study the management research tools at scientific institutions; to identify the concept of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science; to calculate their efficiency indicators; and, to conduct comparative analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of academic staff and students in the formation of intellectual capital of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary science at scientific institutions in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are as follow: content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment.

Integrating Qualitative Content and Narrative Analysis: A Five-Step Approach

Sirja Sulakatko — 2024-06-26

The integration of different analytical approaches allows harnessing their respective benefits. Nonetheless, the integration of varied methods is challenging, primarily due to the scarcity of comprehensive guidelines for such complex analyses. This paper introduces a five-step approach for combining two distinct research methods: qualitative content analysis and narrative analysis as a useful tool for researchers working under critical realist paradigm, or those who just wish to use both – categorizing and connecting approaches – in their research analysis. Qualitative content analysis plays a crucial role in categorizing insights from data. However, an exclusive reliance on content analysis might result in the loss of important contextual aspects associated with these insights. Consequently, narrative analysis becomes valuable, as it enables linking diverse elements in the data, such as the subject of study, its context, associated events, and identified categories. The process of combining the qualitative content analysis and narrative analysis method introduced in the current study was formulated during a doctoral research project within a critical realist paradigm, which necessitated a thorough consideration of both the subject matter and its context. In response to the absence of guidelines for combining content and narrative analysis, the author developed and tested a unique process during her research project. Employing the suggested approach of connecting content and narrative analysis can assist researchers, particularly those applying the critical realist paradigm in the process of generating contextually situated yet generalisable results. From a practical standpoint, innovative research methods and more comprehensive insights from academic studies enhance our understanding of various patterns in the business and management landscape.

Methods for Learning in Tripartite Collaboration – A Study Inspired by Action Research

Ann Svensson — 2024-06-26

Both private and public organizations are in need of employees with sustainable health, to be effective and productive. Mobile health applications have now started to be implemented for health promotion for individuals and groups at work. Such applications can motivate participation and engagement for health activities, and support managers in suggesting appropriate activities for the individuals and for the working groups, to promote the health of the employees in the production industry. The aim of this research is to analyze how research activities can be designed in collaboration with industrial companies and a software company to support learning for improved work-related health, in implementing digital applications. Action research is used as an approach to knowledge production within this field of work. This paper sheds light on the underlying mechanisms that make the collaborative endeavor a dynamic and impactful process. The active involvement of researchers, private industrial companies, and the software company is not merely a facilitator for data collection; it is the driving force that propels the research forward, ensuring its relevance, innovation, and real-world impact.

Soliloquy Methodology: a Cradle for Credible, Practice-Based Research

Jocene Vallack — 2024-06-26

Practice-based research is becoming increasingly popular with scholars of creative arts, writing and even business studies. The author is currently using practice-based research in conjunction with her original, Soliloquy Methodology, to address the research question: How does my application of Soliloquy Methodology produce insight into the phenomenon of judgement? The practice component, which aligns with a method in the framework of Soliloquy, involves writing, directing and staging a full play about human judgement. Through the practice, new insights into the research question have been gleaned. Debate is now emerging about the validity of practice-based approaches – is it academic inquiry or is it just art? This paper will argue that whereas artists do not need to be able to explain their work (as the work speaks for itself), academic researchers using arts-based methods do. The very nature of academic inquiry requires a solidly aligned methodology to service the research question, along with clearly articulated research outcomes. This paper will look at the academy’s recent attempts to find suitable frameworks for practice-based research and then contrast these with the author’s alternative and original methodology, Soliloquy Methodology. It will argue the latter both compliments the creative nature of the practice and validates the need for academic structure and explanation. Soliloquy Methodology has been developed over two decades as an adaptation of Husserl’s philosophical, pure phenomenology. The author will describe her current, practice-based research that uses creativity - specifically play writing and performance - as a research method. It will demonstrate how this method cradles comfortably in the theoretical framework of Soliloquy Methodology. There is potential for different and new knowledge to be accessed through arts practice. Answers come initially in abstract forms, which must then be interpreted and articulated by the researcher. This paper will emphasise the need for investigators to be vigilant about rigor in their research. It will demonstrate how this is being achieved with reference to the author’s current, theatre-inspired inquiry into judgement. Furthermore, it will detail the research framework of Soliloquy Methodology for possible use in future arts-practice-based projects.

Unlocking the Dynamics of Social Entrepreneurship: An Investigation in Northwest Ireland Research Method Paper

Suzhou Wei — 2024-06-26

The purpose of this research is to examine the establishment and development of social enterprises and entrepreneurs in Northwest Ireland. Using a multi-method approach which combines qualitative and quantitative methods, the research aims to understand the dynamics, challenges, and motivations behind social entrepreneurship. The research design commences with quantitative data collection and analysis, which subsequently informs and enriches the qualitative phase. In the first phase, the research applies a shallow cases analysis to develop the questions for the subsequent survey and interviews. A self-administered online questionnaire, facilitated through a snowball sampling approach, captures quantitative data. The collaboration with regional development entities bolsters the survey process, aiming to construct a demographic profile of social entrepreneurs. The goal of this phase is to gather information that will help explain and describe the motives and difficulties faced by social entrepreneurs. The second phase unfolds through in-depth interviews, engaging social entrepreneurs and stakeholders, including government departments. The aim is to fully understand the formation and evolution process. To understand what factors, impact on this process and how they overcome these events. The research uses a methodological toolkit that includes theme analysis for qualitative insights and SPSS for quantitative data analysis. This multi-method research contributes to the growing of literature on social entrepreneurship, particularly in regional contexts. The findings extend implications for various stakeholders, including government agencies, higher education institutions, and intermediaries actively involved in supporting and enhancing the impact of social enterprises. Essentially, the research provides a context-specific and comprehensive explanation of how social entrepreneurship has developed in Northwest Ireland. In summary, the research effectively advocates for a nuanced knowledge of the dynamics of social entrepreneurship in regional contexts by capturing the richness and complexity of the subject matter through the well-chosen use of a multi-method approach. The results contribute to scholarly discourse and provide practical insights for those committed to promoting social innovation and bringing about constructive changes in society.

Using Grounded Theory to Derive Performance Improvement Model for South African Municipalities

Basia Bless — 2024-06-26

The dawn of democracy in 1994 was preceded by widespread political violence in black communities across South Africa. Thirty years into the democracy, communities continue to use violent protests albeit not for political reasons but as an expression of anger and frustration over poor service delivery. To address this problem, the democratic government introduced performance management reforms. Literature shows that the success of these reforms depends on the ability of public institutions to adopt and sustain a performance-oriented culture. Therefore, the increasing wave of service delivery protests in South African Municipalities is a response to the failure of the democratic government in this regard. The debate on the causes and consequences of poor service delivery in South Africa has been raging for long. Even though there is little space to contribute on this topic, the author observed inadequate use of grounded theory as a strategy to develop empirical solutions to poor municipal performance. Therefore, this paper uses constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling to derive empirical an empirical solution to the performance challenges engulfing the South African municipal landscape.

Identification and Mapping of Fintech Clustering Using a Qualitative-dominant Mixed Method

Saima Karim — 2024-06-26

This research delves into the complex landscape of the fintech ecosystem, specifically focusing on the Northwest City region of Ireland, employing a mixed-method approach. The study focused on the methodology used to identify and map the fintech clusters. Different methodologies have been used to map and identify clustering due to its evolving nature. In our case, due to the lack of fintech companies' records on publicly available databases, and fintech being an emerging phenomenon, our methodology relied on a combination of approaches like desk research, stakeholder engagement, geospatial analysis, and in-depth interviews which fall under the qualitative-dominant mixed method approach. Despite a diverse range of methodologies being used to identify clusters, some known studies have used mixed methods. This research aims to provide guidelines for identifying clusters by developing a database of the companies in the fintech sector and its validation in an evolving field like Fintech. It also highlights the importance of the use of geospatial analysis in clustering by mapping the fintech companies, however at the same time questions the simple agglomeration of the firms in the region. It’s not only the physical proximity that develops the clusters but the local linkages, collaborations, and networks that play a pivotal role in reaping the benefits of clusters. The detailed interviews with the fintech companies in the region and their relationship with different components of the fintech ecosystem using the triple helix model highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the fintech ecosystem in the region. The application of mixed methods in this research highlights the value gained in exploring fintech clustering and ecosystems. This study further enhances our understanding of the emerging phenomenon of fintech clusters and ecosystems in cluster-based economies, specifically how a combination of approaches could be used to map and identify fintech clusters. It also furthers the boundaries of knowledge in business and management methodological literature by introducing a comprehensive qualitative-dominant mixed method approach with a consolidating knowledge base on methodological approaches to clustering.