Site Setting

Because the research study was comprised of a quantitative and a qualitative methodology, the researcher will describe the site setting of each phase of the study separately.
Quantitative Component

As the method that was used to collect the quantitative data did not involve the planning or realization of the collection of original quantitative data, the site settings for the quantitative component of the study included the library and the researcher’s home. All of the quantitative data that were collected for the study were available on the Internet, and the researcher used her own computer as well as that at the university library to collect the types of data that were described in the introduction of this chapter and which are described at greater length in the Sample, Measurement Methods, and Procedure sections, which are found below.

Qualitative Component

Unlike the quantitative component of the study, the qualitative phase of the research investigation did include the collection of original data by means of a researcher-convened focus group (Daymon & Holloway, 2002). Because the focus group method requires the researcher to meet with the study participants in person, the researcher rented an office space for a period of several hours and used the space to conduct the focus group. The researcher arrived in advance of the participants in order to have adequate time to assess the space and to arrange it in a manner that was conducive to an effective focus group. As Stanley, Sieber, and Melton (1996) have observed, there are many variables that affect the collection of data, whether quantitative or qualitative in nature, and for this reason, the researcher should be aware of environmental details in the setting that either facilitate or detract from successful data collection. For the purposes of this study, it was important that the researcher create a semi-formal environment in which the climate and tone were business-like, but in which participants felt comfortable enough to respond honestly and openly to the best of their ability. Environmental factors that contribute to the creation of such at atmosphere include the placement and organization of chairs, the distance between participants, lighting, the temperature of the room, and the number and type of distractions in the space (Stanley et al., 1996).

Taking these factors into consideration, the researcher arranged the chairs around a table, as if the participants were attending a board meeting. The intention of arranging the chairs in this way was to establish a sense of formality and purpose congruent with the expertise that the focus group participants were expected to bring to the meeting. The arrangement of the chairs was also done in such a way as to create appropriate professional distance among the participants, which was important because the participants did not know one another prior to the focus group. Finally, the chairs were arranged in such a way that the researcher was seated at the head of the table, establishing authority as within the locus of control of the researcher; no single participant was accorded authority by virtue of his or her seat position. With respect to the other details, the researcher removed a poster that might have been distracting, set the temperature at a comfortable level, and made sure that bottled water was available at each seat. Although the researcher acknowledges that some of the inherent limitations of the focus group methodology (which will be discussed later in this chapter) might not have been eliminated by paying such close attention to the physical lay out of the setting for the focus group, she does believe that it mitigated some of the negative effects that space can have on focus group dynamics, an observation which is supported by the variety of data that were collected during this phase of the research study.
Population

Because the research study was comprised of a quantitative and a qualitative methodology, the researcher will describe the population of each phase of the study separately.
Quantitative Component

As indicated earlier, all of the information that was needed for the quantitative phase of the study was available online. For this reason, the researcher did not need to constitute a sample in order to collect any data. In addition, because all of the information that the researcher sought was available to the public, it was not necessary to reach out to any human subjects in order to secure permission to access information.

Qualitative Component

Unlike the quantitative component of the study, the qualitative component did necessitate the constitution of a study population. Experts recommend that focus groups be comprised of six to ten participants in order to achieve optimal data collection (Klandermans & Staggenborg, 2002). Because the researcher was interested in gathering qualitative data from people who were directly involved in the U.S. apparel industry and who had knowledge and insight about the specific topic of the study, she made a list of apparel industry executives, financial analysts, import-export experts, and related stakeholders and contacted them to invite their participation in the study. There were ten focus group participants. Thus, while all of the stakeholders had a direct relationship to the apparel industry in the United States, they represented different interests, and these are identified below. The participants in the study represented the following segments of the U.S. apparel and finance industries and occupied the following posts within their specific sector: a union leader; an apparel industry publication editor; an import-export and trade analyst working for the federal government; a financial analyst working for a privately-held company specializing in U.S.-China relations; a representative of a large, U.S.-based retail clothing outlet; an unemployed apparel industry employee who was laid off when his job was outsourced; a manufacturing executive; a retail clothing store operator; a journalist who covers developments in U.S.-China trade relations; and a professor whose area of expertise is the history of the apparel industry in the United States, with particular emphasis on the turn-of-the century developments.

Sample
Because the research study was comprised of a quantitative and a qualitative methodology, the researcher will describe the sample of each phase of the study separately.
Quantitative Component

As indicated earlier, there were no human subjects who participated in the quantitative component of data collection for this study. The sample of data that was collected reflected specific sets of information that the researcher deemed important to the extent that the information reflected the specific indicators of economic stability identified and discussed in the opening of this chapter, including, among other variables, retail apparel sales, import-export ratios of clothing from China to the United States, and unemployment in the manufacturing sector in the United States.
Qualitative Component

The sample for the focus group was, as the researcher has already indicated, a researcher-convened sample. It was also a convenience sample; the researcher compiled a list of potential focus group members whose specific experience and expertise led the researcher to believe that the individuals would have valuable insight about the research topic, and then contacted these individuals by e-mail to determine whether they would be interested and available to participate in the study. The first ten individuals who responded affirmatively comprised the focus group, at which point the participant selection process terminated. As indicated in the previous section, the sample, though small, was appropriate for a focus group (Klandermans & Staggenborg, 2002). The sample was also heterogeneous, comprised of men and women of different races and ages and each with a different relationship to or role within the U.S. apparel industry.

Measurement Methods

Because the research study was comprised of a quantitative and a qualitative methodology, the researcher will describe the measurement methods of each phase of the study separately.
Quantitative Component

Because the researcher was collecting original data, there were no measurement methods that needed to be imposed on the data, as the data had already been collected, subjected to measurement, and presented within the framework deemed appropriate by the collecting authority. This researcher took the data collected from various sources and compiled it in such a way that comparative analysis could be performed using descriptive statistics. The exact procedure by which this was done will be described in the following section.

Qualitative Component

The measurement method that was used for analyzing the qualitative data produced and collected during the focus group was applied by performing content analysis on the narrative transcript of the group members’ remarks. The researcher, who had audio-taped the focus group session, later created a written transcript of the focus group members’ verbal contributions. Once the transcript was typed, the researcher reviewed the transcript several times, identifying key and recurrent words, ideas, and themes that had been presented by the focus group members. As Klandermans and Staggenborg (2002) point out, “In business and political applications,” such as this one, “verbal transcripts are usually coded based on qualitative, informed interpretation” (p. 85). When the researcher had coded the transcript and reviewed the recurrent themes, she was able to use descriptive processes to analyze and interpret the quantitative and qualitative data in tandem. In this manner, she was also able to offer some answers to research question two, which will be presented in Chapter Four and elaborated upon in Chapter Five.

Procedure
Because the research study was comprised of a quantitative and a qualitative methodological component, the researcher will describe the procedure of each phase of the study separately.
Quantitative Component
The study commenced with the initiation of the quantitative phase of research. Based on the information, knowledge, and insight gained through the process of conducting the comprehensive review of the literature, the researcher was able to identify some of the key economic variables that the United States uses to determine the health, integrity, and stability of the national economy. Once these variables had been identified, the researcher then proceeded to determine which of these economic variables included measurements that reflect measurable statistical trends within the U.S. apparel industry, and, in particular, which reflect those kinds of trends with respect to imported clothing coming from China. The researcher identified three broad categories relevant to the study: (1) import-export ratios specific to apparel (i.e. amount of clothing imported by the U.S. from China versus the amount of clothing exported by the U.S.); (2) unemployment rates, with specific focus on unemployment in the U.S. market within the clothing manufacture industry; and (3) retail clothing purchases by U.S. consumers.

Once these three categories had been identified, the researcher began to evaluate the statistics that are made available to the public by a variety of government agencies and private sector organizations. The researcher recorded the data that fell into one of the three categories, noting the source of the data, what the data reflected, and what time period it represented. Once all the data were collected, they were put into tabular format and were prepared for presentation. The tables with quantitative data are presented in Chapter Four. Upon completion of the tables, the researcher reviewed the sorted data and began to make interpretations using a descriptive process. The interpretations and recommendations stemming from them are presented in Chapters Four and Five.

Qualitative Component
The researcher initiated the qualitative phase of the research study by compiling a list of stakeholder groups that have an interest in the current and future conditions of the apparel industry in the United States. The list included garment industry workers (both in the manufacturing sector and those in retail sales); union leaders and their members; journalists, professors, scholars, and researchers; economic and industry analysts; and trade specialists. Once the list was complete, the researcher then went about compiling a second list, this one with names and contact information of specific key stakeholders representing these diverse groups. There were no specific criteria for selection other than having an obvious relationship to the U.S. apparel industry and living in the researcher’s area; as the qualitative methodology used was a focus group, it required the physical presence of participants. The researcher then sent an e-mail to all of the potential participants, 43 in all, in which she explained the purpose of the study and invited them to participate in a focus group that was expected to take no longer than 90 minutes. She requested that potential participants respond via e-mail to express their interest and willingness in participating, and the first ten individuals who responded formed the focus group. There were, in fact, only ten people contacted who did respond, so the researcher was not put in the position of declining any affirmative responses.