ABSTRACT
Obtaining a scientific and systematic sample was never a realistic — or required — goal, given the research aims, the principle research method adopted and the size and heterogeneity of the population investigated. No research method is entirely free from problems, but interviewing must surely come closest. Interviews can probe for both qualitative and quantitative data. There are of course many types of interview — the very fashionable focus groups, telephone interviews, group interviews, and the one chosen for this research project, the face-to-face, open-ended depth interview. The recording apparatus, whether visible or not, mitigated against this, as did the fact that interviewers were aware of the general theme of the interview. Observation cannot be divorced from the interview, because as a result of interviewing people in their offices or work places the reader can observe as well. Questionnaires and observation were also employed, but on a limited scale and largely to buttress the interview data.
