A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Management Research
- Emma Bell - Open University, UK
- Richard Thorpe - University of Leeds, UK
In Management Research the authors provide a stimulating and critical overview of the key theoretical debates on research paradigms and methodologies, demystifying the process and providing invaluable insights into the politics and practice of research.
Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way.
Suitable for students carrying out Undergraduate and Postgraduate dissertations, MBA projects and PHD theses.
[T]his is more a book about how to think about management research than a book on how to do management research per se: and this is very much its strength. This process is conveyed in the following ways: first, the book emphasises the messiness of the research process and gives licence not to know all the answers and to be puzzled and confused at times. Second, Emma and Richard (as they describe themselves in the text) provide honest accounts and interesting vignettes of their own research experiences and dilemmas and, as such, position themselves not (just) as experts within the field but also, through their ‘warts and all’ accounts, as researchers who have hunches but are not always sure how to research them, who have highs and lows in the research process and who have sometimes taken wrong turns along the way. Third, the book poses some fundamental questions, which urge the researcher to step back, consider options and debate possibilities before acting in order to better understand the nature of choices they make and the implications for the research that this produces.
Who knew that Management Research could be this much fun? The authors cover a lot of important ground without appearing to, keeping the reader engaged and in good humour throughout.
A wonderfully clear, engaging, and fun book to read. An invaluable introduction to management research and one that I shall be using with my students for years to come.
By providing a lively and accessible introduction to management research - which is theoretically informed and methodologically inclusive - Bell and Thorpe's timely text offers illuminating responses to a wide range of issues raised by students entering this field.
Among the weighty tomes on management research methods, this lively, elegant and readable guide is welcome indeed. Emma and Richard carry their deep knowledge of the field lightly, distilling complex debates and terminology into a lucid navigation of the key issues in management research. It should be on every graduate student’s bookshelf - and probably on their supervisors as well.
[A] colourful, engaging and challenging discussion regarding the tenets and process of management research.
An excellent text which provides a clear and concise overview of management research.
Short and to the point, great.
The title of this really sums this book up. It makes a good introduction to research that is understandable to students new to research.
This is a very stimulating perspective on research. Better, on Science!
This is a book (not a short book) that makes people think.
With an attractive language, this book will give you a wider view. If you are on the mainstream, you will check your backs; if not, you will find more paths for getting the right line.
Sage College Publishing
