Synopses & Reviews
Management research has expanded considerably over recent decades. The impetus for such growth comes from a wide range of forces both inside and outside of the academic community stimulate and regulate its development, while the audience for which management research might be considered to be useful and the extent of that usefulness are highly contested. This book seeks to explore the forces that drive the development of management research, shape its current state and influence its future potential.
The contributors to the book are established academics of international standing who have had some influence in shaping the debates on the nature of management research. The main sections of the book provide in turn: a survey of the background of management research; the institutional context; the aims and objectives of research methods and recent advances in data collection and analysis; the development and application of theory in management research; the dissemination and use of management research; and future challenges for management researchers.
The book should appeal to a wide audience: from postgraduate management students interested in both the nature and environment of management research; through experienced academics interested in understanding developments in the context, tools, application and audiences of management research; to senior academics concerned with the management of academic departments; or users of management research concerned with the validity and potential of the information generated.
Synopsis
Challenges and Controversies in Management Research explores the history and cultural context, current issues and controversies and potential development of research in the field of management. The collection of essays is written by scholars of international standing, and the chapters address the development of management research in one or another continent, the need for global collaboration, the current state of management research and the development of the business school setting in which that research takes place. Factors affecting management research are explored in detail, giving consideration to the relationship between teaching, ethical conduct, publication, quality audits, collegiality and research. Contributions in the book also explore the development and usefulness of theories in management research and consider the relevance of management research and its applicability for management practice, policy-makers and the voluntary sector. A final section of contributions explores the future challenges for management research including the realization of reflexivity, the enduring gender bias of the management field, the future of theory, the patterns of development of new areas of management research and the need to manage large databases.