Digimom case study and qualitative research methods

¶ … economy and workplace dynamic of Japan in general; while the second provides the case study of the Digimom company. This section addresses issues such as the historical economic and workplace paradigm, the current situation relating to and emerging from the historical economic situation. The article notes that history has dictated a business environment where large businesses are supported by society and the economy. In other words, traditional social values dictate that men enter the workplace and women marry and care for their children. In terms of business support, banks and lending companies tend to support large businesses rather than small start-ups. The environment in the country is therefore not ideal for entrepreneurs or for women who wish to make a professional career.

The current social and economic climate in Japan however requires a change in these paradigms. In terms of society, the Japanese population is aging, with life expectancies increasing and the birth rate decreasing. With traditionally lifetime guaranteed jobs in large companies, Japanese businesses are also aging. The result is that the economy is no longer adequately served by these kind of businesses, especially after the problems experienced during the 1990s. Entrepreneurship, and specifically entrepreneurship by women is cited as a possible solution to the country's prosperity problems.

The problem is however the traditional barriers in the way of women who seek to make a career or start a business. The article mentions that women have traditionally been seen as supporters of the home and children. Although the workplace has been opened for women, they are in the minority, and certainly do not feature very often in leadership positions. This is because there is still a large amount of social discrimination against women in the workplace. The article indicates that men in such positions and indeed business structures in general do not promote the belief that women can indeed function well in leadership and management positions. This has led to women in the workplace generally being reduced to non-career oriented positions such as administration and clerical duties. Furthermore, these positions have a high turnover rate, with women often being obliged to either resign or take at least a year of leave when getting married and starting a family.

The article then suggests that, if the Japanese economy is to fully recover to its former glory, it needs to cater for new types of businesses, and it needs to provide more support for women. The section ends with the suggestion that it and the Internet provides valuable new avenues for entrepreneurs and for women to enter the marketplace.

This explanatory section and suggestions are then followed by the case study of Digimom Workers. The company was started by Noriko Teramoto, a mother, wife, and businesswoman. Her company provides Website design and programming for clients. Particularly, Noriko has shown that she and her employees are able not only to balance their work and family lives, but also to manage and lead in business situations.

2) Qualitative Research

Stringer suggests that the main purpose of action research is to use activities in such a way that stakeholders can help the researcher in his or her search for meaningful definitions to help shape solutions to the research problem. In the case of the article, the research problem involves obtaining information regarding the role of women in the Japanese business world. The most important stakeholders in this case is therefore Japanese businesswomen. It therefore makes sense to approach a sample of these women in order to obtain their ideas and paradigms within the male-dominated world of Japanese business.

Qualitative research is therefore ideal for the situation being studied. The article states that the purpose of the research is to "study female it entrepreneurship firsthand…" Noriko Teramoto has been chosen for the interview as representative of the typical female entrepreneur in the it field in Japan. And indeed, many of the issues that Noriko and her workers are experiencing concern a paradigm shift from the traditional Japanese business system to a more flexible system that caters for female workers. It therefore suffices as a case study that might be seen as typically on the cusp of change in Japan. This change is both exciting and challenging, and Noriko and her employees were able to giver firsthand accounts of all these experiences. The qualitative case study research method is ideal for this, as opposed to other research methods.

Interviews allowed the authors to directly access these experiences. They were also able to use these to determine the current business situation of a relatively new paradigm in Japan. Significantly, Noriko has experienced challenges, but she was able to construct a relatively successful business within her environment. This is important in terms of further research regarding Japan's economy and the contribution of entrepreneurship and indeed of women to this. It also serves as an important practical example of what can be accomplished in the country.

One possible limitation of the research method is the amount of interviews conducted and the focus on a single business within the country. The interviews were limited to women within Digimom Workers, and also only to the Digimom Workers business. Perhaps a more global view of the issues within Japan's business environment would have been possible had women from other businesses been included. Also, more balance might have been obtained from interviewing women representing the traditional workforce in the country and comparing these to the Digimom case. However, for the scope of the study being conducted, in terms of focusing on a current entrepreneurship run by a woman in Japan, interviewing Digimom representatives and using the company as a case study is ideal.

Other issues, including more businesses and studies, can be used as suggestions for future study. Indeed, very important findings were obtained from the type of study involved. Furthermore, a good balance was provided by the article itself, with the background information regarding the business paradigm in Japan serving as an introduction to the Digimom case study. It provides a good platform for further studies of the kind.

3) Appropriateness of Qualitative Method

According to Springer, a community-based action researcher should be able to integrate divergent perceptions and interpretations. In this way, a construction is then formulated of the research that makes sense to everybody involved. In this case, a relatively homogeneous group of women were interviewed. However, the larger context of the study, there is a division of opinion among men and women in the country; where the traditional view is that women should focus on the home and childrearing, whereas the more progressive view is that women should also have the right to fulfilling their business ideals.

The method is appropriate for the type of information to be obtained. The best way to obtain information about the particular challenges and successes experienced by female entrepreneurs in Japan is to speak to them directly. For the purpose of this study, no better method could therefore have been used to collect the specific data needed. Furthermore, by speaking to Noriko Teramoto and her employees, the researcher can construct an integrated statement towards solutions for the challenges faced by female businesspersons in Japan. This can also work towards constructing a better mutual understanding within the social context for such female workers.

In addition, being a new paradigm in Japanese business, entrepreneurship in Japan has not been extensively studied. Indeed, factors that are covered by the literature are quite extensively addressed in the first part of the article, where background is provided for the case study. In this way, literature research is well balanced with information obtained from the case study. Furthermore, the information from the interviews connects well with what has been found in the literature.

One specific issue is the fact that the women at Digimom Workers are concerned with is the balance between family life and the business. Being the owner and founder of the business, Noriko Teramoto is extremely busy, while also working on a growing family. Her children are at school and daycare during the day. Finding a balance among all her duties is one of the challenges that both she and her employees face.

Another interesting issue that arose is the barrier to the labor market faced by most entrepreneurs in the country. The best workers in the Japanese market generally enter the traditional workplace. The traditional workplace however does not consider women to be among the "best," while, as a woman, Noriko Teramoto recognizes that women are indeed well-educated and very much equal with men in terms of professional excellence.

Women also provide one of the unique advantages for Digimom Workers, in that they can empathize with a client's needs and requirements, and cater for these. A related disadvantage is however that women tend to also have family commitments and can therefore not complete the service as fast as a large corporation, where workers work overtime. However, large corporations with more than 1,000 workers are unable to provide the personal touch that Noriko and her workers do.