APPEAL FOR PARADIGMATIC RESEARCH IN EMERGING ECONOMIES: FINDINGS FROM AN ANALYSIS OF THE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT REVIEW (BMR) JOURNAL ARTICLES, 1993-2014

Abstract

This paper reports the findings stemming from a review of 97 articles published in the Business Management Review (BMR), a journal hosted by the University of Dar es Salaam Business School (UDBS) of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania. The overall aim of the review is to present the status of the published papers and their research implications in the context of emerging economies. The papers were classified and analysed according to research discipline, research settings, theoretical approach, nature of  research, methodological approach, research methods, research location, residency (institutional affiliation), and number of authors. As part of corroborative evidence, semi-structured interviews with the chief editors, members of the editorial board, the journal administrator, and selected authors were conducted. The findings show that papers from three disciplines—economics finance, and entrepreneurship have higher representation in the journal than other disciplines. Also, a sizeable number of the papers reviewed focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, very few papers extensively discuss theoretical issues underpinning a study under consideration. The review further shows that most of the reviewed papers are quantitative in nature and used questionnaires as the main data collection method. On the basis of these findings, the paper suggests embracing and fostering paradigmatic research in the context of emerging economies, using a broad set of theories, methodologies, methods, and research topics. In terms of resource dependency theory, the findings partly suggest that research and its dissemination in the emerging economies is dependent upon the influence of international research funding agencies. Thus, to enhance paradigmatic research in the emerging economies it is equally important for local institutions to spearhead research initiatives.