Research Methodology

There are different approaches to research. This chapter will describe the research approach, strategy and data collection methods used in the research. There are many different choices for research methodology. Saunders et al (2003) designed a research process onion which gives an overview of issues underlying the choices of data collection methods. In figure X, such an overview is given for this particular research project with the research options chosen highlighted. Not all options for each layer of the onion are mutually exclusive and multiple selections are possible, which is the case for the layers of research strategies and data collection methods. The following subchapters will give a more detailed description and justification of each research choice. In subsequent order, these are the research philosophy, research approach, research strategy and data collection methods. This chapter will end with a description of the credibility of the research findings.

Fig. X: The research process onion of Saunders et al (2003) edited for this particular research. Choices made for each onion layer are highlighted. For the sake of simplicity, not all possibilities for research strategies and data collection methods are mentioned.

Research Philosophy
There are three views of the research process: Positivism, Interpretivism and Realism. The view depends on the way the researcher thinks about the development of knowledge. The research philosophy adopted for this project is that of the interpretivist. One of the reasons for this is that it is important to gain an understanding of the subjective reality of the participants, i.e. interviewees. Another reason is that the subject area is a complex business situation that is influenced by many different factors.

The research philosophy of Positivism is usually adopted by physical and natural scientists. The outcome of the research are often generalizations based on data collected in a highly structured methodology. The data collected are quantifiable observations suitable for statistical analysis. Another philosophy is realism. Realism seeks to understand the existence of an external and objective reality that influences peoples social interpretations.

Research Approach
The research approach can be classified into two different approaches: Deductive and Inductive. The deductive approach is used when theory already exists and needs to be tested. The inductive approach is used when theory does not yet exists and needs to be build. The theory of whether or not opportunities exists in Germany for E kwadraat advies depends on the data collected. Therefore, the inductive approach is chosen. Another reason is that the inductive approach is flexible and allows for change during the research process. This is especially useful for this particular research. For example, in case a new technology for the process of co-fermentation is discovered in Germany, the research approach allows room for further researching into this technology.

Research Strategy
The research strategy describes the plan of answering the research questions. Two different strategies are used: Exploratory and Descriptive Studies. Descriptive studies are used mostly in the first part of the research, since market analysis needs to be made of the German biogas markets. Exploratory studies are used throughout the research and become more important in the second part of the research, i.e. when identifying opportunities. There is not a need for explaining relationships between variables. Most of the exploratory research is conducted by interviewing experts in the biogas industry and searching literature. The time horizon of the research is cross-sectional. Cross-sectional means that it is a study of a situation at a particular time. Another option would be longitudinal studies, which studies change and development. This is not possible given the limited time span of around two months, and logically the research is cross-sectional.

Data Collection Methods

This subchapter will give a more detailed description and justification of the data collection methods used and the nature of the data. Qualitative Quantitative Most of the data collected is qualitative in nature. The reason for this is that the biogas market is very diverse, young and undergoing continuous change. It is therefore difficult to find useful quantitative data. Quantitative data is still used in describing the market and showing market trends, however, qualitative data is used more for describing the opportunities. E kwadraat advies offers a unique service together with partners to different type of customers. This is another reason why quantitative data is not used that much since it is simply not available for some parts of the research area. Primary Secondary Data can also be grouped into primary and secondary data. Primary data is collected by the researcher. The data collection method used for primary data is by interviewing industry experts. Secondary data is data that has already been collected but can be re-used in the research. These data are also used and collected from books, websites, government publications and branch organizations. Desk Research Field Research Another distinction that can be made between the type of research is desk or field research. The vast majority of the research is done by desk research, using the computer and telephone. The reason for this is that answering the research questions does not really require field research. Time and resources also put constraints on field research. However, field research has still been conducted to some extent by visiting exhibitions and meeting experts face to face.

Credibility of Research Findings

Reliability Reliability of the research findings is an issue, because most of the research findings are based on qualitative data. Most interviews are conducted over the telephone, which also form a cause for concern. Interviewees are not always willing to give out the information. Physical cues of the interviewee are also missed. The threats for reliability is reduced by asking the same questions to multiple experts of different organizations. Another reason why the data collected is reliable is that the interviewees work for independent organizations. The interviewees have no interest in the research outcome and therefore do not have a reason for not telling the truth. Validity Data collected is valid since it is collected mostly from fairly independent, non-profit organizations, such as the German government or the German Biogas Association. The data also becomes more valid since different data collection methods are used, which causes triangulation. Triangulation takes place when using different methods to gain the most reliable and valid results. For example, secondary data that shows the growth forecast for biogas installations is tested by asking an expert if the forecast is still valid.

Generalisability There is some generalisability to the research results. Especially the market analysis of the German biogas market is generalisable to other studies. The research part that deals with the microenvironment has little generalisability, since it is specifically for E kwadraat advies.