Chapter 2. Research Method
2.1 Case Study
The present study aims at a generalized explanation of an observed reality;
thus, not only face-‐to-‐face interviews will be delivered, interviewees’ inferences given in interviews will be studied. First, the case of Korean firms in Taiwan will be introduced. Second, various categories of the industries operating in Taiwan are discussed. Third, the development of questionnaires as well as the deliverance of these questionnaire set is explained.
Case study research is selected as an empirical research strategy for the present study, focusing observations of the subjects in the phenomena.
Answering the questions of “why” and “how,” case study research entitles researcher to gain understanding and insights on the specific context and also of the overall context (Yin, 2003). Information can be obtained through 6 ways:
document, taking-‐notes, interviews, direct observation, participant observation, and use of entities. The origins of these sources vary, and their strengths and weaknesses can overlap making the research more complete and whole.
Therefore, the variety of sources can be included as much as possible (ibid, 2003). Case study research can furthermore be divided into 5 categories.
Yin(2003) elaborates the conditions of the single case study design as below 1) discussions and examinations on the existing theory 2) representative incidences 3) not-‐common, unique phenomena 4) phenomena that cannot be explained scientifically and 5) single-‐case longitudinal research.
Observations from attendance at meetings and tour at the firm as well as either three general questions (See Appen. I) or detailed have been used (See Appen. II). But limited number of second-‐hand data archival sources such as documents, historical records, organizational charts, and production statistics are used. As the matter of selection of cases, a list of Korean companies in Taiwan is gathered and retrieved from database of KOTRA (Korean Trade Association). Through single case design with representatives of Korean firms, qualitative data will be obtained through in-‐depth face-‐to-‐face interviews.
Corporate interviews delivered in open-‐ended questions in semi-‐structured
manner have been an effective qualitative research method and are known for its sensitivity towards historical, organizational, and strategic complexity, in which enables researchers to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-‐life events (Barratt et al. 2011). The aim for using corporate interviews in open-‐ended questions is to understand corporate’s locational strategies such as firm’s own history and circumstances in the context of its competitive strategies, specifically, relationship to its markets, product technology, production methods, labor relations, and the behavior of its competitors and the likes (Schoenberger, 1991). Although general questions were prepared in advance, but for numerous of interviews, self-‐administered questionnaire is used, which enabled me to probe vague answers or ask interviewees for clarity and details and respondents could take the questionnaire at their own paces (Healey, 1993).
Case studies, the prime methodology of this research, are employed with the aim of theory development. This method allows researchers’ employment of an inductive logic and the use of various methods to collect primarily qualitative data from which to develop relevant and testable theories, through which the reliability and validity of the data of this research is supported (Barratt et al.
2011). The higher the level of consistency between the emergent theory and existing theory, the higher the external validity achieved.
The Korean-‐born Chinese background facilitated obtaining information for this research because interviewers were not afraid of revealing what they really think about Taiwanese, and Taiwanese, without any hesitation, talked about their perceptions about Korea to me. My background allowed me to be and to be seen neutral. Despite a few rejections at the beginning of cold calls, Korean representatives of branch office in Taipei readily approve because I was speaking Korean language. Knowing the Korean culture was also useful in interview setting. I have interviewed only one Taiwanese woman and rest of the interviewees was Korean men, whom are expected to have traditional cultural sense in terms of interactions during the interview. For example, I would respect the situation that I am in by wearing formal clothes and putting-‐on make-‐up. I would agree to confirm as a response in most of their sayings. The common ground with their sons and daughters going to
international school helped to make the conversations richer, as my background appealed to Korean representatives more. In fact, by the end of the interview, though at my request, they have introduced me to their friends in Taiwan.
Therefore, getting interviews became easier with their contacts, and the majority of the industries listed out on the directory of Korean companies in Taiwan are covered.
Although the selection of case studies were carefully thought out, the interviews were opportunistically-‐derived because the interview appointments were arranged only when they agree on the cold calls, or on the basis of the interviewee’s connections. The variety of cases in across most of all industries, case studies with contrasting characteristics, more robust and testable theory is to be established, achieving the production of results that captures complexity of the world that the social phenomena are happening. One of the drawbacks is lack of control on the selection of the respondents, and for example, a respondent had lack of experience in handling the business in Taiwanese market, and he could not give clear answers to my questions.
Case study research began with interviewing numbers of Korean companies operating in Taiwan that are vary in size and business activities, to obtain in-‐depth information about the ways they go about in operating in Taiwan as a foreign firm. The case study is delivered in open-‐ended questions where their history of being in the place that they are at, the conventions and reflexivity that have been used in the network is examined. In addition to understand the ways they form networks and acquire information about the market, I was also interested in the challenges they face in regards to the perception of ‘Koreanness’
in the market.
In corporate interviews, whether it be standardized or non-‐standardized interviews, the problem of control is always evident. Interviewer leads the witness and they have excessive control over the respondents, the interviewer generally assumes to be in a greater authority and control because the interviewer sets the agenda (Schoenberger, 1991). Therefore, it was not easy to carry out research on the “top management” group who are usually older men with traditional cultural values and expect to have the authority and control over
the conversations. In addition, my lack of professional knowledge of the industry that I interviewed limited the amount of control that I had for conducting interviews with companies in a wide range of industries. Many technical terms that the interviewees were used in the process prolonged the interview process with many clarifications and elaborations of details. This, in turn, produced richer data in the context and giving the respondent an active role to work around the order or the form of the questions in the interview, and open-‐ended questions afforded some advantages (Healey 1993; Schoenberger, 1991).
Being well-‐informed about the firm and the business that the firm is in prior to the interview will reassure the respondents that the researcher knows the discussion well, and the respondents will both likely to be more open and detailed but will also more likely allow the researcher to control the general direction of the interview (Schoenberger 1991).
Therefore, I’d not only make preparations of the knowledge that would apply well for the discussion, but would also come up with key words that would allow me to continue the interview without a long pause and would also more likely to generate rich data via greater story-‐telling opportunities (Healey 1993).
Starting an interview on the right note is important, and many interviews conducted from many types of field such as journalism, economics and so on specifically start with comments and questions where the key words are quite vague or ambiguous. This way would invite the interviewee to describe them in his own terms relating to his own personal experience.