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4 Research Design Table 6 provides an overview of the proposed research design. All elements will be further elaborated in the following sections. Aspect Research approach Reasoning of research Options of research Methodology Method 1 Qualitative Method 2 Qualitative

Method Exploratory (descriptive, analytical) Inductive Primary and secondary Multi-method approach Semi-structured expert interviews Semi-structured group interviews

Table 6 Overview of research design (own illustration)

4.1 Characteristics of the research design This section will elaborate the chosen research approach, the reasoning and options of research as well as the overall research strategy. 4.1.1

Research approach

As there is little information on internal communication in Bangladeshi RMG companies and furthermore its potential link to labor unrest, the nature of the thesis is strongly exploratory. Aiming at understanding and analyzing internal communication, the topic of the thesis is situated at the very base of the problem. The goal is to look for patterns within internal communication and to depict these patterns in a communication model. Additionally, considering the Swiss and Outsider’s Hat, it is crucial to approach the topic in a most open-minded, flexible investigative procedure as possible, which confirms the necessity of an exploratory approach. The disadvantage, however, is the lack of representativeness of the results; the final internal communication model cannot be transferred to the entire RMG sector. As the outcome of the thesis, the internal communication model, depicts the communication flows and their nature in a typical RMG company and thus describes a phenomenon, the research approach also bears a descriptive touch. Finally, by aiming to find reasons for the possible existence or inexistence of communication flows as well as for H. Blumer, Internal Communication in Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment Factories, BestMasters, DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-12083-2_4, © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2016

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Research Design

their connection to labor unrest, the nature of the thesis is also explanatory. Research questions one and two (page 50) are of descriptive nature and research questions three to six are explanatory. 4.1.2

Reasoning of research

Regarding the relationship between theory and research, the thesis at hand is clearly inductive, i.e. theory building. As defined by Bryman and Bell (2007, p. 14), “(…) with an inductive stance, theory is the outcome of research”. An internal communication model for Bangladeshi RMG companies has been stated as aspired outcome of the thesis in section 3.2, hence, the communication model is the theory to be generated within this thesis. However, to a large extent, deductive and inductive reasoning is probably better thought of as a tendency rather than as a “hard-and-fast distinction” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 15). This consideration can be illustrated using Swanson and Chermack’s general model of theory building (Figure 6), which divides theory generation into five phases. The thesis at h