Research for Business and Tourism Readings

Topic 2
Beginning Research
HOTL3003
Research for Business and Tourism
Readings
• Study Guide pp. 17-27
• Textbook: Quinlan et al. (2015)
Business Research Methods. Chapters
2, 3 and 5 (We will come back to Ch 5
again next week
• myReadings:
• Reading 2.1: Leedy (2010)
• Reading 2.2: Zikmund (2003)
Research as a process
The research process Quinlan et al. 2015, page 3.
The four frameworks approach
Model of the four frameworks. Quinlan et al. 2015, page 7.
Research Ideas
• The key to developing an idea for a research project is to focus
on an area of interest to you.
• Once you have decided on the area, you begin to develop your
idea(s) for your research project within that area;
• You will find it easiest if you situate your project within your
discipline. If, for example, you are taking a major in Human
Resources Management (HRM), then your research project
could usefully undertaken on some aspect of HRM.
The 1st step: Developing a problem statement
• When you have decided on the broad area within which you
want to situate your research,
• when you have decided on the precise focus of your research,
• … then you outline a simple problem statement, or research
question, which clearly expresses your idea for your research
project.
• Acts as the driving force for planning and undertaking the
research
The Problem Statement
• Usually a 1 or 2 sentence statement that precisely outlines
what you are trying to achieve in your research project
• Every component identified so that a layperson can read it and
know exactly the nature of your study
• Carefully worded to identify every component
• Uses instruction words such as:
‘analyse’, ‘compare and contrast’, ‘investigate’, ‘identify’,
‘determine’, ‘describe’, ‘evaluate’, ‘examine’, ‘explain’
• Usually takes a few attempts to get right
• Expect your problem statement to be closely critiqued in your
2nd assignment
Common words used in problem statements…
• Analyse – to investigate the elements of the whole and try to
describe the relationship between them
• Compare – to examine the characteristics of objects in
question with a view to demonstrating their similarities and
differences
• Contrast – to examine the characteristics of objects in question
for the purpose of demonstrating their differences
More definitions…
• Describe – to give an account of the elements involved
• Evaluate – to examine the various sides of a question and try to
reach a critical judgment, e.g. about what is right or wrong
• Examine – to act as a judge or critic or to review a given
situation
• Explain – to determine why or how a situation has occurred
There are subtle differences between each descriptor – so
choose yours carefully! Consult a dictionary if you are not
sure.
Example Problem Statement
The purpose of this study is to compare
and contrast types of event facilities
available in Northern NSW.
Can you spot any flaws?
Anything missing or ambiguous?
Some problems
• Which types of event facilities? Does the researcher
intend to identify and examine every type of event
facility in Northern NSW?
• What is meant by Northern NSW?
• What is an ‘event facility’?
• What time-frame is involved?
Revised Statement
The purpose of this study is to compare and
contrast the types of conference room facilities
that cater for 25 to 500 delegates located in the
State electorate of Ballina as at December 2018
• Northern NSW = State electorate of Ballina
• Event facility = conference room facilities catering for 25-500 delegates
• Time frame = As at December 2018
Editing your statement
• Keep sentences short. Some problem statements will
require more than one sentence but each one should be
succinct. However, try not to exceed 2 sentences – keep
refining it.
• Be critical: Does it say exactly what you intend to research?
• Use a dictionary to find the exact word you need: can one
word replace a phrase somewhere?
• Is your statement grammatically correct?
Examples of problem statements from recent grants
The project will identify the key urban
processes that are associated with gamblingrelated harm in Melbourne, Australia, between
1992 and 2018.
The purpose of the project is to determine
whether maths anxiety is associated with lower
maths performance for SCU MBA students in
the 2020 offering of [unit code].
Identify the sub-problems
• The problem statement on its own does not help the researcher
plan and undertake the research
• Sub problems breaks the problem statement down into
manageable parts
• Sub-problems map the research – they identify the smaller
portions of your study
• The sub-problems add up to the whole of the project
• Most studies employ 2 – 6 sub
problems: any more than this is
too many
Sub-problems
• Each sub-problem is an independent, researchable unit
• Make sure that each sub-problem is a genuine element of the
problem statement
• If a sub-problem is not relevant to help solve the bigger problem
at hand, the ‘puzzle’ won’t fit
‘The Problem’
Sub-problem 1 Sub-problem 2 Sub-problem 3 Sub-problem 4
How do you find sub-problems?
Example Problem Statement:
The purpose of this study is determine
whether the influx of tourists to Byron Bay
over the summer holiday period, December
2018 to February 2019, is associated with a
higher crime rate than during the winter
period, June to August 2018.
Sub-problems
1. What were the tourist numbers in Byron Bay in the Dec 2018 to
Feb 2019 summer holiday period?
2. What were the crime statistics for BB during the Dec 2018 to Feb
2019 summer holiday period?
3. What were the tourist numbers in BB for the winter period, June
to August 2018?
4. What were the crime statistics for BB during the June to August
2018 winter period?
5. How do the crime statistics for the two periods compare?
Sub-problems
The project will model four carbon emissions-reduction
scenarios for tourism aviation transportation in Australia and
determine their effect on tourism development.
• Sub-problem 1: Define four emissions-reduction transport
scenarios
• Sub-problem 2: Model tourism transport according to each
scenario
• Sub-problem 3: Determine the effect of each transport
scenario on tourism development.
The ‘scope’ of a project
• The parameters of the project – usually conditions of the
research that can be controlled by the researcher
• Scope is defined in terms of:
Geographical scope
Temporal scope (timeframe)
Demographic scope (nature of the phenomenon)
Previous conference facility project example:
The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast
the types of conference room facilities that cater for
25 to 500 delegates, located in the State electorate
of Ballina as at December 2018.
• Geographic scope: State electorate of Ballina
• Temporal (time) scope: As at December 2018
• Demographic scope (who/what): Conference room facilities catering
for 25-500 delegates
The ‘significance’ of a project
• Is a statement of why your study is needed
• Should be pointed out to let the reader know that there is a
genuine need for the study to be undertaken
• Not long – usually a paragraph is sufficient
• Most academic studies are significant because they address
a gap in the literature
• Most industry/consultancy studies are significant because
they address organisational problems
• In a research proposal we include a statement of why a
project is significant
Example significance statement
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are extensively involved
in providing cash or in-kind sponsorship to sport events at the
regional level, and in many cases are the financial lifeblood for
many of these events. However, to date little research has
been conducted into such agreements. A better understanding
of why SMEs are motivated to provide sponsorship to regional
sport tourism events may enable event managers to more
effectively attract and maintain sponsorship funds for their
events. Further, examination of operational functions of
sponsorships events may result in highlighting a need for
training materials and/or courses for persons involved in the
management of sponsorships of regional sport tourism events.
Note: some references would be needed for claims made.
Low-emission tourism transportation example:
Aviation emissions have proven historically resistant to
abatement. By providing a set of plans for a reduced emissions
tourist transport system and a detailed description of the
governance structures needed to achieve these plans, this
project would position Australia as an international leader in the
field of aviation emissions reduction. Its outcomes would provide
a clear framework for action for governments and civil society
actors tasked with reducing transport emissions.
Note: some references would be needed for claims made.
Theories
• Theories are formal, testable explanations of some part of the
real (empirical) world. They are generalisations and
simplifications that help us understand a complex reality.
• Terminology related to theories and theory development
includes concepts, propositions, variables and hypotheses.
Concepts
• Concepts are abstract ideas
• Concepts represent the building blocks that help us formulate
scientific research studies and describe the
phenomenon/phenomena to be studied.
• We need to be aware of what the concepts are that we are
studying. Concepts form the basis of our conceptual
framework, which guides our literature review (to develop the
theoretical framework), research design and methods (i.e. the
methodological framework) and data analysis (analytical
framework).
A Ladder of Abstraction for Concepts
Quinlan et al. 2015, page 76.
Concepts are Abstractions of Reality
Quinlan et al. 2015, page 76.
Some examples of concepts based on the above problem
statements
• tourists, tourism, transport, scenarios, emissions,
Australia, development
• gambling, harm, space, urban
• holiday, crime, season
• conference, delegate
Propositions and hypotheses
• Propositions link together concepts – abstract world
• To test these propositions in the ‘real’ (empirical) world, we
need to turn concepts into variables and propositions into
hypotheses.
• We then need empirical data (facts) to test the hypotheses.
• For example, our problem statement above on Byron Bay
suggests we predict a link between tourist numbers (concept
1) and the crime rate (concept 2). We can turn this into a
testable hypothesis.
Propositions and hypotheses
• Not all research problems lend themselves to hypotheses.
Some research aims to explore and describe a particular
phenomenon in depth rather than test relationships. The
variables involved may not even be known.
• For example, our problem statement above comparing and
contrasting types of conference room facilities. We may not
know what types we will find. This is more of a descriptive
study of the empirical world.
Turning concepts into variables
• Concepts must be refined into measurable units, known as
variables
• ‘Height’ is a concept – an idea expressed as a word
• …but if we wanted to apply ‘height’ in an empirical
research context – we would have to define it so it became
measurable
• How would you define ‘height’?
• A distance from top to bottom
• How would you measure ‘height’ based on this definition?
• E.g. in cm/m, inches/feet, depending on what you are
measuring the height of (person, mountain)
• We will return to this in a later topic.
Topic 2 and Your Assignment 2
• Background (250 words)
• Set the scene and provide the context for the research
• Why is the area or issue of general importance?
• Significance (250 words)
• Why is this study warranted; why it is important?
• What will the study achieve that is of value?
• May be justified by gaps or need in the academic literature
and/or in industry practice
• Scope (150 words)
• Geographical, temporal, and demographic limitations.
• Problem statement and sub problems (150 words)

• Use the guidelines we talked about today
• Use instruction words like describe, examine, explore…
• Should reflect the scope of the project as outlined before –
geographic, temporal, demographic
• Make sure that the sub problems are relevant to solve the
overall ‘problem’
Topic 2 and Your Assignment 2
• Stick to the word limits for each section. Failure to do so (within
+10%) will result in a lower performance level in the rubric
being assigned that would otherwise be the case.
• The background and significance sections should be supported
by literature (references).
• The scope section may also need some literature support,
depending on the problem context. For example, our
conference room study scope could be supported by a reference
to the NSW Electoral Commission for the definition of Ballina
electorate boundaries.
Topic 2 and Your Assignment 2
Questions??
THANK YOU
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