Sampling Method

4.1.4.1 Purposive Sampling Method

A purposive or judgmental sampling method was chosen as a way of soliciting participation from SMEs. This method is chosen because the researcher has specific reasons that relate to the research question in the study (Tongco, 2007). Furthermore, it is based on these conditions that a researcher sets out to identify likely informants for the study. The researcher’s choice and judgment was used to select the SMEs. The researcher’s background in earlier studies with ICT and e-commerce issues at the national level was useful to find relevant contacts with the private sector.

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At the beginning, a list of SME organisations was obtained from Botswana Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BOCCIM). This list was helpful as it had companies classified in each industry. In order to validate the existence of organisations on the BOCCIM list and to also solicit participation in the study, telephone calls were made to fifteen potential organisations to establish their physical location and willingness to participate. Each of the organisations were physically located and visited, and the researcher obtained permission to make an appointment with a key manager in charge of ICT in the firm (since e-commerce issues are generally undertaken by an ICT unit in most firms). For Botswana society, personal contacts are highly valued and they can determine whether one can successfully be trusted to engage with an organisation or not. The organisations so chosen would suit the characteristic of being able to provide such explanatory detail relating to the purpose of this study. From the minimum level of e-commerce adoption, a participating organisation needed to have adopted the Internet and e-mail applications to be able to participate. Another criterion included firms that had adopted the Internet, e-mail, and some website applications at some point in the past although they were not actively using these applications at the time of fieldwork. On the maximum level of e-commerce the researcher looked for organisations that could demonstrate some form of online buying and/or selling through their website or in combination with other ICT applications. Thus the selection of cases favoured a scenario that could represent SMEs from the minimum level of e-commerce adoption to any level as could be obtained from willing managers within the Botswana environment.

I contacted the responsible managers to explain the objectives of the research and to seek permission to undertake the study in their organisations. Consent was sought as to how long the interview would take and whether it could be recorded for further analysis. Interviews were scheduled for usually two hours duration but most interviewees were unwilling to commit this length of time claiming they were too busy with important issues. This appeared to be a drawback at the beginning of an engagement but with the passing of time, the key managers were very helpful in providing further access to their organisations in subsequent interview sessions. Subsequent interviews were more of follow-up, seeking clarification on

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issues raised in previous sessions and also probing on any new developments related to e- commerce development in the firm.

Great effort was made to ensure that the rights and welfare of the respondents to this study were protected. Informed consent was sought verbally from each respondent. I explained to the participating managers of the need to sign a consent letter, indicating that they were free to participate or to withdraw from the study at any time. The data protection component explained that the data collected would be confidential, and kept by the researcher for research purposes only, and not be revealed to any third party persons. It also stated that the data and information collected from the study would be kept by the researcher for six years and thereafter disposed of. The consent letters were written in English as the researcher expected that most SME managers were conversant with basic English (a sample is attached in the Appendix B2).

4.1.4.2 Choice of Industry

The choice of industry aligned with national development goals that are aimed at diversifying the economy of the country and reducing the over-reliance on diamond mining (IMF, 2007). The researcher focused on three industries; ICT, Tourism, and Manufacturing to provide an in-depth understanding of e-commerce adoption factors. These industries have already been introduced in section 1.2.3, although it suffices to summarise their significance in the study. The ICT industry provides ICT infrastructure and services to the public and the private sector. Thus, the researcher assumed that e-commerce adoption issues in this industry could provide some significant insights that can contribute to IS knowledge. The Government of Botswana is the biggest employer in the ICT sector (Maitlamo, 2004). The tourism industry, comprising hospitality, culture and travel industry utilises a lot of ICT to link up with tourists from within and outside Botswana. The manufacturing industry in this study comprises firms that manufacture foam products, bricks and concrete, and vehicle covers.

4.1.4.3 Number of Cases to study

This study was chosen to investigate e-commerce adoption issues in SMEs. Extant literature about SMEs and ICT was useful to guide the exploration of participating SMEs. The study by

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Duncombe and Heeks (1999) and the National ICT policy document (Maitlamo, 2004) indicate the basic nature of ICT use in Botswana SMEs. The studies also report that SMEs are more accustomed to establishing business relations through informal means rather than using ICT. Therefore, nine case studies, from each of the industries were selected. This number of cases is within the range from four to ten cases for in-depth analysis as recommended by Eisenhardt (1989).

The objective of this study has not been to generalise the findings (Mehrtens et al., 2001) but rather to provide an explanation of the natural development of e-commerce in SMEs, specifically; how and why SMEs use Internet and e-commerce, what factors influence the extent of e-commerce adoption, and how the interaction of factors determine the extent of e- commerce adoption in the firms.