Introduction
The purpose of conducting primary research is to collect current information on the topic and address knowledge gaps identified through the literature review. This chapter outlines the philosophy upon which assumptions were made during research. The philosophy guides the process of collecting, analysing and using primary data. After defining philosophy, it is equally important to define the research strategy. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the method used in collecting and analysing primary data. When analysing the current and future development prospects of travel agents, a researcher can use different methods such as interviews, surveys, desk research, focus groups, or observation. The chapter outlines how data was collected from respondents. The chapter provides a detailed discussion of ethical considerations observed in this research.
Aim and Objectives
The aim of this paper is to conduct the current analysis of travel agents and future development prospects. As discussed in the introduction chapter of the paper, the goal of this research is to identify strengths and weaknesses of traditional travel agents, and propose ways in which they can achieve success in the current competitive business environment. Collecting primary data will help in achieving the aim. Market forces in the tourism industry are dynamic, and a concept that was valid five or ten years ago may not be relevant today because of the changes in the environment (Chishti & Barberis 2016). As such, relying on outdated information may be misleading. Data collected from participants will provide current information about the market in which travel agents in the United Kingdom operate, changes that they have had to embrace, and challenges that they are facing in the market (Pimple 2013). The primary research will make it possible to engage specific travel agent officials, especially high street travel agents who have had to redefine their operations because of the growing popularity of the online marketplace.
Research Approach
Research philosophy
When planning to conduct research, one of the first steps that one must put into consideration is the selection of an appropriate research philosophy. Bryan (2014) explains that a researcher can choose to use positivism, realism, Interpretivism, or pragmatism, as identified in figure 1 below. The appropriateness of philosophy depends on the research topic and goals that should be realised.
One of the commonly used philosophies is positivism. According to Ravens (2014), positivism holds that “knowledge can only be considered factual and trustworthy if it is gained through observation (the senses), including measurement” (p. 43). When using this philosophy, a researcher must understand that his or her role is limited to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It was considered the most appropriate philosophy for this quantitative research. Another common philosophy is Interpretivism. It allows a researcher to integrate personal interest into the study, which is a complete opposite of the belief held by positivism (Billingsley et al. 2013). It emphasises the need to use qualitative studies to critically analyse a given phenomenon.
According to Choi, Dailey-Hebert and Estes (2016), realism is also a common philosophy, especially when conducting scientific research. It holds that reality is independent of the human mind and that the truth can only be determined based on a scientific investigation (Sharma & Shilpa 2013). Pragmatism holds the belief that a concept can only be considered true if it supports an action. It allows a researcher to take different approaches when analysing a phenomenon, but the defining factor is the ability to support an action (Jeong, Yen & Park 2014).
Research strategy
Alsos, Eide and Madsen (2014) observe that after selecting an appropriate philosophy, the next step is to identify the relevant strategy. Quantitative research will help achieve the objectives, and it also meets the assumptions made when using positivism as a research philosophy (Nestor & Schutt 2014). The most appropriate research design for the study was determined to be a survey. Aukstakalnis (2015, p. 67) explains that “researchers carry out statistical surveys with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population being studied, and such inferences depend strongly on the survey questions used.” After identifying the participants for the study, the researcher distributed questionnaires that they were requested to fill out and then send them to the e-mail address provided. Goulding, Shankar and Canniford (2013) explain that surveys are effective when planning to collect data from a relatively large population within short duration. It was necessary to gather data from as many participants as possible to facilitate inferential statistics, as Huang, Alem and Livingston (2013) observe. The time available for the academic research was limited. These constraints made it necessary to use this research technique. Information gathered from these participants can be generalised to the entire population if the sample is properly constituted (Israel et al. 2014). That was achieved by ensuring that participants selected are currently working in the travel industry.
Method
When conducting a survey, Farghaly (2018) notes that there are specific steps that must be followed to achieve the research goals. The researcher must understand that specific goals should be realised through the selected technique. In this case, the study had to facilitate a thorough analysis of travel agents, development prospects. It meant investigating the past and present trends to determine the future. The investigation had to reveal potential opportunities and threats that the firms should manage to remain operational. In this section, the focus is to discuss the methods used to collect, analyse, and interpret primary data.
Data collection
Primary data was collected using two approaches. First, the researcher identified specific individuals who are currently working in the travel industry to participate in the study. A face-to-face interview was conducted to collect data from them. The second approach involved the use of survey monkey. In both cases, questionnaires were used to collect the needed data. The researcher developed a questionnaire after conducting a preliminary review of the literature (Brennen 2013). The instrument was designed to facilitate primary data collection through a survey. The instrument had three main sections. The first part of the questionnaire focused on determining the demographical background of the respondents. When collecting information from specific individuals, Boeren (2018) observes that one should consider issues such as bias and how it may affect the response provided by an individual. For instance, a male respondent may have a view different from that of a female participant primarily because of their gender difference. A researcher can easily deal with such forms of bias when these demographical factors are properly captured (Cazeaux 2017). It may be easy to explain why a section of the respondents answered research questions in a given pattern.
The second section of the questionnaire focused on the level of experience of the participants. The knowledge and experience that an individual has over a given issue define the manner in which they respond to specific questions. Individuals who have proper knowledge of travel agency, tour, travel, and tourism industry are likely to answer specific questions differently from those junior officers with limited knowledge about the industry (Benfield 2013). The highly educated individuals are often believed to have an informed opinion over a given issue (Caillaud, Rose & Goepp 2016). As such, their responses are considered more reliable than the less educated. Similarly, participants who have experience in a given field can provide information based on events they have experienced (Blythe 2013).
In this study, it was necessary to collect data from individuals who have been working in the industry for a while hence can explain how travel agencies have experienced changes over the recent past. Capturing their experience in the questionnaire was necessary. The final section of the questionnaire focused on the investigation of the past and current trends in the travel agency industry, and future development prospects. The questionnaire had structured questions that could be coded. That was necessary to facilitate a quantitative research method. The nature of the research required quantitative analysis to effectively answer the questions and realise the objectives. A copy of this instrument is attached at the appendix of this dissertation.
It was necessary to conduct pretesting and piloting to ensure that the instrument was capable of collecting the needed data. The researcher sampled a small group of participants who were involved in the pilot study (Mihelj, Novak & Begus 2013). During this time, the researcher was primarily interested in determining the capacity of the instrument to collect the desired information and the extent to which the outcome of the study could be generalised to the entire population. The pilot study made it possible to have a preliminary view of the participants towards the issue under investigation. The questionnaire was effective in collecting the needed data, and as such, it was not necessary to change it.
Sampling was critical in this study. It is important to select a sample of participants from who data can be collected from within a relatively short time. In this study, it was important to identify individuals in the tourism industry. It was understood that some of the traditional travel agents had transformed their operations to the online platform. They also qualified to be part of the study (Comstock 2013). It was necessary to interview them to understand factors that motivated them to move from the brick-and-mortar model of operation to the online platform. They also could compare the business models and determine prospects of growth. Some of the high street travel agents are located strategically within the city of London, especially on major roads leading to Heathrow Airport. On the other hand, the online travel agents were accessible through the contacts available on their websites.
According to O’Doherty and Einsiedel (2013), travel agencies in the United Kingdom employ thousands of people. Most of these companies operate under different umbrellas while others have formed incorporated companies. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is the largest umbrella of travel agents, with a registered membership of 1981 entities as of 2015. The International Air Transport Association and Air Travel Organiser’s License (ATOL) affiliated agencies is the second largest group with 800 members, as Smith and Stewart (2014) observe. Thomas Cook and Co-op Travel Group have 711 members.
TUI Group has a membership of 593 agencies, while the smallest organisation is Got-to-Go (GTG) Travel and Tours with 206 members (Moran 2015). It is also important to note that several other travel agencies are not registered members of these associations. In each agency, the number of employees varies depending on the business model, the size of the company, and the area served. Collecting data from all the employees of these organisations was not possible given the time within which the study had to be completed. As such, a manageable sample had to be collected to be part of the study. As Nuri, Demirok and Direktör (2017) note, one factor that must be considered when selecting a sample for a study is to ensure that individuals selected effectively represent the entire population. It means that sampling should be done with an understanding of the possible variations that may exist.
The nature of the study (analysing travel agents in the United Kingdom and future development prospects) meant that the possible differences in the characteristics of the respondents did not matter in the study. The goal was to analyse the trends in this industry with the view of understanding challenges that exist, changes that take place, and development prospects. As such, simple random sampling was considered an appropriate way of selecting participants for the study. It meant that identifying the group of participants with the right information, a probability sampling technique was used to select those who helped in the collection of data. The main factor that determined those who took part in the face-to-face interviews was their availability. Those who could not be available during the time of collecting data were left out. A sample size of 50 respondents was determined to be appropriate in facilitating gathering of the needed information collection in the project through face-to-face interviews.
Undertaking the Interviews
The instrument of data collection has to be administered based on the availability of time and geographical factors, as Bernard (2013) observes. Conducting a face-to-face interview is one of the most appropriate approaches to administering a questionnaire. Al-Jadid (2013) explains that when a face-to-face interview is conducted, chances of receiving misleading answers are reduced. Respondents develop a feeling of responsibility because of the commitment of the researcher to have a physical interaction. Mertler and Reinhart (2017) also note that conducting physical interviews makes it easy to convince participants in the study.
The researcher identified the right participants and contacted them through a telephone call. They were requested to take part in the study. Those who agreed and created time for the interview were visited in their respective offices within London. With the help of the same questionnaire, data were collected from them based on their knowledge and experiences, as Bryman and Bell (2015) recommend. They were requested to remain objective when answering the questions and to base their answers strictly on knowledge and experience other than emotions and desires. The information gathered from these respondents was used in the preliminary analysis during the pilot study. The second approach of collecting data was through the use of Survey Monkey.
Analysing the Data
The primary data collected from participants had to be analysed through quantitative method. According to Lanier (2015), quantitative method research is a demanding approach to analysing primary data. It involves a statistical analysis of data. Although this approach is demanding, it provides comprehensive information about the issue under investigation (Gbadamosi 2016). Quantitative data analysis facilitated the analysis of the magnitude of the challenges that high street travel agents face as they struggle to overcome market challenges. It made it possible to determine the relationship between the variables (Craig 2013). For instance, using mathematical methods, it was possible to determine the significance of the relationship between technological advancement in the field of communication and the performance of travel agents. It made it possible to validate the need for these companies to embrace the use of technology as they try to remain relevant and overcome market challenges. Data collected from the respondents using structured questions were coded into SPSS spreadsheet and analysed. The output of the analysis was presented in charts, graphs, and tables.
Quantitative data analysis was critical in achieving research goals. It was desirable to record the interviews when conducting the face-to-face interviews. However, most of the respondents were not comfortable with the voice-recording approach, forcing the researcher to abandon it. Structured questions were used to enable the respondents to answer the questions based on their experiences and knowledge. When conducting quantitative data analysis, the focus is to present views of the respondents in a structured manner to facilitate mathematical analysis (Carvalho 2015). Their answers were analysed to determine common views about the current trends and future development prospects. In a quantitative data analysis, the responses must be uniform to facilitate mathematical data analysis (Lefebvre 2013).
According to Kurubacak and Altinpulluk (2017), using structured questions makes it possible to standardise the response using mathematical values on a Likert scale. Quantitative data analysis proved critical when defining future development prospects in this industry. The experts were able to articulate how the current companies in this industry (both the traditional and online travel agents) can take advantage of the emerging trends to ensure that they remain competitive in the market. As Choy (2014) notes, this method of analysis makes it possible to conduct statistical analysis that can be used to generalise to the entire population.
Ethics and Safety
It is critical to take into consideration ethical concerns when conducting academic research. As explained above, data was collected in two approaches, which include the use of survey monkey and face-to-face interviews. The interviews were conducted with specific employees of travel agencies in London. Choy (2014) explains that when planning to interview employees of a given firm, it is advisable to seek permission from the relevant authorities in the organisation. As such, the researcher made a formal request to the management of the selected travel agencies within the city. The primary goal of the research and reasons why their organisations were selected were explained to the managers. After getting the permission from the administrators, it was critical to convince the participants to be part of the study. According to Kitche and Ball (2014), it is important to select participants without using coercion. The identified respondents were informed that their participation in the data collection process was voluntary, and that if they wanted to withdraw at any time, they had the liberty to do so without any prejudice.
Choy (2014) observes that protecting the identity of the respondents is part of ethical requirements that a researcher should observe. Sometimes an individual may be subjected to verbal or even physical abuse when they have radically different views from that of the majority on a controversial topic (Craig 2013). The participants were assigned coded identifications to conceal their identity. As academic research, it was also critical to observe rules and regulations set by the school. The researcher avoided plagiarism. Information obtained from secondary sources was correctly referenced according to the Harvard referencing style. An effort was made to ensure that the final document is delivered within the right time as set in the timetable.
Summary
This chapter provides a detailed explanation of the method that was used to gather, analyse, and present primary data collected from sampled respondents. The chapter provides the purpose and justification for primary research. Various techniques can be used for data collection. However, a survey was considered the most appropriate technique. The number of respondents who had to take part in the study, the time available to obtain data, the availability of the respondents, and the physical distance made it necessary to use this technique. A questionnaire was used to facilitate data collection from respondents. Once data was collected, the researcher conducted a quantitative method analysis to achieve the research goal and objectives. Quantitative data analysis provided information about the relationship of various variables in the study. The outcome of that analysis was presented in tables and graphs. The approach enabled the researcher to understand the current trends in the industry and future developmental prospects. It was possible to highlight ways in which companies in this industry can manage emerging market forces to remain competitive in the market.
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