This paper discusses the research approach, strategy, and research design of a novice qualitative researcher.
Experiences relating to data collection, interpretation, ethical considerations and lessons learned are reported.
These experiences are compared to those presented in literature on conducting field research and not only
confirm, but extend those guidelines to novice Grounded Theory (GT) researchers. The paper focuses on the
problems that the researcher faced due to inexperience in conducting qualitative research as well as the
researcher’s experience in the use of a grounded theory analysis. The paper will be useful to the qualitative
research novice who intends investigating a situation where respondents are not knowledgeable about the
phenomenon under study, as in this case where many of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) procurement staff
were unaware of e-commerce as an alternative approach .The report concludes with the recommendation that
GT and interpretive case study research are very useful when investigating information systems related to
organizational change initiatives in the unique context of developing countries.