Cows, Critters, and Kiwis: Building a research agenda that won't bore you to tears or drive you...
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Transcript of Cows, Critters, and Kiwis: Building a research agenda that won't bore you to tears or drive you...
Cows, Critters, and Kiwis: Cows, Critters, and Kiwis: Building a research Building a research
agenda that won't bore agenda that won't bore you to tears or drive you you to tears or drive you
crazycrazyNancy Gard McGehee, Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorHospitality and Tourism Management
Virginia Tech
Who Am I?Who Am I?
Grew up on a farm along the Ohio RiverBS in Sports Management, Marshall
UniversityHealth Club Mgt., Sports Medicine Clinic, and
Pro Baseball, West Palm Beach, FLMS in PRTM, North Carolina State UniversityATRDC, Athens, WVMS and PhD in Sociology, Virginia TechPRTM NCSU faculty 1999-2001HTM VT faculty since 2001
Who Am I?Who Am I?
I am a Rural Sociologist, interested in many forms of Sustainable Tourism, particularly through the eyes of the Resident/Host.
I believe that truly Sustainable Tourism must include a Socio-Cultural component.
My ontological perspective: I am a Critical Theorist, but love applying a variety of sociological theories to tourism.
My methodological bent: mixed-methods, but my belongs to Qualitative Methods.
Currently, I am particularly interested in Social Capital as it pertains to Sustainability in a variety of forms of tourism.
Forms of tourism that are currently capturing my interest: Volunteer Tourism and Locally-Driven Rural Tourism.
Socio-Cultural Impacts of TourismSocio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism
Sustainable Rural Tourism Development
Volunteer Tourism
Craft Marketing Cooperatives
Agri-tourism motivation & cooperation
Rural resident attitudesDMO’s & social capitalParkway Sustainable
Tourism ProjectRural tourism in the
tropics & social capital
VT & social movement participation
VT and resident attitudes
VT expectationsCritical Theory & VTVT & social capital
Virginia Agri-tourism (Cows)Virginia Agri-tourism (Cows)
McGehee, N.G. and K. Kim (2004). “Motivation for Agri-tourism Entrepreneurship.” Journal of Travel Research, 43:2 161-170.
N.G. McGehee K. Kim and G. Jennings (2007). “Gender and Motivation for Agri-tourism Entrepreneurship.” Tourism Management, 28:1 (280-289).
N.G. McGehee (2007). “An Agri-Tourism Systems Model: A Weberian Perspective.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 15:2, 111-124.
Agri-tourism EntrepreneurshipAgri-tourism Entrepreneurship
VA farm families (survey, 412 of 987, 42%)Weber’s formal and substantive rationality as
framework for motivation◦ Formal (primarily economic)◦ Substantive (primarily socio-cultural)
Most were motivated by a formal-substantive mix of motivations◦ Additional income◦ Fully utilize our resources◦ Educate consumers◦ A family-oriented hobby
Motivations were most influenced by acres owned, dependence on farming, and household income
Gender, Motivation, and Agri-Gender, Motivation, and Agri-tourism Entrepreneurshiptourism Entrepreneurship
Again, VA farm familiesChiappe and Flora’s alternative agricultural
paradigm◦ Past research in A. A. focused on men and then was
generalized for all; Chiappe and Flora focused on women.◦ A.A. Paradigm includes: harmony with nature,
independence, contribution to community, diversity of product. Could this perspective of A.A. also apply to agri-tourism?
Paradigm based differences were not found, BUT women in this study reported to be more highly motivated to develop agri-tourism as a source of entrepreneurial enterprise than their male counter-parts.
Agri-tourism Systems ModelAgri-tourism Systems Model
Back to Weber’s rationality!Research unearthed problems, the big
picture◦Lack of communication between agri-tourism
providers, DMO’s, and agri-tourists◦Lack of understanding across the three groups
creates obstacles to strong relationships◦Weber’s formal-substantive rationality could
contextualize the relationships
Figure 1 An Agri-Tourism Systems Model
Stakeholder Groups
Agri-tourismproviders
NeedsMotivations
Agri-touristsNeeds
MotivationsCharacteristics
DMOsNeeds
Best Practices
Successful Agri-tourism System:
Stakeholders communicatingand engaging in mutually
beneficial relationships
Agri-tourists
Agri-tourismproviders
DMOs
Communicationobstacles
Communicationobstacles
Communicationobstacles
Research question 1:
What are the needs and motivations of each agri-tourism stakeholder group? How is their rationality formal, substantive, or both?
Research question 2:
What obstacles does each stakeholder group face in fulfilling its role in the successful agri-tourism system? How can these obstacles be reduced or eliminated?
Research question 3:What obstacles weaken communication among agri-tourism stakeholder groups? How can these obstacles be reduced or eliminated?How might the recognition of the rationality of each relationship (formal, substantive, or a mix of both) improve communication amongst the groups?
OB
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S T
O P
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IPA
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YS
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Formally-Rational Relationship
Formal-Substantive MixRelationship
SubstantiveRelationship
Rocky Knob BRP NPS Project Rocky Knob BRP NPS Project
Development of a sustainable tourism centerpiece project and regional sustainable tourism plan for the Rocky Knob region of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Research framework that included◦Community asset and resource inventory◦Community and stakeholder input◦Survey of current visitors◦Land use suitability and tourism scenario
development◦Survey of potential visitors◦Economic impact analysis of recommended
scenarios
Slingin’ concreteSlingin’ concrete McGehee, N.G. (2002). “Alternative Tourism and
Social Movement Participation.” Annals of Tourism Research, 29:1, 124-143.
McGehee, N.G. and W.C. Norman (2002). “Alternative Tourism as Impetus for Consciousness-Raising.” Tourism Analysis, 6:3/4, 239-251.
McGehee, N.G. and C. Santos (2005). “Social Change, Discourse, and Volunteer Tourism.” Annals of Tourism Research, 32:3, 760-779.
McGehee, N.G. and Andereck, K. (2008) “’Pettin’ the Critters’: Exploring the complex relationship between volunteers and the voluntoured in McDowell County, WV, USA and Tijuana, Mexico” in S. Wearing and K. Lyons (eds) Journeys of Discovery in Volunteer Tourism: International Case Study Perspectives. CABI, Oxfordshire, UK.
McGehee, N.G. and Andereck, K. (2009). Volunteer Tourism and the “Voluntoured”: The case of Tijuana, Mexico.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17:1 (39-54).
Andereck, K., McGehee, N.G., Lee, S. and Clemmons D. (in press). “Experience expectations of prospective volunteer tourists.” Journal of Travel Research.
McGehee, N.G. (accepted with revisions). “Oppression, emancipation, and volunteer tourism,” Annals of Tourism Research.
Resident Attitudes and Resident Attitudes and Voluntourism (Critters)Voluntourism (Critters)
Pettin’ the CrittersPettin’ the Critters
Comparative case study of the relationship between voluntourists and the voluntoured in Tijuana, Mexico and McDowell Co., WV
Mixed methods◦Interviews (formal and informal)◦Questionnaires◦Web site content analysis◦Participant observation
Two major themes emerged◦Dependency◦The role of organized religion
And one great story emerged◦Pettin’ the critters
Oppression, emancipation, and Oppression, emancipation, and volunteer tourismvolunteer tourism
Application of critical theory and social movement theory to volunteer tourism
Recognizing the contradictions of volunteer tourism through research propositions ◦ oppressor-emancipator?◦ dependency perpetuator or self-efficacy empowerer?◦ resource abuser or resource mobilizer?◦ network creator or agitator? ◦ stereotype perpetuator or consciousness-raiser?
The ultimate question: how can we find ways to use volunteer tourism to further social change?
The Voluntourism The Voluntourism Critical Theory ModelCritical Theory Model
Level of human emancipation
included as part of a volunteer
tourism organization’s
goals
Level of volunteer tourism
organization’s actions working to equalize power inequalities between hosts and guests (economic,
social, environmental) and therefore facilitate
emancipation of the “voluntoured”
Actual degree of equality
between the local community and volunteers(economic ,soci
al, environmental) environmental)
Opportunities for Human
emancipation of the voluntourist
(working and middle class, the
proletariat)
Level of Human
emancipation
Volunteer tourism discourse
Dominant Hegemony
(current systems of power and status quo)
The Social Construction of
Volunteer Tourism
The Voluntourism Social Movement Theory The Voluntourism Social Movement Theory ModelModel
Resource
Mobilization
SocialChange
Volunteer Tourism
Participation
Volunteer Tourism
Participation
Self-Efficacy
Social Change
Consciousness-raising
experience
Personal as Political
NetworkFacilitation between
volunteers and the
voluntoured
NetworkFacilitation amongst
volunteers
Social Movement
Participation
NZ Project (Kiwis)NZ Project (Kiwis)
A slightly different direction, but the same purpose◦ Cultivating community capital through volunteer tourism
Project with Anne Zahra, Waikato Mgt. School, Hamilton, NZ, targeting volunteer tourism in the Philippines ◦ Examining the potential for volunteer tourism to form a
framework for the introduction of bridging social capital as well as create opportunities for internal bonding social capital within the volunteer tourism host community and subsequently exploring how these bridging and bonding social capital networks exert an influence on other forms of capital: financial, natural, political, cultural, built, and human, within the host community.
◦ Exploring the use of appreciative inquiry as a method
Some projects don’t always fit…or Some projects don’t always fit…or do they?do they?
Virginia and North Carolina Legislature’s Opinions of Tourism
“The Quiet Good” (CSR and the Lodging Industry)
Creation of a Statewide Tourism Development Plan for Virginia
A great research agenda A great research agenda needs to…needs to…
Inspire both you and othersBe something you feel passionate about but
still pays the billsPass the “elevator speech” testBe flexibleBe trackable and tangible (think key words)Find its way into your teaching and service
activitiesBe the foundation for a career that you can
be proud ofNOT be stagnant…consistent doesn’t mean
boring!Encourage you to become a “bricoleur”