Benefits of Electronic Knowledge Management in Achieving Organizational Objectives A

Study across Different Countries

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Electronic Knowledge Management

Table of Content
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................3
1.1.

Introduction & Context of the Study.............................................................................3

1.2.

Research Aim................................................................................................................6

1.3.

Objectives of Research..................................................................................................6

1.4.

Research Questions.......................................................................................................7

1.5.

Rationale of the Study...................................................................................................7

1.6.

Significance of the Study..............................................................................................8

1.7.

Structure of the Research..............................................................................................8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................10

2.1. Knowledge as wider concept...........................................................................................10
2.2. Knowledge Management.................................................................................................11
2.3. Electronic Knowledge Management...............................................................................14
2.4. Knowledge Management and Organizational Benefits...................................................15
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................17
3.1.

Introduction.................................................................................................................17

3.2.

Research Philosophy...................................................................................................17

3.3.

Research Design..........................................................................................................18

3.4.

Type of Investigation...................................................................................................19

3.5.

Research Approach......................................................................................................20

3.6.

Data Collection............................................................................................................20

3.7.

Content Analysis Plan.................................................................................................21

3.8.

Accessibility Issues and Ethical Considerations.........................................................21

3.8. Limitations of the Research.............................................................................................22

References......................................................................................................................................23

Electronic Knowledge Management

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1.

Introduction & Context of the Study

Knowledge is a strategic asset for an organization and a key resource for research,

innovation and competency. It is recognized as a valuable commodity that strengthens the

performance and competitiveness of an organization (Magnier-Watanabe et al. 2011). For this
reason, managing and sharing the knowledge resources among the employees is vital in the
growth of workers as well as the organization (Hegazy & Ghorab, 2014). Knowledge is a
difficult concept to define, but broadly it may be understood as any information that comprises
of, and integrates with, experience, context, thinking and interpretation; whereas, knowledge
management (KM) is leveraging the intellectual assets of an organization to extract optimal value
from them (Kulkarni et al. 2007). KM is also defined as the effective and efficient utilization of
the knowledge resources for the achievement of organizational goals (Hegazy & Ghorab 2014;
Zaim, 2006), or the discovery, organizing and sharing of knowledge resources to advance the
intellectual capital of the organization in order to enhance performance and resources. Jurisica et
al. (2006) highlight that the field of KM deals with the creation, acquisition, organization and
evolution of different forms of knowledge, and this research is based on the methods, theories
and instruments of managing knowledge. KM is emerging and building on the theories of
organizational culture and behavior, performance management, information technology and
strategic management, leading to the emergence of concepts like knowledge organization,
knowledge equity, etc. (Baskerville & Dulipovici, 2006).
In this age of information, knowledge is increasingly being stored on the virtual space.
Hence, the management of online computer systems and electronic knowledge repositories is a

Electronic Knowledge Management

key challenge and an opportunity for organizations to maintain and control their knowledge
databases. In order to lead the leveraging of knowledge assets and gain a sustainable advantage
over the competitors, electronic knowledge repositories have become one of the most commonly
used instruments in the management of knowledge practices across the organizations (Chung,
2009). These repositories are, according to King et al. (2002), databases that allow access to
storage and retrieval of research information, management and technical knowledge; moreover,
these databases maintain sustainable and long-term organizational memory (Olivera, 2000, as
cited in Chung, 2009). Chung (2009) further points out two challenges pertaining to supply and
demand of knowledge in managing these repositories: the first is to encourage the employees to
contribute knowledge resources to the intellectual assets of the firm, and the other is to
encourage the employees to utilize their resources in enhancing their personal and professional
competency. Gottschalk aptly captures the point by indicating that the mere presence of
electronic repositories do not also motivate the employees to build and share the knowledge
resources; it additionally requires important changes in organizational culture, and incentives to
stimulate the exchange of knowledge (as cited in Bots & Bruijn, 2002).
In general, Baskerville & Dulipovici (2006) suggest three theoretical frameworks that
underlie the evolution of knowledge management practices: these include intellectual capital,
intellectual property and core competency management theories. Intellectual capital theory holds
that the intangible assets of an organization are relatively more valuable than the tangible ones in
gaining competitive advantage, with a particular focus on intellectual assets. Intellectual capital
adds to the book value of a firm and makes it worth more than its numerical value. This theory
includes intangible assets like copyrights, patents, trademarks, goodwill, knowledge and culture
of the organization, constituting an intellectual portfolio of a company. Intellectual property

Electronic Knowledge Management

theory builds on the preceding one, emphasizing the ethical and legal considerations in managing
the intellectual assets. It also accounts for risk assessment involved in quality and measurement
of knowledge. Finally, core competency management involves multiple facets, but their focus is
to see the business competition as a contest for developing skills and competencies. The
competitive advantage is located in resources and capabilities which foster this aim and hence
KM is recognized as an effective instrument in maintaining competency. According to Bots &
Bruijn (2002), the knowledge management practices are divided into two fundamental
approaches: these are analytic and actor perspectives. The former perceives KM as based on
content of knowledge, determined by objectives, useful in fulfilling these objectives, and it
should be a planned activity. The latter approach KM as based primarily on the professional
expertise, goal-seeking, interactive and intuitive process.
Knowledge sharing is not natural, and is often restricted or encouraged by various
personal and workplace factors. Some of the enablers or factors of KM identified by MagnierWatanabe et al. (2011) include organizational culture, leadership and organizational control.
Organizational culture is a system of shared and collective meaning the employees hold and
associate with the organization. Employees understand knowledge management and sharing
practices in the context of this culture and meaning. This culture also directs and controls the
behavior of the employees. Hence, in a culture of open communication, exchange of knowledge
is stimulated; whereas, in a culture of power and authority knowledge sharing is hindered.
Leadership fuels the KM practices, since it provides vision and guidance for the knowledge
creation and exchange. An achievement oriented leadership demand results and may be less
encouraging of KM, while people oriented style encourage individual and team learning,
capacity building and sharing among each other. Organization control is about defining values,

Electronic Knowledge Management

traits, mission and goals of an organization, which, if clear and effective, should inform the
employees as to what intellectual resources are to be created and exchanged; whereas, in case
where these controls are rigid and unclear, with little to no understanding of relevant skills and
guidance, the knowledge management process suffers, adversely affecting the organizational
goals (Magnier-Watanabe et al. 2011).

1.2.

Research Aim
This research aims to understand and elucidate the advantages of electronic knowledge

management in attaining organizational objectives, with reference to the knowledge management

practices in different countries.

1.3.

Objectives of Research
A research is reliable if its results corroborate its proposed objectives. The main objectives

identified in this study were:

To understand and review the concept of electronic knowledge repository and its

management.
To discuss various approaches towards knowledge management practices in order to meet

organizational objectives.
To highlight the theoretical frameworks that underpin the concept of knowledge

management.
To present different enablers of knowledge management in various countries for
achieving organizational objectives.

Electronic Knowledge Management

1.4.

Research Questions
Research questions guide the process of the research towards the achievement of research

objectives. In this study, following key questions were posed:

What are electronic knowledge repositories and their management?

What are the approaches used in knowledge management practices in achieving

organizational objectives?
What are the theories underlying the concept of knowledge management?
What are the enablers influencing the knowledge management practices across different
countries for attaining organizational objectives?

1.5.

Rationale of the Study

This research reflects the personal intellectual interests and curiosity of the author, and a

need for understanding and expanding the scope of knowledge management by exploring the
concepts of KM and the practices it encapsulates in different cultural contexts. As indicated in
the introduction, the need and importance of knowledge management in the organizational
performance, worth, and sustainability is realized given the challenges of this fast-paced
information age and the opportunities of securing sound competencies and advantage over the
competitors. The justification of this study is also captured by the myriad of prospects in the
application and research of knowledge management in a host of diverse disciplines like IT,
economics, psychology, human resource management, R&D, etc. This research presents
contemporary and significant aspects of KM theories, approaches and practices which can guide
the conduct of future studies and may also enable the integration of these concepts and
frameworks in different cultures. The study contributes to the literature in a positive direction by
highlighting the advantages of KM, electronic knowledge repository in particular, along with the

Electronic Knowledge Management

factor that may reinforce or impede its implementation; hence, it has the potential to assist
researchers and professionals in the study and practice of KM.

1.6.

Significance of the Study

Aside from the importance of KM in the organizations, this research also encourages

knowledge acquisition and personal development in general. In a way, the nature of this study
outlining the benefits and use of KM contributes to the social development as well by
emphasizing the role of KM as an intellectual asset of worth and distinction. This study also
suggests various implications for the experts in related disciplines, for example in IT to identify
the issues in knowledge management systems and enhance their software solutions for
organizational application and simple accessibility, etc. Likewise, the overview presented on the
approaches and theories can guide the managers in decision making and formulating a dynamic
mix of practices and approaches to suit their own organizational culture.

1.7.

Structure of the Research

This study is divided into five chapters:
Chapter One outlines the introduction and context of the topic of the research. It also

presents the research problem, aims and objectives to direct the research process, research
questions based on the objectives, the rationale and finally significance of the study.
Chapter Two discusses in detail the relevant literature to highlight the existing knowledge
in the domain while also pointing out the potential gaps that can be replaced with further
research.

Electronic Knowledge Management

Chapter Three presents the research methodology applied in carrying out this research.
This chapter contains the research philosophies, research design and approaches, data collection
and content analysis plan, ethical issues and limitations of the study.
Chapter Four evaluates the sources and literature to extract important insights, themes,
patterns and explanatory theories. It provides a thematic analysis of the contents and concept of
this research.
Chapter Five presents the conclusions of the study obtained from the analysis, and
highlights further implications of the research along with useful recommendations for future
research.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Knowledge as wider concept
King (2009) deployed the notion of knowledge management as a justified personal
belief. He further discusses that for centuries the philosophers, scientists and the intelligent
laymen have been emphasizing upon creating, communicating and acquiring knowledge. Their
efforts are also directed towards the re-utilization of knowledge. However it has only been a
decade since the concept of knowledge management has emerged, which discussing about the
acquisition of knowledge in a more formal context. Cho (2011) states the different kinds of
knowledge that have been specified by several taxonomies; however the most significant and
fundamental distinction exists between explicit and tactic knowledge.
Most of the knowledge that an individual may absorb is initially tactic in nature, as its
development takes place over a longer period of time, through the method of trial and error (Cho,
2011). It is usually underutilized, as organizations do not understand its importance. Tactic
knowledge is what dwells within the mind of an individual and it can either be difficult or
impossible to articulate. Jeffery & Nobeoka (2002) discusses that some knowledge is also
embedded in business activities, processes and relationship, which is usually created over time,
by implementing a series of improvements (Jeffrey & Nobeoka, 2002). On the other hand,
explicit knowledge exists in the firm of sentences or may be words, organized data such as
documents; and computer programs. If the organization is able to accept the useful yet difficult
to articulate notion of tactic knowledge, a fundamental problem of explicating it would be solved
and it can easily be made available to the other users (Jeffrey & Nobeoka, 2002).
According to Botha & Snyman (2014), an organization may work towards differentiating
among know how, know what and know why level of knowledge management. Know

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11

what identifies the actions that must be taken by an organization at the time when it is exposed
to a set of stimuli (Botha & Snyman, 2014). For example, a salesperson that has been trained by
a company and knows what product is suited for what; possess the know what level of
knowledge. After the know what levels comes the know how, which helps the organization
to develop an appropriate and effective response to a specific stimulus. This kind of knowledge
is required when a programmable relationship which exists between the stimulus and its
response, which is considered to be the essence of know what knowledge. This takes place,
when a considerable noise exists in the symptomatic information and the direct association
between the symptoms and diagnosis is uncertain.
Vernon (2013) argues that know how kind of knowledge helps the individual to figure
out that what will be most appropriate treatment for the problem that has been diagnosed, even if
there is a presence of significant noise. The most advance level of knowledge which exists is
know why knowledge. At this point, an individual develops a deeper understanding about
casual relationships, uncertainty levels and interactive effects, which are directly associated with
the observed symptoms and stimuli. This requires an in depth knowledge about the underlying
theory or a wide range of experience that may include interactive effects, instances of anomalies
and the exceptions to conventional wisdom and norms of an area.

2.2. Knowledge Management

According to Woldemariam (2012), knowledge management is defined as the process of
planning, motivating, organizing and controlling the human resource and the systems and
processes within an organization, in order to ensure that effective employment of knowledge
related assets. Such assets may take into account knowledge presented in the form of printed

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12

documents such as manuals and patents. It also include the knowledge that exists within the
electronic repositories such as the database, the knowledge of the employees regarding the best
way to do a certain job, knowledge existing in the processes, products and relationships of the
organization or that held by the organizational teams whose goal is to work on some focused
problems. Hahn & Subramani (2000) state that the process of knowledge management may takes
into account the acquisition, refinement, creation, transfer, storage, utilization and sharing of
knowledge. The knowledge management functions present within an organization is responsible
for operating these processes, developing methodologies and system that supports and motivates
the employees to participate in them. The core objectives of knowledge management is the
improvement and leveraging of the knowledge assets of an organization, in order to improve the
behavior within an organization, its performance and decision practice and enforce the
implementation of better knowledge practices.
Kimiz (2013), in his book discusses that each of the knowledge management process that
has been discussed can be easily performed by any individual, as knowledge management is an
organizational activity whose emphasis is on what the actions of the managers are and what they
can do to achieve the goals associated with knowledge management. Knowledge management
also investigates that how the manager motivates the employees to participate in achieving the
objectives induced and how they may create social processes that will help in facilitating the
success of knowledge management.
Shim et. al. (2013) states that the social processes are based on communities of practice,
expert networks and self-organizing groups of people that have common interest and networks
that allow fostering communication between the ones with less expertise and the ones with
greater expertise. These social processes are crucial as the knowledge that exists within the

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13

minds of the individual needs to be transferred to others through social, teams, groups and
networks, in order to ensure the success of knowledge management process. This is the reason
that the knowledge management process is more people oriented and less technology oriented.
The modern organization must also support knowledge management with appropriate
communication technology and information (King, 2009).
According to Alavi & Leidener (2001) argues that knowledge management system of
application such as the information system and computer based communication, existing within
an organization for supporting the implementation of knowledge management processes. This
process can be different from CIS, as it involve database such as directories, networks, which put
the participants of the organization in contact with the experts in wide range of areas. One of the
significant differences between the organizations CIS and knowledge management system is
that in many organizations the knowledge management system can be less automated and it may
require human assistance to carry out its operations.
In any other information system it is required that the human makes the choices first and
then let it operate automatically, whereas the knowledge management system requires the
participation of humans in its operational phase (Botha & Snyman, 2014). For example, when
the sales database is designed, employees need to design its structure and content, when it is in
the operational phase, as it works automatically. When the creation of lessons learned
knowledge repository takes place, there is a need of making same design choices by the people.
However, there is a need of participating in the operational phase, since each of the knowledge
unit which is there for submission is unique and therefore it must be assessed for its importance
and relevance (Cho, 2011).

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2.3. Electronic Knowledge Management

Leibowitz & Megbolugbe (2003) discusses that knowledge management system is
divided into technologies that sustain the personalization approach, providing support to the
codification approach of knowledge management. Knowledge networks such as electronic
communities of practice and knowledge directories such as yellow pages are some of the
examples of the first category of electronic knowledge management. The second category of the
electronic management process is based on electronic knowledge repositories that store the
codified knowledge within them for future use. These electronic knowledge repositories can be
used for the storage of various kinds of knowledge ranging from the customers and product
knowledge to the best practices taking place in a certain industry.
Some of the most effective examples of Electronic knowledge repository are Xeroxs
Eureka system and Accentures KMXchange system (Alavi & Leidner, 2001). The successful
sharing with the electronic knowledge management system depends on the knowledge
contributors that keep on populating the Electronic Knowledge repositories and the knowledge
seekers that are constantly retrieving content from these repositories for the purpose of reuse.
There are many past studies that focus on the concept of knowledge contributors. However the
study conducted on these knowledge contributors has been limited to the qualitative study and on
the benefits and cost associated with using Electronic knowledge management system within the
organizational setting. Therefore the theoretical ground provided by these researches is weak, as
they only generalize the finding of the studies on knowledge seeking from Electronic knowledge
management (Mammadov &Galusca, 2005).

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2.4. Knowledge Management and Organizational Benefits

The growing importance of knowledge as the organizational resource has been
recognized by various researches of the recent times. This is the reason that organizations have
increased their spending on their initiatives related to knowledge management and technologies
(Tichkiewitch, 2008). A recent study conducted, emphasize towards the fact that 80 percent of
the largest organizations operating globally, have their knowledge management projects in
practice and 25 percent of these organizations also have their Chief Knowledge Officer. In most
of the Asian countries like Singapore, where the main and most valuable resources are human
knowledge and skills, there is an immense need of transforming such economies into knowledge
base for the purpose of their survival. This is the reason that the exploitation of the intellectual
resources has turned out to be a major challenge for such economies (Housel & Bell, 2001).
Despite of the fact that the awareness regarding knowledge management has increased in
such countries in the recent years and the high level of infrastructure has also been maintained,
there is still the need of changing the views and perception of the organizations towards concepts
like knowledge management. The organizations are still not aware of the idea that how the
knowledge management can be initiated and implemented on organizational levels and how it
may contribute towards the development and growth of any economy. In the environment, where
the awareness regarding the importance of knowledge management is high, the organizations
have started to implement the knowledge management but still there is lack of research that
discusses the successful implementation and adoption of Knowledge management system (Hari,
Egbu & Kumar, 2005).
There are a number of ways through which the relationship existing between knowledge
management and organizational learning can be conceptualized. It has been discussed by

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16

Alwaneh (2009) that the major emphasis of the knowledge management is on the content which
is created, acquired, processed and eventually used by an organization. Knowledge management
pays off by assisting the organizations to engrave the knowledge into the processes of the
organization, so that continuously improvement in the behaviors and practices of the
organizational processes may take place, for the purpose of achievement of organization goals.

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17

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1.

Introduction
Research can be defined as the process of logical, organized and systematic investigation

into a phenomenon or discipline conducted in order to discover or enhance the scope of

knowledge and human understanding. Research is usually based on existing theories and
assumptions to reach new information and conclusions by testing these theories in various
contexts (Kumar, 2010). Research can be classified into two broad categories: basic and applied
research. The former kind of research aims at the discovery or understanding of a specific event,
while the latter is targeted to improve the research practices of a field of study (Merriam, 2009).
According to Rajasekar, et al. (1994), any systematic and logical investigation advancing our
present knowledge can be understood as a research.
A research methodology is an analysis of the research methods and principles relevant to
a study. Usually, there may be multiple methodologies available and applicable to a particular
research from which an appropriate mix is chosen as a research design. According to Bryman
(2012), a research methodology is a detailed guideline for the researchers to align their research
process with the proposed aims and objectives. It is an overarching framework consisting the
elements of research philosophy, approaches, methods and design to direct the research
(Creswell, 2012).

3.2.

Research Philosophy
Merriam (2009) and Creswell (2012) present various research philosophies or paradigms

that may be utilized in a research, sometimes in conjunction with two or more paradigms. Some
of these include interpretivism, positivism, realism, critical theory, pragmatism and

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18

postmodernism. Interpretivism will be briefly discussed here since it is more appropriate to the
current study, being a qualitative research. It holds that there is no constant and objective reality,
no external standard out there against which the truth can be determined. Instead, reality is a
matter of understanding and interpretation, with different people arriving at different conclusions
over a single concept, event or phenomenon. Reality is constructed by knowledge rather than the
other way around; and it is often socially constructed by people and their experiences, beliefs,
attitudes and practices (Merriam, 2009). Hence interpretivism is also sometimes called
constructivism. In contrast, realism and positivism are based on single, independent and external
reality, usually suitable for quantitative research.
In this research, which is based on secondary data, interpretivism is used for content
analysis and interpretation of the literature because the primary aim of this study is to develop an
understanding of the knowledge management practices, their benefits and challenges, analysis of
theories and approaches, and the relevant instruments such as electronic knowledge repository.
The focus of the research is to understand various concepts, experiences and events surrounding
the knowledge management process. In doing so, the understanding and interpretation of a
researcher may vary from others, but these viewpoints add substance to the literature and guide
the study and research of other people.

3.3.

Research Design
A research design is a modus operandi, a way of operation, for conducting a research. It

is a particular method of doing research, formulated in light of the research problem or question
posed. A research design adopts the chosen methodology to the specifics of an individual study,
by defining what needs to be done and how exactly it will be done. There are three basic

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categories of research: Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research and Mixed Research

Methods (Creswell, 2012). In this research, qualitative methodology is used based on secondary
data, content analysis and interpretation. According to Creswell (2010), the researcher in a
qualitative research usually makes intpretivist/constructivist or advocacy/participatory (focusing
mainly on social issues and their resolution) knowledge claims or both. The purpose is to collect
open ended information to identify patterns, develop themes, and suggest interpretations.
Qualitative methods are apt for dealing with problems that are based on individual or group
experiences and meaning in historical or social context. The researcher, by the use of qualitative
methods, intends to develop meaning of an event or phenomenon from the view of his/her
research participants (Creswell, 2012).

3.4.

Type of Investigation
There are three types of research: descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory (Kumar,

2010; Saunders et al. 2012). Descriptive research is conducted for detailed inquiry of a well
known and already studied phenomenon to expound new insights and implications from it
(Bryman, 2012). Exploratory research is carried out where existing theories need to be
investigated or tested under different conditions and environment to test their generalization or
applicability in different domains. Finally, explanatory research is directed at explaining in detail
the concepts, events or phenomenon as the object of a research. This study is undertaken where
the subject in question has room for improvement, expansion, explanation and interpretation
(Kumar, 2010).
The nature of this research is explanatory based on the secondary research sources on the
topic. This is because the phenomenon or concept in this study, i.e. knowledge management, is

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dependent on diverse practices and culture of the organizations, yielding different approaches
and interpretations of the favourable practices of managing knowledge. Because of this, there is a
lot of scope of contribution to the existing literature that is likely to enhance our present
understanding of the subject.

3.5.

Research Approach
According to Maxwell (2012), the process followed in a research is logically inductive or

deductive. Deductive researchers begin with a well-conceived hypothesis which is then subjected
to empirical observations and experiments to test its validity, while inductive research is based
on data collection through empirical means on the basis of which theories or concepts are formed
(Merriam, 2009). This study is primarily inductive in that it builds on the secondary sources who
have collected data (observations, experiences, reports, etc.) in different settings and reported
their observations with subjective content analysis and interpretation in order to understand the
topic. From the literature, this research extracts themes and patterns that may inform a plausible
theory of knowledge management.

3.6.

Data Collection
Data collection is generally classified into two types: primary and secondary data.

Primary data is fresh and raw data that do not already exist in the literature, such as interview,
experiments, surveys, etc. Secondary data is collected from extant resources such as refereed
journals, books, newspaper, articles, internet, etc. Since this research is based on secondary
sources, the data used therein is collected from aforementioned resources and involves credible
research papers and sources.

Electronic Knowledge Management

3.7.

21

Content Analysis Plan

The data analysis process involves review, organization, assessment, and interpretation of

the data collected for the purpose of this study. The extracted data is analysed and interpreted and
based on that conclusion and recommendations are presented. This data analysis includes
understanding of relationship and correlation between the research variables. There are numerous
data analysis techniques that can be used for conducting researches, including questionnaires,
surveys or interviews (Harwell, 2011).
Among all the data analysis techniques, this study uses qualitative data analysis for
collection and interpretation of data (MacDonald and Headlam, 2011). Qualitative researches are
more intensive and focus on definite themes or patterns. Most of the data for qualitative
secondary research is conducted from online sources. Internet has a plethora of knowledge on all
subjects and topics. Hence, it is a great source for secondary research. This research employs
content analysis method for data interpretation, where secondary data will be collected and
interpreted in thematic manner.

3.8.

Accessibility Issues and Ethical Considerations

All research studies have more or less limitations, including accessibility of data and

ethical issues of the research. According to Saunders, et al. (2012), for a research to be valid and
reliable, objectivity and neutrality is necessary. Any biased tone in the research must be
recognised and eliminated and ethical issues must be addressed promptly.
In this study, the researcher faced accessibility issues in data collection as there was
plenty of data available on the internet and to screen out all the unnecessary information from
relevant information required for the study. Additionally, some data was not available publicly

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and protected by various agencies. However, the researcher made use of what relevant data was
available for use. The paid or restricted databases were avoided in this study.
The awareness of ethical issues of research is crucial for the credibility of the research as
well as the researcher. Hence, for secondary qualitative study, the researcher had to ensure that
the information collected is sourced and referenced correctly. Another ethical issue is the
plagiarism. The researcher has endured that the data collected in not copied directly and any
quotation is cited with relevant reference.

3.8. Limitations of the Research

Every research has some shortcoming, which may be related to research method. The
limitations may be in the research design or analysis technique. However, it is necessary for the
researcher to recognize these limitations and present recommendations for future researchers.
One of the limitations of this study is the research design. The study only uses secondary data for
collection and analysis of data. Hence, the researcher was unable to provide any primary data to
provide opinion or perception of target audience. Another constraint was budget and time. The
researcher had limited time and finances for conducting this research, hence the study did not
include any in-depth analysis.

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