The PhD student and his field of study

According to Michel Berry, a thesis based on fieldwork should defend its ideas by describing practical experience in one or more companies and by producing new results which both question opinion and enrich theoretical knowledge. The problem is that conducting fieldwork necessarily brings with it constraints. The role of the thesis advisor is to support strongly the doctoral student faced by various hurdles which confront him up to his final viva or even thereafter. A lively discussion followed this talk. Are theses which put forward ideas really academic pieces of work ?