Data Analysis Strategy

The data collected from the face-to-face interviews was analysed using thematic analysis.

Two forms of data analysis were employed in the course of the research, namely, within-case analysis and cross-within-case analysis. Within-within-case analysis included the analysis of transcripts from the face-to-face interviews, while cross-case analysis included analysis reflecting upon the final lists of social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement in the public and private sectors (Boyatsiz 1998).

For within-case analysis, thematic analysis was employed. Before the thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the data, the researcher transcribed all the interviews utilising the tape recordings and accompanying written notes. After all the conversations were transcribed, the researcher used steps in thematic analysis to analyse the data (Boyatzis 1998; Joffe and Yardley 2004). Thematic analysis is a process to be used with qualitative information (Boyatzis 1998).Boyatzis (1998, p.4) defined thematic analysis as:

A process for encoding qualitative information.The encoding requires an explicit

‘code’.This may be a list of themes; a complex model with the themes, indicators, and qualification that are causally related, or something in between these two forms.A theme is a pattern found in the information that at minimum describes and organises the possible observations and at maximum interprets aspects of phenomenon.

Thematic analysis is described by Boyatzis (1998) as a means of enabling scholars, observers and practitioners to use a wide variety of types of information in a systematic

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manner. This approach increases the accuracy or sensitivity of the scholars, observers and practitioners in understanding and interpreting observations about people, events, situations and organisations. Thematic analysis is similar to content analysis, but it also involves the more explicit qualitative analysis of the meaning of data within a particular context. Thematic analysis is useful for systematically identifying and describing features of qualitative data, specifically features that recur across many participants (Joffe and Yardley 2004). The identification of themes from the phenomenon being investigated can be undertaken at two levels, namely, the manifest level and the latent level (Boyatzis 1998). Thematic analysis enables the researcher to use both analytical levels at the same time (Boyatzis 1998):

1) The manifest analysis can be considered the analysis of visible or apparent content, or a trend which is directly observable in the information. The researcher can describe the sentences and phrases in which the respondents use it. In addition, the researcher can compare the use of the word to that of others in the respondents social group, social class or culture;

2) The latent analysis looks at the underlying aspects of the phenomenon under observation. This means to explain or understand the meaning of the word to the person, or the meaning of the word as it was used in a particular sentence or moment. The researcher can provide the meaning of the word through a definition of the word via the perspective of the social group.

In the present research, an inductive or raw-data driven approach was used to develop the thematic code, which meant that the researcher worked directly with the raw information gathered from the interviews with all the participants involved. For the purpose of inductively developing a thematic code, the researcher used the following three stages proposed by Boyatzis (1998):

Stage I – Deciding on sampling and design issues Selecting sub-samples

116 Stage II – Reducing the raw information

Identifying themes within sub-samples Comparing themes across sub-samples Creating a code

Determining the reliability of the code

Stage III Applying the code to the remaining raw information Determining validity

Interpreting results

In stage one of this research, as explained above (Section 4.3.3.1), the researcher used purposive sampling to select the interview subjects. In stage two, the researcher developed the coding. While developing the coding, the researcher paraphrased and summarised each piece of information, utilising an in-depth review of the transcript from each unit of research, ensuring close contact and familiarity with the information contained. For example, the interview transcript from the procurer side of Multimedia University, as part of the public sector, was reviewed in order to search for the social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement. At first, the researcher identified themes within the sub-samples. For instance, the themes were identified individually from the interviewees such as the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement and the Procurement Manager, as procurers from the public sector. Then the researcher compared the themes across the samples identified from both the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement and the Procurement Manager, in order to identify similarities and differences in the themes.

In identifying the themes that related to the social issues, the researcher had identified several other factors that can influence negotiation in e-procurement environment such as the products procured, procurement policy and other related organizations involved with procuring organization. The factor of products procured had been identified via the interview questions that had been set-up. In regards to the procurement policy, the researcher identified it from the secondary data provided via the organization’s website

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and the pamphlets provided by the interviewee. Other organizations involved in negotiation process were another factors influence negotiation in e-procurement had been identified from the interview with interviewee. Most of the interviewees were mentioning about other organization’s name that related to them in procuring goods rather than only the selected supplier interviewed by the researcher. The process of identifying the factors influence negotiation in e-procurement mentioned above was straightforward because the sources were direct. On the other hand the processes of identifying themes related to the social issues were complex.

An example of how the researcher created the themes related to the social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement is presented in Table 4.5, and the details of the themes created can be reviewed in Appendix C. Table 4.5 shows one of the categories or themes created for the social issues that influence negotiation in e-procurement at Multimedia University from the procurer perspective. An example of this category or theme is the relationship created between the procurer and supplier.

Table 4.5: Coding process for the social issues that influence negotiation in e-procurement Case One – Multimedia University Public sector

Interviewee: Procurement Manager (MUP1)

Category/Theme Term in category Interviewee

Relationship with supplier

Long-term relationships “We went to tender some time ago and we had selected preferred suppliers for relationship with suppliers even you drop the suppliers for that period, you still want to maintain good relationship with previous supplier’s market because how you treat their market can also improve the service such as get a better price in

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future” (PG7)

Managing relationship “There is somebody in this university that requires to manage a face-to-face relationship with current supplier, if the procurement department decide to change to a new supplier, the negotiation process with the new one will run smoothly you need to share information and do a lot of things” (PG9)

After identifying the themes from Multimedia University from the procurer perspective, the researcher identified the themes from the supplier perspective. Once this was completed, in stage three, the researcher applied all the themes identified from the procurer and suppliers at Multimedia University as a public sector organisation to the procurer and supplier at Technology University, Car Manufacturing Company and Aviation Company. This was to ensure that the data analysis to find social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement was saturated. The researcher proceeded with the cross-case analysis once the within-case analysis was completed.

Cross-case analysis in this research was used to identify and investigate similarities and differences in the identified social issues influencing negotiation in the sourcing process in e-procurement. Specifically, cross-case analysis considered the similarities and differences in social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement from the perspective of procurers and suppliers in the public and private sectors. Likewise, the analysis considered the similarities and differences in how e-procurement is used in the public and private sectors, the impact of the social issues on negotiation in the sourcing process in procurement, and the impact of social issues on negotiation in the sourcing process in e-procurement from an ANT perspective.

The details of the social issues influencing negotiation in e-procurement within the public and private sectors for the within-case study analysis are described in Chapters 5, 6, 7 and

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8 and the cross-case analysis is described in Chapter 9. In order to ensure the data analysis prepared by the researcher was valid and reliable, the following section explains the reliability and validity issues for this research.