Epistemology In Business And Management

With this lesson, we begin a new unit on epistemology, which is the philosophical study of knowledge claims. In this first lesson on epistemology, we begin by examining the question “What do we mean when we say we know something?” What exactly is knowledge? We will begin with a presentation that introduces the traditional definition of knowledge. Wood then discusses some of the basic issues raised in the study of epistemology and then presents an approach to epistemology that focuses on obtaining the intellectual virtues, a point we will elaborate on in the next lesson.

     Epistemology is the nature of knowledge. Knowledge is important when considering what is reality and what is deception. The movie “The Matrix” displays a social deception in which Neo, the main character, is caught between what he thought was once reality and a whole new world that controls everything he thought was real. If I were Neo, I would not truly be able to know that I was in the matrix. However, it is rational to believe that I am in the matrix and will eventually enter back into my reality later. The proof that that I can know that I am in the matrix and that I will return to reality comes from the responses of foundationalism, idealism, and pallibalism.

The pursuit of truth: Epistemology provides understanding for the reader to gain insight to the way that humans process and react to truth. Epistemology is the pursuit of intellectual virtue. It wants to provide an evidentiary basis for belief, rather than one of just opinion. Entwistle then brings up another important topic which is Metaphysics. Metaphysics can be defined as the philosophical investigation of the nature, constitution and stature of reality. Philosophical anthropology attempts to validate assumptions made by theologians and psychologists about human nature and behavior (Entwistle, pp119).

| The study of knowledge: What constitutes knowledge, the nature of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible

What is business research? Why should there be any question about the definition of research?

1. What is business research? Why should there be any question about the definition of research?

In the book written by Nonaka (2000), presented a summary of the ideas that underlie the notion of knowledge: (1) Knowledge is justified true believe; (2) Knowledge is something that is explicit (tacit knowledge); (3) knowledge creation effectively dependent on the context that allows the creation of occurrence; (4) knowledge creation involves five main steps are: a). Sharing knowledge explicitly (tacit knowledge), b) created the concept, c). Justifying concepts, d). Build a prototype, and e). Do the dissemination of knowledge.

Business researchers utilize various forms of approaches to analyze and obtain information and data, and two of the most popular approaches used are the qualitative research approach and quantitative research approach. Each approach can be beneficial or in some cases may cause inconclusive results depending on the type of research being conducted and what the nature of the study is. The following will assess two different peer reviewed articles: one which uses a qualitative approach and the other a quantitative approach. It

& Lancaster, G. (2008) “Research Methods: A Concise Introduction to Research in Management and Business Consultancy” Butterworth-Heinemann

Epistemology studies knowledge, it’s boundaries/limits, it’s “spheres” and the tangibility of how much we understand and are aware of our understanding.

Knowledge is typically of a mind-independent reality. It is expressed in a public language, it contains true propositions — these propositions are true because they accurately represent that reality — and knowledge is arrived at by applying, and is subject to, constraints of rationality and logic. The merits and demerits of theories are largely a matter of meeting or failing to meet the criteria implicit in this conception. (2)

A research decision involves the application of a design in which the research will be developed. During the application of this design, the worldview assumptions must be taken into consideration to enhance the study from different perspectives. Research design, which Creswell refers to as the plan or proposal to conduct research, “involves the intersection of philosophy, strategies of inquiry, and specific methods” (Creswell, 2009, p. 5). This study must imply the assumptions in which this research will make about how to obtain and gain knowledge and reality about this business phenomenon. Even though these philosophical worldviews remain for the most part unseen and form only one portion of the research design, they have great

Research methodology is a way how the research is conducted step by step and in order. There are two methods used for data collection which is the primary data and secondary data. These data can be obtained and used many ways. The data is taken and analyzed in advance to produce a result that we can use for research and future reference. This study will relate to the objective we want to achieve and finding the answer to every objective we seek. In order to successfully achieve the objectives we seek, we must know

In order to achieve their business objective, project management and the used methodology are key factor which will be responsible for the success or failure of this project.

The prime managerial value of management research is that it reduces uncertainty by providing information that improves the decision-making process. The decision –making process associated with the development and implementation of a strategy involves four interrelated stages.