Africa's_New_Economy

Since the study is based around social networking, data collection and analysis will be based online and will be computerised. The technology supporting mobile phones and computers will be primary vehicle for gathering and analysis. Online social networking is a new trend; it is aimed at people who are proficient using these tools and competent enough to provide answers to the questions being asked. Applying creative methods, such as setting up social networking group on Facebook where people could submit their views, answers and opinions. Moreover, using personal blogs and gathering peoples’ opinions through this medium will also be pursued. Online questionnaires recording answers directly to the database will be created, enabling instant access to the data, reporting on it and analysing. Potential respondents will be approached by telephone, SMS, email or through social networking channels. Database of potential respondent is provided from business owners, their connections and existing customers. These techniques will consume setup and development time at the initial stage of the research. However, the benefits of instant data access, customised reporting and database storage will outweigh the time spent on setting up these forms at later stages when analysing the data. Minutes from conversations with stakeholders or staff will be recorded on paper or electronic form and fed into the system for further analysis. To encourage high response rate from questionnaires, a prize will be drown amongst all the questionnaires and the winning person will receive £20 voucher to spent at one of the high street shops specialising in baby products. Other creative methods might be developed as the time progresses. Research will be in a form of exploratory and descriptive. The reason for choosing exploratory research is its flexibility and adoption to change. Online social media in itself is fast moving phenomenon and this type of research suits best this subject. As Saunders at el (2007, p.140) argues: If you are conducting exploratory research, you must be willing to change your direction as a result of new data that appear and new insights that occur to you. In contrary, using the descriptive research enables to have a structured and understood problem. For instance knowing what the market is, potential customers, and numbers of people and so on. This research method is clearly described by Ghauri at el (2005, p.59) as the key characteristics of descriptive research are structure, precise rules and procedures. These two research methods will help with identifying what are current obstacles, if any, while using online social networks when promoting childcare services. Moreover, the results should help in constructing recommended strategy for applying social media in the nursery. The secondary data, on the other hand, will be gathered using Bournemouth University facilities, both online and library. Access to Athens will enable a quick and precise search for any relevant journals, e-books and articles that might shed 9 light onto the subject. Moreover, having an access to Open University resources will also enhance chances for recording good quality data at no cost except research time. 10