3. Methodology
This section of the dissertation will highlight the different
research philosophies, approaches strategies that can be used when doing a
research and it will give an explanation the research philosophy, approach and
strategy used for this dissertation.
3.1 Research Philosophy
3.1.1 Epistemology
Epistemology is concerned with what constitutes acceptable
knowledge in a field of study (Saunders et al., 2007). It is the study of what
we know about reality and it depends on what we believe reality is (Lee and
Lings, 2008). There are three main types of epistemology: Positivism, Realism
and Interpretivism.
Researchers who adopt a positivist stance are similar to natural
scientists in that they only work with observable phenomena that will lead to
the production of credible data (Saunders et al., 2007). Positivist researchers
collect data and use existing theories to develop hypotheses.
Realism is similar to positivism in that it advocates the use of
a scientific approach to develop knowledge. Direct realism says that what we
experience through our sense portrays the world accurately while critical
realism argues that what we experience are sensations or images of things in
the real world not the things directly (Saunders et al., 2007).
The interpretivism advocates that the truth cannot be determined
in any absolute way and the purpose of an interpretivist inquiry is to gain
sufficient understanding about a phenomenon in order to predict the future
(Jankowicz, 2005). Researchers that adopt the interpretivist stance enter the
social world of their research subjects and understand it from their point of
view.
The epistemology chosen for this dissertation is interpretivism
because this research aims to understand how projects are selected in
International development organisations and to develop an alternative theory in
the form of a framework based on the principles of Project Portfolio Management
that can be used to select and manage development projects while at the same
time assuring the achievement of the strategic objectives of the organisation.
The interpretivist approach is appropriate
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for this research because as it was discovered, no general
framework can be said to be the one that is best suited for International
Development Projects but instead, each of the organisations part of the sample
selected, used tailored made framework that best suit their objectives. The
findings show that because of the uniqueness and complexity of international
development programmes and projects, they are not restricted to one unique
framework therefore making this dissertation relevant in that it aims to
develop an alternative framework for project selection and management in
International Development Organisations which will be an addition to the
existing knowledge in the international development field.
3.1.2 Ontology
Ontology as opposed to epistemology is concerned with the nature
of reality (Saunders et al., 2007). There exist two different aspects of
ontology: Objectivism and Subjectivism.
Objectivism argues that social entities exist in reality external
to social actors concerned with their existence (Saunders et al., 2007).
Subjectivism on the other hand argues that social phenomena are
created from the perceptions and actions of social actors concerned with their
existence.
The ontology chosen for this research is subjectivism because it
supports the interpretivism epistemology. The subjectivist view studies the
details of a situation in order to understand reality (Remenyi et al., 1998).
To understand how International Development Organisation operate, a critical
literature review on the this area was conducted and it focused on the nature
of these organisations, the two approaches that are widely used within these
organisations when it comes to selection of projects and finally the critical
success factors for international development projects. Prior to understanding
how International development organisation operate, Project Portfolio
Management was introduced with a focus on the selection process, the different
tools and techniques that can be applied, the different frameworks that can be
used for portfolio selection and the concept of strategy. The literature review
allowed me to find out about the different concepts of Project Portfolio
Management and it gave an insight on the current practices within the
International Development sector. This understanding prepared me for the next
task which was to analyse the documentation obtained on the five selected
organisations.
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