Retrieving the Data

The first step of the empirical investigation consists in identifying the sources from which to gather the relevant data to be used for the empirical analysis. In order to provide a comprehensive account of the way in which iRobot constructs its self-image, the selection includes both primary and secondary sources, i.e. original, unedited, and 'first-hand' data, and 'second-hand', edited, and interpreted material, respectively (Pierce, 2008: 80). The primary sources are the firm's website, its YouTube channel called iRobot iTube, its press releases, and the STEM Facebook page; the data collected from these constitute the bulk of the empirical material. The secondary ones are publicly available articles containing interviews to the firm's spokespeople or statements made by them.

The website is considered a particularly important source of data, because this is where iRobot most explicitly develops it self-image. Furthermore the website is also likely to be one of the main points of contact between the firm and the broader public. There are several studies on private military and security companies (PMSCs) that consider websites as a key source of information on how these companies build their self-image and develop their self-promotion (Chisholm, 2014a; 2014b; Leander, 2005: 822; Joachim and Schneiker, 2012a; 2012b). Joachim and Schneiker have published several studies centred on the study of homepages of PMSC websites. They argue that homepages are crucial instruments through which PMSCs can 'construct and constitute

their identities' (Joachim and Schneiker, 2012b: 254) and 'shape and influence their public image' (Joachim and Schneiker, 2012a: 500).

In a similar vein, the iRobot iTube channel is another means through which the firm can build its self-image and that shows the firm's willingness to increase its web presence. Finally, press releases, Facebook pages and articles with interviews to the firm's spokespeople also contribute to spreading a specific image on the part of the firm; both sources contain official statements, which reflect the way in which the firm wants to appear in the media.

The following step consists of gathering the relevant data from these sources. Prior to commencing, it is necessary to establish the guiding criteria for data collection, in order to ensure both a systematic and targeted data collection. The rationale for this is that without a clear research focus, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of data (Eisenhardt, 1989: 536). For that reason, it is necessary to state the purpose of the investigation as clearly as possible, as it facilitates moving in the right direction when looking for relevant evidence (Yin, 2003). Since the overall research objective is to find out what makes iRobot's branding and marketing strategy successful in US consumer markets, the data collection is geared towards capturing the ideas that emerge from it; these will then be used for process tracing. The data collection is therefore focused on gathering data that shows how the firm constructs its military character, i.e. when iRobot makes reference to the military theme, either through textual, visual or audio-visual means. These various elements are selected for the analysis, as it is through them that the firm conveys its narrative at the societal level.

An issue that had to be addressed in order to ensure a systematic data collection is the complexity of some of the primary sources investigated. In the press releases,

which are accessible on the firm's website, the data is readily available in textual form, therefore collecting the data on iRobot making reference to its military character is a relatively straightforward process, once the criteria for data collection are established. However, gathering data from both the website and the iRobot iTube channel is a more complicated enterprise. iRobot's website has an intricate structure; it includes a plethora of links and paths. It also provides textual and visual data, together with some audio- video data. In order to ensure a rigorous data collection from the website, a complete site map was drawn in April 2012. This allowed me to explore the website systematically and compose a write-up containing the "military-themed" portions of texts and notes on both the images and the videos present on the website in January 2012. Some data was also retrieved after 2012. As Eisenhardt points out, if a new data collection opportunity arises, it should be taken advantage of (1989: 539).

Thanks to the Wayback Machine, a digital archive that grants access to iRobot's website from 2000 onwards, I have also access to the homepages of the firm's website from 2000 until the present day. While it would be interesting to explore the website in greater depth at various historical times, this would be too time-consuming and the amount of data would be overwhelming; the option had therefore to be discarded. At the same time, the relevance of homepages alone should not be downplayed. As Joachim and Schneiker's work suggests (2012a; 2012b), homepages offer important insights into the way in which military firms construct their self-image, both textually and visually. An analysis of the homepages over a time span of 15 years can help develop an understanding of the way in which the firm has progressively attempted to build its image, in order to establish whether iRobot followed some pattern. In particular, the availability of pre- and post- 9/11 data can show if the terrorist attacks had an impact on iRobot and the firm's strategy.

I then proceed to collect data from the iTube iRobot YouTube channel and the STEM Facebook page, looking for both textual and audio-visual material where the military theme is present. In order to facilitate the ensuing step of the investigation, I proceed to create a write-up for each source, containing the transcriptions of the relevant portions of audio for each relevant video and notes on the videos and images used. This step is facilitated by the small number of videos and images uploaded.

Finally, I carry out a web-based search for articles containing official statements and interviews with company spokespeople. The search is made by looking for documents containing the keywords "iRobot and military and Roomba". These keywords are selected as documents containing both are expected to contain data on the way in which iRobot emphasises its military character when advertising its domestic products. At the end of this step of the investigation, I will have compiled several detailed write-ups, which contain the relevant data for each source of data (Pierce, 2008: 178). As Eisenhardt (1989: 540) points out, the relevance of write-ups lies in their ability to help the researcher to cope with the big volumes of data, particularly at the beginning of the analytical process.