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1 – 10 of over 2000Ania Izabela Rynarzewska and Larry Giunipero
The objective of this paper is to further the understanding of netnography as a research method for supply chain academics. Netnography is a method for gathering and gaining…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to further the understanding of netnography as a research method for supply chain academics. Netnography is a method for gathering and gaining insight from industry-specific online communities. We prescribe that viewing netnography through the lens of the supply chain will permit researchers to explore, discover, understand, describe or report concepts or phenomena that have previously been studied via survey research or quantitative modeling.
Design/methodology/approach
To introduce netnography to supply chain research, we propose a framework to guide how netnography can be adopted and used. Definitions and directions are provided, highlighting some of the practices within netnographic research.
Findings
Netnography provides the researcher with another avenue to pursue answers to research questions, either alone or in conjunction with the dominant methods of survey research and quantitative modeling. It provides another tool in the researchers’ toolbox to engage practitioners in the field.
Originality/value
The development of netnography as a research method is associated with Robert Kozinets. He developed the method to study online communities in consumer behavior. We justify why this method can be applied to supply chain research, how to collect data and provide research examples of its use. This technique has room to grow as a supply chain research method.
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Valerie Nesset, Elisabeth C. Davis, Nicholas Vanderschantz and Owen Stewart-Robertson
Responding to the continuing separation of participants and researchers in LIS participatory research, a new methodology is proposed: action partnership research design (APRD). It…
Abstract
Purpose
Responding to the continuing separation of participants and researchers in LIS participatory research, a new methodology is proposed: action partnership research design (APRD). It is asserted that APRD can mitigate or remove the hierarchical structures often inherent in the research process, thus allowing for equal contribution from all.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on the bonded design (BD) methodology and informed by a scoping literature review conducted by the same authors, APRD is a human-centered research approach with the goal of empowering and valuing community partnerships. APRD originates from research investigating the use of participatory design methods to foster collaboration between two potentially disparate groups, firstly with adult researchers/designers and elementary school children, and secondly with university faculty and IT professionals.
Findings
To achieve this goal, in addition to BD techniques, APRD draws inspiration from elements of indigenous and decolonization research methodologies, particularly those with an emphasis on destabilizing power hierarchies and involving research participants as full partners.
Originality/value
APRD, which emerged from findings from previous participatory design studies, especially those of BD, is based on the premise of partnership, recognizing that each member of a design team, whether researcher or participant/user, has unique expertise to contribute. By considering participants/users as full research partners, APRD aims to flatten the hierarchies exhibited in some LIS participatory research methodologies, where participants are treated more like research subjects than partners.
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Signe Skov and Søren Smedegaard Bengtsen
In Denmark, there has been, over decades, an intensified political focus on how humanities research and doctoral education contribute to society. In this vein, the notion of…
Abstract
Purpose
In Denmark, there has been, over decades, an intensified political focus on how humanities research and doctoral education contribute to society. In this vein, the notion of impact has become a central part of the academic language, often associated with terms like use, effects and outputs, stemming from neoliberal ideologies. The purpose of this paper is to explore how humanities academics are living with the impact agenda, as both experienced researchers and as doctoral supervisors educating the next generation of researchers in this post-pandemic era. Specifically, the authors are interested in the supervisor-researcher relationship, that is, the relationship between how the supervisors navigate the impact agenda as researchers and then the way they tell their doctoral students to do likewise.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have studied how the impact agenda is accommodated by humanities academics through a series of qualitative interviews with humanities researchers and humanities PhD supervisors, encompassing questions of how they are living with the expectation of impact and how it is embedded in their university and departmental context.
Findings
The study shows that there is no link between how the supervisors navigate the impact agenda in relation to their own research work and then the way they tell their doctoral students to approach it. Within the space of their own research, the supervisors engage in resistance practices towards the impact agenda in terms of minimal compliance, rejection or resignation, whereas in the space of supervision, the impact agenda is re-inscribed to embody other understandings. The supervisors want to protect their students from this agenda, especially in the knowledge that many of them are not going to stay in academia due to limited researcher career possibilities. Furthermore, the paper reveals a new understanding of the impact agenda as having a relational quality, and in two ways. One is through a positional struggle, the reshaping of power relations, between universities (or academics) and society (or the state and the market); the other is as a phenomenon very much lived among academics themselves, including between supervisors and their doctoral students within the institutional context.
Originality/value
This study opens up the impact agenda, showing what it means to be a humanities academic living with the effects of the impact agenda and trying to navigate this. The study is mapping and tracking out the many different meanings and variations of impact in all its volatility for academics concerned about it. In current, post-pandemic times, when manifold expectations are directed towards research and doctoral education, it is important to know more about how these expectations affect and are dealt with by those who are expected to commit to them.
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Alex Yao, Naythan Chan and Nansheng Yao
Due to rapid digitalization, the emergence of the “phygital” environment, which blends physical and digital experiences, creates unique challenges for researchers. This paper aims…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to rapid digitalization, the emergence of the “phygital” environment, which blends physical and digital experiences, creates unique challenges for researchers. This paper aims to introduce an interpretivist methodological framework designed to understand consumer behavior in phygital environments. The framework enables an in-depth exploration of the contextual factors, subjective experiences, personal emotions and social networks that influence consumer behavior in this space.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework was developed after a thorough literature review of the phygital environment and interpretivist research landscape. Consistent with the phygital transformation theory, this approach allows researchers to go beyond the limitations of purely quantitative methods, gaining a deeper understanding of consumer behavior in phygital environments. The framework is organized into four meticulously designed pillars, each focusing on specific aspects of research and using distinct data collection and analysis approaches.
Findings
The systematic framework facilitates exploration of various dimensions of consumer experiences in phygital settings through qualitative research techniques. Uncovering the richness of contextual factors, subjective meanings, consumer experiences and social interactions within the phygital environment yields meaningful insights into consumer decision-making and preferences. These insights help marketers craft better phygital marketing strategies.
Originality/value
This interpretivist framework presents a unique approach for researchers hoping to investigate consumer behavior in phygital environments. It offers deep insights and understanding of this largely unexplored space, contributing to the evolving body of knowledge in phygital studies.
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The purpose of this paper is to offer an accessible and interdisciplinary research strategy in organisational ethnography, called action ethnography, that acknowledges key…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer an accessible and interdisciplinary research strategy in organisational ethnography, called action ethnography, that acknowledges key concepts from action research and engaged and immersive ethnography. It aims to encourage methodological innovation and an impact turn in ethnographic practice.
Design/methodology/approach
A working definition of “action ethnography” is provided first. Then, to illustrate how an action ethnography can be designed by considering impact from the outset, the author draws on a study she is undertaking with a grassroots human rights monitoring group, based in England, and then discusses advantages and limitations to the approach.
Findings
The author suggests three main tenets to action ethnography that embrace synergies between action research and ethnography: researcher immersion, intervention leading to change and knowledge contributions that are useful to both practitioners and researchers.
Practical implications
This paper provides researchers who align with aspects of both action research and ethnography with an accessible research strategy to employ, and a better understanding of the interplay between the two approaches when justifying their research designs. It also offers an example of designing an action ethnography in practice.
Originality/value
Whereas “traditional” ethnography has emphasised a contribution to theoretical knowledge, less attention has been on a contribution to practice and to those who ethnographers engage with in the field. Action ethnography challenges researchers to consider the impact of their research from the outset during the research design, rather upon reflection after a study is completed.
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This paper argues for the need to use multiple sources and methods that respond to research challenges presented by new forms of war. There are methodological constraints and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper argues for the need to use multiple sources and methods that respond to research challenges presented by new forms of war. There are methodological constraints and contention on the superiority given to positivist and interpretivist research designs when doing fieldwork in war situations, hence there is a need to use integrated data generation techniques. The combined effect of severe limitations of movement for both the researcher and researched fragmented data because of polarized views about the causes of the war and unpredictable events that make information hard to come by militate against systematic, organised and robust data generation. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to make fieldwork researchers understand significant research problems unique to war zones.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was guided by the postmodernist mode of thought which challenges standardised research traditions. Fieldwork experiences in Cabo suggest the need to use the composite strategies that rely on the theoretical foundation of integrative and creative collection of data when doing research in violent settings.
Findings
The fieldwork experiences showed that the standardised, conventional and valorised positivist and ethnographic research strategies may not sufficiently facilitate understanding of the dynamics of war. There should not be firm rules, guidelines or regulations governing the actions of the researcher in conflict. As such, doing research in violent settings require reflexivity, flexibility and creativity in research strategies that respond to rapid changes. Research experiences in Mozambique show the need to use blended methods that include even less structured methodologies.
Originality/value
Fieldwork experiences in Cabo challenges researchers who cling to standardised research traditions which often hamper awareness of new postmodernist mode of thought applicable to war settings. It is essential to study the nature of African armed conflicts by combining creativity and flexibility in the selection of research strategies.
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This study offers an in-depth examination of Google Bard, an advanced artificial intelligence chatbot created by Google, focusing specifically on its potential impact on academic…
Abstract
This study offers an in-depth examination of Google Bard, an advanced artificial intelligence chatbot created by Google, focusing specifically on its potential impact on academic research. This discussion aims to comprehensively explore the features of Google Bard, highlighting its capabilities in data management, facilitating collaborative discussions, and enhancing accessibility to complex research. In addition to the aforementioned positive characteristics, we will also delve into the limitations and ethical considerations associated with this innovative device. The functionality of the system is constrained by the limitations imposed by its pre-established algorithms and training data. In addition, there are significant concerns regarding data privacy, potential biases in its responses stemming from its training data, and the wider societal implications associated with a heavy reliance on machine-generated content. Ensuring responsible and ethical utilization of Bard necessitates Google's provision of transparent communication regarding its development process. In light of the prominent functionalities demonstrated by Google Bard, it is imperative for researchers to engage in a rigorous examination of the information it presents, thereby safeguarding against the inadvertent propagation of misinformation or biased viewpoints. This will lay the groundwork for its effective integration into the academic research methodology.
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Jani Koskinen, Kai Kristian Kimppa, Janne Lahtiranta and Sami Hyrynsalmi
The competition in the academe has always been tough, but today, the academe seems to be more like an industry than an academic community as academics are evaluated through…
Abstract
Purpose
The competition in the academe has always been tough, but today, the academe seems to be more like an industry than an academic community as academics are evaluated through quantified and economic means.
Design/methodology/approach
This article leans on Heidegger’s thoughts on the essence of technology and his ontological view on being to show the dangers that lie in this quantification of researchers and research.
Findings
Despite the benefits that information systems (ISs) offer to people and research, it seems that technology has made it possible to objectify researchers and research. This has a negative impact on the academe and should thus be looked into especially by the IS field, which should note the problems that exist in its core. This phenomenon of quantified academics is clearly visible at academic quantification sites, where academics are evaluated using metrics that count their output. It seems that the essence of technology has disturbed the way research is valued by emphasising its quantifiable aspects. The study claims that it is important to look for other ways to evaluate researchers rather than trying to maximise research production, which has led to the flooding of articles that few have the time or interest to read.
Originality/value
This paper offers new insights into the current phenomenon of quantification of academics and underlines the need for critical changes if in order to achieve the academic culture that is desirable for future academics.
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Fernando Martín-Alcázar, Marta Ruiz-Martínez and Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey
This study aims to examine the connection between scholars' research performance and the multidisciplinary nature of their collaborative research. Furthermore, in response to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the connection between scholars' research performance and the multidisciplinary nature of their collaborative research. Furthermore, in response to mixed results regarding the effects of multidisciplinarity on research performance, this study explores how human resource management (HRM) practices may moderate this link.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors built a model based on the theoretical arguments and empirical evidence found in the review of diversity and HRM literature. The authors also performed a quantitative study based on a sample of scholars in the field of management. Different econometric estimations were used to test the proposed model.
Findings
The results of this empirical analysis suggest that multidisciplinary research has a non-linear effect on research performance. Certain HRM practices, such as development and collaboration, moderated the curvilinear relationship between multidisciplinarity and performance, displacing the optimum to allow higher performance at higher levels of multidisciplinary research.
Originality/value
The paper provides advances on previous works studying the curvilinear relationship between multidisciplinarity and the researchers' performance, confirming that multidisciplinarity is beneficial up to a threshold beyond which these benefits are attenuated. In addition, the findings shed light on important issues related to team-oriented HRM practices associated with the outcomes of multidisciplinary research.
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Lourden Selvamani, C. Dhilipan, G. Divyalakshmi, Jaya Lakshmi and V.B. Krishna
University-industry collaboration studies have placed greater emphasis on intrinsic motivators that drive academic researchers to pursue collaboration. This paper explores the…
Abstract
Purpose
University-industry collaboration studies have placed greater emphasis on intrinsic motivators that drive academic researchers to pursue collaboration. This paper explores the relationship between spiritual motivation and collaboration intentions mediated the antecedents of university-level collaboration through theories of self-determination and planned behaviour. This study was conducted to validate the proposed relationship between spirituality and academic researchers in the field of engineering affiliated with higher educational institutions in India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study surveyed 242 participants and utilised structural equation modelling. Research has found that the beneficial relationship between spiritual motivation and collaboration intentions is mediated by attitudes and perceived behavioural control. This study represents a quantitative investigation within the realm of university-industry collaboration, which aims to document the ways in which spiritual motivation can augment collaboration with industry. The study employs self-determination theory and the theory of planned behaviour to elucidate the underlying mechanism to support entrepreneurial debate.
Findings
This study identified attitude and perceived behavioural control as mediators in the relationship between spiritual motivation and collaboration intentions.
Originality/value
The results of this study provide additional support for existing theories and present a diverse perspective on the intrinsic motivation of academic researchers to adopt UIC.
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