Research Methods for Operations Management, second edition is a toolkit of research approaches primarily for advanced students and beginner researchers but also a reference book for any researcher in OM. Many students begin their career in research limited by the one or few approaches taken by their department. The concise, accessible overviews found here equip them with an understanding of a variety of methods and how to use them, enabling them to tailor their research project to their own strengths and goals. The more seasoned researcher will find comprehensive descriptions and analyses on a wide variety of research approaches. This updated and enhanced edition responds to the latest developments in OM, including the growing prominence of services and production of intangible products, and the increasing use of secondary data and of mixed approaches. Alternative research approaches are included and explored to help with the early planning of research. This edition also includes expanded literature review and analysis to guide students towards the next steps in their reading, and more detailed step-by-step advice to tie theory with the researcher’s own practice. Including contributions from an impressive range of the field’s leading thinkers in OM research, this is a guide that no-one embarking on an OM research project should be without.

This core textbook combines a highly engaging approach with academic rigour to guide students through understanding and using research methods. Now in its second edition, this text has been fully updated and revised throughout. With a focus that is fresh and applied, Researching Business and Management goes beyond the theory to demonstrate how to actually do research. The unique 4-Ds model shows students how to define, design, do and describe their research and, in this way, offers them a definitive guide to the research process as a system and a lifecycle that they can relate to their own work. Its user-friendly style enlivens the text and makes even some of the most complex issues accessible. Written by a dynamic author team of leading experts in the field, this is an ideal textbook for undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA students studying research methods, and essential reading for any business student doing a research project. New to this Edition: - Even more cases and examples to highlight real-life examples of student research that helps bring the process to life - Increased coverage of the internet and online research - Expanded material on quantitative analysis to provide a truly balanced overview of the discipline - New dedicated chapter on research ethics and avoiding plagiarism Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/researching-business-and-management-2e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

Researching Operations Management fills the growing need for a comprehensive textbook and reference on doing quality research in the field of Operations Management (OM). It addresses the particular problem—especially for advanced students and beginning researchers—that many academic departments specialize in just one or a few approaches to research. As a result many students and researchers are not exposed to the breadth of possible research approaches in OM. Providing a concise overview of each of the most important research approaches in the field, the book enables researchers and students to understand and practice these methods, thus giving them a platform for choosing appropriate and complementary approaches to their research. With contributions from an international group of leading thinkers in the OM research field, the book covers those methods frequently used in studies of OM as well as adjacent applied management areas such as management of innovation and R&D, logistics, and supply chain management. Included are chapters on surveys, case studies, action research, longitudinal field studies, and models and simulations together with chapters on planning, positioning, assessing, and publishing research. In addition, the contributors also consider ethical and cultural issues in researching operations management.

The present book project on Research Design, which is planned in English, is intended to create an innovative textbook that can be used at university undergraduate and graduate levels in internationally oriented education in the German-speaking countries. This textbook shall provide comprehensive guidance for students when tackling their (applied) research papers. Instead of reiterating qualitative and quantitative methods it focuses on how to come up with an appropriate research design that allows the student to make the intended intellectual contribution. Starting from the desired (hypothetical) conclusion or statement the student will be guided through the process of finding the appropriate Research Question that will be answered by such a statement and the required Research Design consisting of data collection and data analysis, that allows for such a statement as the conclusion of the study. Common Research Designs in Business and Management, i.e. well beyond the standard Research Designs of Social Sciences and curtailed to the focus area, will be described with regard to their suitability to answer specific kinds of questions as well as the idiosyncrasies of the these Designs and their impact on the written research reports. Examples for each Research Design will be provided as well as guidance about how to write about such research.

Operations Management (OM) is a multi-faceted blend of myriad academic andpractical disciplines – from engineering and economics via mathematics and marketing, to systems and psychology. To capture the state of the art, the bookreviews contemporary and classic scholarship in one of the oldest business and management disciplines. To offer the reader a thought-provoking point of entry into the selected sources, the book curates its content as an imaginary exhibit, eachchapter a thematic OM ‘gallery’ (process; planning and control; people; strategy and measurement; technology) introduced by a description of some extraordinary artefacts, paintings, sculptures and architecture. The content has been curated around three principles intended to benefit the casual reader and both new and established OM scholars. First, it incorporates works that build on, or help to distinguish, fundamental tenets from more transitory fads. Second, the text makes significant efforts to try and balance the gravitational pull of the factory, (even though this may not offer an accurate representation of the majority of the field) and third, to try to keep managerial rather than technical/ analytical concerns to the fore. This concise book provides a useful overview of current and classic OM research. Written by a leading authority, it is intended to be a valuable and engaging resource for both students and scholars of business.

For help preparing for, and support during your MBA course, The Essential MBA brings together a comprehensive overview of the main subjects taught on MBA and business and management programmes in one book. Each chapter is written by a specialized contributor and offers students a helpful introduction to each topic of study, including: Sections on research methods and study skills Further reading recommendations and questions for reflection A critical perspective of the subject matter and reviews of alternative approaches. This text is an invaluable guide for MBA students, as well a useful introduction for undergraduate and postgraduate students of business and management. Susan Miller is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Hull University Business School