Quantitative versus qualitative: putting the question in the right perspective

If methodological issues are very important in the development of any discipline, the choice between different methods, such as quantitative versus qualitative, is just one of the critical questions. In this respect, the central point is not if one method is superior to the others in general, but how to choose the most appropriate method for a specific research framework. Quantitative methods and quantitative research are not superior by themselves, and the progress of a discipline does not necessarily depend on the proportion of quantitative versus qualitative research. Rather, it leans on the quality of the research projects and of their results, no matter the methods employed, provided that the methodological choices are coherent with the research design and the methods have been carefully and rigorously implemented. These statements are, in my opinion, the main hints coming from similar discussions on research methods in the field of Operations Management (see for instance, the special issues of the Journal of Operations Management, Volume 16, 1998 and of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Volume 22, Number 2, 2002). The debate on the methods for Purchasing and Supply Management research can capitalize the results of these contributions.