MICROSCOPÍA ELECTRÓNICA DE BARRIDO

According to Alreck and Settle, 2004, every research is a process that comprises of various stages and such a process is described in the figure 32, below. The planning stage is very crucial and researcher needs the appropriate framework for the data collection. Practicalities of data

collection technique to a larger extent will influence modifications of the research design and methods of data collection.

Figure 3: Diagrammatic Presentation of Research Planning, Alreck and Settle, 2004, Modified by the Author

Data Processing Literature Review

Research Design Triangulation

The research design for this study involved two sources of data collection. Firstly, the writer utilised secondary data collection which includes collecting information from a diverse source of documents and electronically stored information, which is also referred to as critical review of literature. Secondly, the research design to collect primary or empirical data for this case research involved an iterative process via multiple methods known as triangulation. This study has relied mainly on convergent interview, the case interview and the 4 days focus group workshop through triangulation technique, to investigate, identify and explain barriers and benefits to compliance with international HACCP regulations governing the trading of food across international borders, that exist within the food safety regulatory, enforcement and commercial operations of the fishery businesses in Sierra Leone. Figure 33, below provides the logical sequence of data collection from secondary to primary data.

Figure 4 Logical Sequence of Data collection from Secondary to Primary Data, Developed for this study

Secondary Data Collection (Critical Review of Literature)

Primary Data

Collection (Empirical Data via Triangulation)

3.2.2 Secondary Data Collection

The critical review of literature for this study utilized several online databases and other sources including but not limited to Food Standard Agency, Food and Drink Safety, Management and organisation Studies: SAGE, Microbiology Network, EThOS, Europa, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstract, British Standards Online, Business Information on the Internet, BioMed Central, Blackwell Reference Online, Codex Alimentarius Commission, University of Salford Library Catalogue, Emerald, Science Direct (Elsevier), World Health Organisation, Food and Agricultural Organisation, World Bank, Worldwide Standards Developing Organisations Index, Information Sources Guide for Leisure, Hospitality and Food Management, Index to Thesis, and so.

Published literature included articles in the scientific journals, books, thesis, dissertation, magazines, newsletters and reports extracted from the databases as electronic copies or libraries as hard copies. The author also collected some literatures from "grey areas” that can be argued but they are based on consensus of experts opinions from presentations of national, regional and international seminars; the manuals and other literature obtained from offices of multilateral and bilateral organisations such as British Council Sierra Leone, FAO, WHO, UNIDO, EU, DFID, World Bank, and so on; and other unpublished manuscripts. Summary of full list of literature used for this study is given in Appendix 1, page 351, and Chapter 2, Table 4, page 81. The literature review also revealed that there was no literature on the HACCP system for Sierra Leone.

The critical review of literature allowed written documents from various sources mentioned above to be systematically analysed in order to identify and determine specific inferences and linkages. It was a process of inductive and deductive strategies with the aim of identifying specific themes and to develop the framework and model for the accomplishment of the research aims and specific objectives. The overall literature review took place between the period of July 2008 to June 2010. Each piece of literature was critically reviewed against the aim and specific objectives of this study to see how theories and practices can be replicated and subsequently,

how the result of this study contributes to knowledge of HACCP in the academic discipline of food safety management.

3.2.3 Primary Data Collection

It was highly significant to investigate and analyse the perceptions of barriers and benefits of HACCP within the relevant variables relating to the study population at the government, business and consumer levels. In this regard, it was necessary to design an appropriate method of empirical data collection and analysis. Many researchers have made a very strong case for use of triangulation as it produces the same result despite the use of different methods (Denzin and Lincoln, 2008).

It has also been argued that, mixing two or more approaches in data collection adds flavour and explanatory power to result of a research study (Corbin and Strauss, 2008; Atkinson, Coffey et al., 2003). Convergent interview, the case interview and the focus group workshop data collection included extraction of relevant data on barriers and perceived benefits of HACCP from targeted government officials, and heads of relevant institutions of regulatory authorities, fishery businesses, and consumers. Therefore, the study design for empirical data collection has essentially three stages following one another in a sequence over time. That means stage I (Convergent interview) is followed by stage II (case interview), and next stage III. This logical sequence between stages I, II and III is more accurately represented by the ‘Triangle Presentation of Stages I, II & III’ in Figure 5.below and was designed to enable the data to be appropriately triangulated through the utilization of multiple methods of interviews and arrive at the same result.

Figure 5: Triangle Presentation of Stages I, II & III (Triangulation) (Adapted for this study from Kane, 2007)

The overall process of triangulation took place from July 2010 to December 2010. The author discussed each stages I, II and III separately below according to their respective requirements and application in this study. Stage I was the most critical because it forms the backbones for stages II and III in this whole research. The author used a new method for this study that has never been used in food safety intervention in Sierra Leone and therefore decided to explain with reference to paradigm before going to the detail explanations of stages I, II and III in triangulation technique.