Introduction
Sampling techniques strongly impact evidence-based research projects as they determine their validity. The case study article entails researching the Indonesian online business and the challenges females have to overcome to create successful online businesses. The essay will analyze a case study that researched core competencies for women to succeed in the retail business. The article offers an opportunity to discuss the elements of external validity and covers the approximation of truth, inferences, and conclusions regarding the research. In addition, it discusses the appraisal process in determining the trustworthiness of a scholarly source.
Overview and Rationale
The Indonesian retail e-commerce market has grown considerably in the last five years, mainly due to the proliferation of internet connectivity, the reduced price of mobile phones, and lifestyle changes related to economic growth. The research is based on women entrepreneurs in Indonesia’s five largest online retail marketplaces, including Shopee, Tokopedia, Blibli, Blanja, and Bukalapak (Sihotang et al., 2020). The case study research objective aims to analyze the challenges impacting online business performance, including finance, technology, and expertise which limit most online businesses from expanding. The research identified two core competencies that can enable women entrepreneurs in the Indonesian retail e-commerce market, including partnership development and digital marketing capability. The rationale for choosing the article was due to its specification, including the women’s population, the Indonesian market, and the research technique.
Sampling Model
The sampling method used was purposive non-probability sampling. The research sample entails women entrepreneurs who manage online stores registered in Indonesia’s famous retail e-commerce marketplace providers. The research is a non-probability sampling technique as the participants were selected based on non-random criteria; thus, not every woman entrepreneur had a chance of being included. The research used questionnaires sent to online store managers based on a preselected criterion. There were 500 questionnaire surveys sent to women entrepreneurs in the five largest e-commerce marketplaces (Sihotang et al., 2020). The questionnaire survey entailed a non-probability sampling technique as a pre-survey identified participants before sending the voluntary questionnaire. The desk research done between March and August 2018 focused on identifying 100 women entrepreneurs from each of the largest e-commerce retail markets that acted as the sample frame.
Analysis of Sampling Method and Study Validity
External validity is a key issue in research as it determines the degree of generalization regarding the findings. External validity relates to generalization, which refers to how research findings are suitable for individuals in other places and times. According to Trochim et al. (2018), external validity is evidenced by two approaches; the sampling model and the proximal similarity model. The most appropriate method of choosing a representative sample is by employing random selection, where every member of the population has an equal chance of participating in the research. This random choosing of the participants helps generalize the population; thus, the study findings can be used in other locations and times.
The article used a non-probability sampling model which employs a non-random procedure instead of random selection. This sampling technique has a higher risk of sampling bias and thus cannot be used to make valid statistical inferences about a general population. The primary aim of a non-probability sampling technique is to develop a theory of a small population, such as the article research on women online entrepreneurs in Indonesia. This sampling technique reduces the research’s external validity, reducing confidence regarding generalizing the study conclusions to a larger population (Lamm & Lamm, 2019). The issues limiting the success of the online retail business, including contracting and negotiating, managing trust with partners and suppliers, social media marketing capability, and managing low price strategy, are specific to the Indonesian market and thus may not apply to women entrepreneurs in different locations.
The threat of external validity reduces the impact of research on the general population in three instances, people, places, and times. For research to be externally valid and have generalizable conclusions, the sample must be similar to the target population in real-life situations. Trochim et al. (2018) state that results can be free from the threat of external validity where the research generalizes results from a sample to a target population where the sample represents the population. This entails stating how the research context differs from the general population by providing details regarding the degree of similarity. The comparison is best sought by replicating the research in different places and with different participants. This can involve identifying the contexts which are different or similar to the study.
The gradient of similarity is used to place different contexts in terms of their relative similarity. The article research does not conform to the proximal similarity model as it does not show how the findings can be generalized in different locations. The research was done in Indonesia in 2018; thus, the findings may not be suitable for online retailers in other countries at a different time. The research participants were women entrepreneurs; therefore, the sample composition does not include age, which is vital in determining the results’ external validity. It is difficult to replicate the research in different locations since the objectives may differ depending on the retail market.
Analysis of Sampling Method and Evidence-Based Practice
The basic idea of evidence-based practice is that quality research should be based on critical thinking and the best available evidence. There are various critical questions one needs to resolve to determine the effectiveness of a study. Barends and Rousseau (2018) suggest that one determines study efficiency in three preliminary questions: the practical relevance of the information, the precision of findings, and measurement reliability. The article’s findings are relevant to the Indonesian retail market, specifically women, but the findings are not precise as only 41% of the participants responded to the questionnaire. In addition, there was no comparison with the men entrepreneurs to determine the degree of reliability.
The study passes the methodological appropriateness as the research method complements the research objective. An analysis is appropriate based on its research objective and design (Barends & Rousseau, 2018). The case study research used qualitative and quantitative research design methods to analyze the research question effectively. The study’s weakness entails using a small population and the high rate of participant dropout, which increased bias. The study cannot be quantified as trustworthy as the participants failed to use a large sample population, reducing prejudice in the questionnaire results.
Conclusion
The article’s sampling method is employed when research wants to measure typical respondents such as employees. Quantitative research is used to develop the proximal similarity framework that ensures generalization for the target population in different locations. The sampling techniques use key contexts such as expertise, scientific literature, and organizational data. These metrics are vital in management as they determine the viability of decisions that can be replicated in different settings worldwide. The research can be used where people management decisions are to be made, such as improving employee retention and increasing workforce diversity. In these management decisions, evidence-based research from non-probability sampling techniques that entail a marginalized employee population can be employed.
References
Barends, E., & Rousseau, D. M. (2018). Evidence-based management: How to use evidence to make better organizational decisions. Kogan Page Publishers.
Lamm, A. J., & Lamm, K. W. (2019). Using non-probability sampling methods in agricultural and extension education research. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 26(1), 52-59.
Sihotang, J., Puspokusumo, R. A. A. W., Sun, Y., & Munandar, D. (2020). Core competencies of women entrepreneurs in building superior online business performance in Indonesia. Management Science Letters, 10(7), 1607-1612.
Trochim, W. M. K., Donnelly, J. P., & Arora, K. (2018). Research methods: the essential knowledge base. Cengage Learning.