CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.10. D ATA COLLECTION TOOLS
It has been argued that “in order to increase the validity and reliability of research results, careful planning of how to collect the data is needed (Larsen, 2015). This study focused on the need to identify possible sustainable competitive strategies which could be used by Zimbabwean clothing and textile companies to mitigate the impact of globalization on the sector. Based on this understanding, the following five central concepts were selected to serve as building blocks for this study: standardization of marketing strategies, relevance of coordination, integration strategies for competitive advantage, role of technology and the role of country policy in fostering sustainable marketing strategy. These five key concepts also guided the data collection process. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and through discourse analysis. It has been argued that collecting data “through multiple methods serves as a tool for triangulation, and combining qualitative data can be synergistic” (Jogulu &
Pansiri, 2011:690). In the same vein, the aim of this study was to gain evidence from multiple sources by using multiple instruments. Because the two-fold objectives of this study namely, identifying the impact of globalization and linking this to marketing strategy, it necessitated using different types of data collection instruments.
4.10.1. The questionnaire
The questionnaire was an important tool through which research data was obtained. In order to achieve this, questions were structured in a way which could easily be understood by participants. Therefore, the use of technical jargon was completely avoided through simplifying all questions so as to guarantee that the required information is obtained without distortion. A pilot questionnaire was developed and distributed to peers at the researcher’s University for a preliminary review, a situation which helped the researcher address some seemingly unimportant aspects such as the correct sequencing of questions.
Thereafter, the reviewed questionnaire was administered to a selected number of customers in a field pilot test to assess if the responses given matched the intended objectives of the questions. The refined questionnaire was then produced as outlined in Appendix A. The structure was such that general questions appeared first, gradually progressing to questions which had a direct effect on the research problem under exploration. All questions were closely aligned to the research objectives of this study.
The majority of the questions asked were qualitative in nature (though presented in a semi- structured way
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to allow for easy quantitative analysis) with only a few closed ended questions presented during the introductory stages of the research. Questionnaires were prepared and administered to all the identified respondents ranging from senior government officials in relevant ministries who articulated policy issues, to ordinary users who themselves are facing the same challenges of globalization and its discontents.
Selection of consumer representative was done by creating two distinct clusters based on location. The demographic structure of Zimbabwe basically has two groups of social classes namely, the poor who live in the townships and the rich who live in affluent suburbs. To this end, representatives for the poor and rich were drawn from the high density townships and low density suburbs respectively. Matters of policy were articulated by government officials from the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Finance and Regional Integration and Development. Officials explained how policy making and implementation was affected in the past decade due to the political and economic instability the country faced at the time. They also highlighted how they intended to revive the manufacturing sector through some mitigation strategies designed to save it from the rampaging effects of globalization. The researcher had the opportunity to interrogate officials on the impact of previous IMF and World Bank sponsored programmes, such as ESAP, on the development or lack of it of the clothing and textile industry in Zimbabwe. Open –ended questions were used as they enabled respondents to give detailed information in line with the dictates of a phenomenological research of this nature. Respondents were presented with similar questions which guaranteed uniformity of responses across all the sampled units. Since all questions were pre-coded, collation of responses and analysis of data was made easy.
4.10.1.1.Questionnaire pilot testing
The researcher needed to develop a tool that would accurately and consistently assess the effect of globalization on marketing strategies. These two critical and fundamental requirements of a measurement tool (validity and reliability) need to be proven before its use (De Vaus, 2013). Many authors suggest that the measuring instrument must be tested to assess its validity and reliability. This was achieved through distributing 35 questionnaires to a randomly selected clothing and textiles companies in Harare, where the researcher is based. The results of this pilot study were analyzed to assess instrument reliability through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha statistics. A high reliability alpha value of 0.89, indicating that the instrument could be relied upon when conducting the full study was obtained.
4.10.1.2. Questionnaire Design
The research objectives stated formed the basis upon which the questionnaire was drafted. The rationale for this was that only relevant questions were supposed to be asked and in order to achieve this, research
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questions were structured around respective objectives. The general design of the questionnaire was semi- structured with a combination of pre-coded quantitative questions and qualitative questions which demanded explanations. The first section of the questionnaire demanded the provision of demographic information of each respondent which included basic information on issues such as age, gender, and work experience etc. These simple preliminary demographic questions were vital as they helped in obtaining maximum cooperation with the respondent thus driving to complete answering all the questions. The second area of focus was on the relevance of standardization in the crafting of sustainable competitive strategies. These questions specifically requested respondents to highlight the relevance of standardizing their marketing strategies in view of the challenges on marketing in the global market place. The third subject matter area covered the importance of coordination in organizations within the context of globalization. In this area the informants were asked to describe and detail how typical successful organizations should be organized and coordinated in order to guarantee success in view of the impact of globalization. The fourth interview area included three general questions on communication and cooperation between different stakeholders within the program. The fifth interview area focused on interfaces and information exchange between industry and policy with the aim of creating an environment which promotes the creation of sustainable business strategies in the face of globalization as outlined in Appendix A of this thesis.
4.10.1.3. Validity and reliability of the research instrument
When an instrument is able to produce stable and consistent results, it is said to be reliable (Tavakol &
Dennick, 2011). This internal consistency is a pre-requisite if the research results are to be considered reliable (Bryman & Bell, 2015). “Internal consistency describes the extent to which all the items in a test measure the same concept or construct and hence it is connected to the inter-relatedness of the items within the test” (Bryman & Bell, 2015:55). Validity determines whether the research truly measures that which it was intended to measure or how truthful the research results are (Drost, 2011). Therefore, researchers are expected to determine the internal consistency of the research instrument in order for the obtained results to be trusted and accepted as valid (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011). Dunn, Baguley and Brunsden (2014) note that Cronbach’s coefficient alpha is the most commonly used measurement to assess the degree internal consistency. In this study, the coefficient alpha used is the Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Cronbach’s alpha is a reliability coefficient that measures the degree of internal consistency or homogeneity between variables. This coefficient varies from 0 to 1 and a value less than 0.7 generally indicates unsatisfactory internal consistency reliability (Connelly, 2011). Acceptable reliability estimates range from 0.70 to 0.80 (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011). Alpha is an important concept in
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the evaluation of assessments and questionnaires. It is mandatory that researchers estimate this quantity to add validity and accuracy to the interpretation of their data. High quality tests are important to evaluate the reliability of data supplied in an examination or a research study. Consistent with the above statement, the reliability of research instrument was achieved through preliminary pilot testing of the questionnaire among a few selected company representatives. Subsequent ‘testing’ of the questionnaire was done through calculating the Cronbach’s Alpha using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and this measurement was thus used to confirm the reliability of the research instrument used. To establish internal validity the researcher made sure that other factors or explanations of the relationships between variables were ruled out. For example, selection bias was not as a potential threat to internal validity and this was minimalized through widening the scope of the selection of industry participants which covered all major towns in the country, in line with the research plan. Selection effects were identified as a threat to external validity in this research study. For this reason, data triangulation was used in order to control bias and establish valid propositions because traditional scientific techniques are incompatible with this alternate epistemology. By so doing, triangulation strengthened the study and thus increased its validity.
4.10.2. Interview guide
The interview guide was a useful tool for conducting in-depth interviews with key government officials and other industry players (Appendix B). The main purpose of the guide was to give direction to this researcher in order to ensure that all the relevant issues are addressed. The guide also allowed the researcher to follow through unclear answers by probing further and record the responses.
4.11.3. Audio recorders
All depth interviews were recorded to allow the researcher to further analyze respondents’ responses.
These interviews were conducted prior to obtaining interviewee consent for audio recording the interviews. The recorded interviews played a crucial role in helping the researcher to conduct discourse analysis which later formed part of the qualitative responses of the study. The researcher found a lot of valuable research information hidden in some of the simplest words people say in research. For example, most respondents argued that government has to “do something” to serve the industry, without elaborating further even when this researcher probed such unclear responses. Upon further analysis of this discourse however, valuable findings were made. Recordings gave the researcher ample time to analyze the data and create meaning in such instances where some respondents felt uneasy to verbalize their inner feelings.
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