A Comprehensive Review of Research Approaches in the Energy Sector: A Management Sciences Perspective

Abstract

The energy sector plays a crucial role in addressing the global challenges of achieving sustainability by using renewable energy sources as well as by increasing energy efficiency and conservation while gaining energy security and safety. Choosing an appropriate research method to investigate the energy sector’s management has become more complex, involving multiple factors such as technical, environmental, social, political and economic. Additionally, considering the important role of energy in modern society, it is imperative to study the current methods used in examining the energy sector and to create an appropriate theory of the managing energy sector enterprises in the future. The main purpose of this review paper is to explore which research methods and approaches are utilized by researchers studying the issues of the managing energy sector enterprises. This article presents a systematic review based on a qualitative synthesis of the accessible publications from the Scopus database. In this review, which also adhered to strict search and filter criteria, a total of 77 articles were selected and synthesized. The selected papers met the inclusion criteria and a bibliometric visualization approach was applied using MAXQDA2020 software. The present paper reveals existing research trends in utilizing various research approaches in the energy sector from the perspective of management sciences in the last ten years and also provides future research avenues in the discussed area of knowledge.