The Importance of Qualitative and Phenomenological Research Methods in Business Studies
Keywords:
Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Interpretive Research, Phenomenology, Human Experience, Business Research, Praxis GapAbstract
An ongoing conflict exists between theory and practice where scholars attempt to maintain practical relevance to their academic studies and business practitioners strive to apply appropriate theory to their businesses (Brower, Abolafia, & Carr, 2000). Most current business research is based on predictive Quantitative rather than exploratory Qualitative methodology (Carrera-Fernández, Guàrdia-Olmos, & Peró-Cebollero, 2014; Molina-Azorin, 2012; Podsakoff, MacKenzie, & Podsakoff, 2016). A growing emphasis is placed on the value of interpretive Qualitative research in providing more insightful and holistic results (Charmaz, 2014; Iamratanakul, 2017; Madill & Gough, 2008; O’Neil & Koekemoer, 2016). Conklin (2007) and (Gibson & Hanes (2003)highlight the significance of Phenomenological research methodology, in its capacity to understand the complexity of human experiences and its potential to bridge the gap between Qualitative researchers and practitioners. Management scholars are increasingly utilizing Phenomenology to reach new insights in areas of decision making based on in-depth human understanding rather than rational and logical processes (Gill, 2014).
Author Biography
Prof. Miray Barsoum, Monarch Business School Switzerland
Email: [email protected]
Professor Miray Barsoum holds the position of Professor of Marketing at Monarch Business School Switzerland. She is presently a candidate of the Professional PhD Program at Monarch. She holds a Master of Strategic Marketing from the London School of Business and Finance, UK, and an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management (MsM), the Netherlands. She is a Certified Marketing Analyst from UC Berkeley, USA, and holds a Certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell University, USA, and a Certificate of Digital Marketing from the Instituto de Empresa (IE) Business School, Spain.
Professor Barsoum’s academic interests include Business Strategy, Management, Strategic Marketing, Marketing Communications, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Economics, Business Research, Consumer Behavior and Entrepreneurship.
Professionally, Professor Barsoum is the founder of MethodZ, a business consultancy firm located in Cairo, Egypt. Prof. Barsoum also holds the position of Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC), and a Professor of Marketing, Critical Thinking, Positive Psychology and Social Sciences at Nile University (NU), Cairo. Previous to this, she was the Director of Marketing and Communications at Nile University. She also headed a Digital Marketing Agency, Raya Social Media, and was a business case writer for El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC) at the American University in Cairo.
Link: Prof. Barsoum Faculty Page
