Management Research
According to Badewi (2013), there are two approaches for conducting a research, the first is filling knowledge gap, and the second is to solve a problem, which is usually conducted by using applied science. Researchers who highly depend on problem solving approaches are mainly considered as interpreters. For filling knowledge gap model, scholars and academics use theoretical perspectives from previous researches and studies in order to find knowledge gap that will allow them to develop a new research area, they are mostly known as positivists. According to the author, the most logical way is to use a combination between the two approaches since solving a problem without referring to literature review could not be beneficial since the author could look into the same areas discovered previously, and trying to filling gap based on theoretical perspectives without referring to analyses and solving would not form a constructive research. The example given by Easterby-Smith (2012, p. 38) about Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple explains exactly the difference between the positivist and the constructionist side. Where Holmes uses logical deduction based on physical evidence, however Miss Marple makes use of the intuitive feel about the characters involved.
It seems that filling the knowledge gap approach rely on analyzing objective quantitative data to validate one or more hypotheses. In this type, scholars try to find a reality, however in the problem solving approach, there is no single reality, and it is based on qualitative and descriptive analysis. One of the most advanced research paradigm used today in conducting research starts with Ontology, epistemology, Methodology, methods and technics and structure (Easter...
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...2005), ‘Towards an epistemology of collective action: management research as a responsive and actionable discipline’, European Management Review, 2(1), pp. 36-47, Social Sciences Citation Index, EBSCOhost, (Accessed: 18 January 2014).
Leppala, SS. (2012), ‘An Epistemological Perspective on Knowledge Transfers: From Tacitness to Capability and reliability’, Industry and Innovation, 19(8), pp. 631-647, Scopus®, EBSCOhost, (Accessed: 18 January 2014).
Rayner, S. (2011), ‘Researching Style: Epistemology, paradigm shifts research interest groups’, Learning and individual differences, 23(3), pp. 255-262, WERIC, EBSCOhost, (Accessed: 18 January 2014).
Steup, M. (2005) 'Epistemology, in Zalta E. N. (ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2013 ed) [Online]. Available at: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2013/entries/epistemology/ (Accessed: 18 January, 2014).
(1) Kelly, Thomas (2005). “The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement.” Oxford Studies in Epistemology. Eds. Tamar Szabo Gendler and John Hawthorne. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pg.1 – 36.
Based on the preceding ontological and epistemological assumptions a researcher then makes methodological assumptions. Having decided on exactly what is to be studied the researcher then decides how the research can best be managed thus formulating a plan of action. Considerations include whether the research used should be primary or secondary. Whether one will test an existing hypothesis or whether one will construct a theory after having collated evidence. Finally one can draw conclusions as to which strategy to implement with the ultimate goal of producing the type of knowledge that is required. This then results in the type of method or methods of research to be used.
...e, the researchers’ suggestions are not based on evidence based analysis of measures for enhancing knowledge. Secondly, it is difficult to compare the findings of the research with other since it is the first quantitative study that explored the issue from varying aspects. In essence, the difficulties in comparison hinder the probability of validating these findings.
The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski sisters, is a film that discusses free will, artificial intelligence and poses a question: ‘How do we know that our world is real?’ This question is covered in the philosophical branch of epistemology. Epistemology is a component of philosophy that is concerned with the theory of knowledge. The exploration of reality is referenced in the film when Neo discovers he has been living in an artificial world called ‘The Matrix’. He is shocked to learn that the world in which he grew up is a computer program that simulates reality. The questioning of knowledge and its irreversibility provoked by The Matrix invites the audience to wonder whether their own world is an imitation of true reality, thus making it a
How we approach the question of knowledge is pivotal. If the definition of knowledge is a necessary truth, then we should aim for a real definition for theoretical and practical knowledge. Methodology examines the purpose for the definition and how we arrived to it. The reader is now aware of the various ways to dissect what knowledge is. This entails the possibility of knowledge being a set of truths; from which it follows that one cannot possibly give a single definition. The definition given must therefore satisfy certain desiderata , while being strong enough to demonstrate clarity without losing the reader. If we base our definition on every counter-example that disproves our original definition then it becomes ad hoc. This is the case for our current defini...
...pedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Section 1.2, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Retrieved February 11, 2011, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/rationalism-empiricism/
Shah, S. K., & Corley, K. G. (2006). Building Better Theory by Bridging the Quantitative–Qualitative Divide. Journal Of Management Studies, 43(8), 1821-1835. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00662.x
Moore, Brooke Noel., and Kenneth Bruder. "Chapter 6- The Rise of Metaphysics and Epistemology; Chapter 9- The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions; Chapter 7- The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries." Philosophy: the Power of Ideas. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
The Aims and objectives of educational research can be to “improve practice”, which may be suggestions that arise from current research. It can also help “add knowledge” which may be adding information to existing knowledge or adding to other research projects. Research can “address gaps in knowledge”, this means highlighting areas absent or which lack from other research projects. Educational research can also “expand knowledge”, this can be finding out new information or improving, existing knowledge, this knowledge can also be “replicated”, repeating previous research to certify it. Finally educational research can “add voices of individuals to knowledge”, this is important to gain the views and opinions of people within a research area in order to “understand issues within their own concept” (Creswell 2002, in Chaudhary 2013, p.2).
Truth and beliefs contribute in building the knowledge of a person. Cogent reasons for the beliefs convert the beliefs into knowledge. However, sometimes the beliefs are actually assumption, so they may be wrong. Truth is the facts known from different sources. Something can be considered as knowledge, only if it is true. The word epistemology refers to studying the source of knowledge. The epistemology helps in understanding the process of development of knowledge, sources of knowledge and makes distinctions between belief and actual truth. I critically examined and analyzed the origin and the process of acquiring the knowledge for the two essays I wrote earlier. One essay, an analytical one, was written on the subject of increasing prison population and improper justice system. The second essay was written on the subject of human resource management. To develop the knowledge and understanding I demonstrated in the essays, I had to search for resources, rationalize the information gained and evaluate it in conjunction with my personal beliefs.
Hansen M., Nohria N., and Tierney T. (1999), “What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?,” Harvard Business Review (March 1999), 106–16.
Effective knowledge transfer through a conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge can build a sustainable capacity to innovate within an organization and gain an external competitive advantage.
There are various approaches, which can be valuable for researchers to utilize when deciding an effective research problem. The failure of a researcher to be precise in the description of the problem statement can have damaging outcomes in the understanding of the research. A theoretical framework refers to a set of interrelated ideas or themes, such as a concept, but not fundamentally worked out. Determining on what comprises a theoretical framework of the study begins with recognizing and creating a good researchable problem.
Research philosophy, refers to the development of knowledge adopted by the researchers in their research (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). In other words, it is the theory that used to direct the researcher for conducting the procedure of research design, research strategy, questionnaire design and sampling (Malhotra, 2009). It is very important to have a clear understanding of the research philosophy so that we could examine the assumptions about the way we view the world, which are contained in the research philosophy we choose, knowing that whether they are appropriate or not (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), three major ways of thinking about research philosophy are examined: ontology, epistemology and axiology. Each of them carries significant differences which will have an impact on the way we consider the research procedures. Ontology, “is concerned with nature of reality”, while epistemology “concerns what constitutes acceptable knowledge in a field of study and axiology “studies judgements about value” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009, p110, p112, p116). This study is intent on creating some “facts” from objective evaluations which are made by the subjects. Therefore, epistemology will be chosen for this study as the way of thinking about the research philosophy.
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge. Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief. Much of the debate in epistemology centers on four areas: the philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge and how it relates to such concepts as truth, belief, and justification, various problems of skepticism, the sources and scope of knowledge and justified belief, and the criteria for knowledge and justification. Epistemology addresses such questions as "What makes justified beliefs justified?", "What does it mean to say that we know something?" and fundamentally "How do we know that we know?"