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Grounded theory in sales research: an investigation of salespeople’s client relationships

Susi Geiger (Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland)
Darach Turley (Senior Lecturer, Business School, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland)

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

ISSN: 0885-8624

Article publication date: 1 December 2003

2766

Abstract

In this paper, grounded theory as an inductive method of theory generation in business research is presented and critically evaluated. The historical and epistemological backgrounds of the method are discussed, its research procedures are briefly outlined, and its suitability for sales research assessed. To illustrate the principles of the method, a study of the nature of business‐to‐business sales relationships is introduced. The results of this study show clearly that grounded theory can yield highly significant findings in areas that deal with phenomena as complex as human relationships, where the construction of theoretical frameworks cannot be achieved at the cost of conceptual density.

Keywords

Citation

Geiger, S. and Turley, D. (2003), "Grounded theory in sales research: an investigation of salespeople’s client relationships", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 6/7, pp. 580-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620310492437

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

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