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3.0 Chapter Three: Methodology 3.1 Introduction  Research must be carried out with accuracy and reliability. Its overall aim is to provide an appropriate answer to a research problem or question (Blumberg et al. 2014). This chapter will outline the methods and methodologies that were utilised in order to achieve an accurate and reliable research.  The two preceding chapters introduced Só Hotels and outlined a detailed literature review of the dominant elements required in a CI strategy. From the literature reviewed, the author proposed a conceptual framework for establishing, implementing, managing and evaluating a CI strategy suitable for the Irish hospitality industry. This chapter will outline the research approach undertaken in order to examine this framework and to satisfy the research objectives of this review. Firstly, the research aims and objectives presented in chapter one are restated. The research methods adopted by the author are then detailed. The principle issues considered throughout this research are discussed. This chapter concludes with an in-depth examination of the various methods used in the research of this study.  3.2 Research Question, Aims and Objectives In order for the data collection to be accurate it is essential that the research question is precise and definite. This study focuses on answering the main research question “What is the most effective process for establishing, communicating, managing and evaluating a corporate identity strategy in a chain of hotels?”.  The main objectives of the study are:  To understand what is meant by corporate identity and the importance of it within the hospitality sectorTo identify the dominant elements of corporate identityTo analyse existing literature to extensively comprehend the process involved in the establishment, communication, management and evaluation of a corporate identity strategyTo conduct primary research to investigate the corporate identity strategy adopted by Só HotelsTo formulate a clear process for managers in hotel groups to follow when establishing, communicating, managing and evaluating an effective corporate identity strategy The overall aim of this research is to form a framework that can be used by hospitability managers when adopting their CI. The primary research investigation investigates the CI process engaged in by Só Hotels when adopting and altering their CI. The process used by Só Hotels is then compared to the framework devised following the literature review. The results obtained from the primary research are incorporated into the secondary research framework to support, change or enhance its validity.  3.3 Research Process  The research process is guided by the research philosophy adopted by the author which serves as a base for the research approach and the selected research strategy. Each “layer” of the research process is described in detail hereunder.  3.3.1 Research Philosophy  A research philosophy is concerned with the development of knowledge and the nature of that knowledge (Saunders et al. 2012). In essence, the research philosophy will reflect the author’s significant assumptions which will support the research strategy and the methods used in the process of this study. Commonly, there are three specific philosophies which have been identified as the most highly reported: positivism, interpretivism and realism.  Positivism  The theory of positivism argues that the knowledge applied in the research is generalisable to a population by a geometric investigation of real life observations. Generally, positivism is concerned with the testing of theory and is often used in quantitative studies. It is related to scientific methods whereby data is controlled and investigated through practical methods such as experiments and statistics (Villiers 2005). Such research is anticipated to provide an exact measure of readability. This research type can produce results which are commonly hypothesis driven and can be utilised for predication. Thus, the researcher is objective and can access the actual reality (Money et al. 1998).  Interpretivism  The theory of interpretivism aims to comprehend the vast interrelationships in the specific research topic. Interpretivists try to get into the minds of the research participants to describe their circumstances or behaviour. According to Villiers (2005), interpretivism tries to discover new explanations or meanings of various realities which are dependent on context and time. In comparison to positivism, which is used in quantitative studies, interpretivism is generally used in qualitative studies which investigates the research questions to comprehend the phenomena that occur in real life everyday situations (Villiers 2005). Such research is exploratory and aims to provide an understanding of opinions or reasons regarding complex topics where values and human experiences are relevant. Interpretivist researchers aim to provide insights into problems which can help develop ideas or hypotheses by investigating human behaviour, motivations, social patterns and situations.  Realism  The theory of realism is whereby the researcher seeks to comprehend the social interpretations of people and any social forces that may influence their opinions and behaviours (Ticehurst and Veal 2000). It concentrates on the view that reality is independent from behaviours and people’s opinions and focuses on the fact that reality already exists in the environment. Realists aim to examine the ways in which people give meaning to their experiences as well as acknowledging any external factors which have an influence on such experiences and opinions (Blumberg 2011).  This research involves the pursuit of deeper understandings of the participants’ opinions and motivations regarding the reality of how they achieve a strong CI. Therefore, this study adopted an interpretivist approach which led to subjective discoveries. The approach aims to provide a holistic view of a scenario and is believed to be more appropriate than a reductionist view. It was a suitable method for this research and has led to reasons and understandings regarding the research topic which aims to provide insights and develop hypotheses by investigating human behaviour, motivations, social patterns and situations.  3.4 Research Approach  There are two main research approaches which focus on either testing or building theory.  These are deductive and inductive; a researcher can adopt either approach (Blumberg et al. 2014).  3.4.1 Deductive Approach  A deductive approach encompasses the development of a theory or hypothesis which is then tested by a purposefully designed strategy or examination (Saunders 2000). The hypothesis is generally developed from secondary research and is tested based on the primary research findings to validate or disprove the hypothesis. A deductive approach is linked with the philosophy of positivism and quantitative research methods which entail structural data collection such as surveys (Blumberg et al. 2014).  3.4.2 Inductive Approach  An inductive approach entails the collecting of information and the development of a theory based on the findings from such information. According to Saunders (2000), an inductive approach is concerned with the study of opinions, viewpoints and direct experiences. It aims to create findings based on factual and general observations. An inductive approach requires an analysis of both primary and secondary research to develop a theory based on the research findings. In an inductive approach, the researcher aims to understand participants’ opinions and real-life experiences through qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups (Saunders 2000). Researchers can make an induction from information gathered from small samples amounts compared with a deductive approach which relies on a large sample. The main differences between inductive and deductive are outlined in Figure 3.1 below.  Figure 3.1 Deductive and Inductive Approaches (Gant 2012) This research adopted an inductive research approach, whereby, qualitative data collection methods such as observations and examinations were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the research. The author interacted with the participants through interviews which gave a deeper knowledge and understanding of their opinions and motivations on the CI strategy process in Só Hotels. From this, a CI strategy framework for hospitality managers, incorporating both literature on CI strategy and findings from the interviews and website audits.  Once the philosophy and research approach were identified it was necessary to analyse the different methods of research available to the researcher, and these will be outlined in detail in section 3.4.  3.5 Research Data Collection  Qualitative and quantitative are the most frequently used methods of data collection, both distinct approaches are used to collect and analyse primary data 3.5.1 Qualitative Research  The purpose of qualitative research is to describe, explore, and explain the phenomena of the study (Marshall and Rossman 1995). Qualitative research employs methods such as in-depth interviews, case studies, focus groups, observations and diary and journal exercises in a bid to gain a deeper understanding regarding a target audience’s behaviour, opinions and perceptions regarding a specific research topic (Saunders 2000). Such understandings aim to direct and support the creation of hypotheses. The outcomes of which are subjective and therefore, are more in line with interpretivist approaches. There are various limitations to qualitative research which must also be addressed. Firstly, it can be an expensive way to conduct research and prior training is often required. The interpretation of the information obtained is also time consuming as information must be recorded, transcribed and analysed (Blumberg et al. 2014). Qualitative research does however have the advantage of allowing the researcher to take control of the research process, he or she can determine the questions and where and how the data collection shall take place (Blumberg et al. 2014).  3.5.2 Quantitative Research  Quantitative research is concerned with the collection and analysis of data in a numerical form. According to Gelo et al. (2008), it involves the conversion of a statistical analysis of a phenomenon into numerical evidence to reach satisfactory results. Quantitative research methods include questionnaires, surveys and opinion polls. As previously identified it requires a large sample so that the results are reliable. Large samples enable such research to be generalised to large populations. Software such as SPSS can be utilised in the evaluation of quantitative research findings using numbers and variables (Blumberg et al. 2014).  The main differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods are that qualitative methods aim to gain a deeper understanding of people’s opinions and experiences of a specific research topic through the use of words and meanings and the interpretations of such meanings through coding, translations and descriptions. In comparison, quantitative research methods utilise numbers and large samples to examine theories to reach their research findings.  This research aims to develop an in depth understanding of CI strategies employed in the hospitality sector by examining the procedures adopted by Só Hotels in their recent CI change. Such examination involves building a case study through in-depth interviews which will aim to seek the opinions and experiences of the participants. Therefore, this research adopts a qualitative approach whereby the meanings and interpretations of opinions and experiences are expressed verbally as opposed to the quantitative methods of numerical values. The method of primary data collection for this research is interviews on a single case study.  3.6 Secondary Research  Secondary research can be utilised to compile relevant information without conducting primary research (Blumberg et al. 2011). Blumberg et al. (2011) maintain that the main advantages of secondary research is that it is easily available, saves costs and time while providing insights into a specific research area. It allows the researcher to instantly analyse readily available information concerning a research topic. Another main advantage is that good quality data can be obtained which can be analysed by researcher in a bid to address the research objectives.  This research commenced with a collection and review of relevant, previously published information from sources such as academic journals, books and reliable peer reviewed online publications. Gaining evidence from multiple sources increases validity and strengthens the research findings (Blumberg 2000), although, such information gathering and compilation into one research study often proves difficult. According to Blumberg et al. (2014), secondary research can reveal gaps and deficiencies in a research study as the information obtained was not initially collected for the purpose of the current research. Thus, conducting both primary and secondary research side by side is paramount in limiting such imperfections and to ensure an in an inclusive research study.  The process of gathering the secondary information in this research guided the direction of the primary research. The main objectives of the secondary data collection were: to get a deeper understanding of all theory associated with CI strategies with a particular focus on the hospitality sector, to gain a further understanding and identification of the dominant elements employed by different CI frameworks and the evaluation of the process of establishing, communicating, evaluating and managing a CI strategy and, finally, to provide a general overview and introduction to Só Hotels. It was relevant to gain a background knowledge on the hotel group in order to analyse their overall CI strategy at a later stage.  3.7 Primary Research  Primary research involves the collection of exclusive data to answer specific research questions regarding a particular topic (Blumberg et al. 2014). It can be a complicated, time consuming and costly process, which involves applying research methods to discover new information.  There are six different forms of case study primary data collection: documents, records, interviews, direct observations, participant observations and physical artifacts (Yin 1994), all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages but none are more superior than the other. For the purposes of this qualitative research study the data collection tool employed was that of interviews based on a case study of Só Hotels.  3.7.1 Case Study Research  This qualitative research was carried out as a single case study. Case studies are used to examine participants’ judgements and perceptions (Simons 1996). According to Simons (1996), case studies are recently an accepted form of research, which enables the researcher to analyse the case organisation. This analysis aims to comprehend the social and cultural origin and motives of a specific phenomenon. According to Yin (2003), case studies can be used to get a deeper understanding of organisations altering business procedures and practices, and are generally used when asking the questions of “how” and “why”. Similarly, in the context of case studies, Simons (1996 p. 231) claims that “by studying the uniqueness of the particular, we come to understand the universal”. A case can be a single organisation, location, a person or a single event (Bryman and Bell 2011).  Although the results of a single case study cannot be broadly generalised and are only applicable to a particular organisation (Yin 2003), such revelations offer a good overall comprehension of the phenomenon of the organisation. This single case study research of Só Hotels aims to give a form of guidance for understanding corporate identity strategies and their adoption in Irish hotel groups. Therefore, a qualitative single case study was seen the most appropriate approach for this research.  To ensure validity and reliability within a case study, three steps must be adhered to: first, multiple sour

ces should be used to show the trustworthiness of the case study, Secondly, the data should be organised in a documentation form, and lastly, all collected information must be explained (Yin 2003).  3.7.1.1 Interviews  Interviews aim to identify valid and reliable in-depth information regarding a research topic (Saunders et al. 2009). They are a data collection tool that can identify a participant’s feelings, opinions and motivations regarding the research subject. The main advantage of interviews is that they encompass personal and direct contact between the interviewer and interviewee, which can eliminate nonresponse rates. It is essential that interviewers establish the required interview skills to successfully conduct an interview (Fisher 2005). Interviews are an essential and preferred source of gathering information in case study research when in depth data is required (Merriam 1998). There are three forms of interviews: structured, semi-structured and unstructured. Structured interviews involve prepared and standard questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews are whereby the researcher already knows the theme of the study and will use it to build the interview questions, although they will vary depending on the interviewees. Unstructured interviews are seen as informal as the coverage is very big and is used to discover a general area in which is of interest to the researcher.  This study employs semi-structured interviews to conduct its primary research. As this study aims to evaluate the CI strategy adopted by Só Hotels, the researcher needs to understand the motivations and opinions of the participants involved in the CI process. Semi-structured interviews are generally used in qualitative research and allow the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of social and personal issues (Blumberg 2014). Semi-structured interviews can be carried out with groups, known as focus groups or with individuals and entail open ended questions. In order to allow a level of privacy regarding the participants’ viewpoints, interviews instead of focus groups were the chosen option.  Semi-structured interviews initially involve specific questions formulated from the assessment of secondary research. Such questions guide the interview to ensure relevancy in the process of addressing the research objectives. The sequence of the questions can be altered during the semi-structured interview depending on the answers and flow of conversation. Open ended questions were employed during the interview process which enabled the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the participants’ opinions on the research topic. The semi-structured questions allowed for flexibility throughout conversations, which ensured all areas were unfolded during the interviews. The flexibility was necessary as each participant had different opinions and involvement in the CI strategy process.  During the semi-structured interviews, participants were encouraged to speak clearly and openly. The interviewer invited personal opinions and feelings from the interviewee, as such information further aims to address the research objectives (Blumberg 2014). The interviewer re stated a question if she felt that the interviewee didn’t understand the question properly and also repeated the interviewee’s response when she felt they had lost their train of thought. All of these interview techniques can be described as probing, which is a term used to describe how an interviewer can enhance and encourage an interviewee to answer questions with relevancy (Blumberg et al. 2014).  In order to conduct the semi -structured interviews, the administration of a semistructured questionnaire was required to all the identified respondents to elicit their participation and experiences with the establishment, communication, management and evaluation of the new corporate identity (see Appendix A). The design and layout of the semi structured questions followed the steps outlined in the proposed conceptual framework (see figure 2.11). Pre-designing the questions and structure of interviews enhances response rates and hence increases the reliability of the collected data (Blumberg et al. 2014). The layout of the interview questions in this research made the thematic analysis easier as the headings and sub headings were used for identifying themes in the gathered data. Participants were identified using a snowball sampling technique, as the researcher was not fully aware of all the participants involved in the CI of Só Hotels, the sampling method will be further discussed in the next section.  Sample Selection  Sampling refers to the process used to select a portion of the population for study. Sampling decisions are made for the explicit purpose of obtaining the best possible source of information to answer a research question (Blumberg et. al 2014). Sampling can be done on a probability or a non-probability basis. The selection of either one greatly depends on such factors as to whether the theory of the research is positivist or interpretivist and whether qualitative or quantitative methods are used (Blumberg et al. 2014).  Probability Sampling  In probability sampling each member of a given research population has been given an equal chance of being selected. It involves the selection of people at random from a sampling frame, which is the list of populations that exists (Blumberg et al. 2014). This type of sampling is more likely if the theoretical orientation of the research is positivist, and the methodology used is likely to be quantitative.  Non-Probability Sampling  In non-probability or non-random sampling, the population does not have an equal chance of being selected and is therefore a non-representative sample (Blumberg et al. 2014). The results of non-probability sampling methods cannot be generalised and hence are more biased than that of probability sampling. Nonprobability sampling methods are more likely to be used in qualitative research, with the greater degree of collaboration with the respondents allowing the researcher to gather a sufficient amount of data. The researcher is more likely to be involved in the process and adopts an interpretivist theoretical approach. Nonprobability sampling is less expensive to conduct when compared with probability sampling.  This qualitative single case study research has adopted a purposive nonprobability sampling approach. Purposive sampling is where the sample is selected based on certain criteria. There are a few various types of purposive sampling: judgement sampling, quota sampling and snowball sampling. Purposive sampling methods aim to narrow the sample down to specific people that are likely to contribute to the theoretical understanding of the specific research question.  According to Holme and Solvang (1997), the selection of interview respondents is crucial. If the correct respondent is not selected than the research may be insignificant and not valid. In this research, such persons were identified based on the criteria of having credible knowledge and participation in the CI strategy in order to provide precise information from within the hotel group (Bryman and Bell 2011). The sampling frame of this case study research is that of those employed and previously employed professionals of Só Hotels. The people who were initially involved in the execution of the CI strategy were identified first as they are more likely to have the most valuable and relevant information about the specific purpose (corporate identity) of this research. The initial respondents were chosen based on their titles.  The group general manager of Só Hotels, Lee Gregson was identified as having an involvement in the identification of the desired CI design and set up of the current CI. As the researcher was unaware of any other people involved in the initial design of the CI, a snowballing sampling method was employed. This sampling method identifies cases of interest from referrals to reach particularly hard to reach participants. Thus, the sample group is said to grow like a rolling snowball. As the sample grows, more information is gathered to be useful for the research. Within this research, the researcher was not fully aware of all the participants involved in the CI strategy process employed by Só Hotels, therefore, a snowballing sampling method was adopted (Thomson 1997). Through the snowball sampling technique adopted in this research, the group GM, Lee Gregson was first interviewed, from this, the group marketing and graphic design manager Marie McDonagh, the group digital manager, Lee Mohan and Aine Killilea, group PR were identified as being involved in the initial establishment of the new CI of Só Hotels. James Griffin, group revenue and business development manager was also identified as being involved at the later stage of step one. Unfortunately, Aine Killilea was un contactable for an interview.   For the purpose of investigating the establishment, communication, management and evaluation of the CI in each of the four Só Hotels, Castletroy Park Hotel, Charleville Park Hotel, Loughrea Hotel and Spa and Kileshin Hotel, the general manager in each hotel was identified as an appropriate person to speak with. As discussed in section 2.7 of this research report, it is ultimately the responsibility of senior management to guarantee consistency between behaviour and communication, along with the communication, management and evaluation of the CI strategy (van Riel and Balmer 1997). The four identified general managers (GM) are Lee Gregson (Castletroy Park Hotel, also group GM), Declan O’Grady (Charleville Park Hotel), George Leahy (Loughrea Hotel and Spa) and (Kileshin Hotel and Leisure). Unfortunately, Declan O’Grady was unavailable for an interview. Pilot Testing  Prior to conducting any interviews, it is necessary to conduct a pilot test. According to Sanders (2000), a pilot test can reveal any weaknesses or flaws in the interview questions. The results of a pilot test will enable the researcher to alter any questions so they are concise, valid and easily understood by the interviewee.  The pilot study was conducted on Só Hotel’s group accountant, Ann Ryan. Ann Ryan is employed by the hotel nine years and is very familiar with the corporate identity of the hotel group. The pilot study identified questions which were poorly phrased and not clear enough for the interviewee to understand (Appendix B). These questions were re worded by the interviewer to allow the participants to easily understand and interpret the interview questions. The interviewer also felt that some questions were not specifically relevant to each interviewee. The participant in the pilot test was not able to answer some questions as she had not been directly involved in some steps of Só Hotel’s CI process. Based on this, the interviewer planned to ask each interviewee which step of the CI process they were involved in prior to asking the semi structed interview questions. This meant that participants were only asked the questions relevant to their involvement in the CI process of Só Hotels. The pilot test was conducted in June 2017, due to the availability of the participant. 3.7.2 Scheduling of Primary Research Once the pilot test was conducted and alterations made to the semi structured questions, the schedule of the interviews was assembled. The research scheduled her first interview with Lee Gregson, the group GM for June 2017. From this interview, she aimed to gather the names of all relevant interviewees based on the snowballing sampling method. The researcher aimed to have all interviews completed by the 31st of July. This allowed sufficient time to transcribe and analyse the collected data. Table 3 below outlines the interview schedule. InterviewNamePositionDateInterview 1Lee GregsonGroup GM – So Hotels3rd July 2017Interview 2Lee MohanSupermacs Marketing Manager4th July 2017Interview 3James GriffinBusiness Development Manager 10th July 2017Interview 4Marie McDonaghMarketing Manager So Hotels13th July 2017Interview 5George LeahyActing GM Loughrea Hotel and Spa24th July 2017Interview 6Mark O’ShaughnessyOperations Manager Castletroy Park Hotel25th July 2017                                                     Table 2 Interview Schedule                                            3.8 Data Analysis  Data analysis involves a systematic process of data collection that can be used in qualitative and descriptive research to identify themes and categories from data (Krippendorff 2004).  The analysis process in this study followed the practices used in thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is a research method used for identifying, examining and reporting patterns or themes in gathered data (Braun and Clarke 2006).  As previously outlined, the researcher used in-depth semi structured interviews, website audits, social media audits, visual analysis and document analysis as the methods to gather data relevant to this research. Once the data was gathered the author used NVivo to assist in the thematic analysis. NVivo was used as various document types can be uploaded onto its software, including Microsoft Word, PDFs, videos, audio, images and social media posts. NVivo is also mobile and tablet accessible, which allowed the interviewer to record interviews on her phone and then directly upload to NVivo.  After the interviews were transcribed (Appendix C) NVivo aided the coding and pattern matching which aimed to identify common themes. The common themes were set based on the steps of the proposed conceptual framework. The coding was done by color-coding the transcribed interview data into the different themes relative to the stages of CI process identified in the framework. The coding method was used so that similar themes from the different interviews or in parts of the same interview were categorised together and compared. The researcher interpreted the data based on the thematic patterns found in the interview data. These patterns were then compared with the steps in the proposed framework which served as a basis for the findings and conclusions. Key sub-themes were also identified and demonstrated through the use of quotes from the interviewees.  3.9 Validity and Reliability  Research is generally evaluated in terms of validity and reliability (Moisander and Valtonen 2006). It is important to ensure that research information is valid so that it is reliable to use in further studies. According to Kothari (2004 p. 73), reliability and credibility are elements of thorough measurements. He argues that “validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what we actually wish to measure” and “reliability has to do with the accuracy and precision of a measurement procedure”. Yin (1994) proposes four frequently used tests when examining the quality of a research. The tests are called construct validity, internal validity, external validity and reliability. Yin (1994) describes how to increase construct validity in case study research, he maintains this can be achieved by establishing a chain of evidence or have key informants review the draft case study report. In this study, the researcher established a chain of evidence by citing all sources from where any evidence was collected. The researcher’s supervisor and fellow students also reviewed the draft report. In addition, the supervisor reviewed and approved the interview questions prior to the pilot test. A recorder was used during the interviews which allowed the researcher to thoroughly reexamine the interview answers so that no important information was over seen. According to Yin (1994), internal validity is concerned with explanatory studies by examining connecting relationships. This study is qualitative and descriptive and therefore internal validity is not relevant within this research.  The external validity of a research study refers to the possibility of whether the findings of the research can be generalised beyond the specific research context. According to Bryman and Bell (2011), it is often problematic to appraise external validity in qualitative research as such research often uses case studies and relati