SME Branding at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Lessons Learned from Applying Phenomenological Case Study in the Indian Himalayas

In this paper, the authors share and reflect critically on the experience of applying phenomenological case study approach in a doctoral study examining SME branding at the Bottom of the Pyramid environment. Data collection for this study necessitated 22 months of fieldwork, with visits spread out over 43 non-consecutive days within the rugged Indian Himalayas. Reflecting on our experiences, we discuss the insights gained in the application of the phenomenological case study approach, data collection and analysis processes, challenges associated with preconceived notions, and ensuring the trustworthiness of our findings. Our key findings offer six crucial considerations for researchers: selecting appropriate cases, foregrounding lived experiences, utilising reflexivity for informed decisions, acknowledging researcher positionality, and navigating the data analysis and interpretation in phenomenological case studies