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TRANSCRIPT
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Invitation to Research
CASE STUDY: eBusiness Research
Roger Clarke , Xamax Consultancy, Canberra
Visiting Professor, CSIS, Uni of Hong KongVisiting Fellow, Australian National University
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/...
...Res /70-eBus.ppt
ebs, 16-20 January 2003
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Characteristics of e-BusinessNew and Exciting
Y outhfulness (although no longer virginterritory or a green-fields site)Rapid ChangeHype-QuotientCasino-Mentality / dot.com fervour
(now given way to dot.bomb negativity?)Inevitable Turkey-Factor
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Characteristics of e-Business
Instability of the PhenomenaRapid Change in:
Technologies and Processes
ApplicationsParticipant Behaviour Perceptions of Need
Rates of Change still increasingD irections of Change multiplyingTo date, Limited Convergence, Maturation
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Characteristics of e-BusinessAdditional Confounding Variables
G eographical Unboundedness
Cultural VariationIll-D efinedness of Cultural Boundaries
All compounded by Cultural Ignorance
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The Practice of e-Business ResearchThe Audience(s)
O ther ResearchersResearch G rants O rganisations
Technology / Process D evelopersUser O rganisationsPolicy WorkersInvestors
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Research in e-BusinessWhat Sponsoring Audiences Want
New Technologies / Processes
Understanding About ThemProfitThe Right Answersor at least not the wrong onesThe Right Motivation, Foci, O utcomes
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Intrumentalist Research in eBusinessAlternative Foci
Technology / ProcessWhat is it?ApplicationsWhat do I do with it?Adoption, ImpedimentsHow can I make sure it gets used?Impact
What are/will be first-order effects?ImplicationsWhat are/will be its second-order effects?
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e-Business Research 1993-2000
38 papers in the leading 'issues' journal, plus3 7 in 5 selected (non-EC) research journalsin the issues journal:
2 5 theory, 1 survey, 8 case studies, 4 field studies
in the 5 research journals:10 theory11 surveys, 3 interviews, 14 case studies, 1 field study
ED I as subject-matter:16 / 3 7 in the research journals
0 / 38 in the issues journal
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Common Problems Methods
Convenience Reference Theories applied unquestioninglyRogers innovation diffusion theoryHofstedes cultural factors theoryWilliamsons transaction costs theory
Semi-structured interviews masquerade as case studiesLone Cases, Shallow Cases, Pseudo-CasesConsultancy as [Action] ResearchSurveys are used as the sole technique even when:
in-depth information is needed as wellin-depth information is needed instead
O ver-surveyed populations avoid responding
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Common Problems Surveys
Unclear Survey O bjectives, and Survey D esign G enerallyUnclear D efinition of Population, Sampling Frame, SampleConvenience Samples, and Proxies instead of Principals
Principal-Agent Problem Uncontrolled (Unappreciated?)Respondent D iversity Enormous and UncontrolledHighly Ambiguous Terminology D ifferentially InterpretedLists of Likert or not D ata, Masquerading as InformationResponse-Rate Too LowResponse-Count Too LowNon-Response Bias Inadequately Considered
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(Foddy)
Answers to factual questions are often wrongWhat Respondents say and do are often differentRespondents attitudes and opinions are unstableSmall changes in wording can produce major changes in thedistibution of responsesRespondents commonly misinterpret questionsThe sequence of questions affects answersThe sequence of options affects answersO pen-ended and closed-ended ways of asking the same
question elicit different resultsMany respondents who dont know answer anywayCultural context affects answers
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e- us ness esearcCommon Problems Research
ManagementInadequate Relevance to attract industry fundingInadequate Resourcing to achieve the aims:
Researcher Time
Supervisor TimeTravel CostsInfrastructure CostsSupport Staffing
Inadequate Timeframe:grant request, grant, candidate search, candidate preptime-variant phenomena demand longitudinal study
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e-Business Research
Population Stratification BUSINESSThe Mythical SME:
Micro-Enterprises (0- 3 employees)Small Business Enterprises ( 3 - 2 0/100/ 2 00)
Medium-Sized Business Enterprises (on up to 500)
Large Business Enterprises (500 - 5,000)
Conglomerates, Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
Independent Business Units ( , S, M, L)
Virtual Business Enterprises ( D ynamic Networks)
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e-Business ResearchPopulation Stratification GOVERNMENT
By Function :Service D elivery:
InsourcedO utsourced(Purchaser/Provider)
RegulatoryPolicy
By Level :Supra-National
NationalRegional / State /Province / Land /Canton / ...
Local
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e-Business ResearchPopulation Stratification
NON-PROFIT / NOT-FOR-PROFITS
Industry Associations (industry sector)Chambers of Commerce (regional)
Labour Unions
Charities
Co-operatives (economic purpose)
Community Associations (P&C, Sport, etc.)...
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Non-Empirical Research Techniques
A Taxonomy (8)Review of Existing LiteratureScholarshipConceptual Research(Contemplative, Armchair)
Futurism, especially D elphi RoundsScenario-BuildingG ame-Playing or Role-PlayingAnalytical and Simulation Modelling
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Scientific Research TechniquesA Taxonomy (3+5)
Laboratory ExperimentationField Experimentation andQuasi-Experimental D esignsForecasting
...
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Interpretivist Research TechniquesA Taxonomy (5+5)
D escriptive/Interpretive
Focus G roupAction ResearchEthnographic ResearchG rounded Theory...
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Research Techniques at the Boundary of Scientific and Interpretivist Research
A Taxonomy (5)
Field StudyQuestionnaire-Based SurveyInterview-Based SurveyCase Study
Secondary Research
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Engineering Research TechniquesA Taxonomy (5)
Construction of an ArtefactConception (based on a body of theory)D esign / Creation / Prototyping / TestingApplication
Destruction of an ArtefactTesting
Application
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e-Business ResearchParticularly Suitable Research Techniques
Field Study / Observation / Case Studiescomplemented by D ocuments, Interviews, small Surveys
Laboratory Experimentation :Prototype D evelopmentPrototype UsageProduct Usage, but by Real People, not Proxies
Field Experimentation :Metricated Trial Applications
Surveys of tightly-defined and -segmented populations
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Research in e-Business
Concluding ObservationsA Research D omain, not a D isciplineIn need of the insights of multiple disciplinesIll-served by existing bodies of theoryBreadth and depth are both needed, butholism and integration are very challengingA Research Method generally requires severalcomplementary Research TechniquesRelevance as O bjective; Rigour as ConstraintTechnology, Apps, Implications and Policy