This EDEN seminar focuses on the craft of conducting qualitative research in accounting. Historically, qualitative research has often been about management accounting but increasingly there are qualitative studies of auditing and financial accounting.

The EDEN seminar in qualitative accounting research raises a series of practical concerns that qualitative researchers face when designing their research program. The seminar will discuss the following themes:

• What kind of knowledge can qualitative research produce?
• What is the role of theory in conducting qualitative research?
• How do researchers use methods such as interviews and document analysis?
• How do qualitative researchers get in, get on, and get out of research sites?
• How do researchers write up qualitative materials?
• What ethical dilemmas does qualitative research raise?
• How do reviewers and journals evaluate qualitative research?

These questions, and others produced in interaction between faculty and PhD students, will inform the seminar under the guidance of an international faculty who have significant experience in conducting and publishing qualitative research both in management accounting and in auditing and financial accounting. They are able to provide examples from their own work and as they also sit on the boards of international journals they can also provide insights into the reviewing process.

The EDEN seminar provides awareness of the opportunities when doing qualitative research so that PhD students can make choices about conducting research on the one side. On the other side it also identifies the skills and competencies necessary to undertake qualitative research.

Qualitative research is a broad approach and the EDEN seminar will address different methodologies, different types of qualitative research, different aspects of empirical work, issues regarding collecting and analyzing empirical materials, questions about theorizing and issues relating to ethics. The seminar will explore these issues with the help of pre-readings, lectures, group work, presentations and discussions.

PhD students will present their research and receive feedback from faculty and other participants.