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Realism in Marketing Research:
A Third Way Ontological and Epistemological
Approach
Presentation to International Marketing and Services Management
Academic Unit, Salford Business School
March 2016
Dr. Peter Reeves
Realism
Interpretivist
Positivist
Value Laden
Multiple
realities and
perceptions
Subjective
Value Free
One single
measurable
Reality
Objective
ONTOLOGY- what is the
nature and form of
reality?
EPISTEMOLOGY
What is the relationship
between the researcher
and reality?
METHODOLOGY
The technique used by
the researcher to
discover reality
Derived and Adapted from Guba and Lincoln, 1994 and Perry et al, 1999
REALIST ONTOLOGY
Reality is real and has a common understanding, yet this
reality can only be imperfectly and
probabilistically understood (Perry et al, 1999)
Triangulation with many sources
REALIST EPISTEMOLOGY
Modified Objectivism – Findings of the research are probably true
but not guaranteed to be true (Perry et al, 1999)
Reality cannot be certain (Riege, 2003)
Siegel (1983) “to claim that a scientific proposition is true is not to claim
that it is certain ; rather, it is to claim that the world as a proposition says it is”
(quoted in Peter (1992, p. 75) and Hunt (1990, p.12))
An individual’s perception is “a window on reality, through which a picture of
reality can be triangulated, with other perceptions” (Perry et al, 1999, p.18)
One reality yet multiple perceptions of that reality
REALISM AND METHODOLOGY
Realism is particularly suitable for case study methodology
(Healy and Perry, 2000, Perry et al, 1999, Riege 2003)
However realism could be used as the conceptual framework for other
research methodologies. (See Hunt, 2003 for possible realist research avenues)
References and reading
Guba, E. and Y. Lincoln (1994) Competing paradigms in qualitative research, In Denzin, N. and
Y. Lincoln (eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research, (pp.105-117), Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Healy, M. and C. Perry (2000) Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability
of qualitative research within the realist paradigm, Qualitative Marker Research: An
International Journal, 3 (3) 118-126.
Hunt, S. (1990) Truth in marketing theory and research, Journal of Marketing, 54 (July), 1-15.
Hunt, S. (1992) For reason and realism in marketing, Journal of Marketing, 56 (April), 89-102.
Hunt, S. (2003) Controversy in marketing theory, for reason, realism, truth and objectivity,
ME Sharpe: London
Perry, C. (1998) Processes of a case study methodology for postgraduate research in
marketing, European Journal of Marketing, 32 (9/10), 785-802.
Perry, C, Riege, A. and L. Brown (1999) Realism’s role among scientific paradigms in
marketing research, Irish Management Journal, 12 (2), 16-23
Peter, J. (1992) Realism or relativism for marketing theory and research: A comment on
Hunt’s “Scientific Realism”, Journal of Marketing, 56, (April), 72-79.
Riege, A. (2003) Validity and reliability tests in case study research: a literature review
with “hands on” applications for each phase, Qualitative Marker Research: An
International Journal, 6 (2), 75-86.