Sustainable Microfinance - Balanced Scorecard's added value for ...

4. Methodology
4.1 Introduction
In the introduction, the reason for employing Grounded Theory (GT) was explained
(see paragraph 1.6). In order to learn from other research, however, the design is
formalised after the literature review. By doing this, the limitations of some designs
are better known than they are on forehand. In this chapter, the formal design is
presented.
This will be done in the following manner. The first step is to elaborate on the setting
in which this study will take place. The second step is to establish the philosophical
stance. Thirdly, the process of Qualitative Analysis is discussed. Fourthly the
methods of data collection are addressed. Next the literature and interviews are
discussed. Seventh the research is described. The chapter ends with an explanation
of reliability and validity issues.
4.2 Setting
During the initial literature review the three different components of microfinance in
the Netherlands have been identified (Heemskerk, 2009a):
• MF-Points;
• Coaching;
• Microcredit.
Each aspect consists of multiple different types of organizations, each with their
specific approach, aim and objective, but all have the shared goal to stimulate
entrepreneurship and assist potential entrepreneurs in their quest for starting a
sustainable business. For the purpose of this research the main focus will lay on the
work of the MF-points. These types of organizations are the starting point for the
majority of the potential entrepreneurs. These types of organizations do not provide
loans and deal with the entrepreneurs that do not have a running business yet.
As the literature research revealed, significant research has been done on the PMSs
used by medium sized enterprises and large cooperation’s, but little is known about
Elmar Hoogendoorn 45
Sustainable Microfinance