Research Purpose, Approach and Strategy

A qualitative case study will be conducted to answer the research questions posed. To define the type of case study, the purpose of the research must first be determined.

The research purpose and the objectives of a study are important factors in conducting research because they condition the selection of the appropriate research approach and methods. Three different characteristics (explorative, descriptive and explanatory) can be used to describe the research purpose of a study more precisely. In an explora-tory study, the goal is to build an understanding of the problem under study by finding out how the problem manifests itself. A literature review, interviewing experts, or con-ducting focus group interviews are ways to ensure a successful outcome in this type of study. A descriptive study aims to describe people, events, or situations in detail and as precisely as possible, thereby addressing who, what, when, where and how questions.

The purpose of an explanatory study, in turn, is to establish causal relationships be-tween variables. However, a research purpose can also be a combination of these types of purposes. (Baxter & Jack, 2008; Mayer, 2015; Zucker, 2009) This study combines an explanatory and an exploratory research purpose: For the explanatory purpose, the study examines whether the promoting influence of expatriate assignments on the development of career capital is also evident in international consulting work with re-gard to the development of the career capital of the case company's employees. The research purpose is equally exploratory as this consideration of career capital devel-opment is also made in times of pandemic. These particular circumstances likely have an impact on the development of career capital for these employees. Using the

inter-views and literature regarding the effects of previous pandemics on the work and well-being of individuals, as well as the development of career capital abroad, should help in the evaluation.

The research approach determines how the use of theories is involved in academic research. Typically, a distinction is made between the deductive and inductive ap-proaches. The deductive approach is characterized by formulating the theory and hy-pothesis from the existing literature and then testing it. This is particularly important in quantitative research, as one can structure the work well and the results can lead to generalizations. In the inductive approach, on the other hand, data is first collected and analyzed, after which a theory can be derived. This approach offers a lot of flexibility, which is often needed for qualitative research, for example, to allow shifting the focus of the research and thus provide for a better understanding of the nature and meaning of the phenomenon under study. (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2007, pp. 153-156) However, most of the time, researchers do not commit to one approach, but both ap-proaches respectively at different stages of the study. Thus, the abductive approach is a combination of inductive and deductive approaches. With the help of this approach, surprising, unexpected or unusual phenomena, observations and experiences in reality can be made understandable and the current understanding and knowledge can be expanded by a new idea, conjecture, hypothesis or explanatory statement. (Gregory &

Muntermann, 2011) An abductive approach was chosen for this study, as a thorough review of the literature provided a variety of perspectives on the topic of the develop-ment of career capital through expatriate assigndevelop-ments. With this study, the already available information is extended by the interview data collected in order to draw broader conclusions for specific situations, such as international consulting work and the specific case of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research data of a study can be either quantitative or qualitative. In quantitative research, data is numerical data, most of which are coded and must be decoded for interpretation. Different measurement scales support the description and analysis of

the data and allow for the inclusion and use of charts and statistics to illustrate the results. (Göttfert, 2015) Researchers use quantitative studies when the research goal is to test and verify a specific circumstance based on facts (Aczel, 2015). Qualitative stud-ies are based on words that have meanings. They are non-numerical and are collected through non-standardized methods. These methods include open-ended questions and in-depth interviews. To analyze the results, the data is summarized and categorized and contextualized to highlight relationships among categories and concepts. (Göttfert, 2015; Graue, 2015) Qualitative research is conducted to extend existing but insufficient knowledge regarding phenomena under study. These problems tend to be more un-structured, making qualitative research usually more appropriate than quantitative research. (Gog, 2015) This study is based on qualitative data and its analysis. This is justified by the lack of sufficient literature regarding the topic of this research. The ex-isting knowledge about the development of career capital in combination with interna-tional consulting work will be extended by this study, also in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research strategy illustrates the approach to answering the research questions.

One possible strategy for research is the case study strategy. Using a case study, de-tailed data can be collected from a single sample or small, inter-related samples. In this way, a specific context, including processes and individual cases, can be presented in detail in order to portray a phenomenon accurately. This results in a deeper under-standing of the research context and, successively, of the actions involved. New per-spectives open up on the phenomenon under investigation. A case study facilitates the possibility of comparing theoretical results with actual activities. New connections be-tween the aspects can be identified since the sighted theory is combined with the analysis of real life. (Aczel, 2015; Baxter & Jack, 2008; Flick, von Kardoff, & Steinke, 2004, p. 147; Kohlbacher, 2006; Saunders et al., 2007, p. 130) In order to thoroughly investigate the topic of this study, the most suitable research strategy is a case study.

The theoretical developments of career capital can be compared with real experiences and extended by the new conclusions due to its influence.