The data collection and analysis methods will be underpinned by the overall research design, as it forms the basis for the direction of the research activities and data collection. According to Churchill (1976), research design is simply the framework or plan for a study used as a guide in collecting and analysing data. Churchill describes research designs as a “blueprint” (1976:98), whereby having a framework will ensure that the research is relevant and enables the researcher to meet the objectives in the most efficient and economical manner. Research design is about organising research activities, including the collection of data in a way that is most likely to achieve the research objectives (Easterby-Smith et al., 2010). The type of research and the data collection methods used will be determined by the area of research under investigation, and the data collection methods used will be aligned to meet the research objectives. Once the research problem has been defined and clearly specified, the research effort will logically turn to data collection and subsequently analysis and interpretation (Churchill, 1976) (see Figure 1).
The research process framework