This study develops a hybrid, bottom-up approach to field research, namely Rapid
Situation Analysis, and implements it in Ghana. It draws on elements from two existing
participatory methodological approaches: Rapid Rural Appraisal and Participatory
RuralAppraisal. The approachwas developed to suit the particular needs of investigating
corporate social responsibility practices, sustainable development and poverty reduction
through tourism, a fragmented sector which tends to be ambiguous and unstructured and
lack cohesion (unlike, for example, agriculture or primary health care, both of which
are familiar territory for Rapid Rural Appraisal and Participatory Rural Appraisal). The
Rapid Situation Analysis bottom-up approach to data gathering was underpinned by
supporting methods, including participant and direct observation, in-depth interviews,
stakeholder focus groups and informal conversations. Moreover, the multiple methods
were further enriched by the collection of visual data in the form of moving and still
images. These research findings were fed back to the communities at the centre of the
research
