Qualitative Methods in Business Communication: Interpreting the Language and Images of Business

Qualitative methods can help business communication scholars effectively describe, interpret, and analyze phenomena which are challenging to measure numerically. After describing the strengths of qualitative methods, the paper then briefly describes some core tenets of the seven qualitative methods represented in this issue: discourse analysis, ethnographic analysis, Communication Constitutive of Organizations analysis, narrative analysis, interaction analysis, corpus linguistic analysis, and systematic literature reviews. These methods each feature distinct ways of seeing and interpreting that allow business communication researchers to understand communication phenomena in a unique way; we demonstrate how each paper of the Special Issue brings these unique views forward. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the enduring value of qualitative research in a quantified era.