Irish Management Institute

About: Irish Management Institute is a education organization based out in Dublin, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Information system & Management development. The organization has 24 authors who have published 28 publications receiving 916 citations.

Combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies in logistics research

Abstract: The majority of logistics research is primarily populated by quantitative research viewed through a positivist lens. Increasingly, there are calls for logistics research to more frequently employ qualitative methodologies. The trend in management research generally is increasingly to use methods and approaches which provide a middle ground between the contrasting positivist and phenomenological paradigms and perspectives. Methodological triangulation, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, increasingly provides multidimensional insights into many management research problems. This paper urges logistics researchers to think about the paradigm through which they view the world and to explore the use of alternative methodologies. If the ultimate aim is to gain knowledge about the world then one needs to do this in the most valid way possible. This paper describes the dominant research paradigms and perspectives and their generally concomitant research methodologies and describes some research (decision‐making concerning choice of ports/ferries) where methodological triangulation, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, yielded greater insights than would have been the case if a single research methodology had been employed.

The learning transfer system approach to estimating the benefits of training: empirical evidence

Abstract: Three steps must be implemented if a training programme is to be successful. The first is the identification of needs to identify what training is required. The second is an analysis of the firm to identify the issues that will affect the ability of the firm to exploit new skills. The third is an evaluation of the training to ensure that sufficient resources are applied to implement and to integrate the training programme. These latter two steps come under the heading of learning transfer. The article presents the findings of an application of this approach. The analysis shows the richness of the information that results from this approach and outlines its operational importance for managers engaged in decision‐making or in the design of training programmes. In addition, it suggests the next steps in the research towards improving the tools available for the evaluation of training.

A Methodological Critique of Fifty-Eight Selected Work Experiments

Abstract: This paper evaluates the internal and external validity of 58 work experiments-e.g., job enrichment, participative management, and autonomous group studies. The experiments are classified according to their independent and dependent variables; then each study's research design is evaluated in terms of various threats to internal and external validity. The results show that the attitudinal and performance improvements reported in the experiments are questionable but not altogether implausible. The findings of the studies appear to be generalizable to a wide range of populations and settings. Several suggestions for the improvement of research in this field are presented in light of the results of this critique.

A Meta-Review of the Management Development Literature

Abstract: An appraisal of recent reviews of the literature on management development demonstrates the existence of a number of perspectives on the topic, and this lack of a uniform approach has contributed to confusion about the subject. This article examines a series of recent and existing literature reviews on the topic of management development. It reviews existing and current syntheses of the management development literature and typological models of management development. The aim of the article is to critically analyze these reviews, with the intention of providing an overview of what has been written about management development during the past 25 years. The article unearths core issues and trends that have emerged in the various “literatures” and provides a synthesis of the concepts and paradigms that emerge from these research literatures. The metareview concludes by proposing a framework/model, within which contributions to the literature on management development can be placed.