Factores que influyen en el comportamiento del consumidor

The research setting for this study encompasses two cases of digital entrepreneurship (AgriCorp and EduCorp- all pseudonyms) initiated for the poor communities in Bangladesh. One of the researchers spent time in Bangladesh investigating these two digital innovations from December 2013 to September, 2015 (see Table 1 for details). The first study, AgriCorp started with SMS-based purchase orders (e-Purjee) issued to

sugarcane growers‘ during the crushing season to supply a specific amount of cane to sugar mills on a scheduled date. By incorporating other services and managerial tools, this simple initiative eventually replaced the 80 years‘ legacy sugarcane procurement system benefitting both the farmers and the sugar mills. The second study, EduCorp is the first of its kind multi-platform educational service, which enables millions of adults to learn the English language affordably. Using non-conventional tools such as television dramas and game shows, mobile phone based interactive voice response (IVR) calls and SMS, along with conventional methods of print-materials, CD/DVDs and Internet-based learning, EduCorp has focused on teenagers and adults aged between 15-45 years to improve their English as a route into work and out of poverty. Table 1 below summarizes the empirical setting for each case study.

Table 1: Empirical setting

Organization

AgriCorp EduCorp

Type of organization Government International donor organization

Service sector Agriculture Education

What is the initiative

Implementing a digital sugarcane procurement system

Implementing IT based teaching for improving English

communication skills Platform Multiple (mobile, web-

based PC)

Multiple (mobile, web-based PC, TV, CD, Book, newspaper)

In selecting these cases, our primary interest was to find out successful digital innovations targeting the poor in emerging markets. Success was to some extent measured by the growth of customer base over the years after the initial implementation of digital technologies (Public documents of EduCorp, 2013), and user satisfaction (AgriCorp Public document, 2013). In addition, the projects by AgriCorp and EduCorp were ‗new-to-the world‘ (see Avlonitis et al., 2001) and received good number of awards at home and abroad for their remarkable success. This selection of two cases enabled us to explore the variation of entrepreneurial pursuits in several digital innovations in an emerging market context. Particularly, our motivation was to choose digital innovations in diverse service sectors (e.g.,

education, agriculture) and led by different entrepreneurs (e.g., indigenous or non- indigenous) to create more robust theory grounded in varied empirical evidence (Yin, 1994; Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007).

Finally, the study was undertaken in Bangladesh since more than three-fourth (76.54%) of the population in this market are poor (World Bank, 2013). In the literature that focuses on technology-based initiatives of the poor, only a few numbers of cases are based in Bangladesh (Warnholz, 2008) relative to other markets in Asia and Africa (Kolk et al., 2014). Similarly, Thapa and Sæbø (2014) note that current research in the ICT4D literature is mainly conducted in sub-Saharan markets, India, and Latin America.

3.2 Data collection

We conducted a combination of semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews (for users), direct observations and document analysis in two cases (see Table 2 for details). The aim was to gain a deep understanding of events (Nandhakumar & Jones, 1997), while also seeking a new angle on the topic being investigated (Kvale, 1996). In total, 37 interviews (26 semi-structured and 11 unstructured interviews) were conducted over a period of twenty two months in three phases.

To provide a cross sectional view of how innovation unfolded, we approached interviewees across different levels (i.e., executive to senior managers within organizations, other participants like agent, distributor etc.) within each case study (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007). Several follow-up interviews (both face to face and over skype) were also carried out for more insights of certain issues of interest that emerged after initial analysis of the data collected. Since one of the researchers is bilingual (English and Bengali), the interviewees were offered the flexibility to use English or Bengali. The interviews were conducted at the work place of the interviewees and lasted between 50 to 90 minutes. Most of the interviews were tape recorded and transcribed while written notes were taken for all the interviews. In addition, we had multiple informal discussions with key participants from both case studies over the phone and via Skype to further clarify our interpretation of few aspects. The follow-up and informal interviews were with the same participants

interviewed earlier. Written notes were taken during all formal and informal interviews. For the users in both cases, unstructured interviews were conducted in Bengali, so that they could share their personal experiences (of how the innovation unfolded for them, their involvement in this journey, reactions to changes etc.) openly and freely (Kvale, 1996). The selection of users was based on convenience and was facilitated by a mobile operator in the case of EduCorp. On the other hand, during a sugar mill visit in Faridpur in July 2014, farmers who were registered with that mill and who interacted with the system were interviewed. One of the researchers had the opportunity to experience EduCorp innovations personally and to observe the innovations for AgriCorp at work in the sugar mill visited and the central office in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh). Finally, we accessed a large volume of archival data including project plans, survey reports, progress reports, news clippings, company websites, campaign materials (e.g., dramas, electronic advertisements, brochures, posters). The documents were reviewed to get background information on the operation of the projects and to verify and confirm the interpretations made through the data analysis process.

Table 2: List of interviews and data collected

Organization AgriCorp EduCorp Phase one (Three Weeks: Dec, 2013- Jan., 2014) Empirical data 2 interviews 2 interviews Participants‘ profile 1 senior manager 1 senior executive 1 manager 1 ex-manager Phase two (Four months: June, 2014 – Sept, 2014) Empirical data 12 interviews, system observation and documentation 6 interviews, system observation and documentation Participants‘ profile 1 ex-senior manager 3 managers (1 ex- manager included) 1 project coordinator and 2 IT specialists /engineers 1 ex- manager 2 senior executives 2 representatives from two partner telecom operators

5 users (farmers) media Phase three (Three months: Jul., 2015 – Sept., 2015) Empirical data

5 interviews 10 interviews and documentation Participants‘ profile 1 project coordinator 1 mill manager 1 cane development officer 1 representative from software firm 1 representative of telecom operator 1 senior manager 1 executive 1 representative from media 1 technical service provider 6 users Total 19 18 3.3 Data analysis

Our data collection yielded a large volume of data from interview transcripts, observation notes and other materials. In the first instance, each of the interview transcripts was reviewed for identifying common themes. For both cases, based on the commonality of the responses, the data set was extracted and clustered together into categories representing similar themes. These categories were then coded and among others, key themes were identified based on frequency of mention in the interviews. We examined the relationship among those themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), while at the same time, consulted the relevant literature on digital entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as ICT4D in search of a suitable framework that could explain our thematic analysis. After a recursive iteration of relating extracted data to relevant theoretical constructs, liminality (Turner, 1977) was deemed as a powerful theoretical framework for our study.

We then further investigated the extracted data sets that related to transition since we noted a significant portion of our empirical data represents this phase. Following Miles and Huberman (1994), we coded (descriptive) those data into three groups of concepts (Appendix 3.A) underpinning the research question. The first group represented entrepreneurs‘ experience and actions they undertook, the second group

of concepts focused on key contextual challenges entrepreneurs faced and the final group was on their consideration to choose a particular technology. We sought answers of how and under what circumstances those actions were undertaken and noted connections among these groups of concepts (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). By focusing on the transition phase, we observed that while entrepreneurs‘ actions shaped contextual challenges in few instances, at the same time, contextual challenges influenced entrepreneurs to undertake specific actions. In parallel, we also noticed how the capabilities of digital technologies – data homogeneity, reprogrammability (Yoo et al., 2010), accessibility and ease-of-mastery (Zittrain, 2008), enabled entrepreneurs to undertake those actions (see Appendix 3.B). Finally, we undertook a second order analysis that helped us to identify three new practices to explain the co- evolution of digital entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging markets (see Appendix 3.C).

To assist readability and comprehension, we present our findings and analysis in a conventional linear structure. We start with a presentation of the data without any theoretical interpretations (section 4). We then carry on with a theoretical analysis of the two case studies using the three phases of separation, transition and incorporation, as well as a consideration of the capabilities of digital technologies (section 5 and Appendices 3.A and 3.B). Then, in section 6, we develop a process framework that explains how entrepreneurial agency and contexts co-evolve through digital technology (Appendix 3.C).

4. SUMMARY OF CASE STUDIES