Roslyn Cameron

A sequential mixed model research design: Design, analytical and display issues

Abstract A new era in research methods is emerging and has been quietly lauded by several emerging authorities in the field of mixed methods research. Like the mythology of the phoenix, mixed methods research has arisen out of the ashes of the paradigm wars to become the third methodological movement (Cameron & Miller 2007). The fields of applied social science and evaluation are among those which have shown the greatest popularity and uptake of mixed methods research designs. This article provides a brief overview of the rise of mixed methods research, its usage in business and management fields and its relationship to the philosophy of pragmatism. Typologies of mixed methods research designs are discussed and a case study of a sequential mixed model research design in the human resource development (HRD) field is presented. Issues related to design, analytical processes and display arising from utilising this particular mixed method research design are discussed. As a consequence, the article contains several Tables and Figures which exemplify display options that may assist those researchers who are considering utilising a mixed method research design.

The acceptance of mixed methods in business and management research

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of mixed methods research across several business and management fields and to gauge the level of acceptance of mixed methods within these fields.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed for this study involved synthesizing the findings from six large‐scale methodological scans of business and management discipline journals in seven fields: marketing, international business, strategic management, organizational behaviour, operations management, entrepreneurship and human resource management.Findings – The study finds that quantitative studies dominate all seven fields (76 per cent of empirical articles) followed by mixed methods (14 per cent of empirical articles) and qualitative studies (10 per cent of empirical articles). In applying the framework for acceptance levels, it would seem there exists minimal acceptance of mixed methods across these fields.Research limitations/implications – The study has limitations related to th...

Supervisor behaviours that facilitate training transfer

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the supervisor behaviours that employees found to be helpful and unhelpful in facilitating training transfer. The study aims to provide rich qualitative data from the employees perspective.Design/methodology/approach – This study utilises a cross‐sectional design. A case study and a qualitative interpretivist approach were used to interpret the employees responses. In total 24 semi‐structured interviews were conducted and responses were analysed with the aid of NVivo.Findings – The results suggested what supervisors did prior to, during and after course attendance was critical to training transfer. Supportive behaviours prior to the course included motivating, encouraging and setting expectations. Practical support provided during the course signalled the value that the supervisor placed on the course. Meetings held after the course provided the best opportunity to support transfer. Transfer was maximised when participants experienced a positive role mo...

Mixed Methods Use in Project Management Research

Mixed methods research is increasingly being used in business and management disciplines, in spite of positivist traditions. The aim of the study is twofold: (1) to examine the types of mixed methods approaches being used, and (2) to determine the quality of the reporting of mixed methods studies published in the field of project management. A retrospective content analysis of articles from three ranked project management journals was undertaken for a sample period of 2004 to 2010. Our findings suggest the field of project management is in need of capacity building in relation to the good reporting of mixed methods studies.

Attracting and Retaining Staff: The Role of Branding and Industry Image

In increasingly competitive labour markets, attracting and retaining talent has become a prime concern of organisations. Employers need to understand the range of factors that influence career decision making and the role of employer branding in attracting human capital that best fits and contributes to the strategic aims of an organisation. This chapter identifies the changing factors that attract people to certain employment and industries and discusses the importance of aligning employer branding with employee branding to create a strong, genuine and lasting employer brand. Whilst organisations have long used marketing and branding practices to engender loyalty in customers, they are increasingly expanding this activity to differentiate organisations and make them attractive from an employee perspective. This chapter discusses employer branding and industry image as two important components of attraction strategies and describes ways companies can maximise their brand awareness in the employment market to both current and future employees.

Ratings of performance of graduates from traditional and non-traditional medical schools

We compared clinical supervisors’ ratings of intern competence in Newcastle University graduates (whose medical school emphasizes community relevance and interpersonal skills) and in medical graduates of the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales, which have more traditional curricula. A 12‐item anchored supervisor rating scale was used to assess the professional competence of 428 interns on five occasions throughout the intern year. Data analysis was performed using two factors of clinical competence and personal characteristics, as well as an average annual total score, linear regression analysis was employed to estimate the adjusted effects of age, sex, and graduating university on the three scores. All three scores were higher for interns who graduated at younger than 25 years, irrespective of university of graduation or sex. Women scored higher on average than men, and Newcastle graduates were rated significantly better on average than Sydney University graduates for the personal characteristics ...

Recognising workplace learning: The emerging practices of e-RPL and e-PR

Purpose – The use of e‐portfolios in recognition of prior learning (RPL) processes in workplace and professional practice contexts has attracted little attention in the literature due to its emergent nature. This study seeks to explore the growing incidence of e‐portfolio‐based RPL (e‐RPL) and professional recognition (e‐PR) processes in Australia and the implications this has for recognising workplace learning.Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilises an exploratory study and involves a content analysis of a selected sample of data sources. The sample includes the abstracts and papers presented at the 2009 VET E‐portfolios Showcase and the 2010 ePortfolios Australia conference and the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (AFLF) funded E‐portfolio implementation trials 2009 and 2010.Findings – The paper finds an array of e‐RPL and e‐PR operationalised across multiple fields/disciplines and contexts. The incidence of e‐PR is more dominant than that of e‐RPL. The findings result in the development ...

The acceptance of mixed methods in business and management

Erratum – It has come to the attention of Emerald Group Publishing that the article “The acceptance of mixed methods in business and management” authored by Roslyn Cameron and Jose F. Molina-Azorin, published in International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 22 Iss:1, pp.14-29, 2014, was also published in a previous issue of the journal. This occurred due to an error in the editorial process. Please note that all citations of this article should be the following: Roslyn Cameron, Jose F. Molina-Azorin, (2011), “The acceptance of mixed methods in business and management research”, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 19 Iss: 3, pp.256-271. The publishers of the journal sincerely apologize to the authors and readers of IJOA.

Mixed methods in VET research: usage and quality

Abstract Mixed methods had been heralded as the third methodological movement with several authorities from across an array of discipline fields contributing to a growing body of literature and theoretical developments. The discipline fields which are showing high levels of acceptance for mixed methods are those related to education, health and nursing, social and behavioural sciences and business/management disciplines. This third methodological movement is now beginning to address issues of quality in the reporting of mixed methods studies. The movement is beginning to question whether researchers utilising mixed methods have gone beyond the one dimensional and relatively rudimentary concept of triangulation to embrace the more complex designs and methodological theory being developed. The aim of the study is to explore the use and quality of mixed methods in vocational education research through a systematic review of a specific sample of vocational education and training (VET) based research. The paper concludes with a call for mixed methods in higher degree research training curricula and a need for established VET researchers to engage with the mixed methods foundational literature and the new and more complex theoretical developments that are emerging.

A Career and Learning Transitional Model for Those Experiencing Labour Market Disadvantage

Research investigating the learning and career transitions of those disadvantaged in the labour market has resulted in the development of a four-component model to enable dis-advantaged groups to navigate learning and career transitions. The four components of the model include: the self-concept; learning and recognition; career and life planning; and new literacies. The focus of this paper will be on the career and life planning component. The research utilised a sequential mixed model design, which consisted of two phases. Phase one of the research involved a Learning Survey of approximately 250 labour market program participants in which quantitative data analysis techniques were used. Phase two involved the development of the model and testing in the field. A formative evaluation of the model in the field was undertaken, utilising a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The field test was undertaken with a labour market program for women over 45 years of age wishing to re-enter the workforce. The research has resulted in the development of a model that offers career development researchers and practitioners an alternative holistic, group-based and community-based approach to career development for disadvantaged groups.