Methods of research

There are many ways to get information. The most common research methods are: Literature searches, Talking with people Focus groups Personal interviews Telephone surveys Mail surveys, Email surveys and internet surveys.

Advantages & Disadvantages A literature search: involves reviewing all readily available materials. These materials can include internal company information, relevant trade publications, newspapers, magazines, annual reports, company literature, on-line data bases, and any other published materials. It is a very inexpensive method of gathering information, although it often does not yield timely information. Literature searches over the web are the fastest, while library literature searches can take between one and eight weeks. Talking with people: is a good way to get information during the initial stages of a research project. It can be used to gather information that is not publicly available, or that is too new to be found in the literature. Examples might include meetings with prospects, customers, suppliers, and other types of business conversations at trade shows, seminars, and association meetings. Although often valuable, the information has questionable validity because it is highly subjective and might not be representative of the population.

A focus group is used as a preliminary research technique to explore peoples ideas and attitudes. It is often used to test new approaches (such as products or advertising), and to discover customer concerns. A group of 6 to 20 people meet in a conference-room-like setting with a trained moderator. The room usually contains a one-way mirror for viewing, including audio and video

capabilities. The moderator leads the group's discussion and keeps the focus on the areas you want to explore. Focus groups can be conducted within a couple of weeks and cost between two and three thousand dollars. Their disadvantage is that the sample is small and may not be representative of the population in general. Personal interviews are a way to get in-depth and comprehensive information. They involve one person interviewing another person for personal or detailed information. Personal interviews are very expensive because of the one-to-one nature of the interview ($50+ per interview). Typically, an interviewer will ask questions from a written questionnaire and record the answers verbatim. Sometimes, the questionnaire is simply a list of topics that the research wants to discuss with an industry expert. Personal interviews (because of their expense) are generally used only when subjects are not likely to respond to other survey methods. Telephone surveys are the fastest method of gathering information from a relatively large sample (100-400 respondents). The interviewer follows a prepared script that is essentially the same as a written questionnaire. However, unlike a mail survey, the telephone survey allows the opportunity for some opinion probing. Telephone surveys generally last less than ten minutes. Typical costs are between four and six thousand dollars and they can be completed in two to four weeks. Mail surveys are a cost effective method of gathering information. They are ideal for large sample sizes, or when the sample comes from a wide geographic area. They cost a little less than telephone interviews, however, they take over twice as long

to complete (eight to twelve weeks). Because there is no interviewer, there is no possibility of interviewer bias. The main disadvantage is the inability to probe respondents for more detailed information. Email and internet surveys: are relatively new and little is known about the effect of sampling bias in internet surveys. While it is clearly the most cost effective and fastest method of distributing a survey, the demographic profile of the internet user does not represent the general population, although this is changing. Before doing an email or internet survey, carefully consider the effect that this bias might have on the results.

Techniques on basic research There are two different types of research techniques: scientific and historical. The purposes of both techniques are to use a logical approach to obtain information about a specific subject. Research techniques can be applied to a broad range of issues or areas of research. Basic research techniques are based on a formal process. The exact orders of the steps depend on the subject and the reason for the research. The eight steps are the same for both basic and applied research. The first four steps are: formation of a topic, hypothesis, conceptual definition and operational definition. The formation of a topic is usually phrased as a question. The question is generally within the researchers field of expertise. The hypothesis is a theory proposed by the researcher, which is often phrased as a question. The conceptual and operational definitions provide the scope and focus for the research. The next four steps are: gathering data, analysis, testing and conclusion. The gathering of data, analysis and testing steps are the heart of all research. It is very important to use reliable

sources, perform experiments, and test the hypothesis thoroughly. If the testing results do not support the hypothesis, the research is not a failure. On the contrary, these results provide an opportunity to revisit the hypothesis and new knowledge is gained. Advantages and disadvantages of: Historical research techniques, or methods, are most commonly used to review data from the past and draw conclusions that impact on the present or future. Although commonly used by historians, these techniques are also used by scientific researchers. Using these techniques, they attempt to identify trends, and theorize on the causes of disease outbreaks and epidemics. There are six steps in historical research. The first three are: define the starting date, locate independent verification of basic background information and investigate the author. These steps are necessary to confirm the evidence used is factual, reporting on by multiple sources and that the bias of the author. The next three steps are to analyze the information, validate against other sources and measure the creditability of the information. These steps require

the use of multiple sources and a process of questioning all aspects of the information. This includes using generally accepted knowledge about the time period in question, historical facts and physical evidence. The process of historical research requires a significant amount of reading, translating, researching and discussion. The volume of information required to support a historical theory is quite substantial. This method is often used by professionals with an extensive background in a specific subject. Scientific Methods

Advantages of using scientific methods: You can test in many different ways, and the more times you test, the more accurate your results will be. Disadvantages of using scientific methods: You can come up with different results which can disprove your hypothesis, and this leads to inconsistent conclusions.

Using Informal Research

When people think of market research, they often envision a single effort geared toward a single goal. While these "formal" research efforts are invaluable, equally important are smaller "informal" efforts that continually collect market

information. Informal in Name Only Informal research essentially means taking advantage of every valid opportunity to collect information and market intelligence. These types of research usually trade statistical and sampling precision for cost effective methods. As such, they can't be relied upon for major decisions, but are quite effective as a "first warning" mechanism to alert you of member and industry trends, issues, and impressions. Data collected informally is also an excellent starting point for more comprehensive efforts, or to quickly test an idea prior to a more rigorous study. The term "informal" is not synonymous with "un-planned." You must carefully plan and execute informal efforts to produce valuable results. Every effort should begin with clear definitions of research purpose, results, methods, and synergies. Many Tools to Choose From The tools for informal research are basically the same as for formal programs, albeit modified to fit a longer time frame and smaller budget. Examples include: short focus groups at major conferences/expositions; short fax back questionnaires in publications; regular short fax polls/hot issue surveys; adding questions to membership communication (especially renewal forms); collecting data from staff who are in direct contact with members; tracking sales to spot trends; online forums; Customer satisfaction surveys following delivery of all major projects and services.

Guidelines for Success Implementing an informal research program is challenging you must be careful the information you use for decisionmaking is based on "good" research. We often tell our clients that no research is better than flawed research. Some general guidelines for making informal research a success include: start small then build on past efforts setting excessively ambitious goals or expectations is usually a recipe for failure; Have a single point of contact designate one person as the informal research "manager." This person should be fully aware of every research effort, and have the authority to drop or change any suggested program that may interfere with other efforts, is judged too vague, or does not support strategic goals;

 Monitor and adapt it's usually impossible to know which informal research methods will produce good results. Monitor techniques to see which best fit your specific goals and membership. Drop techniques that fail, maximize those that succeed; Consider using outside resources outside professionals can objectively evaluate research objectives, assist with research methodologies that require extensive experience, and provide alternatives you may not have considered. Perhaps the most important rule is to use the information collected. Don't keep it on a shelf circulate results to all staff. And be sure to let the most important group your members know what you're learning from your research and what actions you plan to implement. Older workers in the hospitality industry Valuing experience and informal learning the research sets out to identify the learning processes adopted by older workers in the hospitality and visitor attraction, with a view to determining how employers may better support their education and training within enterprises. The study was undertaken as part of My Portfolio, which determine the employability of older workers in the hospitality sector: focused on six case studies; three in hospitality and three visitor attraction centres. The conceptual framework of the research is based upon the simple yet important notion of experience and how this enhances the learning lives of older employees. It will be argued that the learning processes used by older employees are primarily recognizable as social practices, based upon the utilization of existing knowledge and skills. The analysis suggests that organizations should be encouraged to avoid using a one size fits all approach to education and training and, in the case of older workers, to make more use of their past work and life experiences in order to facilitate their own and others learning.

Formal Research
Formal research is controlled, objective, and systematic gathering of data. The researcher carefully defines the things under study and what will and won't be studied. It is systematic in that we carefully follow prescribed rules in gathering and assessing data. It is controlled in that we carefully define, gather, and evaluate the data according to prescribed rules that can be reviewed for error. The formal method provides a description based upon agreed upon units that can be measured

and assessed for reliability Much research is reported informally and rarely qualified by its sources. Over time, with the refinement of what has been called the scientific method, the methods of structured research have been codified to ensure that conclusions can be recognized widely as valid. For the most part, these methods are reducible to the traditional structures of deductive and inductive logic. It is easy to see this process at work in some investigations, such as a scientific experiment, in which we attempt to derive a truth in a deductive manner. We can also see the process in social science research, where a survey might lead to a truth about human behavior. It is less easy to see how research occurs in the humanities fields, but it is very important to the process of discovery. An investigation into the background or themes of an author or artist should lead to conclusions that will enlighten other aspects of her opus. An exploration of the perspectives of directors on a topic should shape an understanding of its treatment on the stage. Inquiry into a group of events or occurrences should lead to an understanding of a cultural psychology or behavior or value. The academic community in tourism and hospitality has long recognized the importance of research. Such ongoing recognition is evident from the large array of published articles. Academic staff conducts research to contribute to areas like knowledge progress and advancement, self evaluation of research capability, career progress, job requirements, work recognition, personal satisfaction, and reputation enhancement further stated that tourism and hospitality academics spent more time on research when they moved up in their career. This clearly shows that the responsibility of university academics goes beyond teaching students. Academics also have to conduct research, and analyse, interpret, discuss and publish their findings through various channels.

Methodology A structured questionnaire, face to-face, book and interviews was developed by adapting the suggested Categories in prior studies on research indicators. The significance of research study is that it will provide information for the purpose of assisting academic hospitality programs and their instructional staff in designing curricula to more appropriately meet the needs of graduates as well as the job

market they are entering. With the findings from the study, the educator will be able to identify the skills that recruiters in todays hospitality industry find important and be able to design coursework and classes that will enable the students to obtain the skills that are deemed important. Once these needs are identified, the model that has been created by this study can be used to identify the skill set gaps so that education can incorporate such skills into the current curriculum. Once the gaps are bridged, the educational systems will be able to direct their efforts of teaching what skills todays employers are looking for.