Emma Bell and Richard Thorpe are engaging companions for this journey into the complex world of management research. They provide a stimulating and critical overview of the key theoretical debates on research paradigms and methodologies and relate them to the day to day practice of the research, demystifying the process and providing invaluable insights into the politics and practice of research.

Unlike most books about management research, this little book does not present the process as logical, rational and predictable. Instead, it explores the messy and unpredictable nature of management research and the fascinating reasons behind this. In doing so, it will give you the confidence and understanding to experiment and improvise while carrying out your research.

Incorporating research tales from within the workplace, Bell and Thorpe have triumphed in bringing you a fun and thought-provoking discourse on management research that you will treasure.
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SAGE's A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About series shies away from the sterility of conventional textbooks, offering students an informal and accessible overview of the field that questions and challenges the traditional literature. You can .

Introduction: Why Management Research Matters to Us
Chapter 1: In Search of Management Research
Chapter 2: The Purpose of Management Research
Chapter 3: Philosophies of Management Knowledge
Chapter 4: Methods of Management Research
Chapter 5: Theory in Management Research
Chapter 6: Who Are We to Do This?
Conclusion: What Kind of Management Researcher Are You?

Emma Bell is Professor of Organisation Studies at the Open University. Her research explores culture and materiality in organizations using qualitative methods of inquiry. She is the author of: Business Research Methods (2018 with Alan Bryman and Bill Harley), A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Management Research (2013 with Richard Thorpe) and Reading Management and Organization in Film (2008). She is co-editor of The Organisation of Craft Work: Identities, Meanings and Materiality (2018), Major Works in Qualitative Research in Business and Management (2015) and The Routledge Companion to Visual Organization (2014).  Emma's research has been published in journals including Organization Studies, Human Relations, Academy of Management Learning & Education, Organization and British Journal of Management. She completed her PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2000 based on an ethnographic study of payment systems and time in the chemical industry.