Staged by the BAM Fellows College. BAM Fellows Masterclass: Research onions, methodological fit and golden threads with Prof Mark Saunders
Our series of BAM Masterclasses are delivered by prominent management theorists from across the globe each year. These online webinars are an exceptional learning experience, revealing how top academics think about the world, what inspires them, and how they develop and apply their ideas. Where do influential ideas come from? What leads to them to being widely taken up?
The Masterclasses provide a platform for attendees to deepen their understanding of key research topics and academic practices. Led by esteemed experts, these sessions are crafted to address the evolving needs of the academic community. The masterclasses foster a collaborative environment where participants can engage with cutting-edge insights, explore contemporary debates, and share best practices. Tailored to support the advancement of academic careers, the masterclasses enable participants to stay at the forefront of research and practice.
This masterclass explores the concept of methodological fit and the need for a golden thread running throughout a piece of research. Using Saunders’ research onion as an aide memoir, questions are posed at each of its layers to help ensure methodological fit.
Noting the limited guidance offered by top journals regarding methods, the importance of demonstrating rigour and robustness in relation to quality criteria for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research designs is discussed.
The masterclass will offer insights on writing a transparent methods section which can demonstrate rigour and robustness and a clear golden thread revealing fit.
The event speaks to Section A1-A3, C1-C3, D1-D3, E1-E3 as detailed in the BAM Framework.
 
						
					
				
				Professor of Business Research Methods, University of Birmingham Business School
 
											Professor of Business Research Methods, University of Birmingham Business School
Mark N.K. Saunders is Professor of Business Research Methods at the University of Birmingham Business School, UK; and a Visiting Professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa. His research focuses on research methods, and trust and distrust within and between organizations.
He has published widely including in Work Employment and Society, British Journal of Management, Human Relations and the Human Resource Management Journal. Mark is lead author of 'Research Methods for Business Students' (currently in its 9th edition), series editor for Edward Elgar's ‘Handbooks of Research Methods in Management' and has a YouTube channel on research methods.
Mark holds fellowships of the Academy of Social Sciences, British Academy of Management and First International Network on Trust and is co-chair of BAM's Research Methodology SIG.
 
						
					
				
				Co-Vice Chair: Research and Publications
 
											Co-Vice Chair: Research and Publications
Stephanie Decker, FAcSS, is Professor of Strategy and Deputy Dean at Birmingham Business School. She has contributed substantially to interdisciplinary research that draws on historical knowledge to expand and problematise management knowledge.
This research stream was recognised in the REF 2022 panel report for its contribution to the theoretical sophistication of business history. Her work spans methodological and theoretical issues, as well as empirical research on the role of international business in global contexts that are often underrepresented in business research, such as Africa. She has been joint editor-in-chief of Business History since 2020.
As co-Vice Chair for Research & Publications at the British Academy of Management, she has developed BAM’s Open Access strategy to support the continued excellence of our journals, British Journal of Management and International Journal of Management Reviews, as well as supporting the further development of the BAM research grants scheme.
She co-authored the BAM Guide to Decolonizing the Business School Curriculum with the BAM Vice Chair for Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity & Respect and continues to champion interdisciplinary research in business, management and beyond
Please contact the BAM Office at [email protected] with any queries.
BAM Members: Free 
Non-Members: £60
Registration closes on 20th January 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
For more information, please visit BAM Membership
Payment for the event must be received before the start date of the event concerned. Access will not be permitted to the event if full payment has not been received.
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