Mixed‑methods research designs are increasingly popular, especially in the management domain because they hold the potential to offset the weaknesses inherent in mono‑method, qualitative or quantitative designs. In entrepreneurship research, the domain in which this study is located, mixed‑method studies are conducted mostly according to a sequential‑exploratory design with an aim of developing and validating theory in a single research study. In some studies, the qualitative phase is used to develop a questionnaire, which is more common. However, the actual process of converting qualitative data into operationalised constructs and survey items is usually not clearly articulated. This creates an opportunity to contribute to a better understanding of the process of transitioning from a qualitative to a quantitative study. This paper proposes such an approach, using an example of a study of the skills entrepreneurs use to start and run their businesses. In the qualitative phase, interviews were conducted with 20 entrepreneurs and 6 national experts to discover the skills required by entrepreneurs to start and manage their businesses. Data analysis, using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software, resulted in nine groups of skills considered important in performing entrepreneurial activities. Based on qualitative analysis, the study provides a detailed account of the process of converting qualitative data into a quantitative survey questionnaire, which will enhance the effectiveness of mixed‑methods designs. The developed entrepreneurial skills questionnaire was tested and validated on a sample of 235 entrepreneurs. The article concludes with implications for mixed‑methods researchers who want to develop new instruments, and scholars conducting research on entrepreneurial skills. 

Assessing the quality of qualitative research to ensure rigour in the findings is critical, especially if findings are to contribute to theory and be utilised in practice. However, teaching students concepts of rigour and how to apply them to their research is challenging. This article presents a generic framework of rigour with four critical dimensions—Trustworthiness, Auditability, Credibility and Transferability (TACT) intended to teach issues of rigour to postgraduate students and those new to qualitative research methodology. The framework enables them to explore the key dimensions necessary for assessing the rigour of qualitative research studies and checklist questions against each of the dimensions. TACT was offered through 10 workshops, attended by 64 participants. Participants positively evaluated the workshops and reported that the workshops enable them to learn the principles of qualitative research and better understanding issues of rigour. Work presented in the article is part of a large research programme investigating the pedagogy of research methods in higher education. 

The research process is complex, involving many conceptually different steps that require a variety of skills. For instance, early on in the research process the task of identifying and articulating a suitable research problem often involves, amongst other skills, a high level of creativity and critical thinking, whereas later on in the process, application of a suitable research method would require deep knowledge of the state of art in that methodology. As the techniques used by researchers to iterate between current discipline theory, subject knowledge and research methodology gets increasingly specialized, it is also becoming more opaque to people outside the research community. Management students with little or no exposure to research find this puzzling because they are being encouraged to do something creative and original, and at the same time they are expected to build on existing knowledge using a set of conventions associated with the chosen methodology. Business students in their 1st year face many new situations. Most of them have little experience of what research is about or the various elements that are necessary for a successful project. The teaching at school level mostly focuses on imparting subject knowledge and instilling basic numeracy and literary skills. It does not prepare them so well for setting their own goals and working independently ‑ the core of research. Traditional teaching methods can help them acquire the relevant subject knowledge and basic research methods. But putting these together in a piece of practical research requires in depth understanding and creative thinking. Problem‑based learning (PBL) is a way to help UG students at the beginning of their research attempts to develop the mindset and skills needed. This paper makes the case for introducing Critical Thinking skills to Business Management students in their 1st year, using a problem‑based Learning (PBL) approach. It assesses what was involved in developing and delivering such a course. Both staff and students found the experience challenging, but the overall response was positive establishing that the approach taken was fundamentally effective. 

Most qualitative studies in business‑related research have adopted an inductive approach, in that they explore specific cases and then extract themes, or statements that are more general, from this data. This approach has its shortcomings, including not developing a more systematic body of knowledge of behavioural and social processes that take place in organisations. In contrast, in deductive qualitative research, the theoretical propositions derived from a review of the literature serve as its departure point, informing how the data is collected. Later on in the analysis of data, the researcher uses the propositions to determine if the literature explains the case that was being investigated. Unfortunately, given the relative neglect of deductive qualitative research approaches, there is little guidance and few examples offered that illustrate the application of these techniques. This poses a challenge for researchers, who often need a greater level of structure when it comes to designing and conducting their research. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to illustrate the design of a research protocol that integrates two deductive approaches that are suitable for explanatory case study research, namely deductive thematic analysis and pattern matching. This paper develops a seven‑step process that researchers can follow, for carrying out this type of deductive qualitative research. Using extracts from a research study investigating the leading of organisational change, the steps in this process are illustrated. 

This paper proposes that social media studies could be complemented with Q methodology when a topic that plays out in social media is complex, controversial or sensitive to allow for deep‑seated, integrated online and off‑line perspectives. Although the Fourth Industrial Revolution brought researchers more opportunities and advantages to study topics that were previously inaccessible, using technologies for research does not come without challenges. This is especially the case with social media studies comprising large datasets and where it is not always possible to identify fake profiles, bots, spam or manipulated information without having access to advanced data analysis software. Another point is that views expressed in social media do not always represent offline perspectives. However, while Q methodology has, over the years, adapted its techniques to accommodate new technologies, more can be done to embrace a web 2.0 environment. Why and how social media studies could be augmented with Q methodology to reveal individuals’ perspectives and attitudes about topics will be examined and potential difficulties will be highlighted. Not yet a mainstream method, Q methodology combines the strengths of two robust qualitative and quantitative methods sequentially to reveal and isolate the subjective perspectives of groups of participants. This methodology could, therefore, be useful when a social media study puts forward novel ideas and findings that should be supported by offline views. In this regard, the paper provides some guidelines by referring to the five phases of a Q study and describing how a social media study could not only benefit from but also apply Q methodology to augment results. Supplementing social media research with Q methodology could be empowering and provide opportunities for further research and debate.