Research Method

This paper is a personal account of the author's involvement with management control research over the past 35 years. The development of management control as a research area is briefly reviewed, culminating with its transition into performance management. However, the basic issues involved have remained remarkably unchanged over this period, as is illustrated by a number of anecdotes and examples. Some suggestions are made concerning potential topics for future research, together with some final comments on appropriate research methods.

Scholars hold different views about whether organizations consist of things or processes and about variance or process methods for conducting research. By combining these two dimensions, we develop a typology of four approaches for studying organizational change. Although the four approaches may be viewed as opposing or competing views, we see them as being complementary. Each approach focuses on different questions and provides a different — but partial — understanding of organizational change. We argue that coordinating the pluralistic insights from the four approaches provides a richer understanding of organization change than any one approach provides by itself.

In line with the social objectives of the PNPB (Brazilian Program of Production and Use of Biodiesel) and its “Social Seal” Framework, PETROBRAS has set up a 57 million liter/year biodiesel plant in the semi‐arid region of North of Minas Gerais State, where the socioeconomics indicators are very unfavorable. Despite the potential to boost the agricultural and agro‐industrial sector, the

So begins a typical process of appreciative inquiry, a way of thinking and working with groups, organizations and commu-nities that assumes all human systems have at least some posi-tive features, ie something is working well. By fostering reflection on the system's ...

Purpose: Teacher hiring decisions have far-reaching consequences for a school, its students, and faculty. This article examines how new teachers in four states are hired and explores whether the process leads to good matches between these individuals and their schools. The authors conceive of hiring as a two-way process and examine the extent to which the hiring process provides opportunities for prospective teachers and schools to collect rich information about, and form accurate impressions of, one another.Research Methods: This study surveyed a representative random sample of 486 first-year and second-year teachers in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Participants were chosen using two-stage stratified cluster sampling, and the study achieved a response rate of 65%. Statistical methods used in the analysis include principal components analysis, chi-square analysis, and t tests.Findings: The data reveal that the majority of new teachers in these states are hired th...

Scholars and practitioners have recently devoted considerable attention to boards of directors, but far more research is needed. We still know little about how boards actually work and how their behavior may be improved to contribute to value creation. During more than two decades agency theory has been the dominant theory in studies about boards of directors. When relaxing some of the assumptions in agency theory several new pathways for new research arise. To present new perspectives on board research we follow in this essay some of the pathways arising from relaxing agency theory assumptions about complete contracts. Alternative theoretical approaches, research questions and methods are suggested. KeywordsBoards of directors–Research issues–Research methods–Board processes–Behavioral theory–Team production theory–Social identity theory

In this article are presented results from the investigations of some peculiarities in the process of soldering on small topological forms in PCBs. The investigation is dedicated to the surface mount technology and deals with lead contained and lead free solder alloy pastes. Attention is paid on the implementation of contact pads with lead free surface finish. For this purpose are used galvanic deposited coatings and different solders. The results are obtained when using temperature profiles of typical production process at regimes, recommended by the solder paste vendors. In the experiments are implemented specially developed test lay outs and samples, manufactured from PCB material. Predominantly are investigated the processes of solder wetting in atmospheric surrounding.