Figure 8: Thematic Mapping | |
DM | Concepts of DM and attitudes towards channel Relevancy of DM and perception Frequency of DM and how this impacts action Personalisation and perception |
Digitisation | Scale of digitisation and impact on consumption Frequency of digital interactions Two-way conversation flow |
MCC | Combination of channels to build effectiveness Preferences change based on relevance and trust |
Consumer Behaviour | Avoidance behaviours to channels Post-purchase thinking High-involvement process impacts engagement |
3.3.5. LIMITATIONS
The limitations section is highly significant within the methodology, due to the multi-method data collection approach which has various implications to manage (Saunders et al. 2012).
PRIMARY DATA CONSIDERATIONS
For primary data, there are data-quality issues that must be considered owing to the semi-structured nature of interview questions:
Reliability: The absence of standardisation within the interview process could lead to issues surrounding reliability. For instance, Silverman (2007) challenges whether an alternative researcher would reveal similar findings.
Bias: This extends to issues surrounding bias, relating to interviewers and interviewees.
The interviewer has to consider the implications of subconsciously or unconsciously imposing self-beliefs on interviewees and trying to lead perspectives through comments, tone, or non-verbal behaviours.
For interviewees, the interview process can be intrusive, especially as its central goal is to explore unique perspectives. Social desirability or interviewee reluctance may therefore only provide a partial picture (Cottrell, 2014).
Generalisability: Statistical generalisability is an issue, specifically as the information collect while in-depth only represents a small sample (Cottrell, 2014).
Validity: As interviews are rich in data, they provide the capacity to infer meanings to a wider sample, but the validity of overall data would be exclusively dependent on how much participants are willing to share.
SECONDARY DATA CONSIDERATIONS
For secondary data, there are limitations to consider surrounding the case study data collection method:
Data Aggregation: As interviews are rich in data, they provide the capacity to infer meanings to a wider sample, but the validity of overall data would be exclusively dependent on how much participants are willing to share.
Quantifying Data Variables: Data may be difficult to quantify in relation to new research and so cannot be combined as a data set, referred to as measurement validity (Saunders et al. 2012).
3.3.6. ETHICS
As the limitations can have various implications for the practical value of the study, the ethics section presents a justified and informed ethical understanding of how the limitations will be managed
to improve generalisability and validity of findings (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Ethical Implications | ||
Ethical Implications | Applicability to Study | Ethical Management (Bryman & Bell, 2015) |
Reducing risk of harm | Social discomfort may be problematic. Avoiding participant coercion, social desirability and reluctance. Protecting sensitivity. | A consent declaration (Appendix 3) will outline research goals and increase participant confidence by defining suitable data protection consid |
