1

Methodology

X.1 Introduction
X.2 Philosophical Considerations
X.3 Research Methodology
. X.3.1 Overview of Research Methodology
. X.3.2 Role of the Researcher
. X.3.3 Interview Methodology
. X.3.4 OC Exploration Methodology
. X.3.5 Ethical Considerations
X.4 Research Design
. X.4.1 Interview Design
. X.4.2 OC Exploration Design
X.5 Data Collection
X.6 Data Analysis
X.7 Credibility of Research Methodology
X.8 Summary
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Introduction

This chapter contains information about methodology and research

methods used in this study. The rationale behind choosing the appropriate
methodology is described together with philosophical orientation and the
role of the research. The research methods used in this research are
explained in detail, including a discussion of design, administration and
analysis issues. The chapter concludes with the review of ethical
considerations and validity of the chosen research methods.

The aims of this chapter are:

Overview the selection of appropriate methods and how it helps to
answer research questions
Describe how the research methods were practically implemented
with the data
Explain the logic of the sampling framework
Describe how the data was collected
Explain how the data was analysed
Explain the ethical considerations that were taken into account
during the research
Discuss validity of the chosen research methods

Philosophical Considerations

This research uses an interpretivist approach, with some areas of post-

positivism in its use of statistical analysis of OC data.

An interpretivist approach is context-dependent and helps to take into

account cultural conditions present in an online community setting which
are often neglected by a positivist approach. Positivists assume that an
individual can see the world as it really is, while post-positivists reject
objectivity as a characteristic that resides in the individual scientist. The
post-positivist ontology recognises the importance of multiple measures
and observations, while being cautious of the different methodological
errors inherent in quantitative positivist approach. This prevents looking at
OCs purely from an interpretivist standpoint, minimises hyper subjectivity
and helps to maintain consistency across different data sources and
approaches used in research. Through using elements of both approaches
in the research, a more balanced methodology has been developed.

Qualitative research methods help researchers understand people and the

social and cultural contexts within which they operate. An interpretive
analysis of the role of the core community members and their view of OC
health in large enterprise-led support communities allows themes to
emerge from the data, rather than being too structured within a chosen
theoretical framework. The subjective complexities of our reality are
considered and this forms evidence to support the quantitative element of
the research. Health factors are difficult to quantify objectively and
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interpretive methods help to gain an in-depth understanding of this

context and how it influences these factors.

The quantitative research is informed by the results of the qualitative

study. The quantitative research uses post-positivist methods, such as
statistical analysis, in order to produce empirical data. A post-positivist
approach opposes using the strictly observation-heavy and theory laden
positivism, while also rejecting a solely interpretive and subjective
approach. It also allows for an on-going reflexivity throughout the study.
Having considered positivism, post-positivism and interpretivism, this
research uses an interpretivist approach, with some areas of post-
positivism in its use of statistical analysis of OC archival data.

Scientific methodologies can be separated into two main approaches;

inductive and deductive. The deductive approach supports a theoretical
statement with observations from data. The inductive begins with
observations, helps to establish patterns derived from data, which then
leads to theory formation. In this case theory is created from the data
collected (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). This approach is valid when a theory
about the underlying structure of processes is evident in raw data, thus
allowing themes to emerge without being limited by structured
methodologies (Thomas, 2003). The exploratory nature of the research
and the lack of a theory in the field supported the use of inductive
reasoning. But since this research is using OC archival data to support
theory building, this research uses inductive-deductive logic as proposed
by the inductive-deductive research cycle (see Figure XX).

Figure XX. The Inductive-Deductive Research Cycle (cycle of

scientific methodology) (Teddlie and Tashakkori, 2009, p27).

The philosophical considerations adopted in this research are chosen for

the following reasons:

1. The quantitative or qualitative approaches used on their own might

not be sufficient when applied in a new field of study. Mixing both
methods would allow for a more robust analysis.
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2. Using either interpretivist or post-positivist approach in isolation

could influence the outcomes by having an unbalanced view on the
problem. A combination of both can further improve the accuracy of
the proposed theory.

3. An inductive methodology would facilitate the exploratory aspects of

the research and support theory building. The deductive approach
would help to structure data analysis as it uses pre-defined
hypothesis. An inductive-deductive comparative analysis would add
validity and rigour.

Research Approach

Figure X.3 shows that literature review lead to the formation of hypothesis
or conjectures regarding the theory of OC health and its factors. This is
then followed by a qualitative data collection and analysis (interviews).
The results of the analysis (literature review and interviews) inform the
next phase, where theory of health of enterprise-led support OCs is
formed using inductive reasoning together with the list of health factors.
This informs the OC archival data analysis, which uses deductive
reasoning to verify both theory and factors.

Literature Review on Research conjectures

OCs and its health/ regarding OC health and Interviews
success factors factors

Finding and Implications Theory formation and list of

OC Data Analysis
(Theory and Practical) OC health factors

Figure X.3 Research Approach

Overview of Research Methodology

Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) suggest that the question of choosing an
appropriate design in research is directly connected with the research
problem. The design should fit the area of researchers expertise, match
available resources and time constraints. This research uses an
exploratory case study sequential design where qualitative data collection
and analysis builds to a quantitative analysis (Creswell & Plano Clark,
2010). Such design supports a quantitative orientation, while allowing for
the qualitative study to provide a structure around themes developed in
the quantitative phase and to verify the findings at the end (Creswell &
Clark 2007). This design is useful for developing and testing an
instrument, if one is not available to a researcher, or identifying important
variables for quantitative analysis, when the variables are unknown. it is
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well-suited for exploring a phenomenon and is appropriate when results

need to be generalised across different groups, test an emergent
classification or theory. Since this particular research design starts with a
qualitative phase, a greater emphasis is often placed upon the qualitative
data in the exploratory sequential design.

The type of a case study chosen brings flexibility to the overall study and
is well-suited for researching a complex phenomenon such as online
communities. In the first phase of this design, a semi-structured interview
is used to collect empirical data on how OC health is perceived by core
community members. The data from the interviews is analysed. This
qualitative analysis provides an initial examination and overview of the
health factors in online enterprise-led support communities. The
quantitative data is then analysed and used to gain a better
understanding of the factors discovered in the first phase.

Figure X. The Exploratory Sequential Design (Creswell & Clark 2010, p.69)

Exploratory sequential design model as shown in the figure X above

occurs when qualitative data collection and analysis builds to quantitative
data collection and analysis and gives great possibility of effective
interpretation. In other words the sequential design is assumed to have
occurred when the qualitative grows to a point it can be used to give
credible results that can be relied on in the project. Therearemanyways
throughwhichtheconceptcanbeused,forinstance,whenaresearcherhasthe
researchhypothesisorquestionsthatarebasedonaqualitativeresearchbutduringthe
projecthe/sheconductsquantitativestudywithanaimtoanswertheresearch
questionsorratherprovethehypothesis.Additionally,themethodisusedwhenthe
researcheridentifiesessentialcategoriesfromthequalitativeresearchandthen
proceedstousingquantitativestudytoexaminetheimplicationsofcategoriesand
theirsuitabilityintheresearch.Thisaspecthasbeenseenfrommanyresearchers,for
instanceMingers(2003)revealedtheimportanceofmultimethodresearchintheir
reviewofinformationsystemsliterature,thestudyshowsthatcombiningusing
quantitativeapproachtojustifyqualitativedatahasmorepositiveimpactsonthe
qualityofresultsachievedthanmostmethodsusedbyresearcherswherequalitative
studyusesqualitativedatacollectionandanalysisandquantitativeusesasimilar
approachaswell.

StrengthsoftheExploratoryDesign.Therearemanybenefitsthatareassociatedwith
theexploratorydesignbecauseitsstructure(twophased)andtheorganizationasit
operatesbyensuringonlyonetypeofdataiscollectedatagiventime.Mostofthe
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strengthsofexploratorydesignaresimilartotheadvantagesofexplanatorydesign,
thissectionhighlightssomeofthemostnotablestrengths.

Reporting,description,implementation,andreportingbecomesmore
straightforwardwhenexploratorydesignisused.

Thedesignisessentialasitpromotesthecollaborationbetweenqualitative
audiencesandquantitateaudiences.Despitethedesignsmajoraspectbeingon
thequalitativeapproach,usingquantitativecomponentsthroughoutthe
researchincreasesthepossibilitiesofquantitativeaudienceacceptingthe
resultsofthestudy.

Multiphasestudiesrequireadesignthatutilizesmultipleresearchmethods,this
makesthedesigntobemoreacceptableinmultiresearchprojectstherefore
increasingthescopeinwhichresultsandresearchjustificationcanbeapplied.

However,despitethestrengths,theexploratorydesignisalsoassociatedwith
somechallenges,asdescribedbelow.

Thedesignistimeconsumingbecausetheimplementationofthetwophase
approachrequiresthesubstantialtime.Thisisachallengebecausethe
researchersmustputthefactorintoconsiderationandcomeupwithaworking
strategytobuildtheirworkingplan.

Usingaqualitativeapproachintheinitialreviewmakesithardtopredictor
ratherspecifytheprocessesofthequantitativephase.Theprocessrequiresthe
researcherstohavesometentativedirectionstoplanfortheresearch,theplan
foratentativedirectioninsimilarprojectswillbediscussedinthelater
chapters.

Besides,theapproachrequirestheresearcherstomakeacriticaldecisiononthe
participantsthatwillbeusedinthequalitativephaseandthequantitativephase,
suchasdeterminingwhethertheywillusethesameparticipantsforboth
phases.

Forthetaxonomydesign,itismandatorytomakeadecisionthatwillguidethe
researcherindeterminingthequantitativeresultstouse.Someoftheavailable
optionsontaxonomymodelincludeusingthemesforrelationshipandvariables
betweenthecodesnecessaryforthetaxonomydevelopment.

This research will use a mixed method research design because it applies
a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the
research questions. There are numerous reasons to why the research will
use the mixed method, first, the method is associated with the rationale of
the project because according to the scope and the research question,
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neither qualitative nor quantitative methods are solely sufficient to

provide full details of the situation. Combining the qualitative and
quantitative methods allow them to complement each other and allow the
researcher to garner an advantage of having a more robust analysis. Over
the past decades, many studies have been published with an aim of
challenging the mixed research method. Some of the most popular
counters for the mixed research include, multiple operationalism,
triangulation, multimethod, integrative, and blended research. However,
mixed research method still remains as the most preferred and popular
design by most researchers, thus explaining the reason to why we chose
mixed research method for this thesis paper.

In respect to mixed research method, authors have tried to come up with

definitions to explain what the design is all about or rather create a
definition. Greene and Caracellis (2003) definition of the term is one of
the most widely used definition amongst researchers. According to
Greene and Caracellis definition, mixed method research design refers to
a design where both qualitative and quantitative elements of a research
are combined. It includes combining the methods to collect data, data
analysis, and inference technique, with an aim of creating an informative
and depth collaboration in understanding the rationale of the research
while giving credible results.

The figure X below shows a range of philosophical considerations that is

highly suggested by Mixed method researchers as the best practices, they
are preferred than the four similar paradigms that are represented in the
previous table. The key predominantly qualitative research methods are
critical and interpretivism research, on the other hand, positivism research
method becomes the predominantly quantitative research.
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Figure 4.3 Continuum of QUAL and QUAN Research

(Johnson et al., 2007, Teddlie and Tashakkori, 2009).

In the section surrounding the focal point of the continuous extent, Equal status, portrays a
mixture of approaches that most explorers accept to be true that both quantitative and
qualitative methodologies contribute valuable knowledge to the research. Each of the
methods are offered similar weighting in the topic under research. Qualitative dominant,
represented as QUAL + quan or quan + QUAL, explorers trusts that its essential to
incorporate quantitative data and methods into either qualitative research extend. The
research discipline is significantly explained. A quantitative dominant (QUAN + qual or qual
+ QUAN) explorers agrees that its valuable including qualitative data into significantly
quantitative explored topics. These explorers might hold a post positivist focus. It is the last
kind of blended strategy plan that is embraced in this essay.
Numerous authors argue that there are a number of mixed research method design (Greene et
al., 1989, Morse, 2003, Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2003, Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004,
Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007) by taking into account on how to mix different approaches.
Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003) caution that despite the fact that these typologies are helpful
for explorers, they are in no way, shape or form thorough and new outlines are developing. A
decision was made to utilize the typology figured by Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) to help
pick the most reasonable mixed approach outline for this review. The Creswell and Plano
Clark typology (2007) incorporates four noteworthy sorts of blended approach outlines (with
variations per) triangulation; installed; informative and exploratory. Additionally insights
about each of these plan sorts can be found in Appendix G.
It turned out to be manifest that a solitary research approach would not be sufficient to
completely address the examination address so a decision was made to utilize a blended
approach outline that has more stages. A three strand sequenced blended strategy investigate
configuration was picked (qual QUAN qual) utilizing a mix of both the exploratory and
illustrative research plans. This exploration plan is appeared in Figure 4.4.
Figure 4.4 Diagram of Research Design
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The successive exploratory blended strategy plan is likewise utilized as a part of the review.
In this plan the aftereffects of the principal technique (qualitative) are utilized to help
illuminate the second strategy (quantitative) (Greene et al., 1989). This plan is especially
helpful to recognize critical factors to think about quantitatively (Creswell and Plano Clark,
2007). The writing recognizes various dangers related with SNSs, as talked about in Section
3.5. It is impractical to address every one of these dangers in the study, so it is important to
pick a waitlist of dangers that are pertinent to current clients of SNSs. The plan begins with
center gathering interviews with rising grown-ups to investigate their perspectives on the
dangers related with SNSs and build up a rundown of the dangers most relevant to their age
aggregate. These subjective discoveries are then utilized as a guide for the improvement of
the hazard things to be incorporated into the resulting overview. Again the accentuation in
this outline is on the quantitative information. The advantages and difficulties of this plan are
like those of the qualitative outline. A further thought is that the analyst needs to choose
which information to use from the subjective stage in building the quantitative review.
As the aim of the illustrative outline is to utilize the subjective information (center gathering
meetings and semi-organized meetings) to give more insight about the quantitative outcomes
(review), it was chosen that similar people could be incorporated into both information
accumulations. This thought was not esteemed crucial for the exploratory outline and the
overview was controlled to an alternate and bigger populace.
After a discourse of the explorer's part, the following areas depict the varying examination
techniques that were utilized in this review.

Role of the Researcher

In any type of research, and mostly in qualitative research, there is great need to clearly and
completely establish character, strengths and weaknesses of the researcher of the study. The
extent of a researchers participation in collecting data differs in both the quantitative and
qualitative stages of research. In the quantitative stage, the researcher carries out the survey
and collects data which is then subjected to standardized methods of survey design. During
this process, factors such as the reliability and genuineness of the instrument used for data
collection are properly checked. The analysis of the data is also thoroughly done through
quality statistical analysis methods. In the qualitative stage, however, researcher is involved
in the research more actively, through roles like being the interview.
The researcher has knowledge about a couple of the participants in the qualitative study as a
lecturer. Having worked in the IT industry for some years as Systems admin and consultant,
and being well exposed to IS/ICT risk landscape, and given that the researcher has even
authored some publications on Internet privacy, identity theft and spamming, there is a
chance of the researchers work being biased in terms of their understanding and reasoning of
the phenomenon under study. To reduce this bias therefore, major verification methods like
data sources triangulations have been used to measure the correctness of the results of the
research. More details on how the suitability of the quantitative and qualitative methods is
measured are provided in Section 4.7

Interview Methodology

This section discusses the methodological aspects of an interview study

and its implementation in this study. An interview is a purposeful
discussion between two or more participants used to gather valid and
reliable data to satisfy research objectives (Saunders et al., 2007). It is a
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common data collection method in qualitative research with different

forms of interview used for distinct purposes. Tuckman (1972) describes
the main objective behind doing interviews, as cited by Cohen et al.
(2007, p.351):

By providing access to what is inside a persons head, [it] makes it

possible to measure what a person knows (knowledge or
information), what a person likes or dislikes (values and
preferences), and what a person thinks (attitudes and beliefs).

This research uses semi-structured interviews as part of a mixed methods

sequential exploratory research design. This form of interviewing is an
exploratory device that is helpful in identifying the variables and
relationships (Saunders et al., 2007, Cohen et al., 2007). It satisfies an
interpretivist standpoint and allows collecting data on OC health factors,
social and cultural aspects of OCs and enterprises these belong to. Semi-
structured interviews were also chosen over unstructured interviews,
since they allow comparisons to be made across all of the respondents.

In contrast to an everyday conversation, interviews require the

interviewer to have tight control over the structure and proceedings in
order to generate valuable data (knowledge) and minimise bias (Kvale and
Brinkmann, 2009). Responses should be as explicit and detailed as
possible in order get valid interpretations of the world in which an
interviewee lives and to record how they regard situations from their
standpoint (Cohen et al., 2007). While an interview itself is an artificial
setting, qualitative interviews should not be either subjective or objective,
but rather intersubjective (Laing, 1967). This research used a number of
existing models that helped to design a semi-structured interview,
administer the interview process and analyse collected qualitative data
(Kvale and Brinkmann, 2009, Cohen et al., 2007, Myers and Newman,
2007, Saunders et al., 2007).

Interview Design

Designing
An interview schedule was developed in order to structure the interviews
and ensure consistency in repeating the process. The aim was to compose
a schedule that allowed the interviewee to get rich and honest opinions on
the subject matter, while making sure the interview flow is controlled by
the interviewer. The decision was made to have a set of general questions
that would access information on an OC, its background and health
factors, with more specific questions that would prompt and probe for
depth and detail (Cohen et al., 2007). This allowed the interviewees to
elaborate on their responses and get further clarification on topics that
emerged during the interview process. Other design considerations were
taken into account when preparing the interview schedule. The schedule
was not set overly strict to allow improvisation and flexibility (Myers and
Newman, 2007) and questions were phrased to avoid more direct what
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questions without affecting the overall interview quality (Patton, 2002).

The full interview schedule used in both Symantec and Adobe studies is
shown in Appendix XX.

Sampling
Homogeneous sampling allows the researcher to choose the participants
that fit the need of the phenomenon under study (Carswell, 2012),
therefore providing the knowledge needed to conduct thorough research
to yield useful data. Selecting participants based on membership in a
subgroup (community managers, in this case) is an example of
homogeneous sampling. This is a type of purposeful sampling that occurs
before data collection with the intent to describe a group and study its
subjective opinions in depth. This procedure involves identifying
characteristics of individuals (company representatives that are directly
involved in managing corporate online communities and their separate
forums) and sites (Symantec and Adobe).

In order to begin the selection process initial contact was made with a
company representative (a gatekeeper) in order to select the most
suitable participants, as suggested by Creswell (2012). The gatekeeper in
Symantec had the role of Director or Research and Adobe representative
was the Director of Social Support and Community Engagement.
Participants were sought that had an official role in running an OC within a
company, were OC administrators or technical support personnel or were
managers of enterprise-led brand user groups that also had an online
presence within an OC. A background check was conducted on the
activities of each potential participant in the study through reviewing their
public LinkedIn profiles and noting position, job description and duration of
employment. The selected professionals have worked in the company long
enough to give historical insights into how the OC has developed and
actively participated in redesigning the community and measuring its
performance. According to Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) the researcher
should find as many participants as possible to satisfy the aims of the
study, while the number of interview participants tends to fluctuate
around 15 10. In order to reach the advised level of saturation, the
interviews were carried out until there were no other participants that
satisfied the sampling criteria. In total, there were 13 participants in this
study with 7 interviewees from Adobe (5 front-line OC managers and 2
senior managers) and 6 (all community managers, including the head of
the unit) from Symantec.

Setting
A minimum requirement for an interview study is a written consent
obtained from participants after they have been informed about the
following issues: the purpose and scope of the study, the types of
questions which are likely to be asked, the use to which the results will be
put, the method of anonymity, and the extent to which participants'
utterances will be used in reports (Adamson et al., 2004). According to
Gibelman and Gelman (2001), to provide informed consent, the
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participant/subject must be competent to understand the information and

be free of intimidation or coercion so that the decision to participate is
voluntary (p. 243). All participants received the consent form that
complied with the ethics regulations of Trinity College Dublin (Ref. E239) in
an electronic format. Once the consent forms were signed, the interviews
took place with the selected individuals one-on-one via a conference call.
Example of the consent forum is shown in Appendix xxx.

Interviews lasted between 30 and 60 minutes. A digital voice recorder was

used for recording the interviews. Permission was sought from all
interviewees before recording took place.

Interview Administration

Role of Interviewer
Each interview started with an introduction to put the interviewee at ease.
Participants were also given time to consider their participation and to ask
questions of the researcher. Participants had the researchers contact
information to ask questions or voice any concerns that might arise
throughout the study. The information sheet was read out to all
participants explaining the purpose, nature and scope of the interview,
also outlining confidentiality and ethical aspects of this research (Cohen et
al., 2007). It was noted to all participants, that there were no wrong or
right answers to the questions and there were no specific time limits for
interviewees to express their opinions and they could withdraw at any
time.

Data Collection
A digital voice recorder was used for recording the interview after
permission sought from an interviewee. A post-interview process was put
in place to record additional information such as:

The date and time of the interview

The participants company title and role description
How the participant reacted to questions?
How well the interviewer followed the interview schedule?
How well the interviewer and interviewee understood each other?

Collecting this information allowed reflection on the quality of the

interview process and improve interview delivery during the study, as
suggested by Patton (2002).

Verbatim transcriptions were made of the digital recordings. With regard

to confidentiality, initials were used in transcripts created by the
researcher. Other observations included the tone of voice of the
interviewee; any interruptions and pauses and silences.

Case Study Methodology

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In this research, the multiple case methodology was used. This section therefore explores this
multiple methodology, its structure, how it is used and the logic behind its use in answering
the research questions.
In simple terms, case study is the investigative study of a phenomenon within its setting in
real life. It (case study) is more helpful when a phenomenon and its setting are unclearly
defined, that is, the demarcation between them is unclear. Case study is also suitable when
how or why questions on events that are beyond researchers control arises. Case study is
more appropriate for areas such as new research or research in areas where previous research
is insufficient. It is also useful in researches whose aim is to provide more understanding of
human behavior. At first, case study may appear as a simple methodology. It, however, gets
more complex due to many factors that have to be evaluated to ensure that the research holds
its credibility and legibility. It is most important to determine whether the case study does
more of exploring study, explanation study or description study. This determination ensures
that the research is much clear and more comprehensible as it progresses. An Exploratory
research is a research which seeks to widely study and learn even to the finest details about a
phenomenon. It is mostly used for studies where very little is known about the phenomenon
under study. An Explanatory research seeks to expound and elaborate more on a
phenomenon, pointing out how different variables in the phenomenon are related. Descriptive
research on the other hand, is the kind of research that seeks to document concepts more that
investigating them.
This research therefore is an exploratory case study, since it seeks to widely explore and
study the behavior of online community newbies. Explanatory research is inappropriate for
this study since the research aims at exploring newbies and not explain their existence.
There is also the design categorization method of categorizing study into two groups:
instrumental study and intrinsic study. Instrumental study is the kind of study which seeks to
improve or to enhance more understanding of an issue. Intrinsic study on the other hand is
majorly centered on comprehending the case the more. This research is therefore most
appropriate as an instrumental study because it is aimed at studying the issues, that is the
newbies, within the online community (which is the case) and not to understand it.

Having chosen that the contextual investigation will be exploratory and instrumental, the
subsequent chapters will evaluate the experiments intertwined with the research. Does the
review require a wide range of cases for relative investigation (e.g. (Campbell and Ahrens,
1998)), or would one single case (e.g. (Gao, 2013)) suffice? As beforehand said, aggregate or
different contextual investigations are most usually utilized by instrumental contextual
investigation outlines. Different contextual investigations are utilized when correlation is
important, when examples crosswise over cases are being examined, and when the expansion
of cases can give better understanding into a marvel. It likewise plans to fortify
generalisability and legitimacy of research results by reproducing methodological examples
over products cases (Galloway and Sheridan, 1994). In various case outlines, each case is
seen as though it were a different investigation as opposed to a solitary testing unit, which
keeps up recreating rationale (Yin, 2009). A definitive go for a numerous contextual
investigation is to build hypothesis certainty and power (Tellis, 1997).
In this examination, a multi-instrumental contextual analysis outline will be utilized. The
fundamental method of reasoning for this is a near investigation is expected to answer the
exploration address. Various online groups from various societies are expected to demonstrate
the likenesses and contrasts between newcomers. This must be done utilizing various cases.
Also, it builds the examination expansiveness and legitimacy by utilizing more than one case.
Arranging the different contextual investigation examination should be thorough keeping in
 14

mind the end goal to guarantee that the investigation is uniform between each case being
explored. An adjusted adaptation of Yin's (2009) model will be utilized as a system for
executing the various contextual analysis plan.
Figure 10: Modified various contextual analysis Approach (Yin, 2009)

Another crucial issue for contextual investigation outline is characterizing what sort of case is
being researched. Cases can be comprehensive (a solitary case that considers the general
element) or installed (different cases that consider sub-estimations inside the element) (see
Figure 11). This is specifically identified with the "unit of examination". In qualitative
examination, the unit of investigation alludes to the significant question being explored in the
exploration. In this exploration, the unit of examination is online content postings from
newcomers from online groups. The outline utilized is a numerous all encompassing
methodology, as the exploration will concentrate different cases (online groups) and a solitary
unit of investigation inside (newcomers).
Figure 11: Basic sorts of contextual investigation plan (Yin, 2009)
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Be that as it may, inside similar research, the unit of examination has extra structures, to be
specific observational units and informative units. Observational units are those inside the
information gathering and investigation area, and the logical units are those that are utilized
to clarify the outcomes acquired from the examination (Ragin, 1989). In this way, inside this
various comprehensive contextual analysis approach, the observational units are the postings
from newcomers in online groups and the illustrative units are components from social
hypothesis that endeavor to clarify the contrasts between the conduct of online group
newcomers.

Having determined that the strategy to be utilized will be the contextual analysis, the
accompanying areas portray the strategies that will be utilized under this approach to address
the examination addresses for all intents and purposes.

Investigation Outline
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Figure X.2 Diagram of the investigation outline

Exploration plan is a basic piece of any exploration extend. In spite of the fact that it is at
times mistaken for the exploration technique, this examination step is a sensible as opposed
to a strategic one, and is the rationale that connections the information to be gathered, to the
underlying inquiries of study (Yin, 2009). Basically, "the capacity of an exploration plan is to
guarantee that the proof acquired empowers us to answer the underlying inquiry as
unambiguously as could be expected under the circumstances" (De Vaus, 2001, p. 9). In its
most essential frame, it is the method of reasoning behind why the examination will be done
especially.
Keeping in mind the end goal to depict to some degree complex research outline of this
postulation, Figure 14 interfaces the exploration points and inquiries with the coherent strides
taken to address them.
3.8. Data Analysis
Arranging how information will be dissected to answer the examination inquiries and
reinforce information approval is of awesome significance for effective research results. This
area clarifies how the information from online group posts and strings were broke down in
the three online groups. As portrayed in segment 1.1, this examination utilizes a half breed
way to deal with substance investigation in that both inductive (emanant classifications) and
deductive (existing hypothesis) methodologies were utilized. To sum things up, the substance
investigation was in two stages; Phase 1 utilized hypothetically determined coding utilizing
existing newcomer hypothesis, and Phase 2 utilized open and hub coding to coax out emanant
classes. Initial a portrayal of the expository systems and instruments utilized are given trailed
by the handy execution of these procedures and apparatuses inside the NVivo upheld
subjective substance investigation. A full depiction of the substance examination strategies
utilized is portrayed in Chapter 4 Newcomer Behavior Model29.

3.8.1. Analysis of Online Community Case Study Data

 17

Over the recent past decade, the online community has become a key
focus from many researchers. As a result, there are many studies and data
that has been collected concerning the community. The study by Cranor,
Reagle, and Ackerman (2000) most researches that have been conducted
focused on answering the pressing questions regarding the online
communities. Besides, the study shows that an analysis of online
communities data via the research methodology is also strongly
supported by the past literature. However, the many case studies can be
a problem when it comes to analysis of data and systematically
aorganizing it so it can be used in a research. The challenge of data
analysis has been addressed by numerous authors through suggesting the
best strategies that can work for researchers, for instance, Yin (2003)
reveals four strategic approaches that can be used by researchers to
analyze case studies, they include; using theoretical perspective,
formulating a description of the case, combining qualitative and
quantitative data and challenging the explanations from rival studies. The
strategies can be of important at different areas, for instance, in the case
studies where the hypothesis or the research questions are not defined, it
becomes necessary to use the case description approach as it
encapsulates the case thus making it easier for the questions to be
developed. Case description is important in the events where the data to
be analyzed is extremely large and gives no clear interconnection
between the research concepts, the strategy simplifies this as it gives a
better dimension of identifying the link between the concepts.

Nevertheless, theoretical proposition has also gained popularity as a key

approach for guiding the analysis of case studies that have interest on
data analysis. This thesis will frame different sections with the theoretical
arguments, the theories have contributed to the effectiveness of the
background section, the research design, research questions, among other
chapters throughout the paper.

According to Yin (2003), the four strategies described above can be

intertwined with a five analysis technique that can be used depending on
which strategy is chosen. The techniques include, cross case synthesis,
logic models, time-series analysis, explanation building, and pattern
matching. Based on the five technique, this research will employ cross-
case synthesis for data analysis because the nature of the research
includes comparing three different online communities, thus making the
technique useful as it works effectively in the studies where multiple data
sources are being compared, the paper will compare three online
communities. The technique displays data in a tabular framework which
becomes necessary for the researchers to identify different patterns from
the cases that have been used to design the data.

3.9. Validation in Case Study

 18

So far, the previous section have clearly developed the case study, cross-
cultural analysis, and the research design, which have contributed
towards choosing the research methodology. This section will test the
effectiveness of using the above mentioned methods for the research
design, the section argues the validity of the of quality controls used in
this research, thus determining the correctness , representative, and
rigorousness of the research. Model development, theme exploration, and
theoretical propositions require a keen selection of the data design and
collection methods, some of the key factors that should be observed
include; triangulation, reliability, and validity. The three methods in this
research can, however, be seen a s dense and complex because there is a
benefit of acquiring numerous validation techniques that originate from
the methods.

Yin (2003) suggests a set of research data validation techniques which

involves design tests for critiquing the research design, the techniques
include, reliability, validity, internal validity, and construct validity.

Yin (2003) revealed several techniques that are suggested for ensuring
the maintenance of construct validity in the case studies research project.
The suggestions include:

Applying evidence garnered from multiple sources: The approach is

essential especially in addressing the research bias, it requires the
researcher to cite his work from multiple sources. For instance,
sources from, quantitative data, triangulating interviews,
documents, and content analysis.
Having an established series of evidence: The approach is essential
as it allows the research to have a log of all activities and promote
the cross-checking of results throughout the notes, observation,
among other methods.

Internal validity is another technique that was revealed by Yin (2003). The
technique refers to those tests and measures that are carried out to show
the validity of an argument by comparing it to the data findings. Internal
validity technique has been mostly identified with explanatory techniques,
however, studies have shown that internal validity can also be used in
exploratory research. Yin also suggested 5 tactics, they included; logic
models, explanation building, addressing rival explanations, pattern
matching, and cross case synthesis. Among the tactics, cross case
synthesis and pattern matching will be the one applied in this research. By
definition, Pattern matching refers to a comparison of two patterns (with
one pattern emerging from the data and the other pattern emerging from
the theoretical proposition) with a key interest of determining if they are
adequate to test the theory. The technique is commonly used in the data
analysis through the assistance of the NBM application prior to the data
analysis. In this research, it was anticipated that the observed behaviors
from the pattern analysis model would match with the data collected from
the online communities. On the other hand, Cross case synthesis refers to
 19

a tactic for identifying similarities and differences between a numbers of

cases used in the research and deduce generalization about the data
through the analysis of multiple cases.

External validity is another important technique that is closely intertwined

with the issues of generalizability. The best tactic, as suggested by Yin, is
the replication logic approach which Is essential in using multiple cases to
validate the external validity. As a result, the selection of each case study
should be picked so that there is a similar prediction or contradiction of
results. Over the past years, many studies have used the tactic in their
study design especially those which employ multiple case study design,
the researchers selects different cases to approve or reject the patterns
that had been identified in their earlier stages, it is noted that the process
provides more generalizable results.
Reliability is another validation tactic that was suggested by Yin. The
tactic works in a way that it provides a shield or prevention of an error
that might emerge in the event that similar steps are repeated twice. In
this tactic, the approach that uses two sub-tactics protocol which include
case study where database is recommended and a case study where a
guide is present. Standardization maintenance between each case study
is initialized by the case study protocol whereas organization and
warehousing of case study data is realized thrpugh excecution of the case
study database tool.

Furthermore, several validation techniques have been developed by

theorists with relation to the case study validity mostly which are
associated with the cross-cultural studies. Though the techniques and the
case study validation techniques have been seen to have an overlap, they
are essential topic of discussion due to the issues that emerge from the
cross cultural researches. In our study, the online community were
identified with a series of validation methods, which were identified from
the literature review as important tools for addressing issues on bias and
equivalence as they are considered to have potential impacts on the
validity of the research. They include; using multiple researchers to
extract categories, factor analysis, back translation and using inter-coder
reliability statistics.

Data Collection

There are a wide variety of data collection methods that qualitative

researchers use including collecting field notes, interview transcripts,
survey response data, focus group responses, text from document
analysis, text analysis and reflexive notes and memos (Creswell, 1994). In
the case of this research, data was already available in the form of user
generated content in online communities. It was this data that was
collected for analysis alongside additional data (e.g. reflexive notes,
memos, data reports, and statistical figures) subsequently generated from
the analysis. The following section explains in more detail what online
 20

community data was collected, how it was collected and how it was
organised for data analysis.

Types of Data Collected

This research utilises qualitative methods of data collection to work with

words and ideas of community managers together with quantitative
methods that deal with numbers coming directly from a forum database.
The data collection in a case study involves collecting multiple types of
information to show different perspectives on the issue. For an extensive
data collection Yin recommends the following six sources of evidence for
collection: documents, archival records, interviews, direct observation,
participant-observations and physical artefacts (Yin 2003). Based on these
recommendations the following sources of data were collected for the
purpose of this study:

Sources of Collection Approaches Type of Collected Data

Evidence
Documentation Analysis of public online
documents: official Symantec and
Adobe memos, knowledge base
articles containing information
about metrics, standards, APIs and
database schemes for both Lithium
(used by Symantec) and Jive (used
by Adobe) social CRMs
Examination of online biographies
of the participants
Collection of formal, non-sensitive
e-mails containing information that
can be used in relation to
answering the research question
Interviews Conducted semi-structured open-
ended interviews, audiotaped and
transcribed
Archival Records Extraction of forum data from
(Database) Symantec and Adobe online
community production databases
Exploration and analysis of
numerical data through SQL
queries
Public records available in the
form of online documents majorly
stored on the following Internet
domains:
symantec.com
adobe.com
lithium.com
jivesoftware.com
Non-public records sent to the
corporate or university e-mail
Unstructured text data obtained
from transcribing of interviews
Public/private forum activity
numerical data records available
in a form of a database. Each
database gives a complete and
detailed record of all activity in
the forums over a period of 3 or
more years.

The studys researcher performed the actual analysis and interpretation of

the data. These approaches enabled the researcher to articulate the
interpretation of the data and maintain an awareness of the situations
that were observed. Themes emerged during the collection of the data, as
well as after the data was been processed. The construction of themes
enhanced the studys interpretation by giving insight to the collected
data, and contributing to the validity of the study.

Data Analysis
 21

The findings of a recent literature review by Li et al (2009), showed that

researchers most commonly used case studies as a method of answering
research questions related to online communities. Analysing online
community data via a case study methodology is strongly supported from
the literature. However, understanding how to analyse data strategically
from these case studies in a way that systematically organises, describes
and explains the data can be difficult. Yin (2009) describes four general
strategies for analysing case studies; reliance on theoretical propositions,
developing a case description, using both qualitative and quantitative
data, and examining rival explanations. Developing a case description is
very useful to frame, focus and encapsulate the case. It is a descriptive
framework for structuring and managing the case study and is used when
there are large amounts of data without a particular focus or linked to a
research question. It is also a valuable tool for identifying causal links
between concepts.

Data Analysis

4.6.2 Interview and Focus Group Discussion

Researchers have proposed guidelines for ensuring analytical rigour when

analysing data from numerous sources, such as from an interview. Some
of the common phenomenological analysis for qualitative analysis are
listed below;

i. Transcription: it refers to a transcription that notes both non-verbal

and verbal communication in an interview.
ii. Bracketing and phenomenological reduction: the researchers
meaning and interpretation are suspended and bracketed as much
as possible. The researcher tends to understand much of the
interviewee statement rather than considering what he/she, the
researcher, expects the interviewee to say.
iii. Listening to the interview for a sense of the whole: it involves re-
reading the transcriptions for several number of times after listening
to the interview tape.
iv. Delineating units of general meaning: the verbal and non-verbal
communication of the interviewee are analysed to tell what he/she
is saying.
v. Delineating units of meaning relevant to the research question: after
noting the meaning of the interviewee, they are then interlinked
with the research topic. It is essential as it determines whether the
interviewee responses are related or have any contribution to the
research.
vi. Clustering units of relevant meaning: the theme of the interviewee
responses during the interview is compared with the interview and
the possibility of having a common concept is evaluated.
 22

vii. A summary of each individual interview: The main points including

themes of the interview are noted in a summary form.
viii. Identifying general and unique themes for all the interviews: among
the interviews conducted, a re-occurring theme is identified by
comparing the themes that emerged from each interview.

4.6.3 Organising and Presenting Data Analysis

Data analysis is commonly organised through research questions. After

collecting the data from interviews and questionnaires, the data is then
combined and analysed to give a collective answer to the research
questions. Both qualitative and numerical data concerning the research
question are then presented. Presenting the numerical data and
qualitative data is essential as it allows a convenient exploration of
comparisons, relationships, and patterns.

Validity and Reliability

Data analysis is essential as it enhances the examination of the research

question with the collected data. Throughput a qualitative research, the
researcher should focus on a consistent evaluation of the patterns and
themes that emerge from the data and how they are related to the
research or the implications that they have to the study.

Evaluating Qualitative Research

Evaluating a qualitative research remains a controversial topic amongst

many researcher. While others employ traditional approaches used in
quantitative studies, other researchers argue that the traditional criteria
cannot be used to evaluate a qualitative research. For instance, according
to Lincoln and Guba (1985), trustworthiness could be used to replace
reliability and validity, trustworthiness is made up of four components,
whivh include, conformability, dependability, transferability, and
credibility.

Quantitative terms Naturalistic terms

internal validity credibility
external validity transferability
reliability dependability
objectivity confirmability
Table X.9 Comparison of Criteria for Judging the Quality of
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative Research. (Lincoln and Guba, 1985, p300)

According to Yin, (2003) Morse et al., (2008) and Kvale and Brinkmann
(2009), the research paradigm used does not fully limit the use of validity
 23

and reliability concepts as there is no loss in renaming or developing such

new concepts. In this research, traditional forms and meaning of the
terms, reliability, validity and external validity will be used.

Qualitative Internal Validity

Internal validity received much attention in the previous sections. The
internal validity in a qualitative study determines the validity of the
research findings from the researchers dimension. To ensure internal
validity in this research, the following tactics were employed.

1. Triangulation: use of different data from both quantitative and

qualitative sources.
2. Construct validity: provision of interview guides for the research. The
interview was structured to have open and direct questions for the
interviewee. They were then tested amongst a number of children
and adults to ensure clarity on the language used.

Qualitative External Validity

External validity, specifically in qualitative research is defined as the
possibility of generalization of findings across different context. According
to different authors, generalization of a qualitative research can be
achieved when it is possible to link the project with theoretical theories
thus expanding on the theoretical importance. This study uses a
qualitative method that to ratify and expound on quantitative findings a
different but similar study, however, the qualitative results generalization
had no any specific concern.

Qualitative Reliability
Reliability in qualitative research is apprehensive with the consistency of
the researcher across different research stages. For instance, a research
that is carried through a focusing on a series of interviews should be
consistent in minimizing the bias that might be found among the
respondents. Reliability can be improved by adhering to a procedure
described below:

1. Ensuring that all interviewees follow a harmonized structure and

protocol of interview promoted consistency and reduced the possibility
of errors and biases.
2. Recording and transcription of each interview was done.
3. Double checking the interview transcripts to ensure no mistakes or
errors during transcription was done.
4. Ensured that the coding convention used was consistent
5. Codes were also cross-checked. Different coders were used to code
the same text, same result would confirm reliability.
6. The entire qualitative research process was made transparent, the
process is described in the later chapters.

Objectivity
 24

There are numerous factors that can affect the quality of data collected
from a qualitative research. Bias is one of the key objectivity which
emerges from an interview data collection depending on how the
questions are phrased and how the participants interpret them. For such
researches, it becomes necessary for the researchers to put their biases,
assumptions, and beliefs that are linked to their inquiries clearer.

Interviewee bias is also common during collection of qualitative data

through interviews. The bias is mostly intertwined with the perception
about the interviewee by the interviewer. The key cause of the bias is
because the interview is considered as an intrusive process and can result
to many biases, for instance, when the interviewee are very sensitive in
revealing sensitive information or when they withhold some information
with an aim of presenting them as socially. In this research this bias was
reduced by informing the interviewees and assuring them that their
information will be kept confidential and that there was no right or wrong
answer thus they should be honest as much as possible.

Participants from the research can also be a source of Bias in a research

project. To address the bias issue, much care was taken the qualitative
interviews sampling, the approach was essential as it ensured that the
selection of SNS users was done fairly with factors like, gender, age, skills,
adolescent among other factors were put into consideration.