1.6 Research methodology
The descriptive research framework was used to collect and
analyse the data for this study, since the research itself falls under
descriptive research. The study was conducted using the following source
layout: for the qualitative study, the primary source was a case study
involving the exploratory method. The secondary source was an exhaustive
literature review of the research topics. In addition to the literature review,
self-administered questionnaires were used for the findings based on the
empirical part of the study.
1.7 Methods of collecting data
1.7.1 Methods of collecting quantitative data
To facilitate the achievement of the research objectives and
proving of the hypotheses, a self-
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administered questionnaire survey and structured telephone
interviews were used.
The data collection tool for the quantitative part of the
research was based on the self-administered questionnaire survey, which was
compiled in accordance with the research problem, the primary and the secondary
research objectives and hypotheses in answering hypothesis 3 (H3) of this
study. For this reason the questionnaires were structured in two different
formats, targeting the CEOs/CIOs, and the managers and end-users of SAP
software in the different MNEs. The data for the qualitative study was
collected from various sources, including appropriate textbooks and Web-based
documents to back the discussion with the case study. Thus, the qualitative
study is linked with different paragraphs in chapters 2, 3 and 4, in accordance
with the research problem, primary and secondary objectives and hypotheses as
stated.
1.7.2 Population
The key informants in the preliminary exploratory interview
were IT managers. The researcher requested their participation in the survey.
This allowed the researcher to compile a list of the companies utilising ERP
system software for the self-administered surveys in this study.
1.7.3 Respondents
The respondents for this study were five MNEs (two in the
banking sector and three in the manufacturing sector) and involved the
CEOs/CIOs, managers (general, senior, middle and junior) and the end-users
operating SAP software within the IT department as a functional segment of the
MNEs selected. In the qualitative study, Axapta was one of the software systems
selected to be assessed due to its integrative status. For the quantitative
study, SAP software was selected due to its popularity and utilisation in the
MNEs randomly selected through the preliminary telephone interviews. The
targeted MNEs were selected randomly from a sampling list of the companies
operating in South Africa (CIS, 2000-2001).
1.7.4 Sampling method and sample size
The sampling method used in this study to draw the
representative samples of employees in the MNEs was the probability sampling
design, involving simple random samples. The sample size of this study
constituted 375 respondents involving five MNEs. Two separate questionnaire
formats were used, the first targeting the five CEOs/CIOs and the second the 30
managers on different
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levels and the 44 end-users of all five MNEs.
1.7.5 Data analysis
The results of the discussion of the different topics assessed
in the literature review are compared with Axapta software as a case study,
highlighted in a qualitative manner. In addition to the quantitative results,
the questionnaire data collected from MNEs was analysed using different
measuring instruments. The chi-square test was used with cross-tabulations in
the different questions to examine the exact value of significance (one-sided)
of Fisher's exact test. The p-value of this study was set at a significance
value of 0.05 to test the hypotheses formulated.
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