Developing Women Leadership Capabilities: The case of Women Leaders in China

Chapter One: Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief explanation of the research and what it aims
to accomplish. It is important because it will provide the reader with an understanding of this
study, its aims and objectives and why it was developed. The study will include the following
sections: background, problem statement, aims and objectives, rationale and significance,
scope and limitations and the structure of the study.
Background
It has been well documented that women in comparison to men do not hold equal proportion
of leadership positions across different spheres whether in the society or in organizations
(Denning, 2005). Scholars have argued that the global workforce remains highly segregated
and gender stratified and hence despite the many years that have been spent on advocating for
gender equity, progress towards equity participation of men and women in the workforce has
remained very slow (Gidel, 2005).
The absence of women in the leadership workforce is a big social concern. This is because
women despite their roles in the society can play an important part in improving
organizational performance through their styles of leadership, approach to decision making,
and problem solving among others (Gill, 2003). Therefore, it is not only critical to help
women to advance in organizations but essential to help them attain senior leadership
positions because this can impact positively on organizational performance both in the short
term and the long term (Heames, 2006).
In response to the growing lack of women leaders in organizations, studies have proposed
different approaches that could be used to enhance women leadership capabilities and
encourage them to take part in organizational activities (Herold, 2008). Some of the
approaches that have been suggested include aspects such as training, mentorship, coaching,
role modelling among others (Hu, 2011). The core of these approaches is to shape
behaviours, foster learning and skill acquisition among others which can help move the
women into leadership positions (Igor Kotlyar, 2011).
The Chinese context is rather different from the American and European context. Historically,
the nation has experienced male domination with many of the women being placed in care
giver roles (Judge, 2013). Additionally, the culture of the Chinese people also propagates a
number of stereotypes that have influenced negatively on the ability of women to take part in

leadership endeavours in organizations (Keegan, 2004). Thus, developing women leaders in

this context can be an important step in improving their ability to take part in organizational
development and growth (Leary, et al., 2013).
Problem Statement
This study examines how to develop women leadership capabilities in the context of China.
Statistics in the U.S have shown that women form 45 percent of the overall S&P labour force
and 37 percent of first and mid-level officials and managers in those companies. However,
they only hold 25% of the executive and senior level positions, 19% of board positions and
4.6% of CEOs in these firms. The situation is not different in China. Based on Time (2016),
the globe average for women in leadership positions is 24%. In China, women hold about
30% of the senior management positions which is higher than the global average. Russia is
the only country with the highest number of women in executive leadership positions
globally with 43%. Therefore, this gender leadership problem impacts heavily on the success
of many firms. The problem is not the lack of skills or competencies but the lack of
opportunities and the many stereotypes that impact on the advancement of women across the
globe.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of this study is to examine how women leadership capabilities could be developed
through a review of women leadership studies and an examination of the leadership success
factors in the Chinese context.
The objectives of the study include the following.
To review literature to understand the different perspectives on how to develop women
leaders in the workplace.
To identify the critical success factors for women leadership in the workplace in China.
To provide recommendations on how to effectively develop women leaders in the context of
China.

Rationale and significance

This study is driven by a number of things. First, it is driven by the low number of women
leaders in leadership positions across the globe. The problem being that most of the
organizations focus more on advancing the interests of men at the expense of women (Leary,
et al., 2013). Secondly, it is also influenced by the growing low number of women leaders in
the workplace in China. Many of the Chinese firms are headed by men and this is driven by
their attitudes, culture and societal perceptions of women as unable to hold leadership
positions in organizations (Li-Ren, 2010). Third, it is also driven by the need to identify the
different ways in which organizations can enhance women leadership capabilities which can
impact positively on the performance of organizations (Lim, 2004). By developing these
capabilities, women will be in a better position to achieve success in organizations. This
study will thus be important in helping to develop a clear understanding of how organizations
can develop women leadership capabilities, an important element that can enhance leadership
success in organizations.
Scope and Limitations
This study will focus on the concept of women leadership in the workplace and how to
develop their capabilities. It will focus on the Chinese context. This study selects this context
because of limitations to do with finances, time and access to participants. No other industry,
organization or nation will be considered apart from China.
Structure of the study
Chapter One: introduction- It will provide a brief background of the study and what it seeks
to accomplish.
Chapter Two: This will develop the literature review and explore a range of studies on
developing women leadership capabilities in China.
Chapter Three: This will be the methodology and will focus on explaining the methods that
will be used in the study.
Chapter Four: this will be the analysis section and will focus on providing the findings of the
study and analysis of the findings.
Chapter five: This will be the conclusion and recommendations section.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to examine a number of studies in order to understand what has
been done on the topic. The aim is to develop an understanding of what leadership is and how
it organizations can help to develop women leadership in the workplace. The purpose of the
literature review is to synthesize, summarise and analyse literature so as to identify key
arguments and what scholar have done on the study subject. This chapter will be divided into
a number of sections in order to achieve the study objectives. These will include:
conceptualizing leadership, factors impeding women leadership, gender differences in
leadership, developing leadership capabilities among women, critical success factors for
women leadership in the workplace, women leadership in China and summary and gap.
Conceptualizing leadership
The concept of leadership has continued to receive many definitions. In his work, Bass
(1990) argued that the word leadership is sophisticated with a number of individuals coming
up with definitions based on their fields of study (Michaelis, 2009). In particular, there are
almost as many definitions of the concept as the number of scholars who have attempted to
define it. Many of these definitions are ambiguous with no clear distinction between the
concept and other social influence processes which impact negatively on the conceptual and
theoretical development of the concept (Malinowski, 2012).
Bass and Stogdill (1990) argued that in general, the concept of leadership has been conceived
generally as the focus of group processes, as a matter of personality, induction of compliance,
the exercise of influence, a form of persuasion and the expression of particular behaviours
(Malinowski, 2012). They thus propose leadership as an interaction between two or more
members of a given group that often involves a process of structuring and restructuring of the
situation, perceptions and expectations of the members to change, motivate and enhance the
achievement of organizational goals (Malinowski, 2012). Yuki (2010) in his study defined
leadership in organizations as an influence process that interprets the events of followers, the
choice of objectives for the group or organization, the organization of work to accomplish
organizational objectives, to motivate followers and to encourage the maintenance of
cooperative relationships and team work so as to achieve organizational objectives.
Nourthouse (2007) on the other hand defined leadership as a process through which a person
influences a groups of people to accomplish common organizational objectives. Leaders
according to him do not rely upon their power in the organization in order to persuade
individuals to do as they are told, but they take an interest in an interaction with their

subordinates or they try to raise and widen the interests of their subordinates. Therefore, from
this perspective, leadership as a concept continues to receive many definitions which make it
difficult to effectively study the topic.
Factors impeding women leadership success in the workplace.
Womens advancement in the corporate world is something that has been studied for a long
time. One of the metaphors that have been developed to explain this issue is the glass ceiling
metaphor (Trehan, 2007). The glass ceiling explains invisible obstacles that women face in
their endeavour to get to top management positions (Wallace, 2003). Studies have shown that
most women will advance in the middle management positions but fail to move beyond this.
The problem with this is that there are barriers in the society and some in the corporate world
that impact negatively on the ability of women to advance in leadership positions (Thite,
2000). Another term that has also been developed to explain this concept is labyrinth. This
indicates the complicating as well as exhausting challenges that women have to go through in
the process of advancing to senior leadership positions in organizations (Szabla, 2007).
Therefore, as much as there is significant progress that has been made in trying to ensure that
women enter leadership positions in organizations, there is still a lot to be done because of the
limited number of women in the workplace.
According to Eagly and Sczesny (2009) there are two main issues that women face that
impact negatively on their ability to rise to leadership positions in organizations. These are
structural issues and corporate issues. Structural issues are issues that are found in the society
and include those forces that are deeply rooted in peoples culture and public policy (Shazia,
2010). Social factors therefore include social programs and policies, limited expectations of
women participation in the workplace, cultures, norms and values, limited human capital
among others (Shao, 2012).
The second set of factors are corporate factors which are factors that exist within the
workplace (Gidel, 2005). Corporate factors therefore are those factors such as organizational
culture, promotional procedures in the workplace, and glass cliffs which refer to a situation in
which women ae only favoured for positions that are considered crisis areas and hence
creating a situation in which they will experience burnout or failure which limits their
progress in the organization (Randall, 2009).
Lastly are prejudices and discrimination which are elements that are predominantly societal
but also occur in the workplace. Prejudices are preconceived opinions which are not based on

reasons or experience (Ralf, 2009). Discrimination on the other hand is the act of treating
individuals unjustly on the basis of their prejudices. Although studies indicate that prejudices
and discrimination of women in the workplace are issues that have reduced, these issues still
exist especially for women in the senior leadership positions in organizations (Igor Kotlyar,
2011). Some of these include aspects such as stereotypes, sexism and the perception that
women are caregivers. In particular, Simpson (1987) argued that women in leadership
positions especially the senior leadership positions are faced with many stereotypes that put
them into role traps (Malinowski, 2012). These include: the mother, the pet, the seductress
and the iron maiden for those women whose leadership approaches are more directive. Apart
from these elements, it is also argued that women in leadership positions in the organization
are often isolated and subconsciously viewed as others in the firm and play the role of filling
up the equality factor in the organization (Lim, 2004).
From the above discussion, the issue of gender equality has limited the possibilities and
opportunities that women have in the work place (Li-Ren, 2010). Hamel (2009) argues that it
has created false optimism and eliminated the perceived need to improve the workplace.
However, the continued empowerment efforts are important in helping to promote women
advancement in the workplace which is an issue that remains critical to women leadership
success (Leary, et al., 2013).
Factors affecting women leadership development
Challenging organizational contexts
The gendered nature of work is well documented in different studies. Research has shown
that most of the constructions of work are male defined and career success is still firmly
entrenched in the male thinking (Prabhakar, 2005). However, studies indicate that the over
discrimination in the workplace has now been replaced by subtle forms of inequity in the
workplace often described as second generation gender bias (Pounder, 2008). Other studies
have argued that these biases most of the time lie below the surface which renders them
invisible and difficult to articulate. However, their impact on women leadership development
is real and lasting, impact significantly on the ability of women leaders to advance in the
workplace (Peus, Braun, & Knipfer, 2015).
Ibarra et al (2013) in their study argued that organizational settings fail to provide women
with the right kinds of opportunities to foster their development. This is a leading
disadvantage that impacts on the aspiring women leaders (Northouse, 2010). Some of the

organizational issues include the lack of women role models in leadership positions; gendered
career paths which often limit womens access to opportunities in roles that are important in
helping them to advance into executive ranks; lack of access to networks, sponsors and
mentors in the workplace; the double bud effect that places women in societal roles and at
odds with organization and leadership roles (Nixon, 2014).
Hopkins and Bilimoria (2008) on the other hand argued that the workplace today has made it
difficult for women leaders to advance. The authors argued that a lack of general
management experience, a lack of women in the managerial pipeline. Attitudinal and
behavioural issues associated with their male counterparts, exclusion from important
networks among others were impacting heavily on women. Burke et al (2008) on the other
hand argued that the biggest obstacle for women development occurring in the workplace
include attitudes, perceptions, biases and behaviours of their male colleagues (Gidel, 2005).
However, despite this, studies examining the competencies of both male and female leaders
have found that male leaders often received higher performance and potential rating as
opposed to their female counterparts (Muller, 2011). Others have shown that

there are

actually no significant differences between men and women leaders when measured along the
leadership competency models. This means that there exist biases in the workplace that
impact on leadership evaluations (Judge, 2013).
The double bind effect is also another organization element that has put women at a
disadvantage in the workplace impacting on their development (Li-Ren, 2010). Studies
indicate that for men, their organizational roles are clear and include such roles as taking
charge, being assertive and being the leader. At the same time, their gender roles also include
taking charge, being in control and directing and leading others (Michael, 2011). Therefore,
from this perspective, there is a clear fit between mens gender roles and their organizational
roles which impact positively on their development and career success in the workplace (Igor
Kotlyar, 2011). However, the same is different for women. Women are caught between
competing neds of being competent and assertive within the organizational environment to
being nice and nurturing which is an expectation of societal gender roles (Denning, 2005). If
women express the former, they are often viewed as brash and aggressive. However, if they
express the latter, they will be labelled as too soft to be leaders in the work place (Judge,
2013). Therefore, there is no win situation which is an element that impacts negatively on
their ability to develop effectively in the workplace.

Work life Integration

Women leadership development has also been impacted by their focus on trying to balance
and integrate their work and life responsibilities. This has been found to be a source of
concern especially in the process of developing women leaders (Hu, 2011). Hewlett (2007) in
their study suggested that women are affected by two set of factors: the push factors that are
centred on their work and pull factors that are focused on the family. These issues make it
difficult for women to advance in their careers (Judge, 2013). However, studies indicate that
modern workplaces continue to insist on the separation of work and life responsibilities. This
has been done through organizational structures, procedures, policies and practices (Muller,
2007). Studies indicate that as long as women continue to take care roles in their families and
managerial duties in the workplace, there will always be a problem in terms of integrating
work and family responsibilities which impacts on the opportunities available for their
development.
Life and career stages
Life stage priorities and responsibilities have also been found to have an impact on women
career choices as well as leadership advancement and development. Early studies such as the
work of ONeil and Bilimoria (2005) established that when women grow up, their career
choices and priorities and responsibilities change. The evolving stages include the idealistic
achievement stage, pragmatic endurance stage and reinvented contribution stage. At the first
stage which is the idealistic achievement stage, their key concerns are self-confidence and
self-identity. In this stage, they are more determined to succeed in their careers and personal
lives (Keegan, 2004). In the pragmatic endurance stage, there are living in the reality that
they may not be able to achieve that which they wanted to achieve. This is because of their
juggling of personal and professional lives and hence they are torn between careers and life
choices (Judge, 2013). Key concerns for them at this stage include self-esteem and the search
for meaning. In the last stage or the reinventive stage, they are more concerned with
contributing more meaningfully to their organization, communities and families (Leary, et al.,
2013). Thus, their key concerns at this stage were respect, integration and authenticity.
According to Mainiero and Sullivan (2005) in the Kaleidoscope career model, women are
always seeking the best fit between their careers, opportunities and constraints. Thus,
authenticity, challenge and balance are three factors that impact significantly on their
development and leadership potential.

Developing leadership capabilities among women leaders

There are many approaches to women leadership development that have been suggested in
different studies (Leary, et al., 2013). While each of these scholars has focused on different
aspects, it is still argued that there is no comprehensive model that could be used to help in
improving women leadership development in the workplace (Gidel, 2005). However, the
combination of some of these approaches could be important in enhancing women leadership
and hence improve overall success.
Ruderman and Ohlott (2005) suggest that the most effective approach to women leadership
development is coaching. Coaching is considered an effective practice in leadership
development not only for women but also for men. This is because it focuses more on
learning and development, providing opportunities for self-reflection and increased selfawareness which has the potential to enhance a leaders strengths (Keegan, 2004). The
strength of this approach lies in its focus more on helping individuals to explore their vision
and focus on fulfilment, purpose and meaning rather than fixing individuals (Gidel, 2005).
However, achieving success with women is much more difficult with studies indicating for
the need to focus more on psychological, biological and communication differences and
undervalued skills such as collaborations and organizational policies and practices that limit
women advancement (Kaiser & Bartholomew, 2008).
Apart from the issue of coaching, another approach to women development that has also been
suggested is the mentoring approach. Mentors are defined as those individuals who are
committed to providing upwards support and mobility to their protgs careers (Denning,
2005). They are able to help because they provide two general types of behaviour functions
which include career development functions and psychosocial functions (Judge, 2013). Under
career development functions, mentors help to coach, protect, expose ad challenge
assignments. In psychosocial functions, mentors focus on counselling, building friendship
and role modelling (Li-Ren, 2010). A number of studies on have argued that mentoring can
have a positive influence on individuals especially because it is associated with high
compensation and promotion levels in organizations. It has also been established to increase
women advancement more than men in the work place (Denning, 2005). Overall, this
approach has been found to have a positive influence on the women, enhancing their ability
to develop a greater understanding of their own leadership skills.

Another approach to developing leadership capabilities that has also been examined is role
modelling. Role modelling has been found to play an important role as part and parcel of the
psychosocial function during the process of mentoring (Lim, 2004). Role models are defined
as people whose lives and activities influence another in one way or the other. Thus, role
models can either have a positive or negative influence on individuals. Like in the case of
mentoring, role modelling could be a deliberate action or an informal arrangement (Mller,
2010). Studies examining role modelling has an important influence on women especially if
during role-modelling the individuals are provided with examples of other women in different
fields of work and their ability to advance (Muller, 2011). At the same time, it has also been
found to work is modelling is done along the appropriate behaviours. However, this approach
has been criticised because of the fact that many women are underrepresented in certain
career paths and hence there will be a lack of female role models that can impact negatively
on success (Gidel, 2005).
Critical success factors for women leadership presence in the workplace
The concept of leadership presence is defined in terms of owning the room. It means the
ability of an individual to decidedly depict a masculine image of themselves. In the context of
organizations, women leaders often tend to define and express themselves through unique
voices, styles of engagement as well as ways of positively contributing to people and
organizations (Igor Kotlyar, 2011). Studies have suggested for critical factors that are
important in building women leadership capabilities and presence in organizations. These
include: self-confidence, self-efficacy, influence and authenticity (Lim, 2004).
Self-confidence and Self-efficacy
A range of studies have argued that developing women leaders must begin with building their
self-confidence and self-efficacy. The rationale for this is that studies have argued that
women are less confident in the workplace as compared to their male counterparts (Leary, et
al., 2013). Self-confidence has been more associated with male leaders in the workplace an
element that impacts positively on their ability to lead and achieve organizational success. On
the other hand, other studies have argued that this argument on a lack of self-confidence does
not take into consideration the gendered nature of the workplace (Malinowski, 2012). This is
because leadership roles in many firms remain male dominated and hence models that seek to
explain how confidence is developed are all developed from a male perspective (Judge,
2013). Apart from this other studies have argued that women often feel that they need to

outperform their male counterparts and consistently exceed their expectations in order to be
successful in their careers.
Self-efficacy on the other hand is the belief in ones leadership capabilities. Leaders with high
self-efficacy are considered more effective and more successful than those with lower levels
of self-efficacy. According to Hoyt and Blascovich (2010) women who have high levels of
self-efficacy have been found to show more positive self-report responses as compared to
those who have low self-efficacy (Muller, 2007). Therefore, self-confidence and self-efficacy
are viewed as crucial in leadership development and individual expressions of leadership
presence.
Influence
Leadership is perceived as an influence process and hence developing women leadership
capabilities needs to focus more on building their ability to influence others. Influenced is
perceived as an indispensable skill for women because of the double bind effect that makes it
difficult for them to balance the gender-expected behaviours and role expected behaviours
within the organization (Mller, 2010). a number of studies have compared the use of
influence among men and women with varying results being established. In particular, it has
been found that both men and women will adopt similar influence strategies (Michaelis,
2009). However, there are other studies that have argued that the process of influence will
differ. In particular, women will focus more on the use of indirect influence approaches while
men on the other hand tend to focus more on the use of direct approaches. One early study by
DuBrin (1991) argued that in the workplace, men will tend to focus on manipulation, promise
of rewards, use of logic and threaten punishment so as to influence others. However, women
will focus more on the use of charm, compliments and ingratiation (Denning, 2005). Men in
particular for a long time has focused on the use of a broader range of influence tactics an
element that is not seen in women. Therefore, in order to enhance leadership success, it is
important to develop influence.
Authenticity
The issue of authenticity has been noted as an important element that affects women career
success. In their work with women leaders, Ruderman and Ohlott (2005) argued that the
ability to feel that the daily actions are in sync with deeply held values is a key aspect in the
way women enact their careers and their lives (Lim, 2004). This issue has led to studies
indicating that it is important for organizations to focus more on developing authenticity as

this makes women leaders to envision themselves holistically as being an integral part of the
organization (Nixon, 2014). This can help to deepen their organizational commitment,
connections and contributions to the firm (Leary, et al., 2013). Women have been described as
possessing a more collaborative, relational style of leadership which could mean that they are
often in conflict with the more prevalent autocratic manner of organizational leadership
(Mller, 2010). Therefore, it is important to focus more on providing opportunities for women
to craft their own path in order to enhance their leadership capabilities in the workplace.

Chapter Three: Research Methodology

Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to develop the study methodology that is proposed for use in
this study. The study methodology refers to a set of procedures, practices and processes that
are implemented in order to achieve the study objectives. This chapter will identify and
provide a justification of the study methods and their appropriateness for use in this study.
This will be important in helping to understand how the study will be carried out and the
important stages of collecting and analysing data. This chapter will be divided into the
following sections: the research approach, research design, population and sampling, data
collection, data analysis, reliability and validity, and ethical considerations.
Research approach
The research approach is concerned with the nature of a given research and how it is carried
out. Research majorly adopts two approaches: the deductive approach which is concerned
with gathering quantitative data with the aim of testing theory; and inductive research which
is a type of research that is concerned with gathering data and analysing it in order to build
theory (Bergh & Ketchen, 2009). Given that this study is seeking to understand the ways in
which to develop women leadership in the workplace, it is critical to focus on both the
experiences of women leaders and testing theory. Therefore, a mixed approach which
incorporates the deductive approach and the inductive approaches will be used. This will be
important in understanding how to build leadership capabilities and the relationship between
the leadership capabilities and organizational success.
Research strategy
The research strategy is an important part of any study process because it provides the study
with an effective plan on how to achieve the study objectives. Two categories of research
strategies have been suggested which include: qualitative and quantitative research strategies
(Gupta Mukul, 2012). Qualitative research strategy seeks to explore and describe data with
the aim of developing theory. Quantitative research strategies on the other hand seek to
analyse data in order to predict phenomena. In this study, a mixed approach research design is
suggested which is considered as important in enhancing the study objectives (Hussain,
2011). The study adopts the literature review strategy with the intention of examining how

women leadership capabilities can be developed in China. This will explore a number of
studies on the issue. The second strategy that will be used will be the survey approach. The
survey strategy focuses on collecting a sample of data from a large population in order study
and generalise the findings to the whole population (Khan, 2011). This study will seek to
collect data from a sample of women leaders in order to understand how women development
occurs and its relationship to success.
Population and sampling
The study population refers to the group of objects from which a researcher selects their
study participants from. Study populations are usually large and hence it is important for a
researcher to focus on a small sample of the population in order to carry out the study
(Kothari, 2004). From this perspective, the study population will comprise of women leaders
in China. In particular, the study will seek to focus more on women leaders in the retail
industry in China holding middle and senior management positions in these organizations
(Novikov & Novikov, 2013). Sampling is the process of selecting the study participants to
participate in the study. There are different sampling approaches and these are categorised
into probability and non-probability sampling approaches. The difference between the two
being that in probability sampling, each participant has an equal chance of participating in the
study (Novikov & Novikov, 2013). In particular, this study will focus on the use of
convenience sampling which is a non-probability sampling approach that selects the study
participants on the basis of some established criteria. In this study in particular, the
participants are selected on the basis of their availability to participate in the study. A total of
50 participants will be selected to participate in the study. Given the fact that leaders in the
top management levels are considered, getting access to them (Bergh & Ketchen, 2009) may
be difficult and hence a small sample size is considered effective in helping to enhance the
study findings.
Data collection
Data collection helps the study to achieve its study objectives. In particular, it provides the
study with an important starting point to not only access data but collect the data in order to
help analyse and solve a problem (Gupta Mukul, 2012). Data collection can be qualitative or
quantitative in nature. Qualitative data collection focuses on collection opinions, attitudes,
beliefs and perceptions. The quantitative data collection approaches focus on collecting data
that could be statistically tested. Data collected in this study will adopt a mixed approach in

which both qualitative data and quantitative data will be collected (Novikov & Novikov,
2013). Qualitative data will be collected through secondary or desktop research in the form of
different studies on how to develop women leadership capabilities. Quantitative data in this
study will be collected through the use of questionnaires. Questionnaires are considered
effective data collection instruments because they are ease to design, ease to administer and
can be analysed quantitatively (Hussain, 2011).
Data analysis
Data analysis is an important step in the process of responding to the research question. In
particular, the importance of data analysis is that it helps the study to draw meaning from the
research data so as to respond to the research objectives (Khan, 2011). This study will adopt a
mixed approach to data analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data analysis
will be used. In particular, thematic analysis will be used to analyse the data from the
literature review. This will help break the data into themes and patterns. Statistical data
analysis will focus on the use of statistical tools such as SPSS and excel (Khan, 2011). These
will be important in helping to identify relationships and improve the achievement of the
study objectives.
Validity and reliability
Validity and reliability are important elements in the process of conducting any study.
Reliability is concerned with the ability to replicate a given study. Therefore, it is important
that a study can be replicated under a similar methodology, an element that enhances its
reliability (Bergh & Ketchen, 2009). Reliability in this study is will be ensured by testing the
data using Cronbachs alpha test in order to ensure reliability. The scales will be adjusted
appropriately in order to achieve reliability. Validity is a measure of the ability of the study
instrument to gather information that it was meant to gather (Bergh & Ketchen, 2009). In
order to ensure validity, the study instrument will be tested and pretested in order to improve
validity. Additionally, the questionnaire will be designed with a focus on the research
objectives to enhance success.
Ethical considerations
Ethical considerations are important because it is possible for a research to impact negatively
on the study participants. In this study, ethical considerations will be considered in this study
because of the participation of human participants (Gupta Mukul, 2012). This study will

ensure ethical consideration with a focus on confidentiality by not exposing data to any third
parties; privacy which entail not including the participants names in the study and not
collecting any of their personal data; and informed consent which will be collected by
allowing participants to sign consent forms (Bergh & Ketchen, 2009). This will help prevent
harm and enhance the achievement of the study objectives.

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