Business Research Through Argument
This book suggests that business research, in the collection, analysis, and communication of evidence, will benefit from explicit acceptance of research as argumentation. Argumentation is the process of compiling an argument through selection and organiza
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BUSINESS RESEARCH THROUGH ARGUMENT
Mike Metcalfe
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library
оС
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Metcalfe, Mike. Business research through argument / р.
Ьу
Mike Metcalfe.
ст.
Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4613-5967-8 ISBN 978-1-4615-2291-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-2291-1
1. Business--Research--Methodol0gy. 2. Reasoning. 1. Title.
HD30.4.M477 1995 650'.072--dc20
95-31417 CIP
Copyright
©
1996 Springer Science+BusinessMedia New York
Originally pubIished
Ьу Кluwer
Academic Publishers in 1996
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1996 rights reserved. No part of this publication тау Ье reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or Ьу any means, mechanical, photo-copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. АН а
Printed оп acid-free рарег.
DEDICATION To Katie, Rachael and Joan, for the smiles they put into my life.
CONTENTS ix
Preface: The Argument Definitions Introduction and Motivation Evidence for Argumentation Conclusion and Implications Acknowledgements
Chp.l: Against Personal Objectivity Objectivity Some History Self - deception Appendix from Broad and Wane Objectivity and Group Argument Conclusion
Chp.2: People Ain't Molecules The Impact of the Observer Argument vs Observation Against the Dominance of Statistics Interpretive or Qualitative Methods Eclectic Methods Conclusion Appendix
Chp.3: Argument Limits of Proof Argument for Objectivity Definition of Theory Commitment Bias Ethics Scientific Thinking Perelman & Olbrechts-Tyteca Source of Argument? Conclusion Appendix
ix ix x xi
xii xv
1
2
4 5 9
14
16
17 18
22 24
29 32 33 35
39 42
47 50
54
55
59 59 62 65
67
viii
Chp.4: Argument Structure Specific vs General Motivation for the Study Parts of the Structure Unwanted Attributes? Conclusion Appendix
71 73 75 76 82 85 87
Chp.5: Commentaries A: The Business Suit Theory B: The Lego Assignment C: The Austrian Experience
91 91 104 112
Chp.6: Evidence from Interviews Who to Interview Intentions vs Opinions Concerned Persons Best Experts Unlearning and Anchoring Optimism Interaction Effects The Interview Problems with Human Judgment
119 120 120 121 121 123 125 126 128 130
Chp.7: Evidence from Questionnaires Organization Data Types Annual Profit Questionaire Questionnaire Tests Internal and External Validity
131 131 135 138 140 141 142
References
145
Index
152
PREFACE: The brief The Argument This book is for those who have tried to start academic research into some business activity and found themselves confused. Why is a bibliographywith-abstracts not a literature review? What is the role of reasoning in empirical research? How can a heated argument break out over the results of an objective and unbiased experiment? What is the difference between multiple hypotheses, a null hypothesis, a theory, a theoretical framework and a model? If theory comes from the Greek to speculate, the
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