Chapter 9 Metatheories in research: positivism, postmodernism, and critical realism

Abstract

No scholar or researcher is able to provide robust evidence that counters the scant reflection on metatheory – mostly ontology and epistemology – underlying management studies in general, and industrial marketing and purchasing research in particular. This paper is a contribution to the indispensable discussion of metatheoretical alternatives in research, and most importantly, the strengths and shortcomings thereof, and respective implications on research questions, objectives, and findings.

Citation

Sousa, F.J. (2010), "Chapter 9 Metatheories in research: positivism, postmodernism, and critical realism", Woodside, A.G. (Ed.) Organizational Culture, Business-to-Business Relationships, and Interfirm Networks (Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 455-503. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1069-0964(2010)0000016012