Unit of analysis

I'm rethinking my unit of analysis in view of:

1. the questions that the interviewing board asked
2. reading Eisenhardt [1]

Eisenhardt points out that both the positivist and the principal-agent streams share a unit of analysis that is the contract between the principal and the agent. Now if this unit governs the relationship between the principal and the agent, and I'm looking at how the relationship between the client and the consultant influences accountability, then my unit of analysis is the contract between the client/principal and the consultant/agent.

I had thought my unit of analysis was the project, and thought that we'd discussed that at a supervisory meeting, that the Master's would then extend into the doctorate by investigating other projects, but now I'm rethinking.

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[1] Eisenhardt, K.M., 1989, Agency Theory: An assessment and Review, The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14, No. 1. pp 57-74