Quantitative approach in management research

There is always debate on number - should we rely on number or not? Decision making is deeply related to number. Without number decision making may be possible but surely with a degree of human factor bias. Recently there is a development of quantitative approach in carrying out research in management discipline. Management science is a kind of social science. Question may arise how reliable to apply quantitative approach to analyze management decision problem.

We may keep debating on this issue infinitely. Both the groups -supporter or non-supporter have their own explanation. It seems to me that a possible conclusion on this debate is context based approach. Research may find a context where quantitative approach is more effective than qualitative approach or vice-verse. For instance, validity of an instrument of survey often follow qualitative approach though there are tools to deal with it quantitatively. In contrast, checking reliability of an instrument often follows quantitative approach and justified statistically.

I suppose context-based approach may be the best way to get rid of this debate. Every research has right to argue to establish his or her view, no matter which approach it follows. At one point all researchers tied up which is linking argument to the existing literature. One may say that if we always refer to existing literature how could we establish something new that is not supported by literature. Off course, this is a considerable point. We must remember that literature is the vehicle of developing theories and theories are the truth. Thus linking our work or argument to the laid down theories support us to be closed to the truth irrespective new contribution or modification to an existing work.