The European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (ECRM 2006) is an opportunity for academics to share the latest thinking on research strategies, tactics and paradigms. The issue of how to conduct high quality academic research in business and management studies continues to exercise the minds of many of us in this community. There seems to be little convergence of views as to how research should be conducted with new ideas and new approaches being continually added. And although this offers us some challenges as teachers and supervisors it makes the whole task of working in this area a very rich experience. Of course it is hard to keep abreast with all the new ideas entering this arena and this conference offers an opportunity to keep in touch with some of these issues.

The conference committee this year are specifically interested in obtaining both theoretical and practical papers concerning research models, as well as considering case studies that demonstrate how these research strategies; tactics and paradigms are applied in practice. Topics may include, but are not limited to, theoretical and empirical research, action research, the use of qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as developing research proposals, getting academic papers accepted by journals, research design, research protocols, research ethics. Papers will be welcome on a wide range of research paradigms, including critical analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, ontology, epistemology, naturalistic enquiry, case studies, hermeneutic methods, etc. In addition the conference welcomes papers for inclusion in four mini tracks on the subjects of Critical Research Methods; Gender Research, Teaching Research Methods and Grounded Theory.

Mini-Track on Grounded Theory Research

Grounded Theory has had a bad press as the result of poor quality qualitative research claiming to be Grounded Theory. True Grounded Theory research is a systematic sequence of processes within a scheduled framework of research events. This is a call for papers that demonstrate the systematic approach within Grounded Theory, in particular, to the data analysis techniques of constant comparison and memoing. Contributions should exemplify the rigour in the Grounded Theory as a research method for reaching research conclusions. Preference will be given to papers that use Grounded Theory and report justified results.

Mini-Track on Gender Research

Diversity in organisations is becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons, not least among which is the value that its effective management adds to organisational effectiveness. Chief among the areas of research into this area is gender. In recognition of its importance, ECRM has dedicated a track to gender research. Papers are invited from researchers in any gender related areas, including but not exclusively: Gender Diversity in organisations; Gender and work-life balance; Gender and family life; Gender and family responsibility; Gender and flexible working; Gender and online learning; Gender and e-commerce; Gender and work relationships; Gender and promotion in organisations; Gender and work commitment; Gender and the psychological contract; Gender and the glass ceiling; Gender and technological advancement; Gender and the media; Women in management; Gender and leadership styles; Gender and emotional labour; Gender and the protective legislation; Gender and cultural competence; Gender and spirituality; Gender and conversation; Gender and kinesics; Gender and kinesiology; Gender in post-modernist era.

Mini-Track on ‘Critical’ Approaches to Research

This will be the fourth year that we have run a mini-track on critical approaches to research at ECRM. Since the two special issues of the Journal of Information Technology which Carole Brooke edited in 2002, there has been a growing body of inquiry in the area of ‘critical’ research approaches, especially in the field of IS. This mini-track offers an opportunity for us to compare and contrast different threads of critical inquiry into business and management in general and to explore the meaning and value of such work.

We aim to provide an open and creative space within which to discuss and exchange ideas. This year we are offering a workshop on the nature of critical research, as well as a round table debate, in addition to the usual paper presentation sessions. We welcome contributions on any aspect of critical inquiry, including philosophical underpinnings, methodological experimentation and problematisation of the field in general. We are also open to suggestions for future years in terms of the creative format and content of this mini-track.