Seminar 6: “Introduction to Qualitative Research”

The qualitative research methodology accounts for an increasing share of worldwide research activities. Due to its exploratory character, it proved particularly relevant for investigating innovative phenomena, often induced by current crisis situations requiring innovative methods and solutions. The seminar contrasts the qualitative research methods to others in the canon of research methods. The seminar outlines the participant-orientated method and techniques aiming at an in-depth understanding of the sample members by interpreting and, possibly, participating in their lived experience to achieve ethnographic, credible, and transferable results. The seminar juxtaposes diverse methods of qualitative analysis (i.e. grounded theory, case study, narratives) referring to data collection, coding, and storage. The seminar stresses ethical issues being at the very core of qualitative research.

Prof Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann (PhD)
Department of Management and MIS, School of Business

After many international academic engagements, Rudi was officially ranked Full Professor Marketing at the University of Nicosia in February 2013. Since 1.2.2016 he is also affiliated with the University of Applied Management Studies Mannheim.

He has been a launching member and President (2007-2009) of the international research network on consumer behaviour, CIRCLE. Furthermore, he is a launching member, Vice-President and previous Research Co-ordinator of the EuroMed Research Business Institute (EMBRI), and member of the editorial board of the network’s Emerald journal, the EuroMed Journal of Business. From 2012- 2016, Rudi was a member of the Board of the AMA Global Marketing SIG as Vice-Chair Communications. He is a member of the editorial board of a variety of other journals and author/editor of 15 books (mainly in the field of Consumer Behaviour, Marketing and entrepreneurship) and 6 Electronic Books (Thompson Reuters accredited conference proceedings). In addition, he is an Associate Editor of the ABS ranked World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Visiting Professor of John Moores University Liverpool, the International Business School of Vilnius University and Visiting Professor of the University of Vitez (Chair of Entrepreneurship). He co-initiated and participated in a variety of EU-supported research projects and participates as an invited speaker on several global occasions.