**2.3 Research design and methodology**

This chapter investigates the following research question: *"How does the CSR adopted by a leading international company in the telephonic industry?"* The research methodology was qualitative and based on the *Telefónica* Sa case study [35–37] and key informants' in-depth interviews with the top management [38–40]. The case study represents a strategy for doing research, which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context [41]. Furthermore, was considered a secondary source [42] for data collection. Common sources of secondary data for social science include reports, censuses, information collected by government departments, organizational records, and company data. Secondary data analysis can save time that would otherwise be spent collecting data and, particularly in the case of quantitative data, can provide larger and higher-quality databases that would be unfeasible for any individual researcher to collect on their own [43]. In addition, analysts of social and economic change consider secondary data essential, since it is impossible to conduct a new survey that can adequately capture past changes and/ or developments [44]. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted in February and April 2010 and lasted for an average of 90 min. However, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews to avoid limiting the interviewees and the possible serendipity of any additional evidence that might be used to revise or strengthen our research. In particular, the authors interviewed: *(a) Director at Telefónica; (b) Head of Internal Communications; (c) Head of Marketing (d) Director of Corporate Strategy; and (e) Global Human Resources Manager.* The in-depth interviews [45] concerned questions on the corporate sustainability and organization of *Telefónica SA* activities related to stakeholders. The objective was to shed more light on the role of the company in enhancing sustainable development, and the enablers and barriers to the adoption of social reports [46, 47].

The interview protocol framework is comprised of four stages: *(a) ensuring interview questions align with research questions; (b) constructing an inquiry-based conversation; (c) receiving feedback on interview protocols; and (d) piloting the interview protocol*. The author preserved the conversational and inquiry goals of the research act by including open-ended questions and discussions diverged from the interview guide, and the experts were encouraged to interact. The author collected data through interview notes, and tape recordings were utilized to allow for more consistent transcription [48]. The author adopted the two-pass process for data verification, notated the interview comparisons with audio files, and received written approval of the transcripts from the participants. Finally, after the validation and testing of the *Telefónica* sustainable model by the stakeholders and the questionnaire, the model was applied to another case study regarding different country setting where *Telefónica* operates (e.g., Latino America).
