Surveys

If we compare contemporary research in OM with that conducted in the early 1980s, we notice an increase in the use of empirical data (derived from

field observation) to supplement mathematics, modelling and simulation in order to develop and test theories. Many authors have called for this empirical research since OM became an established field of study (such as marketing, management information systems, etc.) within the management discipline (Meredith et al., 1989; Flynn et al., 1990; Filippini, 1997; Scudder and Hill, 1998). The rationale was to reduce the gap between management theory and practice, to increase the usefulness of OM research to practitioners and, more recently, to increase scientific recognition of the OM field. Survey research is one of the methods widely used to perform this empirical research in OM.