Tourism and Hospitality Impact on UK Development: A Research Project

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This project analyzes tourism's impact on UK development.

TLH251 Research Methods for Tourism, Hospitality and Events
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Table of Contents
Item 2...............................................................................................................................................3
Participant Observation...................................................................................................................3
Research Diary Extract................................................................................................................3
Short Commentary.......................................................................................................................4
Item 4...............................................................................................................................................5
Interview Coding.............................................................................................................................5
Item 5.............................................................................................................................................21
Research Proposal..........................................................................................................................21
Introduction and Rationale........................................................................................................21
Research aims and Objectives...................................................................................................22
Research Methodology..............................................................................................................23
Research Analysis......................................................................................................................25
References......................................................................................................................................26
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Item 2
Participant Observation
Research Diary Extract
For the purpose of making the participant observation, I went to the Bridges Shopping Centre
which is the heart of Sunderland. I selected this site to make research because there I can find
numerous numbers of people came for shopping or visiting the mall. I can easily make research
notes on such people after observing their activities. I have majorly found there the way of
people talk to each other; behave at the public places and the different between the shopping
culture of a female and male. AT such place of Bridges Shopping Centre, I found that some
people were there for the purpose of shopping but some bunches of the people, may be the
groups of friends, and were there in order to visit the mall. I recorded all the data regarding them
in my memory as I was making the research by the covert participant observation. I was sitting at
one side of the mall on a chair and was observing and recording all the data. There the people
came to buy the home accessories as well as do the shopping for their friends or family. I found
that the females were taking a lot of time in selecting what they want rather than the male there.
The males were clear on what kind of style and stuff they want to shop. I also had some trouble
while observing them as some of the people thought that I am stalking them but then I reacted
way too normal and everything was sorted. There were different body languages of people, some
of them were enjoying visiting there and some of them were not so happy with the weather and
atmosphere. There I also found some couples roaming around, some of them were happy couples
and some of them were fighting or arguing with each other. There was a bunch of friends too
who were enjoying visiting there and trying different types of food and were sharing with each
other their food. They were also talking about visiting to some more places before going home.
All these observations made by me helped me in making the research on the behavior and the
buying preferences of different people. This research can further also be expanded by continuous
observance and being the overt participant observer and going to such public place in order to
know more about the people.
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Short Commentary
a. Yes, I observed the mall and the people visiting their very deeply without participating with
them in their roaming and shopping activities. This has helped me a lot in collecting the data
regarding my research by watching them carefully from one place. It really was helpful in
analyzing all the required data.
b. Yes there were some parts inaccessible to me as I was not participating with them and was
observing from one place, the people visiting on another side of mall and shopping the stuff was
missed during such closed research project. This lead to some missing information while
collecting the data on the behavior of people but still there was a lot of data collected.
c. No, I did not have to negotiate access to the field as there was no problem in accessing the
mall and observing the people out there. Such open accessibility has helped me a lot in collecting
the data as there was no part of the mall which was inaccessible for me. I have observed and
made the notes on each and every aspect I wanted to research on.
d. I really felt very exciting and thought of a new experience while the participant observation. It
is good sometimes to be a part of the rush and observing them that what type of people they are
and what is their behavior and preferences. These feelings affected my project in a very positive
manner as it helped me in observing people more carefully and make the notes on them.
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Item 4
Interview Coding
What attracted you to the idea of owning a VW
campervan?
Michael: Well for me it was more like a holiday home, a
portable camp and chill with the family. The VW aspect was
more to talk Amanda into it. My partner just for the record.
(Laughs) Basically she thought it was cool and they are cool
and all of those things, but it was more a vehicle to go on
holiday in so like looking at caravans well didn’t appeal, and
I could see it as a second vehicle.
So what you’re saying is you wouldn’t have liked a
different type of vehicle?
No it would have to be something that could be used as a car
as well.
So not the big American retirement van?
No well the VW’s my mate had one and it’s a car and a van
and its cool and exciting isn’t it. It’s that whole thing, there’s
a buzz about it. People talk about it, so that would be the
initial reason.
Does the idea come from research, or just off the top of
your head to get it?
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Code B1- Feeling of
Happiness
Code A3- Learning
from other people
Code A4- Learning
from experience

Well we went on a caravan holiday and we sat in this
caravan and we thought this is cool; we will just have
barbeques and just drink beer. Just chill out George (Their
son) was only 7 weeks old and everything was dead easy
going and slow the pace reminded us of when we went
travelling to Asia and this was the life, but on the doorstep.
Somewhere we could go on a weekend, every weekend just
to get away from the city. Then Amanda wanted something
mobile and then the VW was a compromise.
Did you give it a name?
It didn’t have a name when we got it. Our initial idea in the
July 2009 and we didn’t get it for 10 months of waiting,
painstaking waiting and it didn’t have a name we thought
Ulysses or, the registration was UCU34l. It was a TV
program, Ulysses (Pronounced dramatically). Most of them
are girls names so we decided in the end to call it Jenny
because that’s what Forrest Gump (the movie) calls his boat.
Does that represent travelling or something?
Just liked the name.
Did giving it a name help with attachment to it?
Well they are mostly girls and it’s like naming a ship. I
thought there was a slight cultural difference of the people
who got them; the Dubbers who had names were different
from those who hadn’t.
In what way?
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Code A3- Learning
from other people
Code A2- Learning
from Past

I don’t know.
You’re allowed to say what you think?
It seems that if you really knew VW then you didn’t name it.
So at first we didn’t name it, we haven’t had anything and
called it a name. Even George’s teddies, his rabbit are rabbit.
Not a sentimental old fool then? (researcher laughs)
So where you brought up with camping?
Yes well we had definitely camped, with cubs and stuff like
that and school camp at the lakes which was cool. Err then
with the lads trying to get in campsites when we were 16,
sleeping in fields. Walking through fields of bulls and
swampland and stuff and waking up in the morning with this
guy on his quad going get off my field and we were like oh
no. We went camping then, we went walking then. We had a
break then returned to it with mates and realised that you
could just sit and eat and drink as much as you wanted and it
was great, you could just get as drunk as you wanted and that
was fine. We didn’t really go camping me and Amanda but
then when we had a kid; it really seemed to make sense and
still does. That is the lifestyle that I want my family to have.
Do you think that’s more a boy thing or just general?
What with camping, I guess stereotypically yes. Like its
roughing it and Amanda doesn’t want to rough it, whereas
maybe when she was younger she would of, but she’s 30. I
liked mucking in, getting wet, getting dirty whereas Amanda
didn’t like that about the camping. There will be girls that
don’t enjoy it and girls who do, but as a general rule boys
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Code B2 – Feeling
of excitement
Code B1- feeling of
happiness

like getting in a mess and most girls don’t. The idea of
getting wet and sitting in a leaky tent brings out survival
instincts in me. My cousin and his wife goes camping, well
glam ping actually they put a carpet in their tent. I suppose
you’re forced to make you own entertainment in a way.
You’re forced as a couple to be together, well not forced but
you’re on a campsite and it’s a relaxed ‘holiday’ atmosphere.
So do you think it’s a relaxing experience?
Relaxing?
Well it’s an idea that you go camping to relax and people
do.
Yes but it’s full of tasks to get to the relaxing bit. Like
relaxing is over there but you have to do a lot to get to it.
Like the whole alphabet. To get to the z. Then when you sit
down it’s like right what do I do now. So everything’s done,
all you need to do is just do the dishes. But there’s actually
nothing to do. Not like at home.
Is it trying to get away from that?
Yes for me it is actually. That’s still why I would like a static
caravan as well. Somewhere to go, to chill out and get drunk
(laughs)
In terms of feelings about the van, can you describe that?
Over the massive and ridiculous 10 months it took to procure
the van and we even got a loan to get it. Then when it did
arrive we were like this is a mistake because we had been so
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Code B4- Feeling of
imagination
Code B1- Feeling of
happiness

long waiting and we had to find extra money too. At first I
was a bit negative about it, although Manda was excited and
I was oh I don’t know what this is going to be like. That was
my feeling all the way up to getting it, but then when I got it
I did fall in love with it. Very much fell in love with it. It
only took sitting in it, driving in it and having a glass of wine
in it to think this is brilliant. This is cool you know it
belonged to us and I had never owned anything quite like it,
that was worth that much. I don’t own a house I just have a
mortgage. Yeah it was mine and I fell in love with it. We
would obsess about buying things for it. It was like a person.
Strange that. But it had its own character which is probably
why people name them. If a name had come to us we
probably would have named it but it was like what does it
need? George our son had a lot of needs and so did it. Things
you could get for it like accessories. We bought everything,
the curtains, the pans and the electrics. I thought about it,
went and looked at it on the street when I woke up in the
morning. Go and just sit in it, it’s yours you can be
possessive over it.
Is ownership part of it or could you have just hired one?
No, when it’s yours you look in other peoples vans and go
how practical is it, where would you sleep all of these
questions. As soon as you had your own it was like this is
brilliant, I don’t care where I am going to sleep. It was more
look at this I am in my van. There’s an excitement and
something I really enjoyed.
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Code C1- Sense of
ownership

Did this feeling stay with you for the duration of having
the van?
Yeah definitely, just very attached to it.
Do you think it’s an aesthetic thing? I mean I know
there’s more to it than that but....
Yes it’s the age of it, that its original, it’s got a history and it
looks nice but it’s quite simple. It’s got eyes on the front, a
face. Whoever designed it thought I want to live in this I will
put a sink there, I will put the beds there etc, it’s clever and a
lot of thought has gone into it. It’s like you feel like you have
got something special and whether it’s done through the
perception of it. People say they fall in love with them and
that’s what happens. I suppose if I had a Ferrari I would fall
in love with that but not necessarily in the same way.
Are you in love with your car?
No. I don’t really like it. When I first got it I thought oh its
okay, I have a new car. Now I dislike it. I wouldn’t be
bothered if it was nicked, albeit for financial reasons. The
van (whoa) I left it somewhere and thought I hadn’t locked
the door and just panicked about it and couldn’t think about
anything else until I got back to the van and the door was
locked. Then I love my bike at the minute so maybe I am a
bit like that. The campervan did stay with me.
When you say history, do you mean cultural history or its
own history?
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It hadn’t any improvements really so, so it’s original so you
imagine what people were like who used to live in it and
there is that whole community. You don’t go anywhere
without someone speaking about it. That makes the cycle of
you enjoying it, being part of something the reason you think
it is special is because you drive along the road and kids
smile at it and people look at it and wave at you. You drive
past everyone in their normal cars and it doesn’t matter that
its costing a fortune to drive or goes really slow (Laughs0
or really noisy or stinks of oil, when your sat at the lights
and someone else in their car that’s probably cost 20 grand
and you just go HA!
Do you attribute the features of the van to yourself, your
personality?
I think the van is the van itself and it’s just that you, like I
was the driver of that van. You do personalise them over
time. But we didn’t have ours long enough. Eight ball gear
stick or whatever. Got a little fire extinguisher. We didn’t
want to put flowers on it or change the look as it was a recent
resprays so it looked lush. I felt like a bus driver. It is
strange but you do feel on show when you drive them
Does it create an atmosphere for your life?
For the time you spend in them. I think that’s the appeal of
them that when you in them you relax, something changes
like it’s not the only thing that that happens with. Especially
if it’s yours. It’s like you look at a fire and you think that’s
beautiful it gives you a certain feeling, or looking out into the
ocean gives you a certain feeling. Like the campervan you
just chill out it’s your domain.
When you’re driving do you feel relaxed?
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Not always when I am driving. It can be a nightmare. You
can’t get it in gear or anything like that can you? You can’t
get stressed or lose you temper with it either or it won’t let
you drive it. When you stop its relaxing. It depends where
you are driving of course. I tried to use mine for work. It
was to see if I could do it, use it for work but it was
ridiculous in the winter in the campervan. So it was just a
joke. I had a fleece blanket, jacket, hat and gloves. Start the
engine; clean all the snow off and the ice. Condensation
breath, then when I get there, South Shields is a 40 minute
drive and it’s still freezing.
So it didn’t affect how you thought of the van?
No it was just my little relationship with the van. It was good
having it working in a school. Some of the kids were is that a
hippy van sir? Others were like why do you drive that and
couldn’t understand it. Some who knew about them really
liked it. People like them that is the thing.
I hear people say you either love them or hate them and
it’s just trying to put my finger on what that means. Any
thoughts?
It’s basically the way that they look and it’s what they offer.
Freedom, comfort and style and there’s an impression that
other people want them as well.
So if other people want it then you want it, then you have it
so you have what other people don’t have so you have
something special. In theory you could have that with a
bongo or whatever but with the VW it is the je ne suis
qu’une. It’s the same reason why people like for example
old houses. Certainly now it has gone into popular culture.
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