Research Methods for Operations Management

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.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction to the Book (Christer Karlsson) 2. Research in Operations Management (Christer Karlsson) 3. The Research Process (Pär Ahlstrom) 4. Surveys (Cipriano Forza) 5. Case Research (Chris Voss, Mark Johnson and Jan Godsell) 6. Longitudinal Field Studies (Pär Åhlström and Christer Karlsson) 7. Action Research (Paul Coughlan and David Coghlan) 8. Clinical Management Research (Christer Karlsson) 9. Modelling and Simulation (J. Will M. Bertrand and Jan C. Fransoo)

About the Author :
Christer Karlsson is Professor of Innovation and Operations Management and Academic Director for the Competitiveness platform at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. He is also Professor at the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) in Brussels, Belgium.

Review :
‘This is an important book on an important subject - written by some of the best regarded experts in the field and overseen by Christer Karlsson, the undoubted master of the Operations Management research process.’ – Nigel Slack, Emeritus Professor of Operations Management and Strategy at Warwick Business School, UK ‘I highly recommend this book, which is comprehensive in both its breadth and depth of operations management research approaches. The authors provide everything from practical tips through to deep methodological and research process guidance, in a thoroughly readable and highly motivating style.’ - Professor Danny Samson, University of Melbourne, Australia ‘Research Methods for Operations Management is a must read text. With contributions from some of the leading scholars in operations management, this text is a great reference for researchers regardless of their experience’ - Professor Andy Neely, Head Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge and President, European Operations Management Association