Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 23 Issue 1

and quantitative, and four are theoretical essays. That said, the object of study of this article were the five identified qualitative articles. It is pertinent to add that, in the year 2018, ReMark published two special editions. The first, entitled “Marketing Research: the state of the art and next steps”, consists entirely of theoretical essays. And the second, in which twelve articles were published, of these 4 qualitative ones. These were not considered in this research for two reasons: they deal with themes alluding to certain theoretical perspectives and, as a result, they may be directed and aligned with certain epistemological bases and/or methodological assumptions, which could cause biases in the analysis proposed here. IV. A nalysis of the M ethodological N ature and E pistemological B asis This section aims to investigate the methodological nature and basic epistemological bases of the articles under analysis. Initially, each article was assessed separately, through the study of each work in full. Next, the analysis highlights the objective and methodological nature, pointing out the research strategy, the collection technique and the way of data analysis, together with the observation of the predominant epistemological bases. Article 1 establishes that the central purpose of the research is “to investigate the relationship between brand love and the direct sales professional of a global cosmetics brand” (BERNARDO et al., 2018, p.19, emphasis added). It is observed in the passage of the text, an approximation with the conventional epistemological bases, mainly the systemic one, since this advocates the relational aspect. Also, there is the statement that the “emotional meanings of a brand love of the consultants of a global cosmetics brand were identified” (Ibid., p. 20, emphasis added). The plot of meanings, according to Gerfen and Geren (2006), is a characteristic of qualitative research. The study also sought to investigate whether the feelings and emotions identified in the research coincide between consultants from two Latin American countries (BERNARDO et al., 2018, p.20, emphasis added). The comparative analysis of phenomena in different cultures, according to Malinowski (1970), was developed from functionalism. Thus, there is a certain approximation with the functionalist assumptions. The research strategy used was the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). A qualitative research technique for understanding consumer behavior that investigates the mental models that drive thinking and behavior.behavior through storytelling, analyzing non-literal expressions [...] (BERNARDO et al., 2018, p. 20, emphasis added). It is worth noting that behavior is an implicit occurrence related to Durkheim's (1978) social fact. The social fact has strength and imposes a set of reactions on the individual, as a dynamic system in the face of interactions and renewal provided by the environment in which he is involved. Thus, the research strategy used presents an epistemological posture aligned with functionalism. Sampling by quota was used, as this provides for the “classification of the population according to the relevant characteristics for obtaining the objectives proposed in the research, in such a way that the total sample can contain the proportion of each stratum, aiming to guarantee the minimum of representativeness” (BERNARDO et al., 2018, p. 21, emphasis added). Hence, quantitative and functionalist characteristics are inferred; functionalists, given the ahistorical conception in the selection of subjects (EVANS-PRITCHARD, 1972; CHANLAT and SÉGUIN, 1987b), which was based exclusively on representativeness, the focus of quantitative research. Data collection was operationalized according to the ZMET protocol, which uses images that can represent the feelings and thoughts about the researched topic, followed by the application of in-depth interviews. “The dealerships were asked to look for 10 images that could represent their feelings and thoughts on the researched topic” (BERNARDO et al., 2018, p.22, emphasis added). Understanding meanings, such as images versus feelings and thoughts, is an aspect of qualitative research (BRYMAN; 1988). And in-depth interviews are more usual on unconventional epistemological bases. However, when evaluating the form of operationalization and analysis of the interviews, an emphasis is observed on the general frequency and on the weighted percentage of words, in view of which one can verify the predominance of the positivist paradigm (PADOVANI and CASTAGNOLA, 1990; DEMO, 1985; TRIVIÑOS, 1987). The form of data analysis used was the consensus map based on the most cited words in the interviews. To carry out this, the NVivo software was used, designed to organize information into un- structured or qualitative data. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the results and discussions shows that most of the data was presented in the form of tables with percentages, maps, according to the frequency of occurrence of the answers, confirming that the most prominent epistemological bases in the research are the conventional ones. Article 2 “aimed at analyzing the strategies used by companies in the management of online complaints and proposed an effective management model” (RÍMOLI and MELO, 2018, p. 49, emphasis added). The authors point out that the objective and methodology of the research were the following: to analyze the online complaints received regarding the Methodological Nature and Epistemological bases of Qualitative Studies in Marketing 25 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXIII Issue I Version I Year 2023 ( )E © 2023 Global Journals