Methodology of a : Onion Model - Research Paper Example

Chapter 4: Methodology 4.0 Introduction This chapter is considered to the pivotal step towards completion of the study as it sets out the methodologywhich is adopted for better assimilation of the information collected from different sources specifically used for the achieving the required objectives of the study. The importance of developing and implementing the most viable research methodology is undeniable as the outcome of the study is highly dependent upon it which otherwise could be lost in case of poorly drafted approach to collection and analysis of data (Saunders, et al., 2007). The basis for drawing the research methodology for the current study is the research onion model, which has been developed and proposed by Saunders as depicted below which reflects that highlights considerations for planning and implementing a particular research methodology initiating from review of possible philosophies supporting different course of research approaches, strategies, and data collection and interpretation methods available for business researches. Furthermore, the chapter also discusses the limitations of the adopted methodology along with the indication of the steps undertaken by the researcher to overcome them. Source: (Saunders, et al., 2007) 4.1 Research Design Considering the objective of the study that is to present and discuss the planning carried by event management companies in Bahrain and challenges faced by them in the planning process in relation to the existing literature on the research topic it could be inferred that the outcome of the present study is of qualitative nature and would result in recommendations for event management industry participants of Bahrain. On the basis of this understanding, the research design drawn for the present study is based on a research philosophy referred to as the interpretivist paradigm (Smith, et al., 2009). This research theory supports examination of human experiences, exploring individuals’ perspectives or motivations, and interpreting the outcome of their actions or views. This therefore requires the researcher to understand and interpret the subjectivity and interaction of individuals which affect the behavior of individuals and their motives to take certain actions (Saunders, et al., 2007). This implies that the present study examines the experiences of individuals involved in planning process in the event management companies operating in Bahrain and evaluating different aspects of planning as discussed in the literature review chapter of this report. The methodology associated with the interpretivist paradigm is of qualitative nature. The qualitative methodology emphasizes on the study of a phenomenon in a particular context which does not support generalization of results and therefore the present study uses inductive approach to the presentation of findings from various data sources. This method does not involve quantitative / statistical testing and as opposed to quantitative methodology it does not involve hypothesis testing and aims at providing descriptive and subjective evaluation of findings to serve the research questions and add to the existing literature on the topic (Creswell, 2006). This methodology does not focus on cause and effect and rather involves subjective interpretation to describe situations and attributes of individuals involved in them (Lapan, et al., 2011). For this study, the qualitative methodology allows gathering of individuals’ opinions, views, and perceptions relating planning of events in Bahrain. The results would therefore be produced in the report based on the grounded theory which allows qualitative research to generate theory from interpreting findings from primary research and observations (Calloway & Knapp, 1995). The justification for this type of methodology adopted for the present study is based on previous studies such as one by Bramwell (1997) that have investigate the elements of planning before and after holding a mega event. Data Sources Two types of sources have been used for the purpose of data collection and deriving appropriate answers to the research questions laid out in the earlier section of this report. Secondary Sources Secondary information has been extensively used in this report which has been drawn from difference resources including websites, journal articles, periodicals, online documents, books, and other printed material. This type of sources are already existing and readily available to the researchers which assisted in forming back the background of the study and also laying down the basis for interpreting and discussing findings related to the planning process involved in event management and challenges faced by the industry which has been from the primary research conducted (Hamilton, 2005). These sources have also been used to draw useful data regarding Bahrain and its event management industry (Vartanian, 2010). Primary Sources This type of data source allows collecting first hand information which is not available from existing sources. It is therefore possible to address the issues which are unique and specific to the purpose of the study. The methodology has implemented a primary data collection technique of interview for gathering responses comprising of views, opinions, and comments of individuals regarding the event planning process and challenges faced by participants and the industry as a whole. “Interviewing may be defined simply as conversation with a purpose” (Berg, 2007, p. 89) which yields in first hand information related to the subject topic. The main reason for the selection of individuals’ interviews in comparison to other primary methods, such as survey questionnaire, in-depth interviews, or focus group was because they allow gathering an advanced sample by being able to observe respondents’ actions and (Burnett, 2009). Out of three types of interviews the present study implements a semi-structured interview through specific questions are inquired from the interviewees and during the course of interview any additional question that could add further insight into the research matter could be added at any point in time. Primary research was conducted using interviews. This allowed collecting more opinions on the research question, hence enabled to gather more effective results (Proctor, 2003; Chisnal, 1997). Taking in to account the purpose of the research project is to identify the challenges of event planning in Bahrain via event agency perspective, face to face interview was considered a more suitable approach as it allowed gathering responses of the event organizers challenges of planning an event. By employing a face to face structured interview method, it became possible for the researcher to gain extensive information as possible that could help the researcher in providing comprehensive analysis and discussion to provide subjective yet meaningful outcomes to the current study (Chisnal, 1997). Interview Guideline and Procedure An interview guideline was prepared for carrying out the interview which helped the researcher to inquire certain specific questions for achieving the research aim (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2010). The purpose of the study is to obtain event agency perspectives relating the planning process and challenges they face during this stage and holding an event. The questions in the guideline are split into four sections including demographics, planning and structure, and event industry in Bahrain. Demographic question inquire about the respondents’ background and their experience. The questions pertaining to the planning process are drawn on the basis of wide literature that forms a significant element of the current report. This section inquires from respondents about their understanding of the planning process (Allen, 2010) and different types of planning such as strategic and operational planning (Bowdin, et al., 2010 ; Bhe, et al., 2004); and how they assess the feasibility of events before going ahead with their plans (Tassiopoulos, 2005). The last section of interview questions inquire about challenges faced by participants of the event industry including cultural, legislative, linguistics, and technological factors affecting their decisions (Susskind & Connie, 2004). Sampling For the purpose of carrying out the interview the researcher approached individuals from different backgrounds and who are associated with the event industry in one way or another. They are either working for different organizations or are running their own businesses. The researcher contacted 16 individuals for participating in the interview however only half of them agreed to participate as some of the individuals were scared of getting their personal information published and also were hesitant to respond to certain questions which could be serious implications. Therefore, it was decided to seek a minimum number of 8 interviewees’ responses, as otherwise the sample would be inconvenient to draw meaningful conclusions from it. The interviews were scheduled to be held from May 4, 2012 to May 24, 2012 in Bahrain at the business premises where the selected individuals are working. Recording of interviews was also made with the permission of interviewees for transcribing them later and analyzing them (Basit, 2010). Data Analysis The method used for analyzing the data collected from the primary research designed for this study is thematic analysis (Cassell, et al., 2005). This method of analysis allows finding common themes in the responses related to different aspects of planning covered in the study and then summarizing them in order to form discussion related the research questions and achieving aims set out for the study (King & Horrocks, 2010). In this way, it became possible for the researcher to find recurrent elements from responses of individuals and presenting them in a discussion manner. Moreover, upon presentation of findings from the primary research the report follows on with comparison of the findings from the present study with the previous studies that have been discussed in the literature review section of this report to derive meaningful outcomes from the present study. However, it must be kept in mind that the interpretation of findings is very much subjective to the researcher’s own understanding and knowledge. Limitations Although the research methodology adopted for carrying out the study is based on well established research models in the education and research fields but there are certain factors which surely affected its implementation. The following are certain limitations which could affect the outcome of the study and the researcher has undertaken steps to overcome these limitations to enhance the value of the outcome to the users. 1. The qualitative methodology implemented for this study is considered subjective which aims to provide interpretative findings related to the research topic. Therefore, the findings presented in this report can be viewed as conditional and subjected to the knowledge of the researcher and his ability to present the findings in a meaningful manner. For this purpose, the researcher has done an extensive review of existing sources to form basis for discussing and comparing findings from the current study with previous literature. 2. The sampling carried out by the researcher may not be considered as sufficient as there were higher expectations of low response rate. However, the researcher could not do much about this limitation as respondents could not be forced to participate in the interview. 3. The study required extensive reading and discussion of existing literature which has been retrieved from a large variety of secondary sources. The information provided in these secondary sources is not verified for its validity, reliability, and completeness therefore any limitation which is part of such information also becomes part of the current methodology. 4. The political unrest in Bahrain is one the limiting factors that could affect ways in which respondents respond to the questions pertaining to the challenges faced by the event management industry. Moreover, it was not possible for the researcher to include questions during the interview that are specific to the political conditions prevailing in the country as it could have led to serious consequences for publishing of the report and respondents were reluctant to respond to any such question (Beiske, 2007). 5. Due to limited availability of time it was not possible for the researcher to extend the sample size and have more questions to be asked during face-to-face interviews. In addition, the cost of carrying out the study was borne by the researcher therefore efforts were made to keep them at them lowest level. Ethical Considerations The study involved face-to-face interview of respondents who are members of the Bahraini event management industry therefore ethical approval was obtained from the university to complete this task. Furthermore, written requests were sent to the selected companies for arranging time and location for face-to-face interviews. The purpose of the study was clearly informed to respondents and no personal information is shared to third parties except the one which is disclosed in this report. The researcher has also ensured all aspects of copyright and efforts have been made to avoid instances of plagiarism by providing full accreditation to authors and publishers of existing sources. List of References Allen, J., 2010. Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette: A Principled Approach to the Business of Special Event Management. New York: Wiley. Basit, T. N., 2010. Conducting Research in Educational Contexts. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Beiske, B., 2007. Research Methods: Uses and Limitations of questionnaires, interviews and case studies. Munich: GRIN Verlag. Berg, B. L., 2007. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Bhe, T. et al., 2004. Event Management and Best Practices Ibm.com/Redbooks. Red Boks: IBM. Bowdin, G., McDonnell, I., Allen, J. & O’Toole, W., 2010 . Events Management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Bramwell, B., 1997. Strategic planning before and after a mega-event. Tourism Management, 18(3), pp. 167-176. Calloway, L. J. & Knapp, C. A., 1995. Using Grounded Theory to Interpret Interviews. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 23 August 2012]. Cassell, C., Buehring, A. & Symon, G., 2005. Qualitative Management Research: A Thematic Analysis of Interviews with Stakeholders in the Field. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 24 August 2012]. Chisnal, P. M., 1997. Marketing Research. Cambridge: Mc Graw Hill. Creswell, J. W., 2006. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Hamilton, J., 2005. Primary and Secondary Sources. Minnesota: ABDO Consulting Group. Hesse-Biber, S. N. & Leavy, P., 2010. The Practice of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. King, N. & Horrocks, C., 2010. Interviews in Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. Lapan, S. D., Quartaroli, M. T. & Riemer, F. J., 2011. Qualitative Research: An Introduction to Methods and Designs. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Proctor, T., 2003. Essentials of Marketing Research. New York: Prentice Hall. Saunders, M, Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A., 2007. Research Methods for Business Students. New York: Pearson Education. Smith, J. A., Larkin, M. & Flowers, P., 2009. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Susskind, L. & Connie, O., 2004. Mediated Negotiation in the Public Sector: The Planner as Mediato. Journal of Planning Education and Research, Volume 4, p. 5–15. Tassiopoulos, D., 2005. Event Management – A professional and Development Approach. Lansdowne: Juta & Co Ltd.. Vartanian, T. P., 2010. Secondary Data Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More