Planning Research on an Emerging Industry in an Emerging Market

This chapter synthesizes an eight-year journey from start to publication, revealing the drawbacks associated with balancing practical research relevance with the rigor required for publication. We reflect on our experience investigating small and medium-sized Brazilian firms producing digital games, an emerging industry that became our focus for representing a gateway to the digital world and a strategic area of investment for emerging countries aspiring to join the ongoing digital revolution. We identify that existing methodology guidelines do not fully address three major challenges that are amplified by our emerging market research setting: the need for specific efforts to find “missing” information; the importance of context-awareness to improve the research protocol while iterating between planning and fieldwork; and the complexity of publishing emerging market research in conventional outlets. Inspired by these insights, we propose practical advice for scholars encountering similar challenges.