Applying a multi-method approach in exploring e-Business potential for home-based businesses in Malaysia

This paper discussed the qualitative and quantitative methods that were applied in this exploratory research. This research aims to explore the potential of e-Business strategies and applications for home-based businesses in Malaysia. The e-Business adoption in Malaysia is still considered new, however, it has captured the interest of large organizations and has also been acknowledged and adopted by small, medium and micro sized enterprises. In the qualitative method, a case study approach was used to study four home-based companies, two government agencies, one business association and one financial institution in Klang Valley area. The quantitative method was applied using a survey approach. The survey was conducted with the home-based business customers and companies in Malaysia. The purpose was to strengthen and complement the findings from the first method. The use of these multi-method approaches can help to increase the validity and reliability of the research findings. This paper presents the processes and methods involved in this research from the early stage until data analysis. The findings from this research are used as a basis to construct an e-Business framework for the home-based businesses in Malaysia.