Construction of the Interview Schedule

“A wise man’s question contains half the answer.”

Solomon Ibn Gabirol (1042)

As recommended by Patton (1987, 2002), this study utilised a ‘standardised open-ended interview’(“SOEI”) conducted with twelve participants (refer Appendix A).

Questions were carefully worded and arranged for the purpose of taking each respondent through the same sequence, and asking each respondent the same questions with essentially the same words. In using this approach, flexibility in probing is more or less limited, and is largely dependent on the nature of each interview along with the skills of the interviewer/researcher.

The SOEI is very useful when it is important to minimise variation in the questions posed to interviewees, hence reducing the bias that can occur from having different interviews for different people. By using a SOEI approach, the problem of obtaining a great deal of data from certain persons while getting less systematic information from others is eradicated. It was desirable to have the same information from each person interviewed, as it assisted in the construction of themes and, in the process, the development of a new theory in the area of crisis management.

Patton (2002, p.346) states that there are four major reasons for using a SOEI:

(1) The exact instrument used in the evaluation is available for inspection by those who will use the findings of the study.

(2) Variation among interviewers can be minimised where a number of different interviewers must be used.

(3) The interview is highly focused so that the interview time is used efficiently. (4) Analysis is facilitated by making responses easy to find and compare.

In this study, only one interviewer (the researcher) was utilised, to ensure consistency. Ueltzhöffer and Ascheberg (1999) stress that using in-depth interviews in qualitative research creates an authentic dialogue between the researcher and respondents. According to

The interview schedule contained 123 questions (see Appendix A). The questions that were included in this research were constructed based on the literature that was collected on issues pertaining to managing a crisis in a business, and the theory that had been generated from this literature. Some of the key theoretical concepts that emerged in the literature and which formed part of the questions, were grouped under the following headings:

A. Basic Business Details (15 questions)

B. Management Team and Training (5 questions plus Training & Experience Matrix)

C. Use of External Consultants (5 questions) D. Business Continuity Planning (14 questions) E. Information Technology (10 questions) F. Building Ownership and Use (5 questions) G. Insurance (2 questions)

H. Adequacy of Insurance (4 questions including matrix on Adequacy & Type of Coverage)

I. Stakeholders (6 questions including matrix on Stakeholder Involvement) J. Financial Variables (7 questions including matrix on Timeliness of Insurance

Proceeds)

K. Timing Issues (10 questions including matrix on Timing of Notice to Stakeholders)

L. Previous Losses (11 questions) M. Details of Crisis (17 questions)

N. Post-Crisis Analysis (12 questions including matrix on Major Variables on Survival/Failure)

The core questions of the interviews were derived only after an exhaustive review of the literature on strategy and crisis management. Participants were allowed, in some instances, to range broadly but coverage of key topics was ensured. Patton (1987) suggests that by using interviewing, it allows the evaluator to enter another person’s world, in order to understand the person’s perspective. This research observed how the interviewees have organised their world, and the meanings they attach to what goes on in their world.

In preparation for the interviews, the researcher attended post-graduate training on qualitative inquiry, and was taught by an accomplished qualitative researcher how to undertake in-depth interviews. According to Denzin and Lincoln (2003), a qualitative research design requires the researcher to become the research instrument. This in turn means the researcher must have the ability to observe behaviour and must sharpen the skills that are needed for observation and face-to-face interview. They compare the qualitative researcher with a dancer and choreographer, where the researcher must be in tune with the body: “The eyes must be taught to see, the ears must be taught to hear”.

It has been suggested that before researchers devote themselves to the arduous and significant time commitments of qualitative studies, it is a good idea for them to do some background work, or what some authors refer to as ‘stretching exercises’. These stretching exercises allow prospective qualitative researchers to practise interview, observation, writing, reflection, and artistic skills to refine their research instruments, which are the researchers themselves. In addition, the researcher may use pre-interviews to test certain questions (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998).

Initially, as part of the study, two interviews were conducted to pre-test the interview format and determine the relevance and depth of the data obtained in the interview. These interviews revealed that the semi-structured interview style format and topic guide allowed participants to comfortably provide a great deal of detail concerning the business ownership and history, and the effects of the crisis on the business.

In line with conventional methodology founded and proposed by various authors (Carson et al. 2001; Miles and Huberman 1987; Patton 1987, 2002; Tesch 1990; Wolcott 1994), the final interview questions were created after a careful collection and analysis of literature in the field, and testing on two case studies. This process took more than one year to complete. There was careful consideration given to the wording of each question in relation to its development and appropriateness. The basic purpose of using SOEI is to minimise interviewer effects. The approach makes the interview more systematic and helps reduce interviewer judgement (Tesch 1990).

The SOEI also makes data analysis easier because it is possible to locate each respondent’s answer to the same question rather quickly, and to organise questions and answers that are similar (Patton, 1987). Although the data obtained using this approach is still open-ended in the sense that the respondent supplies his or her own words, thoughts, and insights in answering the questions, the precise wording of the questions is predetermined. There are some constraints placed on the use of different lines of questioning with different people based on their unique experiences. Hence, a SOEI approach reduced the extent to which individual differences and circumstances can be taken into account (Patton 1987, 2002). This was achieved in this research by allowing the interviewee the opportunity of adding any additional issues that they wanted to raise once all questioning using the SOEI approach had been completed.