Big Data in Management Research

Digital computers entered our homes, landed on our desktops, slipped into our pockets, and have seemingly become ubiquitous. At an ever faster pace, these devices have become highly interconnected and interoperable. Consequently, our archives, our work, our actions, and our interactions are increasingly digitalized and stored in databases or made accessible via the Internet. This data, generally characterized by high volume, variety, and velocity (i.e., accumulation rate), has come to be called “Big Data”. As of yet, Big Data has seldom been utilized in management research. Therefore, this dissertation explores the opportunities that Big Data brings for management scholars and describes three distinct projects that show how Big Data can be utilized in management research.