Chad Perry

Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability of qualitative research within the realism paradigm

Aims to address a gap in the literature about quality criteria for validity and reliability in qualitative research within the realism scientific paradigm. Six comprehensive and explicit criteria for judging realism research are developed, drawing on the three elements of a scientific paradigm of ontology, epistemology and methodology. The first two criteria concern ontology, that is, ontological appropriateness and contingent validity. The third criterion concerns epistemology: multiple perceptions of participants and of peer researchers. The final three criteria concern methodology: methodological trustworthiness, analytic generalisation and construct validity. Comparisons are made with criteria in other paradigms, particularly positivism and constructivism. An example of the use of the criteria is given. In conclusion, this paper’s set of six criteria will facilitate the further adoption of the realism paradigm and its evaluation in marketing research about, for instance, networks and relationship marketing.

Processes of a case study methodology for postgraduate research in marketing

Qualitative research has not been viewed as a rigorous alternative to established quantitative methods in postgraduate marketing research. However, this paper reports on the Australian development of a successful, structured approach to using the case study methodology in postgraduate research. Its aim is to present and justify guidelines for using the case study research methodology in honours, masters and PhD research theses, and so it should interest candidates and their supervisors. First, appropriate positions on a range of scientific paradigms and core issues of induction and deduction are established. Then implementation of the case study methodology is examined, including the numbers of case studies and of interviews. Unusual but effective uses of theoretical replication to rigorously analyze case study data are illustrated from postgraduate theses. Finally, a framework is provided for constructing a thesis, emphasizing the key methodology chapter.

A Structured Approach for Presenting Theses

Abstract How should a postgraduate research student present a thesis? This paper provides a structure as a starting point for understanding what a thesis should set out to achieve, and also provides a basis for communication between a student and his or her supervisor. Firstly, criteria for judging a thesis are reviewed and justification for its structure is provided. Then writing style is considered. Finally, each of the five sections are described in some detail: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis of data, and conclusions and implications.

National marketing strategies in international travel and tourism

Focuses on how national travel and tourism authorities can market a country as a tourist destination, with particular reference to the marketing of Australia and New Zealand to target markets in Germany and the United Kingdom. These two nations in Europe are by far the most important tourist generating countries for Australia and New Zealand and there has been a recent substantial increase in the value of international travel and tourism revenues and promising future prospects. However, there is little research emphasising specific marketing and distribution strategies that may be applied by travel and tourism organisations, airlines and intermediaries to market a tourist destination successfully in overseas markets. This research collected data using in‐depth interviews with 41 experienced practitioners in Germany, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and analysed the data with a rigorous case study methodology. The results of this research assist in clarifying the conceptual issues provided in the literature, linking theoretical marketing knowledge about strategies in the discipline of international travel and tourism marketing.

Marketing management in a complex adaptive system

This article explores how complexity theory can help marketers to understand a market and to operate within it. Essentially, it argues that complexity theory has the potential to provide both global and some local explanations of markets and is complementary to local theories like relationship marketing that may be more familiar to marketing managers. It establishes four types of complex systems that might be used to model social systems. Of these four types, complex adaptive systems seem most appropriate to describe markets. This is illustrated in an investigation of Honda in the global automobile industry. Implications for marketing managers centre on the need to understand feedback loops at many levels of a path‐dependent system that are inherently difficult to predict and control.

Do services exporters build relationships? Some qualitative perspectives

Investigates whether success factors for Australian services firms that export to Asia are consistent with the theory of relationship marketing, and demonstrates the power of the in‐depth interview methodology for exploring marketing theory. Relationship marketing theory suggests that services firms should adopt a relationship marketing approach while goods firms might use a transactional approach. To investigate this theory, a series of in‐depth interviews were conducted in firms marketing agribusiness products to Asia. We found that growth in the agribusiness services sector could be attributed to their strategy of “pairing” with Australian commodity exporters rather than to entering the market directly. Contrary to expectations, we found that Australian goods firms consider building relationships with Asian distributors and customers crucial to initiating and maintaining an export strategy. Furthermore, Australian agribusiness services firms do not seek to enter the market on their own but build relationships with Australian firms as a means of accessing the Asian market. The results demonstrate the power of qualitative methods for uncovering results that confirm or disconfirm existing theory.

Marketing fresh fruit to Japanese consumers: exploring issues for Australian exporters

Japan has the world’s second largest food service sector and its food market is three times greater than all other Asian food markets combined. Thus, exports of fresh fruit to Japan have potential for growth, but little research has been done about Japanese fresh fruit markets. Examines exports of fresh fruit from Australia to Japan, using fresh mangoes as a case study to explore the issues involved. A literature review of the fresh fruit market in Japan and Japanese consumer preferences for fruit formulates three research issues: (1) How do Japanese consumers view the taste and other characteristics of a new and foreign fruit such as mangoes?; (2) What are the factors affecting the popularisation of new and foreign fruit such as mangoes, in Japan?; (3) What are the possible bases for segmentation of the market for new and foreign fruit such as mangoes, in Japan? Next, the focus group methodology used to explore these issues is described and justified. Findings about each of the issues are compared with theory, and a model of fresh fruit opportunities in Japan is developed. Finally, implications for management about the promotion of a fresh fruit like mangoes are addressed and implications for further research are noted.

Factors influencing back pain treatment behaviour change

Purpose – The authors seek to better understand the critical incidents and factors that influence the switching behaviours of back pain sufferers who use mainstream and/or complementary and alternative medicine (Edvardsson, 1998). That is, the purpose of this paper is to uncover how they switch between treatments and treatment providers; in particular, this research investigates two issues: the triggers of their switching and their switching paths, and how their emotions are involved in that switching. The contribution is the first empirical foundation for an understanding of these two issues in the context of back pain. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative technique of convergent interviewing was used. It involved conducting a series of long, initially rather unstructured interviews to converge on the important topic areas to the back pain sufferers and why they engage in their treatment behaviour. Findings – This study investigated the triggers and categories of triggers that impact upon switch...

Modelling Choice of Destination of Hong Kong Students

Many universities are interested in knowing why overseas students choose one country over another in which to pursue their studies. Most Hong Kong students who study overseas choose either Australia, the UK, the USA or Canada, but why do they choose one over another? Exploratory research identified 17 variables thought to influence this choice. These variables were structured into a model of choice of destination involving three underlying dimensions: course and country characteristics, administrative processes, and costs. The model and two competing models were tested using data gathered through a questionnaire personally administered to 354 Hong Kong residents intending to study overseas. The model with the best fit contained only course and country characteristics.

Effective marketing of high-rise luxury condominiums in a middle-income country like Sri Lanka

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective process to market high-rise luxury condominiums in a middle-income country in Asia like Sri Lanka, based on empirical evidence. Design/methodology/approach The case research methodology used to address the four research issues used multiple sources of data. In stage 1, qualitative data were collected in interviews with managers and salespersons of six condominium developments that ranged from successful to failure. In stage 2, quantitative data were collected in a survey of the buyers of the six cases. Findings The authors contributions to knowledge include the first evidence-based findings about what influences the success and failure of high-rise luxury condominium developments in a country like Sri Lanka. In addition, a comprehensive marketing model of an effective marketing process is developed for forward-thinking professionals in the field to use to successfully market their luxury high-rise condominiums projects in the future. Practical i...