Abstract

VARGAS-HERNANDEZ, Jose G.. Pendulum continuum of investigation in international management of organizations: from functionalist positivism to qualitative and ethnographic research. Cad. EBAPE.BR [online]. 2010, vol.8, n.1, pp. 111-132. ISSN 1679-3951.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1679-39512010000100008.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the theoretical methodological construction of reality explanations of international management phenomena in organizations. It departs from the assumption that classical theories of international management of organizations have evolved in parallel form to the prevalent scientific paradigms of that period. It is demonstrated in this paper that the theoretical methodological developments have fluctuated in a pendulum continuum from positivist epistemological conceptions of science in one extreme, going through the functionalism, structuralism, institutionalism, neoinstitutionalism, social constructivism and critical interpretative to achieve the opposite extreme with the qualitative and ethnographic research approaches

Keywords : international management; social constructivism and critical interpretative approach; functional structuralism; institutionalism; qualitative and ethnographic research; neoinstitutionalism; functional positivism.