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Philosophy of Research in Management

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Foundation Core SBP3PM101 2

Semester and Year Offered: Semester I in Year I

Course Coordinator and Team: Kalindi Maheshwari

Email of course coordinator: Kalindi[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in

Pre-requisites: Nil

Aim: By highlighting the methodological and theoretical assumptions ofdifferent approaches to research in management studies, the course will help participants understand the various perspectives to reality and how our knowledge of reality shapes our interpretation of it. The choice of methodology is shaped by the research paradigm and influences the research process and outcomes. An understanding of the research paradigms will inculcate the right values in the researchers to adopt the most appropriate method of data collection and analysis.

Course Outcomes:

  1. To familiarise participants with various philosophical discourses that are relevant for research
  2. To demonstrate the relevance of understanding philosophy for research
  3. To discuss and debate alternativephilosophical approaches
  4. To discover how the participants’ epistemology is relevant for conducting research
  5. To understand the influence of the participants’ philosophical underpinnings on the choice of research methods and outcomes

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Unit 1: Introduction to Research

Reality, knowledge and research; core concepts of research; the research onion; types of research; ontology; epistemology and methodology; the logic of scientific reasoning; elements of logical analysis; validity and truth; deductive and inductive reasoning.

Unit 2: Research Paradigms

Research paradigms and their impact on research methods; different research paradigms; difference between the natural and social sciences; theoretical perspectives - objectivism versus subjectivism

Unit 3: An Integrated Overview

Interpreting the research process through an understanding of research paradigms; Personalising the research process and experience; foundations of the research problem formulation

Unit 4: Management research in the social sciences

Interdisciplinary nature of management research; philosophical challenges; disseminating management research; applied research - research and its impact on the practice of management; politics in management knowledge and ethical issues

Assessment Details with weights:

  1. Essays 50%
  2. Presentations 40%
  3. Class participation 10%

Reading List

Recommended Texts

  1. Clegg, S. R., & Palmer, G. (Eds.). (1996).The politics of management knowledge.Sage.
  2. Chalmers, A. F. (2013). What is this thing called science? Hackett Publishing.
  3. Crotty, M. (1998). The Foundations of social Research- meaning and perspectivein the research process, Sage Publications.
  4. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. R. (2012). Management Research.Sage.
  5. Fay, B. (1996). Contemporary philosophy of social science: A multiculturalapproach (Vol. 1). Oxford: Blackwell.
  6. Hollis, M. (1996). Reason in action: Essays in the philosophy of social science.Cambridge University Press.
  7. Sayer, A. (2010). Method in social science: Revised 2nd Edition. Routledge.
  8. Whitley, R. (2008). Varieties of knowledge and their use in business andmanagement studies: conditions and institutions. Organization Studies, 29(4), 581-609.
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