Phenomenography Group Assignment -
PHD students understandings of research's contribution to management practice

Authors: Abu Bakar, H., Ferrers, R. Kastelle, T., O'Leary, J. Salunke, S.

As part of UQBS Qualitative Research Methods course, for Jorgen Sandberg.

Final paper now available 16.5.05 here

153k pdf - printable, not pasteable

Abstract

In this paper, we seek to provide management researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of the relationship between management research and practice. We begin by surveying relevant literature in the area to identify what we understand to-date about this phenomena. Subsequently, we report on the process and findings of a phenomenographic research study examining management researchers� understandings of the research-practice relationship. The paper concludes by discussing how the findings provide us with a deeper understanding of the management research-practice relationship and the implications of this for management researchers and business schools in higher education. The results of the study indicate that the relationship between research and practice is substantially more complex than preconceptions would suggest. The dominant view in the literature to-date suggests there is simply a direct link where research can (or should) contribute directly to practice. However, our findings show that theory plays an equal role, with a variety of the configurations of the relationships between research, theory and practice.