Key Assessment Deadlines

1. Hand-in of Revised Proposals (all students): 14^th October 2019. These should be submitted electronically via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday).

1. Hand-in of Literature Review / Outline Methodology: 18^th December 2019. This must be submitted electronically via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday).
2. Signed (approved) Ethical Approval Form (EA1 or EA2): 18^th December 2019. This should be submitted electronically via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday). This should be signed by the supervisor, the student and one other academic unrelated to the research.
3. Hand-in of Completed Dissertation: 1^st of April 2020. Electronic copy submitted via Blackboard by all students by 12:00pm (midday).

 

Introduction

Lincoln International Business School students undertake a dissertation as an integral part of their degree programme. Traditionally the dissertation was seen as a key indicator of a student’s ability and knowledge. It is something which students undertake independently, albeit with an allocated academic supervisor, on the topic of which they choose themselves. The dissertation is consequently regarded as a good indicator of student competence by employers and recruiters to Undergraduate Level courses. It should be something that you enjoy doing. In choosing the topic yourself, you should be committed and passionate about the dissertation. You should be able to talk about it at length to others, and it could differentiate you from other graduates in the labour market!

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the module and by the end of the dissertation, students should be able to:

LO1     Articulate, in writing, an ability to organise and present material on a chosen topic, and justify the chosen approach to the topic.

LO2     Demonstrate, within the context of the written dissertation, the ability to evaluate, critically, primary and secondary materials.

LO3     Deploy skills of observation and analysis, and reflect on the usefulness and appropriateness of those skills.

LO4     Demonstrate, by means of the finished written work, a comprehensive understanding of research methodologies and research methods.

LO5     Covey, in writing, capability as a reflective, original and critical thinker who can master a topic and present it cogently.

Transferable Skills

The module facilitates the development of your transferable skills. These are skills which contribute to your own personal development as a ‘scholar’, but also in the world of work. The module enhances your employability by developing the following transferable Work Ready skills:

Organization:

• Creatively plan, design, lead, manage and execute practical activities using appropriate techniques and procedures while demonstrating high levels of relevant skills.

Communication:

• Demonstrate literacy and communication skills in a range of contexts including verbal, digital and multi-media forms.

Teamwork:

• Work effectively independently and with others, as both a team member and a leader, recognising and respecting the values of equality and diversity.

Learning & Adaptability:

• Complete a sustained piece of independent intellectual work (such as a long project or dissertation) which plans, designs, critically assesses and evaluates evidence in the context of appropriate research methodologies and data sources.

Perseverance & Initiative:

• Undertake fieldwork with continuous regard for ethics, safety and risk assessment.

Researching and Analysing:

• Describe, synthesise, interpret, analyse and evaluate information and data of an applied nature.
• Demonstrate the numeracy skills required to manage budgets and analyse quantitative data, including that of big data.

Problem Solving:

• Research and assess paradigms, theories, principles, concepts and data, and apply such skills creatively in explaining and solving familiar and unfamiliar problems, challenging previously held assumptions or answering research questions

Principles of Responsible Management Education.

Lincoln International Business School is a member of PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) and seeks to engage its students in critical debate about the implications of sustainability for the global business community and management practice. To that end, this module relates to the following Principles:

Principle 1 | Purpose: We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

Principle 4 | Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

Module Delivery

The module will be delivered by you needing to attend one lecture (1 hour in length) a week according to your timetables in term 1. These lectures will be supported by individual meetings with your respective allocated supervisor throughout the term. In term 2, there will be a continuation of the lectures but there will be an addition of optional workshops, 2 hours in length, to assist in the analysis and interpretation of your research – as displayed on your timetables presently.

Registers will be taken at all these sessions, therefore if you are unable to attend please inform the module co-ordinator of your absence. The schedule of activity is available in Appendix 1.

Contact Time

This module makes use of the following techniques:

• A timetabled weekly lecture (in term 1) and a combination of lectures and workshops (in term 2)
• Supervision meetings between the student and allocated supervisor
• Learning materials available via Blackboard
• Independent study – individually supported by your respective supervisor

Workshop outlines, notes, slides and supplementary material will be made available on Blackboard prior to the relevant session. Students should check the site on a regular basis to obtain the necessary information.

In addition to the timetabled sessions, you will be expected to work on your own to:

• Complete any tasks set by the supervisor and embrace the practical requirements of the module
• Acquire skills in research methods and project management
• Manage self-study time

As a module with considerable practical content, it will support students in developing their transferable skills. The individual dissertation will demonstrate this, and will also require students to be self-motivated and organised. The dissertation itself will create new information and is in line with the university’s ‘student as producer’ ethos.

Directed Study

This module will require you to undertake practical activities related to the dissertation. As mentioned above, the module makes use of tasks a considerable amount, therefore you are expected to complete the tasks specified by your supervisor. In order to complete these satisfactorily, you need to have acquired the necessary level of computer and research skills. The supervisory meetings, lectures and support workshops are designed to help you. It is imperative that you carry out the required tasks on time – otherwise you will not be able to make effective use of all the sessions. You should seek feedback from your supervisor on how well you have completed the tasks during the teaching terms.

Independent Study

Supplementary reading on the various subject areas is expected to take place throughout the term to ensure you maintain interest in your subject and excel in assessment as well as your weekly lecture/workshop tasks.

Feedback Strategy

Receiving formative feedback during your learning is essential to ensure you are prepared for your final assessments. To support your learning throughout the module the following formative feedback strategies are used:

• Assessment Workshops
• Dedicated assessment support lectures
• Feedback on draft work, such as the proposal and literature review / outline methodology
• One-to-one meetings with supervisors

Assessment Summary

The assignment for this module is in four parts:

• A proposal submitted on 14/10/2019 via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday). For returning students this will be a revised proposal based on their work over the summer. (Formative Assessment, no mark allocation).
• A literature review and outline methodology to be submitted on 18/12/2019 via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday). It is anticipated that this material will provide a substantive basis for key chapters in the final dissertation. Students may, of course, modify this material for the final dissertation in the light of feedback received from their supervisor and second marker. The proposed/actual methods of data collection should be outlined at the end of the literature review. (15% of the module mark).
• Students should also submit a signed (approved) ethical approval form on 18/12/2019 via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday). This should be signed by the supervisor, the student and one other academic unrelated to the research. (Formative Assessment, no mark allocation).
• A Final Dissertation should be submitted on 01/04/2020 via Blackboard by 12:00pm (midday). Please note, this is an online submission only. (85% of the module mark).

All assessments must be submitted via Blackboard. Detailed instructions for each of these assignments are also contained on the module’s Blackboard page, under Assignment Information. Full assessment details are available in Appendix 2.

Formative Assessments

There are a series of formative assessments for this module which are outlined above and all students will be encourage to speak to the module coordinator and also supervisors about the progress of their respective work with a view to gaining feedback during its research, construction and writing phases.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Criteria Grids will be used to provide feedback on Blackboard and indicate how marks will be allocated, they are included in Appendix 3.

 

Assessment Method	Weighting (%)	Date Due	LO’s Assessed
			1	2	3	4	5
Literature Review / Outline Methodology	15%	18/12/2019	x	x	x	x	x
Final Dissertation	85%	01/04/2020	x	x	x	x	x

 

Dishonesty and Plagiarism

The University Regulations define plagiarism as ‘the passing off of another person’s thoughts, ideas, writings or images as one’s own. Examples of plagiarism include the unacknowledged use of another person’s material whether in original or summary form. Plagiarism also includes the copying of another student’s work.

Plagiarism is a serious offence and is treated by the University as a form of dishonest means in assessment. Students are directed to the University Regulations for details of the procedures and penalties involved. Plagiarism is, however, easily avoided by the full and correct use of referencing.

When available, always check your ‘similarity’ rating index on Turnitin submissions to ensure you percentage rating is in the ‘green’. Please note however, that such a rating is indicative only and tutors will consider other evidence in assessing the academic integrity of your work.  Where there are doubts about your work you may be called in for an interview.

What is a Dissertation

The Dissertation summed up

It is a substantial piece of written work which you are required to complete as part of your final-year programme. The end product is called a ‘dissertation’. The process is called independent study, because the student chooses the topic and undertakes the work independently, with a tutor as supervisor. As such therefore, this module is as much about ‘process’, as about an end product. You are being assessed on how successful you can be at developing the ability to research independently. The end product – the dissertation – will be representative of your degree of success in the task.

Whilst the choice of topic is yours, it must involve your own original research. This may be primary research, and/or the creative use of secondary sources. An essay is a written discourse about a particular theme or topic which is already externally defined. A dissertation, by contrast, defines its own theme or topic through the process of independent research. Doing a dissertation requires a different set of skills to doing an essay. You will look in depth at a particular topic, take stock of existing knowledge on the issue and offer some further contribution to the discussion. It requires time to explore the material, develop the idea, design the methodology, collect and analyse the evidence and draw mature and critical conclusions from your work. The result should demonstrate your competence in the craft of researching in the field of tourism or events. Whilst dissertations are rarely published, you should aim from something that is worthy of publication. The following is an indicative list of what your dissertation should demonstrate you can do:

• Conduct a comprehensive literature search to identify relevant journal articles and books;
• Construct a Literature Review which summarises and synthesizes relevant academic knowledge into a coherent (sorted and structured) argument;
• Develop a relevant and relatively precise focus with appropriate research questions or objectives;
• Choose an accessible and achievable (within the time/resource envelope) geographic and subject focus;
• Plan and execute the research in an ethically balanced manner;
• Devise and justify an appropriate methodology;
• Collect ‘quality’ evidence to facilitate answers to your questions;
• Process and analyse ‘data’, synthesize and evaluate results;
• Discuss ‘empirical’ evidence in the context of the literature reviewed in a reflective manner;
• Summarise the key elements;
• Construct critical conclusions.

Its length should be between 10,000 and 12,000 words. The choice of topic is yours, and must involve your own collection and analysis of evidence. This may be primary research, and/or the creative use of secondary sources. Bear in mind the above list (and the assessment criteria listed later on) when choosing your topic – it should have sufficient scope to enable you to demonstrate the diverse range of competencies expected. An essential ingredient is what we shall term a critical focus of study. Focus, because your choice must be sharply defined. ‘Tourism in Wiltshire’, for example, is too general. ‘A critical study of the attractions, costs and benefits of archaeological sightseeing in Wessex’ offers a sharper definition, for example.

The focus should be critical because you are required to demonstrate the powers of analysis which we expect of a level 3 (6) undergraduate. That means delving deep into the subject and questioning all the information you collect, considering and analysing it from different angles.

You should note that your dissertation, to be successful, should aim to draw from knowledge from a whole range of course modules. Successful dissertations are usually those that challenge subject boundaries. Relevant sources, depending on the subject of the dissertation, are as likely to be found in journals about geography, sociology, psychology and politics, as much as in specifically business/management orientated journals.

Types of Dissertation

There are three basic approaches to a dissertation:

Theory or literature based:

This involves comparing, evaluating and reflecting on alternative theories drawn from the literature relating to a particular topic area. In addition to constructing logical theoretical arguments, you will be expected to discuss the practical implications of your findings and conclusions.

Problem-solving:

This involves investigating a practical problem or issue being faced by an organisation. It is likely to involve some form of primary research and the findings should enable evidence-based conclusions and recommendations to be made. The problem should be set in the context of previous work done in the field and this should be demonstrated through reference to your literature review.

Problem-centred:

This involves investigating a problem or issue confronting a particular group of organisations or an industry sector. In essence, the aim is to better understand the nature of the problem. You will not necessarily be concerned with the solution to a problem(s) but with the causes and implications of the generalized situation. As above, the problem should be set in the context of previous work done in the field and this should be demonstrated through reference to your literature review.

Please note that you should avoid project or placement-based dissertations that lack evidence of academic underpinning, as these will not meet the learning outcomes of the dissertation, as highlighted earlier.

Choosing a topic

One useful way of starting to produce your proposal is to look for a specific, focused question to answer. The problem with, for example, ‘I want to study tourism (or events) in Wiltshire’ is that it contains no question, and hence the next question, ‘What do I research in Wiltshire? remains unanswered.

There is a specimen proposal at the back of this handbook. The main question behind that proposal might be, ‘Why is getting a suntan so important to holidaymakers?’ Once you have the question, you can formulate a series of lesser questions which require answers in order to answer the main question.

So, a set of lesser questions to answer the above question may be as follows:

• ‘What kind of holidaymakers want suntans?’
• ‘Is the need for a suntan to do with personal pleasure, or to impress others?’
• ‘Is it important to get the suntan abroad, or will any old suntan do?’
• ‘Do people value suntans because of a perceived link with health, or is it purely to do with appearance?’
• ‘Is the shade of the suntan important: deep, medium, light?’
• ‘Are suntans important to men and women equally, or are they associated with a particular gender?’ and so on.

For many students the choice of topic is a difficult one. A starting point is usually something which they find interesting and is related to their chosen course. Whilst being ‘interested’ is a prerequisite for undertaking a successful dissertation, interest alone is insufficient. Remember what was said about what we are looking for in a dissertation? Your chosen topic has to allow you to demonstrate that you can carry out many of those skills and cognitive abilities. This is why we require students to work out a dissertation proposal first. A good proposal should indicate that there is sufficient scope for an in-depth analysis; and that you realize what you are letting yourself in for.

Producing a Proposal

The specimen ‘suntan’ proposal is included at the back of this handbook: use it as a template. Your proposal should be word processed. The template is provided on the module’s Blackboard page. You should provide information under the following headings:

 

NAME, DEGREE AND REGISTRATION NUMBER:

 

WORKING TITLE: (actual title is unimportant at this stage)

 

CRITICAL FOCUS: (this is important at this stage). You should be able to demonstrate by the time of your revised proposal that you have begun the process of reading for your dissertation. You should be able to outline your research focus and key research objectives or questions. There should be evidence that the research is justifiable in academic and/or industry terms; in short that it is relevant.

 

METHODOLOGY: (how you propose to conduct your study: original

primary research, creative use of secondary sources, or a mixture of the two, when will you undertake primary research if any, etc.). This needs to be sufficiently detailed to enable us to consider whether it’s doable and to enable you to think through the issues of access and ethics detailed below.

 

LITERATURE SOURCES: (this is very important at this stage; simply listing course books with which you are familiar will not do). Evidence of a satisfactory literature search should be produced, at this stage, the following:

 

• Relevant edited books (specify chapters)
• Relevant journal articles
• Other sources (such as government publications, WTO or EU documents)

 

Depending on the nature of the topic, the ‘other’ sources may be published research data from Social Trends, Mintel research or similar, or broadsheet newspaper articles in the case of a ‘topical’ topic which is in the news.

 

ACCESS: By this we mean, in short, ‘Is it feasible?’ Are you sure that your proposal is financially and ethically possible, and that (for example) the collection of data does not place you or others at risk? All students should complete and submit an ethical approval form with their revised proposal early in the third year. Where necessary students may be required to undertake a risk assessment associated with their proposal.   For example, an investigation into the ‘Health implications of sex tourism amongst prostitutes in Bangkok’ would raise ethical issues and may result in you being exposed to various risks. Generally a proposal which appears to lack ethical balance (see section on ethics below) will be rejected. Likewise a proposal which seems to put the researcher, or others in danger, will also be rejected.

           

REASON FOR CHOICE OF TOPIC: It may be interesting to know the personal reasons for your choice (such as you are a life-time supporter of a particular event and hence attend every year), but really you need to consider the rationale for your study. In particular what is the likely relevance of your work once it is finished. Any dissertation should produce some ‘knowledge of value’. But to whom? Are your findings likely to have meaning to a particular organisation or sector? Are you looking to add to the ‘academic’ debate in some way? It may be that your work has contemporary relevance. Or you have found an important issue (how do you know it is important?) which has not been thoroughly researched yet.

 

You need to give due thought to the formulation of your proposal. Constructive discussion with your friends, bouncing ideas off one another, can be useful. If you wish to seek the advice of a member of staff you are welcome to do so.

 

The first task facing you and your tutor is to make sure that the proposal you submitted is workable. In the light of discussion with him/her, you will be asked to revise and refine it where necessary. Once both of you are happy with it, you will both sign it. The revised and signed proposal will be submitted via Blackboard on 14^th October 2019 by 12:00pm (midday).

 

Literature search

When you come to embark on your dissertation, you will need to embark on a literature review which will involve a thorough search of existing literature on your chosen topic.

 

Very simply, there are three steps involved:

 

• Using abstracts to identify relevant articles and books. Abstracts are now for the most part available electronically through the internet or Blackboard, but we still subscribe to paper copies.

 

• Using the library catalogue to identify the relevant articles and books which we hold. Increasingly, journals are available on-line, and you will be able to print copies.

 

• Using intra-library and inter-library loan services to acquire those relevant articles and books which our library does not hold. Each student has an annual allowance for the use of this service.

 

If you complete these three steps, the end result will be a body of literature, representing the work done to date which is relevant to your topic.

 

The role of the literature review

Every dissertation needs to review the existing literature, simply because the starting point is to examine what we already know: so that we don’t simply reinvent the wheel later on! The specific approach to literature review for your particular topic will be a useful topic of discussion with your supervisor at an early meeting. However, you may find the following general questions to be useful guides:

 

• From what discipline(s) does the relevant literature emanate, and how does this result in a specific way of treating the material? For example, sociologists are keen to understand the way society works, but are less interested in the influence of the

 

• Was the literature written at a specific time, and require fresh interpretation? For example, academic writing dating from (say) the 1970s or 1980s was undertaken in a political, cultural and economic context which was very different from the present day.

 

• Was the literature written about specific populations or specific places, and need to have its applicability to other spatial contexts interpreted? For example, studies of cultural change in western societies do not necessarily transfer to other parts of the world.

 

In this way, a literature review can assist you to formulate your own view and interpretation of the work of those people who have produced written material, which you find useful for your topic. It has to be recognised that a review of what has already been published on your chosen subject is an essential element of any dissertation. This literature review is a fundamental starting point for your dissertation, not only does it enable you to contextualise your study, to build on the conceptual or theoretical frameworks associated with the subject, but also to identify ‘gaps’ or limitations in our knowledge. The literature review is the key to justifying your choice of subject – it provides the academic rationale for your dissertation.  Realisation that ‘what we already know’ is a starting point for finding out what we ‘don’t know’ and should guide your choice of subject. This is not to say that your choice of subject should not be original. Far from it in fact, but you need to justify your originality in terms of the current state of knowledge on that subject; you need to be able to say why your study is worth doing! Finding that ‘there is nothing written on the subject’ can be daunting or enlightening. Enlightening in the sense that you have potentially hit upon an original idea, daunting in that there does not appear to be a literature context: or a starting point to the published literature.

 

If you find yourself in the situation where the literature appears lean rather than fat, consider whether there is a broader context which may help you. Alternatively try to identify a critical focus of study. It may be that we know little about tourism and events in the Oman, but this would not make a good dissertation. The geographical element is insufficient to establish a critical focus. Rather what is needed is a problem or a topic to be investigated in the context of this place. An appropriate critical focus could be established around the host-guest encounter: associated perhaps with conflicting values between western tourists/event attendees tourism/events companies and Islam/Arab culture. The focus should be critical because you are required to demonstrate the powers of analysis which we expect. This means delving deep into the literature and questioning all the information you collect, considering and analysing it from different angles. Moreover, you are expected to develop an argument which will need to be substantiated not only in terms of the work of other authors but your own independent research.

 

The format of a literature review is rather like an extended essay. It may be useful to organise this around a number of key headings in order to structure your argument. Unlike a ‘normal essay’ where the question is set by a tutor, here there is no set question. The purpose of the review is outlined above, but to reiterate, you need to summarise what we know already and synthesise your knowledge of the literature into an argument about what needs researching. In short, whilst an essay starts with a question, a literature review should finish with one or more research questions: what else do we need to find out and why is it necessary that we do so?

 

The literature review is so fundamental to the dissertation that we require you to submit it formally for assessment. Without a literature review you are unlikely to have refined your research ideas sufficiently to enable you ‘find out’: because you won’t know exactly what you want to find out! Certainly it is difficult to see how you can consider a methodology without a literature review.

 

In order to give you some indication of the nature of a literature review, an extract from the work of Orams (2000), is provided below. This research is published in the journal Tourism Management, and as such is constrained by the requirements of that journal, specifically word limits. The literature review for a dissertation is usually longer and more detailed. What this illustrates is the importance of context and argument. The significance of the activity is noted and review of the literature demonstrates what kind of research has been done and the assumptions that have been made. Orams (2000) uses this to produce an argument that his research is needed and what it should focus on.

 

Extract 1 from Orams (2000:561-563)

 

The rapid growth of whale-watching as a tourism activity over the past decade has been widely reported in the literature (for example, Baker, Perry & Vequist, 1988; Beach & Weinrich, 1989; Baxter, 1993; Duffus & Dearden, 1993; Anderson, Forbes and Pirzl, 1995; International Fund for Animal Welfare, 1995; Duffus, 1996; Orams, 1997). Whale-watching now takes place in every continent……Many view whale-watching as a viable, sustainable and more desirable “use” of whales than the harvesting of whales for products (International Fund for Animal Welfare, 1995). However, there is widespread concern about the impacts that whale-watching activities have on whales ( Beach & Weinrich, 1989; Blane, 1990; Forestell & Kaufman, 1990; Phillips & Baird, 1993; Jeffery, 1993; International Fund for Animal Welfare, 1995). Many of the species of whales that are popular for whale-watching are classified as endangered and the potential for disturbance of their natural behavioural patterns has attracted much research effort in recent times. Examples include Watkins (1986), Baker and Herman (1989), Briggs (1991), Gordon, Leaper, Hartley and Chappell (1992), Corkeron (1995); DeNardo (1996). Some of this research has suggested that close approach by tourist boats for whale-watching has altered the behaviour of the whales and it has been suggested that it could be detrimental to the whales. One view is that the “use” of whales as a tourist attraction can be seen as another form of harmful exploitation of these marine mammals ( Orams, 1999).

 

The research effort directed at understanding whale-watching has focussed almost entirely on the behaviour of the whales. In particular, scientists have attempted to understand the influence of the close approach of boats and aircraft (Constantine, 1998). Related work has focussed on the impact of noise on cetaceans ( Norris, 1994; Richardson, Greene, Malme & Thomson, 1995; Reeves, 1992).

As a result of research like this and concerns about the influence of boats, divers, swimmers and aircraft close to whales many nations have adopted a regulatory approach to managing this industry (Carlson, 1996). …………………..Whilst management of whale-watching varies considerably around the world “of the countries that are actively managing their marine mammal-based tourism industries, the majority are using regulations to try and control approach distances…” …

…..

Despite the increasing amount of work directed at understanding the impacts of whale-watching on whales, little effort has been directed at the impact of whale-watching on the watchers themselves. This is surprising given that humans and their activities are the source of potential problems for whales. It would seem logical, therefore, that an understanding of what motivates humans to spend considerable effort and money to “experience” these animals would be important in developing management strategies for the industry. When the literature is examined few significant studies on the characteristics, motivations, attitudes and behaviour of whale watchers have been conducted. The basic assumption expressed, presumably as a result of the rapid growth of the industry, is that people are fascinated by the animals and want to get close to them. Marketing approaches for commercial whale-watching operations often focus on the attraction of getting “up close” to the whales. For example, Whale Watch Kaikoura in New Zealand, advertises “come face to face with this magnificent creature in its natural environment”. Similar phrases and images predominate in the advertising of this industry. Thus, from a marketing perspective, the assumption is that getting close to the whales is what attracts customers to whale-watching businesses.

 

On the surface this assumption appears self-evident. An industry has developed around whales because people find then attractive and want to experience them in their natural environment — getting close to an icon of nature, the whale, is what whale-watching is all about for the tourist. However, this assumption is simplistic, it ignores the complexity of human nature and ignores the volume of literature pertaining to humans’ motivation for other recreational activities…………….

………Furthermore, a significant amount of work has been conducted on human’s motivation for recreational activities. This has revealed a similarly complex set of inter-related variables that lie behind human action. For example, Kenchington (1990, p. 26) states:

 

The objectives of recreational fishing are complex but it is clear from several studies that the experience of attempting to catch fish, the pleasures of boating, and escape from work and domestic routine are generally more important than the reality of catching large amounts of fish.

 

Thus, catching fish does not adequately explain what the recreational activity of fishing is about! Similarly, studies of other recreational pastimes reveal that the games, sports and activities we choose to undertake meet a wide variety of human needs (Iso-Ahola, 1989). These needs include such things as the opportunity to challenge skills, to enhance self-esteem, to create opportunities to socialise with others, to relax, to produce stimulation and excitement and so on ( Ewert, 1989).

 

Research conducted in the tourism field shows that the motivation to travel is also complex (Mansfield, 1992). There is no widely accepted model that explains why humans choose particular activities for leisure or travel. Thus, we have a situation where, in whale-watching, management and operation of the industry appears to be based, at least in part, on an assumption that getting close to whales is what tourists want and that tourist boats close to whales is problematic for the whales. However, there is little empirical work that has tested the tourist aspect of this assumption. Furthermore, work in other areas on human motivation for both recreation and tourism reveals that motivation’ for human action is rarely as simple as “getting close to whales”.

 

As a consequence a study was developed to test whale-watchers’ motivations. In particular, the influence of the whales’ geographical proximity and the influence of their behaviour on the enjoyment of tourists were tested. The following questions formed the basis for this research.

 

1. What variables are important influences over whale-watchers’ enjoyment and satisfaction? More specifically;
2. How important is the geographical proximity of the whales?
3. How does the behaviour of the whales influence whale-watchers’ enjoyment and satisfaction?

 

Whilst quoted at length this is an edited version of the article. What is noteworthy is how Orams makes use of referencing in order to be more concise and to signpost key articles, but also to develop a case for doing the research. Moreover, towards the end of this review, he articulates three key questions that still need answering. His own, original research, seeks to answer these using the methodology he outlines next in his journal article.

 

For further reading on literature reviews, you are recommended to consult Finn, M., Elliott-White, M. & Walton, M. (2000) Tourism & Leisure Research Methods: data collection, analysis and interpretation, Harlow: Pearson, pp. 234-5.

 

Saunders, M. Lewis, P and Thornhill, A. (2016) Research Methods for Business Students (ISBN: 9781292016627)

 

Methodology

If the literature review finishes with an outline of the specific research questions or objectives, then the methodology is about how those specific questions should be answered. It is important to separate the literature review from the methodology, but they are quite closely linked. When conducting your review of the literature you need to keep note of ‘how this (or related) topics have been researched before’. This will provide you with useful clues about how best you can conduct your own investigation. It may be that the literature suggests that certain kinds of methods are appropriate, and if you agree, you may wish to follow suit. Alternatively, it may be that certain modes of investigation have, in your analysis, been ignored and are more powerful or robust.

 

The methodology needs a separate chapter from the literature review. As has been outlined previously, the literature review outlines what we know already and how we came to know it. Completion of the literature review is hence the start of your onward journey. It is a point at which you reflect and consider where you need to go next.   The literature review is part of the dissertation process but is not part of the methodology. The methodology is about how you continue on your journey having left the literature review behind (albeit temporarily). Specifically, then the methodology is about how you go about answering the questions (or reaching the objectives) you set at the end of the literature review.

 

Your degree programme so far has equipped you with a knowledge of study skills and research methods, as well as bodies of knowledge on a range of discrete fields of study within the discipline. It is important that you choose a topic, and a critical focus of study, which enables you to demonstrate and deploy your knowledge of researching, assembling and analysing information.

 

Broadly speaking, this can be achieved in three ways:

 

• The use of primary research to investigate a particular critical focus of study. This may involve the use of quantitative or qualitative techniques of data collection that you have studied previously within your respective degree programmes.

 

• The use of secondary sources. The meaning of the term secondary data varies according to discipline. In the context of a dissertation it does not mean journal articles or chapters in academic texts; these are the basis for your literature review. The best example of secondary source material would be official statistics (such as air traffic movements).

 

• A combination of primary research and the use of secondary sources. In such a case, you must ensure that your use of both is not so diluted as to make your dissertation unconvincing. A clear set of objectives and critical focus of study helps avoid such risks.

 

Once your supervisor is assigned to you, you will be able to discuss your objectives, critical focus and methodology with him/her and fine-tune it to achieve the best results. It is imperative that you have a methodology in your dissertation. This not only states how you went about collecting evidence but also justifies the approach taken. Remember a methodology is a justification for the methods chosen. In part the methodology should be related to the existing literature and the theoretical or conceptual basis of your study; there should be a relationship between theory and method. The methodology should also evaluate the sources of evidence used in terms of reliability and validity.

 

The methodology is important because it allows the reader (examiner) to consider the worthiness of what comes next. It should include some analysis of how your chosen topic has been researched previously: if at all. There should be some argument about whether you intend to replicate existing studies (and why) or whether you propose an alternative or a new approach. In this sense the reader needs to understand why you did your research in the way you did. The sources and methods used to provide the evidence which is analysed in later chapters also needs to be outlined. The reader needs to be convinced about the quality of this evidence. Is there sufficient evidence to allow them to judge the validity of your findings? So if you have conducted a content analysis of brochures in order to answer your research questions (say about the sexist representation of women in tourism advertising), you need to outline how you selected the brochures and why your sample was restricted to 24 brochures. Moreover, you need to be clear about your analytical tools or frameworks: are you using the Butler-Paisley scale or Goffman’s framework to analyse the latent content, for example? Every style of research, or methodology requires its own structure and you could usefully consult Finn, M., Elliott-White, M. & Walton, M. (2000).

 

In his journal article Oram (2000) does not have the luxury of words afforded a dissertation student. Nonetheless he does provide us with sufficient information to judge the quality of his evidence.

Extract 2 from Orams (2000:563)

The study site

Tangalooma Island Resort is located on the western side of Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia. From 1952 to 1962 Tangalooma was the largest whaling station in the southern hemisphere reponsible for harvesting 6277 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) (Orams & Forestell, 1995). It is now a tourist resort that offers whale watch cruises approximately three times each week. These cruises are conducted under a permit issued by the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage and are controlled by the state regulations governing commercial whale watching operations in Queensland waters ( Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage, 1994). The most significant of these regulations restrict vessels from approaching whales closer than 100 m (300 m for a cow–calf pair). They also prohibit vessels from crossing directly in front of the whales travel path and require that no more than three whale-watch vessels are within 300 m of any whale.

The whales targeted for the Tangalooma cruises are humpbacks……………….. The location used by the Tangalooma whale watch cruises is the area immediately adjacent to Cape Moreton — the north-eastern tip of Moreton Island (see Fig. 1). The vessel utilised on whale-watches is the 20 m aluminium catamaran “M.V. Tangalooma Flyer”. It has a cruising speed of 21 knots and a passenger capacity for its whale-watching cruises of 110 people. Whale-watch passengers are collected from the mainland at Pinkenba, close to the city of Brisbane, and also from the resort on Moreton Island. The trip out to Cape Moreton from the resort commences at around 11.45 a.m. and usually returns by 3.00 p.m.  The vessel provides an elevated platform for viewing the whales and is crewed by four persons, the skipper, a mate, a host and a marine scientist who does a commentary for the passengers over a public address system on the vessel. Lunch is provided on the trip out to the Cape.

Methods

Self-reply questionnaires were administered to all whale-watch passengers on the return journey from watching the whales on a total of 12 cruises during the 1996 whale-watch season. These questionnaires were voluntary and written in English, as a consequence non-English speakers were excluded from the sample and a small number of passengers, mainly those who suffered from sea-sickness, declined to participate.

A total of 704 completed questionnaires were used in the study representing 71 per cent of all passengers who went on the cruises surveyed. Questionnaires used a combination of closed and open-ended questions to elicit responses on matters of motivation, enjoyment, satisfaction and socio-demographic information.

In addition, each whale-watch was ranked for “quality” on a scale of 1–10 by the principal researcher. A low score represented a whale watch of low quality (few whales seen and little surface behaviour) and high scores represented a whale-watch of high quality (many whales and much surface activity). This ranking system was necessary to classify the influence of whale-watch quality on whale-watcher satisfaction. Additional information on whale behaviour and whale proximity to the boat was also collected and tested for its influence on whale-watcher satisfaction.

The study site is outlined in some detail, along with the mode of operation of the cruises. This may be considered as part of the methodology as it is in effect part of the ‘means to the end’. Research into whale watching had to be undertaken somewhere and it is important that the reader knows the site; in order to consider the external validity (Finn et al, 2000) of the research. Generally speaking the methods section should provide sufficient information to enable another researcher to replicate the study. In fact, what a good idea for a dissertation – test the findings of Oram (2000) in say the Firth of Forth; not as exotic or as warm, I admit, but valid nonetheless. The methodology of Orams (2000) does present a number of problems for the reliability and validity of his research; just because a piece of work has been published does not mean it is beyond criticism.

 

A common problem encountered by students is a ‘lack of data’. That is, they find that they have:

 

• Only collected a limited amount of data because their sample size was too small;
• Asked the wrong questions or not asked the right questions – this is a common mistake in interviews and questionnaires;
• Relied upon single method for collecting data;
• Designed their research instrument without thinking about the literature or what has been tried before.

 

Make sure that you allow sufficient time to collect an appropriate amount of evidence and listen to your supervisor’s advice. When you write your methodology in the dissertation it must be written in the past tense.

 

The Literature Review / Outline Methodology will be submitted via Blackboard on 18^th December 2019 by 12:00pm (midday).

 

Ethics

All research has ethical issues. This is particularly the case when people are involved but also when secondary sources are used. Ethics are often (mis)associated with morality but in the context of research, they are usually about professional standards and codes of conduct. Essentially research has to meet obligations to society, fellow researchers, research subjects or participants, possibly the funders of researcher/employers; and in the context of a University, the ethical committee. Where there is a conflict of interest between these groups, this leads to an ethical dilemma. To some extent the resolution of such dilemmas rests on the researcher’s own moral code, but increasingly research is directed (or governed) by key ethical principles enshrined in professional codes of conduct. Such codes of conduct focus on issues such as privacy, confidentiality, anonymity and informed consent. The following points may not be absolute – rather the task of the research is to deliberate and consider the issues in an attempt to reach an ethical balance. What this means is that where research deviates from these principles in some way, then there should be some justification. For example, ethnographic work in a travel agent or music festival over the summer vacation may mean that, in part, your actions and observations are covert. It may not be feasible to inform all participants and if you do you may risk ‘contaminating the research setting; knowing they are being observed may result in a modification of behaviour’.

 

The University procedures for ethical approval of student research can be found on the on the Blackboard site, along with appropriate ethical approval forms.

 

Procedures for Ethical approval

 

Every student undertaking a dissertation has to complete an ethical approval form. This has to be submitted along with your draft literature review / outline methodology, signed by yourself and your supervisor and one other academic.

 

Ethical issues are a serious part of the research process and therefore you are also required to reflect on the ethical issues pertaining to your research within the final dissertation. This should be evidenced in your methodology chapter of your final dissertation; but there may be cases where this is not appropriate; discuss this with your supervisor.

 

A copy of the signed ethical approval form should be included into the final dissertation.

 

Introducing Research Ethics

 

You are referred to Homan (1991) for a more detailed elaboration of ethics in research but a summary is presented in due course.

 

Ethical issues before you start the research

           

Codes of conduct essentially seek to ensure that ethical issues are considered before the research is undertaken. In other words they are inherent in the design. There are a number of key principles:

 

• Voluntary Participation – or the right of participants to freely choose to subject themselves to scrutiny. In other words they should not be coerced – which includes incentives over and above fair compensation. This also presupposes that the participants are aware that they are part of a research process. Some research in tourism and sport has involved unobtrusive observation of employees – in such cases therefore the participants are not voluntary participants and the research faces an ethical dilemma. Moreover, whilst participants in a questionnaire survey will know broadly what they are letting themselves in for, they may not be aware of what is actually being measured.

 

• Informed Consent – or the requirement that potential participants are provided with sufficient information necessary to allow them to reach an informed decision as to whether to participate or not. Such information does not have to be comprehensive but should be relevant.

 

• Deception – generally participants should not be deceived about the nature and purpose of the research.

 

• Physical and Psychological harm – the researcher has a duty to protect the participants from harm that may reasonably be expected to result from the research. Whilst tourism and events research is unlikely to do anyone physical harm, it could embarrass, cause anxiety, loss of self-esteem or some other form of psychological discomfort.

 

Ethical Issues during Research

 

The conduct of the research raises other issues:

 

• Researcher identity – researchers have the responsibility to represent themselves accurately. In other words you should not lie about your identity.

 

• Enabling participation – researchers have a responsibility to ensure inclusion where appropriate – participants should not be excluded because of race, gender, language, disability, etc.

 

• Considerate treatment of participants – this is the most important aspect of your research, without participants you will not have data and information.

 

• Retraction of consent – participants should be allowed to quit at any point – without question!

 

• Debriefing – where participants have been misinformed or deceived then the researcher has an ethical obligation to correct the situation. Ethical considerations are not simply considered a priority but also guide the manner in which the (unintended) consequences of research are dealt with. Whilst codes of conduct should ensure that no one is harmed (in the broadest sense of the word) by the research process or publication, it is the duty of the research to alleviate any harmful after-effects caused by the research!

 

Ethical Issues after the Project

 

After the ‘data’ has been gathered, the researcher still has the responsibility to treat the participants appropriately. Generally this centers on anonymity and confidentiality:

 

• Anonymity – this exists when no one, including the researcher, can relate a participant’s identity to any information pertaining to the project.

 

• Confidentiality – exists when the researchers are aware of the participants’ identities and promise not to reveal those identities to others.

 

The researcher has a duty to ensure confidentiality, even where participants have given explicit informed consent to disclosure. This clearly has repercussions for the writing up of your research. It goes without saying that making up your results is dishonest, but (mis)representation of your work also raises ethical and other issues.    For example, when basing your work on interviews or surveys you need to be clear about what kind of people and how many you spoke to. Moreover, you need to think clearly about your title. If you only spoke to male adventure tourists, then labelling your dissertation as an ‘Attitudinal Study of Adventure Tourists’, is a misrepresentation and sexist; as females were excluded. Likewise from an events perspective if you are investigating drug use at events then this must be represented in the title of your work and not hidden or disguised at all.

 

Analysis and Conclusions

If every dissertation collects evidence of some sort, then it goes without saying that such evidence needs to be analysed appropriately and presented effectively. Some thought needs to be given about the nature of the techniques used to analyse the ‘evidence’ or ‘data’. The text by Finn et al (2000) outlines a number of analytical techniques which are particularly relevant. However, remember that your analysis has a purpose – to answer the questions outlined in the literature review. There is no need to report every single thing you have found out. You have to sift and sort through the material and use it to develop an effective analysis. Where possible you need to relate your findings to the work of others. Does your research reinforce the work of others, does it challenge the ‘received’ view or does it suggest that our understanding needs refinement or amendment? So your analysis is more than a presentation of ‘information’, it is also a discussion in the light of what you summarised earlier. If you are in doubt about what an analysis looks like, look in relevant journals, or ask your supervisor to point you in the direction of a good example, possibly a previous dissertation.

 

You can find examples of dissertations in the library dissertation showcase: http://dissertations.library.lincoln.ac.uk/

 

 

 

So, taking an extract from the research of Orams (2000), we can get a flavour of what is expected:

Extract 3 from Orams (2000:566)

These data did show, however, that while factors other than the whales influenced satisfaction, the whales were the single most important influence on passenger enjoyment. What is interesting is that the geographical proximity of the whales was not mentioned often (only 4 per cent of respondents) in response to the question on factors influencing enjoyment. This may be because the respondents were satisfied with how close the whales were or because the proximity of the whales was not an important influence on enjoyment. This result appears to contradict the finding of Duffus (1988) who found that orca whale watchers ranked close observation as the second most important aspect of their whale-watching trip (behind encountering the whales).

The results of this study provide support to the contention that whale-watching is not simply about getting close to whales. This is perhaps not surprising given the arguments presented earlier regarding the complex nature of human motivation (Iso-Ahola, 1989) and the diverse range of influences on human satisfaction ( Mannell, 1989). It also shows a similar pattern to studies of the motivation and satisfaction associated with other marine leisure activities such as fishing ( Kenchington, 1990). The message from the results is not, however, entirely one sided. Whilst whale proximity may not be paramount in the minds of watchers, whales and what they do are still the most important influences on satisfaction and enjoyment. What is significant, however, is that there are many other important influences in addition to the whales themselves. Whale-watching, therefore, is not simply about watching whales.

What is useful about the above extract is how it summarises the key findings and related them back to previous studies.

 

If you get your analysis right then the conclusion should follow quite easily. You will need to discuss the balance of content between your analysis chapters and the concluding chapter with your supervisor. Surfeit to say that your conclusion should bring it all together and provide a response to anyone who is impertinent enough to ask – so what, why should we be bothered? Orams (2000) is quite clear about his own research, as the extract below indicates:

Extract 4:  Orams (2000:567-8)

A number of important findings can be drawn from this study. First, the presence of whales and their behaviour are important influences on whale-watcher satisfaction. The proximity of the boat to the whales however, does not appear to be an important influence on whale-watcher satisfaction. Consequently, it can be concluded that whale-watch operators do not need to get close to whales to satisfy their customers. In fact, this research has shown that a high degree of customer satisfaction can be achieved even in the absence of whales. This is an important finding, for if vessel operators understand this, perceptions that patrons wish to get close to whales can be countered. Furthermore, agencies charged with the management of whale-watching can change their efforts from a reactive, punitive approach to transgression of regulations to a pro-active educational approach which points out that close geographical proximity to whales is not what their customers are actually looking for.

What is also important for whale-watch operators to realise is that a number of factors other than the whales and their behaviour influence whale-watcher satisfaction…………

 

In this extract from his conclusion, Oram (2000) draws out some of the findings which he considers relevant for businesses. This indicates that he believes his research to have (applied) value to the industry (tourism or events), as well as having purely academic value.

 

Arranging the main body of the text

The objective is to produce a lucid, original piece of work, logically and critically argued from a good body of data, with a convincing and persuasive conclusion. How you achieve this is up to you, but you may find this framework helpful:

 

Chapter	Contents
	Title Page, Acknowledgements, Abstract, Table of Contents, Table of Figures.
1	Introduction, brief background, research aims, approach taken, methodology, signpost layout.
2	Literature Review, summary of material relevant to the research.  Literature context, theoretical or conceptual frameworks generally.
3	Methodology – key research objectives, key methods and data sources, justification for approach taken, evaluation of validity and reliability of evidence, consideration of ethical issues raised in project.  Information specific to place/organisation.
4	Presentation of findings, with appropriate tabulation, graphs, maps, verbatim quotations, case studies.
5	Discussion and interpretation of the results.  Evaluation in the context of the reviewed literature.
6	Conclusions.
References
Appendix

 

Please note that this standard approach is not a formula to be slavishly followed. It is a framework to help you arrange your ideas, no more than that. In qualitative research in particular the distinction between discussion and presentation of findings is not as clear cut; quite often in such research they are included in the same chapter. How many chapters you have, and what goes in them, will in the end be determined by the nature of your topic and your choice of approach. However, you must give each chapter a title, number your chapters and start each chapter on a new page.

Supervision

The role of the supervisor

The supervisor is there to support and guide you. Your supervisor is there to make useful suggestions and offer reassurance, but is not there to do the work for you, or tell you what to do as such. This is your dissertation and the primary initiative rests with you. Supervisors are there to facilitate the research process, not to act as expert witnesses. In other words, your supervisor should not be expected to supply detailed knowledge of your subject area.

 

What follows are guidelines for the relationship between student and supervisor:

 

The student should:

 

• Maintain the progress of the work in accordance with the schedule agreed with the tutor, including the presentation of written work, in sufficient time for comments and discussion to inform subsequent work;
• Maintain a supervision log;
• Take the initiative by making appointments (by email or face to face) to see the supervisor, at a time which suits the supervisor;
• Keep the appointments or offer advance apologies for absence;
• Come prepared with ideas and/or work for discussion;
• Take notes of the supervisor’s comments and advice;
• Evaluate the comments and advice and implement where appropriate.

 

The supervisor should:

 

• Provide guidance about the nature and planning of the work, and the standard expected;
• Remind students about the problems of plagiarism or use of dishonest means, as outlined in the University regulations;
• Be accessible to students for regular tutorial sessions, as agreed with the student;
• Request written work and accounts of progress as appropriate, and return any work with constructive comments within a reasonable period of time;
• Ensure that the student is clearly informed of any inadequacies of progress and of any work which will fall below the level generally expected;
• Maintain a supervision log;
• Not give indications of the mark or classification a dissertation is likely to receive;
• Not read full drafts during the final 4 weeks prior to hand-in. It is the student’s responsibility to present work in good time to receive feedback upon which they can take action before submission.

 

You do not need to see your tutor every week, but an agreed form of regular contact is advised. Every process of independent study is different and every student unique. The nature of supervision will therefore vary somewhat from one student to the next. It is the responsibility of the student to discuss their expectations with the supervisor as early as possible to avoid any potential misunderstandings later on. Supervisors, like students, are busy people and have other commitments other than yourself. They are likely to be supervising ten or more other students. It is not realistic to expect them to be available to respond instantly to your demands. Likewise, submitting drafts 24 hours before a meeting is unlikely to meet with the level of feedback you are expecting! Different disciplines have different procedures for dissertation, so don’t expect your friends to be doing exactly the same thing in other areas of the University. If in doubt speak to your supervisor and remember it is your work. If your contact with your supervisor is too frequent then maybe you need to start making more decisions yourself.

 

Make sure you have regular contact with your supervisor and work on your dissertation throughout the year and you shouldn’t go far wrong. Don’t expect the supervisor to be too happy if you leave work until the last minute – he/she is unlikely to be able to read large chunks of work from all their supervisees at the same time.  See the notes below on pre-reading.

 

Pre-reading of completed chapters/dissertation

Supervisors will encourage you to begin writing aspects of your dissertation from an early stage and will expect to see regular drafts of your work in progress. Whilst you can legitimately expect timely feedback from your supervisor, reading a draft dissertation is time consuming. Therefore it is unrealistic to expect your supervisor to comment upon a complete draft of your dissertation within the last few weeks of your research: i.e. within four weeks of the final deadline. Consequently students are advised that they do not have the right to demand feedback in these circumstances.

 

This means in effect that if you wish a supervisor to comment on the totality (or something close to it), you should do this, at least four weeks before the deadline.

 

Furthermore, supervisors should not and cannot be expected to pre-mark the dissertation – that is, give an indication of the likely final mark. The grading of dissertations is undertaken by two internal examiners working independently and moderated by an external examiner.

Presentation of Dissertation

Layout and Structure

 

The dissertation should contain the following in this order:

 

• Cover
• Title page
• Acknowledgements
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• List of tables and figures
• The body of the work divided into chapters (e.g. Introduction, Literature Review, Aims and Objectives, Methodology, Findings, Analysis and Discussion, Conclusions)
• References
• Appendices (if any)
• Annexes (if any)

 

On the cover there should be:

 

• The title of the work;
• Your full name;
• Your enrolment number
• The title of your award (degree name)

·         The University of Lincoln

• The date of submission.
• The word count excluding the abstract, appendices, footnotes, the reference list

 

On the first page inside the cover the title of the dissertation and your name should appear again.

 

The second page should be the Acknowledgements page – state here the name(s) of any person(s) who assisted you in the preparation of this work and briefly state how they helped you e.g. contacts in organisations. Acknowledgements should be brief and factual.

 

On the third page there should be an Abstract of the dissertation. This should be a summary of the aims and scope of the work, when and how it was carried out, and the results and conclusions emerging from the work.  It should be circa 250 words long; see Appendix Two.

 

The fourth page should be the Contents page, showing the titles of the different sections of the dissertation and corresponding page numbers. This is the final task you will complete when the whole of the work is finished and checked.

 

On the fifth page put a List of tables and figures and the numbers of the pages on which they occur. If the tables or figures are referred to more than once, they should be placed in the Appendices; if you refer to them just once, you may place the table or figures within the texts.

 

On the sixth page start the main chapters

 

Following the main body of the text give the list of References.

 

Finally, add any Appendices and Annexes.

These can include material such as long tables, lengthy quotations, and other material used in the study which gives additional evidence but which is too cumbersome to include in the main body of the text. The material must be referred to in the main body of the text (for example, ‘see Appendix 9 for a copy of the questionnaire……….’).

 

An annex is a document produced by another author and its pages are usually independently numbered.

 

The body of the dissertation is a stand-alone piece and so information in the appendices should not be critical to the content. Appendices should not be used as a way of getting round the 10,000 – 12,000 word count.

 

The entire work must be paginated.

 

12 point lettering must be used with 1.5 spacing on one side of good quality A4 paper. Colour printing is not necessary.

 

Margins must be 30mm on the left-hand side of the page and 25mm on the right-hand side, top, and bottom of the page.

Summary of Key Points

Below is short summary of the key points, this is not a comprehensive list:

 

• Revised proposal deadline: 14^th October 2019 by 12:00pm (midday).

 

• Literature Review / Outline Methodology and Ethics Form deadline: 18^th December 2019 by 12:00pm (midday).

 

• Length of dissertation: 10,000 – 12,000 words.

 

• Hand-in date for Dissertation: 1st of April 2020 by 12:00pm (midday).

 

• The Dissertation is submitted online via Blackboard only, no paper or bound copies are needed.

 

• Extensions: see Personal Tutor / Module Coordinator

Learning Resources

Reading

The key text(s) for this module are:

 

Finn, M, Elliott-White, M & Walton, M (2000) Tourism & Leisure Research Methods: data collection, analysis & interpretation, Longman.

 

Saunders, M. Lewis, P and Thornhill, A. (2016) Research Methods for Business Students (ISBN: 9781292016627)

 

 

Veal, A.J. (2010) Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism, 4th edition, London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall

 

The lecturer will make frequent reference to these texts and use them heavily in seminars/workshops as well. It is vital that you familiarise yourselves with the location of the huge range of resources that are available to you in the library.

 

Other recommended reading for the module is:

 

Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project, 5th edition, Buckingham: Open University Press.

Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2010) How To Research,  4th editionOpen University Press.

Brent Ritchie, J.R. & Goeldner, C.R. eds (2003) Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Research: a Handbook for Managers, John Wiley

Bryman A & Bell E (2007)  Business Research Methods:2nd Ed  Oxford;  Oxford University Press

Clark, M., Riley, M., Wilkie, E. & Wood, R.C. (1998) Researching and Writing Dissertations in Hospitality and Tourism, London: International Thomson Business Press.

Fisher C (2010)  Researching and Writing a Dissertation: an essential guide for business students  Prentice Hall

Fowler, FJ (2008)  Survey Research Methods   Sage

Gratton C & Jones I (2009)  Research Methods for Sports Studies  Routledge

Goodson , L., & Phillimore, J. (2004) Qualitative Research in tourism: ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies   Taylor Francis

Greetham B (2009)  How to write your undergraduate dissertation  Palgrave

Hammersley, M. & Atkinson, P. (2007) Ethnography: Principles in Practice, 3rd edition, London: Routledge.

King N & Horrocks C (2010) Interviews in Qualitative Research  Sage

Lind D et al (2009) Statistical techniques in Business and Economic  McGraw Hill

Orams, M (2000) Tourists getting cose to whales, is it what whale-watching is all about?  Tourism Management Vol.21:561-69

Ridley D (2008) The literature review: a step by step guide for students  Sage

Riley M, Wood, R & Clark M (2000) Researching and Writing Dissertations in Business and Management Thomson

Ritchie, B.W., Burns, P., & Palmer, C (2005) Tourism research methods: integrating theory with practice.  CABI

Shaw G & Wheeler D (2005) Statistical techniques in geographical analysis  John Wiley

Silverman D (2009) Doing Qualitative Research (3rd Edition)  London: Sage

Silverman, D (2007) Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice London: Sage

Silverman D (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data 3rd Edition SAGE

Smith, S.L.J. (2010) Practical Tourism Research, CABI

Yin R (2008) Case Study Research  Sage

 

Other more specific references are provided on the Module Blackboard site and will be signposted in class.  You are also expected to read independently for this module as there are numerous research methods books which can be found in the Library Catalogue under:

 

301.072 / 300.72 / 808.066388

 

This module requires that you follow the Harvard System of referencing.

 

Subject librarians

Our Subject Librarians are Martin Osborne and Daren Mansfield.  They can assist you to use the catalogue, do subject searches and so on. Contact details are:

 

Martin Osborne’s contact details:

Work telephone: (01522) 886316

Email: mosborne@lincoln.ac.uk

Room: University Library

 

Daren Mansfield’s contact details:

Work telephone: (01522) 886094

Email: dmansfield@lincoln.ac.uk

Room: University Library

 

If you cannot find Martin Osborne or Daren Mansfield, any of the subject librarians will help you.

 

Digital Learning Resources

In addition to the above it is recommended you make use of the digital learning resources to support your learning on this module:

 

You are strongly advised to make use of resources on research skills on Lynda.com: 

 

Information and Research Skills

Quantitative Research Skills

Qualitative Research Skills

If you have a problem…

If you have any queries or problems concerning this module, contact the coordinator in the first instance. You can do this either by email, or by phone (you can leave a message if I am not available) or by coming to see me. My availability is best ascertained through emailing me but also feel free to drop by.

 

We would hope that you feel comfortable informing your tutors of any issues you are having with the module; it is always best to talk these through as they arise rather than letting them fester. If you are having difficulties or if you think you have a valid suggestion on how the module can be improved please talk to your lectures. We also like to hear when things are going well too – we’re only human after all!

 

You can also give formal feedback on the module, via the formal module evaluation survey which will be implemented towards the end of the module by the Students’ Union.

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix One: Schedule of Activity

Week	W/C	Lecture Topic	Tutors
1	23/9/19	Introduction into the Dissertation and Refining your topic.	David Rugara
2	30/9/19	Research Ethics.	David Rugara
3	07/10/19	Constructing a Literature Review 1.	Farhan Ahmed
4	14/10/19	Constructing a Literature Review 2.	Martin Hingley
5	21/10/19	Research Methods; An overview of approaches.	David Rugara
6	28/10/19	Evaluating Research Methods	Martin Elliot-White
7	04/11/19	Critical thinking for dissertation writers	Martin Elliott-White
8	11/11/19	Survey Design: Asking the right questions	David Rugara

 

 

 

 

Appendix One: Specimen Proposal

 

NAME:  Elspeth Grockle DEGREE:         BAET

REGISTRATION NUMBER:        07604596

WORKING TITLE:                     The significance of the suntan

 

CRITICAL FOCUS:

 

To investigate the reasons why holidaymakers think it is important to get a suntan; and whether (and how) their attitudes to tanning have been affected by widely-publicised increases in skin cancer.

 

METHODOLOGY:

 

First, I propose to investigate the significance of the suntan by looking at theoretical studies of how and why the suntan became fashionable. I shall seek to explain why, in this century, suntans became fashionable whereas in previous centuries they were distinctly unfashionable.

 

Second, I will examine present-day attitudes to tanning in the context of the widely-publicised increase in melanoma amongst populations of European origin in Europe, America, Australia etc. This will be accomplished by searching the literature for published research, and my own primary research.

 

My primary research will involve a quantitative study which will involve showing magazine photographs of men and women with different shades of tan to a target group of subjects, which will be my fellow students. I will ask which are found to be the most attractive and quantify the results.

 

I shall also conduct semi-structured focus-group type interviews with two small groups of subjects: a set of students, and a set of middle-aged adults. I will be aiming to discover their perceptions as to their concerns about melanoma, and whether the attractiveness of the suntan has been compromised.

 

When finished, my study should answer three questions: why the suntan became attractive, why it remains attractive, and whether its attractiveness has been compromised by melanoma. I should also be able to explain how (if any) the compromise works: e.g. use cream, cover up, avoid sun etc.

 

LITERATURE SOURCES

 

I have identified these sources as a result of searching the library stock for books on ‘the body’ and ‘consumption’, using the ASSIA abstracts on the network, looking at published Government statistics, and searching the broadsheet press on CD-ROM.

                                                                                                           

Baudrillard, J (1998): The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures, London:        Sage, esp chapter entitled ‘The Finest Consumer Object: The Body’.

 

Broadstock, M et al (1992): Effects of Suntan on Judgements of Healthiness      and Attractiveness by Adolescents, Journal of Applied Social            Psychology, 22 (2) 157-172.

 

Central Statistical Office (1994): Social Trends 24, London: HMSO, re: data on incidence of malignant melanoma of the skin in England and Wales.

 

Chapman, S et al (1992): Trends in Tans and Skin Protection in Australian            Fashion Magazines, 1982 through 1991, American Journal of Public            Health, 82 (12) 1677-1680.

 

Coupland, N & Coupland, J (1997): Bodies, beaches and burn-times:      ‘environmentalism’ and its discursive competitors, Discourse & Society,          8 (1) 7-25.

 

Featherstone, M et al (eds)(1991): The Body : Social Process and Cultural            Theory, London: Sage, esp. chapter entitled ‘The Body in Consumer Culture’.

 

Herold, E et al (1994): Psychosocial Aspects of Female Topless Behaviour on    Australian Beaches, The Journal of Sex Research, 31 (2) 133-142.

 

Howell, S (1974): The Seaside, London: Cassell & Collier Macmillan, esp. the       chapter on the suntan.

 

Jones, J & Leary, M (1994): Effects of Appearance-Based Admonitions Against Sun Exposure on Tanning Intentions in Young Adults, Health             Psychology, 13 (1) 86-90.

 

Lupton, D & Gaffney, D (1996): Discourses and practices related to        suntanning and solar protection among young Australians, Health         Education Research, 11 (2) 147-159.

 

McKie, R (1996): Sun block sales drive to halt skin cancer, The Observer, 11       February, p.7.

 

ACCESS ISSUES

 

This proposal involves no financial implications.  Whilst, the data collection does not place me or others at risk, every effort will be made to comply with the University’s Ethical Guidelines.  Participants will be informed beforehand about the content of the study (to avoid embarrassment/emotional distress), so as to ensure voluntary participation.   The content of the images will be approved by the supervisor.  Participants will be allowed to withdraw at any stage.  Confidentiality will be maintained and the identities of participants protected.

 

REASON FOR CHOICE OF TOPIC

 

Personal interest. I read that one in three (white) Australians gets skin cancer, yet the idea of the suntan as being attractive is still very powerful.

Academic interest:  there is a growing academic literature on the relationship between tourism and the body.

Industry Relevance; in the context of climate change and the dependence upon sun, sea and sand tourism

It needs investigating.