Authors: Annmarie Ryan; Jaana Tähtinen; Markus Vanharanta; Tuija Mainela
Within the IMP, Critical Realism is emerging as a philosophical position of choice for the study of business relationships as evidenced by the growing number of papers which purport to take this position. Notwithstanding the growing use of Critical Realism, we acknowledge that is not easy ontology to apply. This paper fills in the gap by showing how to design and execute a study on business relationships using critical realism as ontology. This will involve a discussion on how this perspective affects our view of business relationships, the research design, and the theorisation process, moving from thick description common in small N studies towards analytical generalisation (Yin 1994). Throughout the paper we will draw on examples from three studies. As a result this paper offers a 7 stage framework to support researchers taking this position, which addresses specific thought processes and design issues in critical realist informed research. The paper will conclude by outlining implications for research practice.
Journal: n.a. (n.a. – n.a.)
Web Address: n.a.
Publish Year: 2009
Conference: Marseille, France (2009)