Running Head: International marketing strategy in oil industry. Case study is SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic)
International Marketing strategy in oil industry. Case study is SOCAR
(State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic)
5. Methodology
The methodology to be used in this study will be one that yields rich analyses that are sufficient in addressing the research question. This chapter will also ensure that replication of the methods to be used is possible in order to support the reliability of the study.
5.1 Research Philosophy
Phenomenological approach which seeks to identify phenomena and to shed light on the specific by investigating how they are perceived by those who are involved in a situation will be used to guide this study. This approach translates to collecting deep or rich information as well as perceptions using inductive qualitative tools such as participant observation, interviews and discussions (Moustakas 1994). It is concerned with examination of the phenomenon from the perspective of individual taken for granted assumptions and typical ways of comprehending. This approach is based on personal knowledge of the phenomenon and subjectivity hence requires data to be collected from subjects who have experience with the situation. It therefore matches the selected case study design as well as purposive sampling techniques discussed later on in this chapter. Phenomenological studies seek to describe situations rather explaining them hence do not start with development of hypotheses or assumptions and preconceptions but rather seek to develop ideas inductively from data (Moustakas 1994). This matches the purpose of the study which is to describe international marketing strategy in the oil industry by studying State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) as a case study. Phenomenological studies also use small samples which are studied in depth over time hence goes with the selected sampling technique as the study will only use marketing managers at SOCAR as a participants and these do not form a large sample. This approach generates qualitative data which is rich in nature hence also goes well with the selected case study design described in section 3.3. It also provides data that is subjective because the researcher is highly involved in the research process. The location for phenomenological study is natural. For this study, the setting will be in a commercial firm. Because of empirical data collection exercise, validity is quite high. Reliability is however low because of the small size of sample and type of data collected.
5.2 Research Approach
Phenomenological research is inductive in nature hence this study will employ the inductive approach. Explanations of the phenomenon will be drawn from the collected data. This approach requires the study to be in-depth so as to obtain rich analyses that can be used in developing theories and drawing inferences that are sufficient in responding to the research question.
5.3 Research Design/Strategy
The researcher intends to use case study design which is described as an empirical investigation of a current phenomenon in its real-life context (Creswell 2007). This strategy matches the selected phenomenological approach which requires the phenomenon to be examined in its natural environment. Creswell explains that a case study is the examination of the complexity as well as particularity of a single case. By studying a single case, the researcher is able to obtain more meaningful and rich data regarding a particular phenomenon. The researcher is involved as they have to observe what is happening. The data collected is often in form of narrations describing the situation and which are rich in information.
The research design will involve the collection of data about the international marketing strategy applied in the oil industry, the case study is meant to focus on the marketing managers of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The research will involve all of the levels of the managers in the marketing department. The research comes at a time when several companies are applying varied forms of strategies that is meant to improve and strengthen their competitive position in the international market. The company in focus in this research has made a lot of progress in this area; it has embarked on a strategic marketing strategy dubbed ‘New Vision’ which in a few years had grown to be very successful (Socar trading 2011). The management team played a vital role in this in varied number of ways; among them being approving a new logo for oil industry that was meant to cement its transformation in the new found culture. Loyalty cards were applied to enhance the client convenience, an automatic car wash service being provided. In the initial period before the new strategy, the company had no market research scheme. The products that were now used became environmentally friendly and less pollution to the atmosphere. This strategy transformed SOCAR to supply driven to client focus company.
In respect to this, the research attempts to look at the planning methods that SOCAR has used and the steps that are involved, the market segments that were targeted in the planning phases, and the requirements that were involved for successful market segmentation. The most preferred market strategy by SOCAR. It is then through certain strategies applied that the research attempts to find that led to its entry into the international market and consequently making it successful.
5.4 Population and Sampling
The population for the study is marketing managers of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR). The study will collect data from top, middle and low level managers of the marketing department at SOCAR and SOCAR Energy Georgia as they are the group that has information regarding the company’s international marketing strategy.
1) Magsud Ibrahimov- Top manager at Department of Marketing.
2) Shahin Ahmadov- Deputy in Export at Marketing department.
3) Taghi Taghi-zade – Expert at Marketing department.
4) Vahid Shahbazov- Assistant of General Director of SOCAR Energy Georgia (the subsidiary of SOCAR in Georgia)
Purposive sampling which involves hand picking subjects based on specific characteristics will therefore be used for the study where only those who hold management positions in the marketing department at the firm will be used as subjects. This technique was selected because it ensures that the researcher only uses those participants who have the relevant knowledge and information regarding the research problem. This will help save on time and financial resources which are limited for this study. The sample will however not be defensible as representative of the population being examined (oil industry) hence can not be generalized.
5.5 Data collection
Interviews are one of the recommended tools of collecting data for phenomenological research which seeks to obtain rich data that will facilitate understanding of the phenomenon. This study will use semi-structured interviews which according to Maxwell (2005), provide in-depth data as the researcher is able to probe the perceptions and ideas of respondents regarding the phenomenon by asking secondary questions in order to gain further clarification. According to the author, this enables the researcher to discover new themes that had not been earlier considered in the research questions or the conceptual framework in addition to collecting rich data. These interviews match the selected approach and philosophy which seek to collect in-depth data in order to explain the phenomenon.
Interviews which were conducted by the author are based on the open questions. According to this approach the author will get information by expecting answers of questions grounding “Why”, “How”, “What” and “When”.
5.6 Data Analysis
Thematic content analysis which is a tool that generates meanings inductively from the gathered data will be used for the study. Thematic analysis requires transcriptions of the interview responses to be first made. This tool goes through the transcripts line by line identifying themes and highlighting similarities so that data is classified based on meaning. By so doing, it facilitates quantification of the qualitative data. This process is repeated over and over until the researcher is content that there is no theme that has not been identified. This tool is perceived to be highly inductive and yields analyses that are rich hence matches well with the research approach.
5.7 Validity and Reliability
Validity for the study will be enhanced by collecting data from marketing managers who have the relevant knowledge as well as experience with the phenomenon hence will able to explain it as they have better understanding. Reliability of the findings is also likely to be low because of the philosophy employed, the sampling technique used and the due to the fact that the study will be collecting qualitative data using interviews. To address this, multiple perspectives strategy will be used. The research findings will be compared to those of other authors who have undertaken research in the same field to determine how they compare and causes of any deviations. The results will also be taken back to the subjects from whom data was collected to establish their view based on personal experience of the phenomena. These strategies are recommended by Saunders et al., (2007) where triangulation is not used.
5.8 Ethical Concerns
The study will comply with all research ethical requirements including protection of participants’ confidentiality, ensuring voluntary participation, obtaining written consent, informing the participants of their right to ask questions and withdraw from participation at any stage of the study, revealing to the participants the purpose of the study and how data will be collected as well as stored.
Bibliography
Socar trading, 2011. Oil Strategy. International Oil Production in the Caspian Region.
