POSITIONING VIRTUAL TRACE APPROACH AS A QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH

Abstract

TAhbisst rpaacpte r reflects on the potential of Virtual Trace Approach (VTA) to provide new perspective into qualitative methodology in entrepreneurship research. The objective is to present another dimension to the existing strategies in carrying out entrepreneurship research and to discuss how VTA technique may be used as a qualitative methodology in entrepreneurship research. A description of searching under trace approach is provided in four phases namely: (1) selection of investigated event, case or phenomenon. (2) Strategy for data collection. (3) Data preparation processes. (4) Data analysis. In this study, data analysis capitalized on a research carried out on the Nigerian Government COVID-19 Survival Fund by presenting the likely contribution it will have on entrepreneurial research. It is concluded that VTA can be used within an entrepreneurial research context. Whilst, recommending that Virtual Trace Approach (VTA) should be implicitly deployed together with other qualitative research methodology in various fields of entrepreneurial research where complex information with wide coverage is required, most especially in this contemporary time.