"This new edition of EJBRM once again offers readers a range of interesting ideas concerning various options available to the academic researcher working in the business and management field of study.

With regards to research methodology the business and management field of study has much to offer the researcher in a number of respects. The first reason for this is that this field of study is so broad and so many interesting topics fall within its ambit. This is of course and advantage as well as a major challenge for the academics who work in this field of study. Different topics have different research methodology potentials and so researchers have much to choose from.

There is also the question of the fact that there is a stream of new and interesting ideas being generate as to how to tackle both new as well as well established research topics.

For this issue papers of topics such as ""Can methodological applications develop critical thinking?"" (Blackman and Benson), ""Getting the most from NUD•IST/Nvivo"" (Dean and Sharp), ""Applying Multidimensional Item Response Theory Analysis to a Measure of Meta‑Perspective Performance"" (Kacmar et al), ""A few proposals for designing and controlling a doctoral research project in management sciences"" (Lauriol), ""Validation of Simulation based Models: a Theoretical Outlook"" (Martis), ""Motivators for Australian consumers to search and shop online"" (Michael), ""A case study on the selection and evaluation of software for an Internet organisation"" (van Staaden and Lubbe) have been accepted.

I trust that readers will find these papers as interesting as I have."

Keywords: Black Box testing, business process, CAQDAS, coding and reporting, commercial software system, consumer behaviour, critical thinking, dynamic models, evaluation, internet, interpreting data transcription, item response theory, modeling motivating factors, NUD*IST/NVivo, qualitative research reporting, request for proposal (RFP), research methodology, scale development simulation, software, validation process, validation schemes, validation, vendors

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Can Methodological Applications Develop Critical Thinking? pp1‑10

Deborah Blackman, Angela Benson

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Abstract

This paper outlines how using research methods to develop critical thinking was explored in a workshop and then developed into a curriculum. An exercise showed how diverse methodologies led to different answers, which were explored to consider the nature of knowledge itself and the subsequent implications. The paper concludes that such an approach can (a) develop critical thinking skills at a level of deep, rather than surface learning and (b) effectively challenge some preconceived ideas held by students about how knowledge is developed and shared. The crucial element of success was the design and implementation of the assessment.

Keywords: Critical thinking, research methodology, learning, knowledge

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