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

Address: Birmingham Business School
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Mark Saunders is Professor of Business Research Methods at the Business School. He currently holds visiting professorships at the Universities of Pretoria (South Africa), Mälardalan (Sweden), Surrey and Worcester. He was awarded a fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of his contribution to methods and human resource management research and social science researcher development. Mark is also a Fellow of the First International Network on Trust and the British Academy of Management and was awarded the British Academy of Management Medal for Leadership in recognition of prolonged contribution to doctoral capacity building. His textbook Research Methods for Business Students (currently in its 9th edition) was ranked the most influential business and economics textbook in the World by the Financial Times Teaching Power league table.

Mark’s research interests include research methods, human resource aspects of the management of change (in particular trust), and small and medium sized enterprise (SME) success. He also enjoys researching pedagogic practice, writing textbooks, and teaching and supervising doctoral students. Mark has co-authored and edited over 30 books including How to Keep Your Doctorate on Track: Insights from Supervisors’ and Students’ Experiences. He has published over 150 research articles and book chapters including papers in journals such as British Journal of Management, Field Methods, Human Relations, Human Resource Management Journal, International Small Business Journal and Journal of Small Business Management, He is a consulting editor for the International Journal of Management Reviews and associate editor (Methodology) for Human Resource Management Journal.

Qualifications

Fellow of the First International Network for Trust (2023)
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (2019)
Fellow of the British Academy of Management (2014)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2007)
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2006)
PhD in Geography (1986)
PGCE (1982)
MSc in Urban Studies (1981)
BA (in Geography and Soft Systems (1980)

Teaching

Foundations of Qualitative Research (MA Social Research)
Advanced Qualitative Interviewing (MA Social Research)

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 First International Network for Trust (FINT)
Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Fellow of the British Academy of Management and founder member of the Fellows College
Co-Chair of the British Academy of Management’s Research Methodology Special Interest Group
Member of European Foundation for Management Development Doctoral Programmes Conference Committee

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Townsend, K & Saunders, M (eds) 2024, How to keep your research project on track: Insights from when thinks go wrong. How To Guides, 2 edn, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheletenham. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332724

Article

Abgeller, N, Saunders, MNK, Donnelly, R & Dobbins, T 2026, 'Attributional sense‐making of distrust in professional service firms: Working in a coopetitive paradox', Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 99, no. 1, e70086. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.70086

Djebali, Z, DiDominico, M & Saunders, M 2025, 'Later-working-life social entrepreneurial identities: A dynamic self-categorisation framework', International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2023-0575

Stierand, M, Saunders, M & Eves, A 2025, 'The Commercial Meal Experience in Context: An Exploration with Frequent Travelers', International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, vol. 41, 101242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2025.101242

Abgeller, N, Saunders, M, Bachmann, R & Mishra, A 2024, 'Identifying Trust Exchange Dynamics and Constituents of Employee Trust within Management Consulting', Work, Employment & Society, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170241254333

Saunders, MNK 2024, 'Media Review: Handbook of Mixed Methods Research in Business and Management', Journal of Mixed Methods Research, pp. 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1177/15586898241247126

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Saunders, M 2023, A pebble skipper's tale. in S Robinson, A Bristow & O Ratle (eds), Doing Academic Careers Differently: Portraits of Academic Life. 1 edn, Routledge, London, pp. 29-39. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003267553-6

Chapter

Morrison, EA & Saunders, MNK 2025, Researching trust in public governance: methodological considerations and approaches. in F Six, JA Hamm, D Latusek, E van Zimmeren & K Verhoest (eds), Handbook on Trust in Public Governance. 1 edn, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 136-151. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802201406.00014

Saunders, MNK & Nyfoudi, M 2025, Trust. in L McCann, Ö Bozkurt, R Finn, E Granter, C Hunter, N Kivinen, A Kumar & B Wierman (eds), Elgar Encyclopedia of Critical Management Studies. Elgar Encyclopedias in Business and Management series, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 485-486. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800377721.000119

Saunders, MNK 2024, A tale of two surveys: Reaching respondents using Web questionnaires. in K Townsend & MN Saunders (eds), How to Keep Your Research Project on Track: Insights from When Things Go Wrong. 2 edn, How To Guides, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 71-78. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332724.00017

Saunders, MNK 2024, Scribble, leave it, type it, change it. in K Townsend & MN Saunders (eds), How to Keep Your Research Project on Track: Insights from When Things Go Wrong. 2 edn, How To Guides, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 204-206. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332724.00042

Townsend, K & Saunders, MNK 2024, The more things change, the more things stay as they are! in K Townsend & MN Saunders (eds), How to Keep Your Research Project on Track: Insights from When Things Go Wrong. 2 edn, How To Guides, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332724.00006

Saunders, MNK & Darabi, F 2024, Using multi- and mixed methods research designs. in Field Guide to Researching Employment and Industrial Relations. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 71-87. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035313891.00018

Editorial

O'Kane, P, Saunders, M, Blumenfeld, S & Parker, J 2025, 'Research methodologies for work, workplaces and employment: methods that make a difference, are engaging and can enable impact', Labour & Industry, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 381-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2024.2416741

Budhwar, P, Wood, G, Chowdhury, S, Aguinis, H, Breslin, D, Collings, DG, Cooke, FL, Darabi, F, Eby, LT, Martin, UM, Morley, MJ, Morris, S, Ren, S, Saunders, MNK & Suddaby, R 2024, 'Articulating scholarship in human resource management: Guidance for researchers', Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 830-863. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12567

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