Professor Mark NK Saunders

Professor Mark NK Saunders

Department of Management
Professor of Business Research Methods

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0) 121 414 6697
Email
m.n.k.saunders@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Birmingham Business School
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Mark NK Saunders is Professor of Business Research Methods and Director of Global Engagement at Birmingham Business School. 

His research interests include:

  • Research methods, in particular participants selection, methods for understanding organizational relationships;
  • Trust and human resource aspects of the management of change, in particular trust within and between organizations and organizational learning;
  • Small and medium sized enterprise (SME) success. 

 Mark’s work has been recognised by a number awards including a Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of contribution to methods and human resource management research and social science researcher development; the British Academy of Management Medal for Leadership in recognition of his contribution to capacity building and a Fellowship of the British academy of Management. In 2021 his textbook Research Methods for Business Students was ranked the World’s most influential business and economics textbook by the “FT (Financial Times) Teaching Power” league table. He is a founding panel member and fellow of the British Academy of management’s Peer Review College. He holds visiting professorships at Birkbeck, University of London and the Universities of Surrey and Worcester.  

Mark’s research has been published widely in journals including Annals of Tourism Research, British Journal of Management, Field Methods, Human Relations, Human Resource Management Journal, Journal of Personnel Psychology, Journal of Small Business Management, Management Learning and Social Science and Medicine. He is consulting editor for the International Journal of Management Reviews and European Editor for the Services Industries Journal. He is a steering group member of the First International Network on Trust (FINT).

Mark has co-authored and edited a range of books including Research Methods for Business Students (currently in its eighth edition), How to keep your research project on track: Insights from when things go wrong, Doing Research in Business and Management (currently in its second edition), Conducting Case Studies for Business and Management, Organizational Trust: a Cultural Perspective, Handbook of Research Methods on Trust (currently in its second edition) and Handbook of Research Methods on Human Resource Development. He is joint editor of Sage’s Understanding Research Methods for Business and Management Students book series and editor of Edward Elgar’s Handbooks of Research Methods series.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2007)
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2006)
  • PhD in Geography, University of Lancaster (1986)
  • PGCE in Secondary Education, University of Cambridge (1982)
  • MSc in Urban Studies, University of Salford (1981)
  • BA (2.1) in Geography, University of Lancaster (1980)

Teaching

  • Foundations of Qualitative Research Methods (College of Social Sciences MA Research Methods/Doctoral Training Programme)
  • Advanced Qualitative IntervierwingInterviewing (College of Social Sciences MA Research Methods/Doctoral Training Programme)
  • Research Methods in International Business (MSc International Business Singapore)
  • Contemporary Issues in Work and Employment (MSc Human Resource Management)

Postgraduate supervision

Research methods, in particular participants selection, methods for understanding organizational relationships;
Human resource aspects of the management of change, in particular trust within and between organizations and organizational learning;
Small and medium sized enterprise (SME) success.

Other activities

  • Fellow of the British Academy of Management and member of the Fellow’s College.
  • Consulting Editor for International Journal of Management Reviews
  • European Editor for The Services Industries Journal
  • Member of the Editorial Board for Human Resource Development Quarterly, Personnel Review and Online Journal of Business Research Methods
  • Visiting Professor, Birckbeck, University of London
  • Visiting Professor, Surrey Business School, University of Surrey
  • Visiting Professor, Worcester Business School, University of Worcester

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Saunders, M, Townsend, K, Loudoun, R & Morrison, E 2020, How To Keep Your Doctorate On Track: Insights from atudents' and supervisors' experiences. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham.

Saunders, M, Lewis, P & Thornhill, A 2019, Research Methods for Business Students. 8 edn, Pearson, Harlow.

Saunders, M & Townsend, K 2018, How to kee[ ypur research project on track: Insights from when things go wrong. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham.

Article

Djebali, Z, DiDominico, M & Saunders, M 2022, 'Starting up, not slowing down: social entrepreneurial intentions in later working-life', International Small Business Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426221093570

Darabi, F, Saunders, MNK & Clark, M 2021, 'Trust initiation and development in SME-university collaborations: implications for enabling engaged scholarship', European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 45, no. 4/5, pp. 320-345. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-04-2020-0068

Wintersberger, D & Saunders, M 2020, 'Formulating and clarifying the research topic: insights and a guide for the production management research community', Production, vol. 30, pp. 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.20200059

Rojon, C, McDowall, A & Saunders, M 2019, 'A novel use of Honey's aggregation approach to the analysis of Repertory Grids', Field Methods, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 150-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X18806259

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Saunders, M, Isaeva, N & Hughes, C 2019, Trust, Distrust and Human Resource Management’. in K Townsend, K Cafferekey, T Dundon & A McDermott (eds), Elgar Introduction to Theories of Human Resources and Employment Relations. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham, pp. 247.

Saunders, M & Djebali, Z 2018, An integrative approach to ‘teaching’ research methodology to large groups. in D Remenyi (ed.), Innovation in the Teaching of Research methodology Excellence Awards: An Anthology of Case Histories 2018. ACPI, Reading, pp. 33-46.

Chapter

Hughes, C & Saunders, M 2021, Building and maintaining trust in virtual teams. in D Wheatley , I Hardill & S Buglass (eds), Handbook of Research on Remote Work and Well-Being in the Post-COVID-19 Era. IGI Global, Hershey, PA, pp. 264-285. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6754-8.ch015

Isaeva, N, Hughes, C & Saunders, MNK 2020, Trust, distrust and human resource management. in Elgar Introduction to Theories of Human Resources and Employment Relations. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 247-263. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786439017.00025

Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Lee, B & Saunders, M 2020, Case Study Research in Business and Management. in A Atkinson, S Delamont & M Williams (eds), The Sage Encyclopedia of Research Methods. London.

Review article

Garavan, TN, McCarthy, A, Lai, Y, Clarke, N, Carbery, R, Gubbins, C, Sheehan, M & Saunders, MNK 2021, 'Putting the system back into training and firm performance research: a review and research agenda', Human Resource Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12337

Isaeva, N, Gruenewald, K & Saunders, M 2020, 'Trust Theory and Customer Services Research: Theoretical Review and Synthesis', The Services Industries Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2020.1779225

Garavan, T, MacCarthy, A, Sheehan, M, Lai, Y, Saunders, M, Clarke, N, Carbery, R & Shanahan, V 2019, 'Measuring the organizational impact of training: The need for greater methodological rigor', Human Resource Development Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21345

View all publications in research portal