Progress Update 4

I am still writing up my Research Design document.  I am a slow writer, as you can see.  It's been over a month, and I have come up with about 15 pages in all so far. 

It is now mostly done.  I just need to touch up and hopefully it will be completed in a few days' time.

It has been good to get words out on paper, in my opinion, even though I had wanted this done way earlier.  I think it is alright, because the writing process made me think a lot more and consider many things I had not thought of previously.

Interestingly, it has made me even more eager to get started.  I had doubts about Grounded Theory (still do), but I think I am more sure than before this is something In want to do, and that the Glaserian version is what I will be going with.

The one big thing that has really jumped out at me has been the idea of CONCEPTUALIZATION.

Glaser's method is steeped in the abiltiy of the researcher to conceptualize, that is to elevate data to the conceptual level.  I think this, more than anything, clinches the Glaserian model for me.

I understand it is a difficult skill, and Glaser (among others) have warned about the difficulties that novice researchers (like me) may face undertaking a conceptualization effort like this.  But I also have had more than one person advise me that is it is not challenging enough, it is probably not worth doing it.  Strauss' method is descriptive, which meshed with my original thoughts about this project, but now I think the real value is to be able to draw some conceptual results from this study.  So in a sense, some of the original ideas that I had going into this project has been somewhat altered.

So I think this is going to be a key thing for my PhD study.  The opportunity to learn to conceptualize, through this project.

It also means I will need to work on my THEORETICAL SENSITIVITY training.  I have pulled together some references and resources on these and I will be going through them soon.

I am excited, and I can't wait to start.

At the same time, there is also a number of things to take care of, which I had blogged about in the previous UPDATE, so I will attend to those items before I enter the field.

I will try to integrate the Research Design into a Proposal and I hope to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

My wife and daughter are taking a one-week trip to Singapore in June (Gawai).  I will miss them, but it will also free me up to work without distraction.

Update 3

I am presently working on writing up my Research Design.

In a way, it is like a Proposal because I am finding that I have to address many of the areas usually found in a proposal.

At any rate it is good because this gives me a chance to get down on paper the things I have read and learned.

I find that my OUTPUT / WRITING is lagging behind my INPUT / THINGS I LEARN.  I find that it is better to write things down before I forget them, as I seem to have done so in many instances.  This is a waste of time because I will have to go back to look for it later on.  So, I am trying to compose the research design so that I can commit to paper what I have accumulated and what I have decided on, based on what I have learned so far.

This will take sometime to do because I find the writing process to be disjointed at best.  What I mean is that it is hard to find a big chunk of time to commit to this task.  Often I am interrupted by having to attend to the necessary like attending classes, meetings, consultations with students, etc.

Thus, the last month has been less productive for me in terms of trying to get my writing going.  Still, I hope to be able to get the Research Design done by the end of April (not sure if this is over or under-ambitious, but I just need a deadline for myself).

After this is done, I hope to be able to attend to a few other things:

• writing a conference paper on blogshops 
• writing a paper on Grounded Theory design for website analysis (I hope the research design that I am working on now will shed some light later on the feasibility of this paper) 

Some other issues I have that I need to attend to eventually are:

• When does the Ethics application come into play?  Do I apply for Ethics clearance before or after doing the Proposal?
• When should I present the proposal?  The Research Higher Degrees Policy and Procedures document says at the end of the first year, so we will need to fix a date soon.
• When should I enter the field and start the sampling and data collection process?  Grounded theory prescribes doing this as soon as possible, so unless there are good reasons, I think I should be able to begin this anytime after completion of the research design.

Progress Update 2

 Reading the Literature

I spent the most of January and February reading the literature on eCommerce.  I still have some more areas to read on, especially in micro-enterprises and eCommerce in the Malaysian/Singaporean contexts, but I have since moved on to focus on Grounded Theory.

Grounded Theory dictates that my reading of the literature should not create any bias or result in the formulation of hypotheses, but that theoretical sensitivity should emerge.  I find this to be quite a challenge- that is, to gain wide understanding of the theory and not have hypothetical expectations.  I think the trick is to read enough to gain a broad understanding of the underlying theories and concepts, and to start the study as soon as possible (as suggested by many Grounded Theory researchers)

A lot of the literature on Grounded Theory is in the context of social research, especially in the area of nursing, while Goulding and Douglas have done business-related studies using Grounded Theory.

I find Grounded Theory fascinating and I am glad that I will be using this methodology for this project.  At the same time, I also find it extremely challenging, especially the coding paradigms, the practical aspects of which I am still trying to get a handle of.

I have ordered Glaser and Strauss' 1967 seminal work 'Discovery of Grounded Theory' (the book taht started it all), which should arrive at the end of the month.  In the meantime, I am reading Strauss and Corbin's Basics of Qualitative Research' book.

I think these readings are important for me as one major issue I have is whether to use Glaser's or Strauss'  version of Grounded Theory.  I also hope to be able to read Glaser's 1992 work where he confronted the Straussian approach.

Workshops, software, and online resources
 
I attended an End Notes session last week, which was organized by the Info Resources dept.  It was certainly rewarding.  I have installed the software into my work pc, so this week, I shall be uploading references into End Notes.

I have also signed up for a Grounded Theory workshop to be held in Taylor's University College, Subang Jaya, KL on 19 March.

I am looking forward to meeting some people and interacting with them.  I have many questions I hope can be resolved (somewhat) regarding the use of Grounded Theory for this project.  The workshop will emphasize the Glaserian school.  Among the issues I would like to seek clarification at this workshop:

• how can I decide if the Glaserian or the Straussian model is more suitable for my project? 
• how to apply Grounded Theory analysis on quantitative data? Or is this even necessary?
• I hope to get some hands-on practice on analysis and coding, so I will know how this is actually done

I have also checked out the Nvivo software which is, from my understanding, a qualitative analysis tool that can be used for Grounded Theory research.  It is quite expensive and there is a restriction on the access to the software so I will only purchase and install this when it comes to time for analysis.

I have signed up to be a member of the Grounded Theory Institute.  I hope this will prove helpful somehow because so far, the forum has no one posting, and I had to pay to be a member! 

I have also signed up to be a member of Methodspace, an online community for researchers.

Other Issues

The last couple of weeks have been more devoted to getting ready for the new semester which begins this week.  I have had to spend time on meetings, unit outlines, and all the usual things that are necessary to get ready for the new semester.  I am still determined to allocate a good chunk of time to this project despite the semester starting.  The aim right now is to get the major issues with Grounded Theory resolved by the end of the month so that I can start into the Research Design phase.

Thanks for reading!

Plan: January - June 2010

The following is a plan of what I hope to accomplish in the period January 2010 thru' June 2010, to kick off the project:

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Literature Review

Since blogshops represent a type of online retail model, the literature review should cover grounds pertaining to online commerce.

Hence, the objective of the literature review is to obtain a summary and sound understanding of the development in eCommerce, to accomplish the following purposes:

1. To establish context and perspective by summarizing what has has been done in this area, what gaps exist and how my project can build on existing knowledge and ideas

2. To provide background knowledge and theoretical underpinnings for understanding of eCommerce and Web-based enterprises, especially in relation to eCommerce models

3. To identify ideas, information and research methods relevant to my project.

I would also expect the literature review to focus on the following areas:

1.   General and recent developments in eCommerce


2.  eCommerce models

• existing online commerce models, including classifications/types of online retail (known as e-tailers)
  
• success factors for eCommerce ventures 
• issues pertaining to online commerce like trust (with special attention to regional contexts)
  

3.  Blogs

• the development and versatility of blogs
• the impact of blogs on society
  

4. Young entrepreneurs and consumers in Malaysia and Singapore  

• participation  in eCommerce
• issues and factors affecting their involvement in the digital economy 

Research Methodology



1. Grounded Theory


As this project will entail the use of Grounded Theory, I will have to get myself acquainted with it and make sure I understand how to apply it in this project.


I will have to look up books and other materials.






Data Gathering

Data gathering will be done through:


1. Interviews with blogshop owners and customers.

I will have to compile a list of people to inteview. 


The list shall be drawn from blogshop directories and other resources like Facebook where blogshops have a presence.  


The list shall include blogshops that are Malaysian, Singaporean and 'Others'.



2. Observations/analysis of blogshops

To describe blogshops, I will have to catalogue their unique features and behaviors.

Thus, I will need to list specific eCommerce website features to be examined later.

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I think this should occupy me for the next six months.

I will blog as much as I can as I go along.

You are more than welcome to make comments and provide feedback.

THANKS!