SIMA-SIM Summer School on In-Depth Interview

From July 2 to 4, 2025, in a beautiful Tuscan setting between an ancient mill and the Arno River, the SIMA-SIM School of Research Methods Summer Edition 2025 took place – focused on the theme of in-depth interviewing.
The School, organized in collaboration with the British Academy of Managementwelcomed the enthusiastic participation of 22 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, both Italian and international, from numerous Italian universities and three foreign institutions: European University Viadrina, Loughborough University, and Linköping University. In the stunning location of Il Mulino di Firenze (mulinodifirenze.com), participants engaged in a three-day deep dive into the lived experience of qualitative interviews in the context of management, marketing, and consumer culture research. Theoretical approaches to interviews in business and consumer contexts were thoroughly explored. The phenomenology of in-depth interviewing was addressed – from the bodily and emotional experience of preparing for, conducting, and following up on interviews, to learning empathetic interviewing techniques, active listening, and effective interaction with interviewees. Methods of analysis and interpretation of interviews were also explored, aiming to extract theoretical insights and develop deep cultural understanding, from coding to the visual representation of emergent meanings. Ethical issues related to managing in-depth interview-based research protocols were also discussed.
Above all, during these three days, participants experienced the wonderful “humanities” that emerges when researchers and interviewees meet.
An outstanding international faculty provided excellent training for participants:
• Emma MacDonald, Professor of International Business, Strathclyde University;
• Rebecca Scott, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff Business School;
• Rachel Ashman, Reader in Marketing, University of Liverpool;
• Simone Guercini, Professor of Marketing, Università di Firenze;
• Andrea Runfola, Professore di Economia e gestione delle imprese, Università di Perugia.
Now that the Summer School has come to a close, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to our extraordinary faculty for their engaging lessons, valuable advice, and generous sharing of their powerful research experiences. A sincere thank-you to Rebecca Scott, Rachel Ashman, Emma K. MacDonald, Simone Guercini, and Andrea Runfola.
A huge thanks also to all the participants of the School for your enthusiasm, passion, energy, and active participation.
A special thank-you to our hosts, Hotel Il Mulino di Firenze and Hotel Villa Olmi, for their warm, attentive, and elegant hospitality.
Finally, a big thank-you to our associations – Italian Society of Management, Italian Marketing Society, and the British Academy of Management – for creating the School of Research Methods project and for continuing to invest energy and resources into training the scholars of the future.

Rossella Gambetti Director, SIMA-SIM School of Research Methods

Maurizio La Rocca Condirettore SIMA-SIM School of Research Methods

Matilde Milanesi Condirettrice SIMA-SIM School of Research Methods