research question, we first examine how different theoretical streams contribute to understanding the possible effects that risk can have on the business strategies of the small companies, and particularly here we are interested in their internationalization proces

Methodology Chapter of the master thesis. Please dwell on the following points.

Research Philosophy: Constructivism (subjectivism)

Research design: In order to answer the research question, we first examine how different theoretical streams contribute to understanding the possible effects that risk can have on the business strategies of the small companies, and particularly here we are interested in their internationalization process, furthermore, we are interested to know how already existing internationalization strategies explain this process in the context of the Danish start-ups. We give an overview over the existing literature strains and develop the theoretical propositions, which are then tested empirically on the collected data.

We opted for using an adaptive rather than closed research design. (Yin, 2014).

Qualitative research design is chosen.

Case study method is used to answer the research question. The unit of analysis is internationalization process of Danish start-ups, and the focus of analysis is to evaluate the risk impact on this process, on the one hand, and see how the internationalization theories explain it, on the other hand.

Research limitations: Limited access to information
Subjectivity of respondents and authors
Relatively short period of time to analyze a rather lengthy process of internationalization.

Research Purpose: Explorative

Research Approach: Deductive (vs. inductive)

Case study as a method

Data Collection: Primary data (interviews)
Secondary data: internet sources available to gather data about the case companies, linkedin, personal contacts
Operationalization: (interview questionnaire design + data analyzing method)
Structured interviews as a data collecting method.

In data processing the thematic analysis is followed which is a qualitative form of analysis described by Yin (2014). First of all, based on the theoretical overview, we singled out the theme clusters, which guide the research and data collection. Based on the main theme clusters the interview questions were composed. The interview questions are divided into 4 categories. The categories are based on the theoretical themes that were singled out according to the theoretical review.
After the interviews were performed, they were transcribed. We use transcription as a way to analyse our data. According to Gibson and Brown (2009), transcription is a way of analytically working through some problem. Methodical transcribing leads to insights that in turn shape how we choose to represent an interview narrative in our text. “Transcription enables researchers to focus on data, and to draw out particularly relevant features of it” (p. 111). After the transcription of the interviews, the analysis was performed in order to answer the two RQs.

Quality of research

Method criticism