Using grounded theory to model visitor experiences at heritage sites: methodological and practical issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present grounded theory as an alternative approach for conceptualizing and modelling the consumer experience. The basic theoretical tenets of the grounded theory approach are contrasted with more traditional assumptions and methods used in consumer research. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on qualitative methods and a series of systematic ethnographic procedures, which along with the simultaneous processes of data collection and analysis, lead to the development of an inductive derived grounded theory of the visitor experience. In order to develop a model of the interactive experience of visitors to heritage sites, case studies are conducted at three World Heritage Sites in Thailand. Findings – The findings indicate that the grounded theory approach has the potential to reveal a rich and deep understanding of visitor experiences, including the ways that visitors interact with the site, their interpretation of the site, and the meaning of the site for them. Practical implications – It is suggested that the grounded theory approach can be a valuable tool in exploring the insights and meanings of visitors' experience and could be applied to future research in consumer behaviour. There are practical implications of this kind of research for the management of heritage sites in terms of visitor expectations, interactions and interpretations. Originality/value – This study has developed a model of the experience and interaction of visitors to Thai World Heritage Sites which could be applied to other heritage sites. It illustrates the theoretical and practical issues of grounded theory approach to exploration and inductive development “interactive experience” of visitors at heritage sites. This is a qualitative research approach that could be adopted for a range of experience based industries such tourism, leisure and hospitality

Using grounded theory approach: theoretical and practical issues in modelling heritage visitor experience

Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to present grounded theory as an alternative approach for conceptualizing and modelling the consumer experience. The basic theoretical tenets of the grounded theory approach are contrasted with more traditional assumptions and methods used in consumer research. Design/methodology/approach ? The approach is based on qualitative methods and a series of systematic ethnographic procedures, which along with the simultaneous processes of data collection and analysis, lead to the development of an inductive derived grounded theory of the visitor experience. In order to develop a model of the interactive experience of visitors to heritage sites, case studies are conducted at three World Heritage Sites in Thailand. Findings ? The findings indicate that the grounded theory approach has the potential to reveal a rich and deep understanding of visitor experiences, including the ways that visitors interact with the site, their interpretation of the site, and the meaning of the site for them. Practical implications ? It is suggested that the grounded theory approach can be a valuable tool in exploring the insights and meanings of visitors' experience and could be applied to future research in consumer behaviour. There are practical implications of this kind of research for the management of heritage sites in terms of visitor expectations, interactions and interpretations. Originality/value ? This study has developed a model of the experience and interaction of visitors to Thai World Heritage Sites which could be applied to other heritage sites. It illustrates the theoretical and practical issues of grounded theory approach to exploration and inductive development ?interactive experience? of visitors at heritage sites. This is a qualitative research approach that could be adopted for a range of experience based industries such tourism, leisure and hospitality

From Service to Experience: Understanding and Defining the Hospitality Business

Failure adequately to define or understand hospitality as a commercial phenomenon has created a fragmented academic environment and a schizophrenia in the industry that has the potential to limit its development as a global industry. This article suggests that, by redefining hospitality as behaviour and experience, a new perspective emerges that has exciting implications for the management of hospitality businesses. A framework to describe hospitality in the commercial domain is proposed. This framework suggests a focus on the host–guest relationship, generosity, theatre and performance, ‘lots of little surprises’, and the security of strangers – a focus that provides guests with experiences that are personal, memorable and add value to their lives

Welfare feeding inthe United Kingdom.

The evolution of welfare feeding in the United Kingdom is investigated within the framework of the development of the Welfare State. Welfare feeding, including the nutritional role of meals, is then evaluated looking at two examples of welfare provision, feeding in schools as an example of provision for the young and meals-on-wheels as an example of provision for the elderly. The nutritional role of both school meals and meals-on-wheels are considered in the light of nutritional requirements, contemporary dietary views and the feeding behaviour of the young and elderly. Whilst research suggests that school meals make a more significant contribution to the diet than alternative sources of lunch there is evidence that the nutritional value of both school meals and meals-on-wheels are variable and that in some cases they have not provided expected levels of nutrients. There are thus clear requirements for some form of nutritional standards for both school meals and meals-on-wheels. The uptake of school meals is a function of pupils perceptions of lunchtime feeding. An attitude based approach using a Likert Scale was developed to identify what children perceive as important in the school feeding environment. A core group of problem areas were identified as relevant for all groups of pupils and more specific factors were identified for each sub-group. It was established that the attitude measurement tool was appropriate in the prediction of feeding behaviour. The transportation of meals was investigated in terms of the requirements of the meals-on-wheels service. Alternative delivery systems were evaluated and those most appropriate to the meals-on-wheels service were identified. Insulated systems are appropriate for deliveries of up to 90 minutes whilst the best of the heated delivery systems are appropriate for up to 3.5 hours

Welfare feeding inthe United Kingdom.

The evolution of welfare feeding in the United Kingdom is investigated within the framework of the development of the Welfare State. Welfare feeding, including the nutritional role of meals, is then evaluated looking at two examples of welfare provision, feeding in schools as an example of provision for the young and meals-on-wheels as an example of provision for the elderly. The nutritional role of both school meals and meals-on-wheels are considered in the light of nutritional requirements, contemporary dietary views and the feeding behaviour of the young and elderly. Whilst research suggests that school meals make a more significant contribution to the diet than alternative sources of lunch there is evidence that the nutritional value of both school meals and meals-on-wheels are variable and that in some cases they have not provided expected levels of nutrients. There are thus clear requirements for some form of nutritional standards for both school meals and meals-on-wheels. The uptake of school meals is a function of pupils perceptions of lunchtime feeding. An attitude based approach using a Likert Scale was developed to identify what children perceive as important in the school feeding environment. A core group of problem areas were identified as relevant for all groups of pupils and more specific factors were identified for each sub-group. It was established that the attitude measurement tool was appropriate in the prediction of feeding behaviour. The transportation of meals was investigated in terms of the requirements of the meals-on-wheels service. Alternative delivery systems were evaluated and those most appropriate to the meals-on-wheels service were identified. Insulated systems are appropriate for deliveries of up to 90 minutes whilst the best of the heated delivery systems are appropriate for up to 3.5 hours

Forecasting U.K. Inbound Expenditure by Different Purposes of Visit

Accurately forecasting U.K. inbound expenditure by purpose of visit plays an important role in tourism planning and policy making. Forecasting U.K. inbound expenditure at the disaggregated level is studied in this article. Disaggregating is done on the basis of purpose of visit: holiday, business, study, visit friends or relatives (VFR), and miscellaneous. The most robust two time series forecasting models, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and Winters's multiplicative exponential smoothing (WMES), are applied in this article. The Naïve 2 forecasting model is used as a benchmark to compare with the ARIMA and WMES models. The outcomes of the forecasting results show that the ARIMA model outperforms the WMES model, but it is not statistically superior to the WMES model. The ARIMA and WMES models are both statistically superior to the Naïve 2 model for this U.K. inbound expenditure data set. The ARIMA model forecasts a higher increasing trend for expenditure than the WMES model for the business purpose, whereas the WMES model forecasts a higher increasing trend for expenditure than the ARIMA model for miscellaneous purpose. It is recommended that combining the values from the ARIME and the WMES models is used as forecasting values on these business and miscellaneous purposes