RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Module: Research Methodology

Module Leader: Malcolm Bennison

Programme: MSc (ITM)

Submitted by:

Student ID:

1

Table of Contents

Working Title……………………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Background of the Study………………………………………………………………...……3

Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………………………………..3

Rationale for the Topic………………………………………………………………………..4

Statement of the Problem……………………………………………………………………..4

Research Objectives…………………………………………………………………………...5

Research Questions……………………………………………………………………………5

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………………6

Cultural Tourism………………………………………………………………………………6

The Importance of Cultural Tourism………………………………………………………….7

Tourism Development………………………………………………………………………...7

Case Study: Natural History Museum………………………………………………………...8

Economic Impact……………………………………………………………………………...8

Employees and Services………………………………………………………………………9

Tourists’ Behaviour…………………………………………………………………………...9

The NHM as Visitor Attraction……………………………………………………………….9

Research Methodology…………………………………………………………………………..10

Research Philosophy………………………………………………………………………….10

Research Approach and Design………………………………………………………………11

Data Collection…………………………………………………………………………….....11

Data Analysis Method………………………………………………………………………..12

Sampling Technique………………………………………………………………………….12

Ethical Consideration…………………………………………………………………………….13

Time Plan for the Research………………………………………………………………………13

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….14

References……………………………………………………………………………………….14

2

Working Title

The role of museums in cultural tourism - a case study of the Natural History Museum

Introduction

Background of the Study

In recent times museums have become the main component within urban opposition, as a result

of their great potential for increasing local incomes and rising cultural tourism. Museums are

very important economical and social resource for the countries. As cultural foundations, they

are definitely organized and develop considering the cherished discoveries on every city. The

variety of museums from every nation shows the stage of social success and the stage of

scientific research that occurs in this particular area in one nation. Due to these evidences, cities

and countries with significant archeological or ethnographic funds have a higher quantity of

museums than evolving countries.

Museums role in social economy is very vital, because they endure cities in helping themselves

as cultural centers, on the foreign and domestic market, by satisfying their needs and

expectations.

Museums are main recipients of revenue from visitors, who bring directly to the tourism

economy. Previous researches estimate that in 2006 international visitors to main UK galleries

and museums spent £350 million in terms of their visit, and UK visitor, who spend substantially

less each visit, were calculated to have spent £245 million in 2004. Visitor reviews indicate that

the majority of visitors have an encouraging experience in main museums.

Purpose of the Study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of museums in cultural tourism, whereas taking into

consideration the insights of intending tourists, in conjunction with other facts in destination

choice of visitors.

3

Rationale for the Topic

According to several dictionaries, the phrase “natural history” has a connotation of amateurism.

Insofar as natural history museums and collections are concerned, not anything could be more

from the reality. Natural History Museum is one of the attractive museums in the world. They

use various kinds of strategies to satisfy their customers.

With its live insects, dinosaurs and magnificent displays of stones and minerals natural history

museum is a perfectly accessible place for famous science education. Every child around the

world likes to visit natural history museum. Museum may array from botany, zoology,

entomology (which generally has always been characterized distinctly from zoology),

mineralogy and paleontology to zoology and anthropology. These selections are the base for

study on some of the central phenomena of biological science: ecology, evolution, behavior,

climate change, agriculture, biogeography and, if they embrace the human sciences, philosophy.

However, the museum has e great role in the development of cultural tourism.

Statement of the Problem

Cultural tourism, where people travel so as to visit galleries, museums and archaeological places

among other objects, is an increasing industry. Taking many tourists can bring benefits and also

can cause some problem. Cultural tourism let the visitors understand the local culture and know

how to respect the local people and places. Next, tourism can develop country economy. It

creates many jobs to the local labours and available the work in restaurants, hotels, taxis, travel

businesses and entertaining centers and others. Furthermore, tourism can lead to better

environment.

On the other hand, many visitors cause some problems. When they are many tourists, the

museum should to more to attract and satisfy customers’ wants.

4

Research Objectives

Research objectives facilitate to review the main themes to be succeeded by the research.

examine perceptions of NHM in cultural tourism;

identify the main barriers to visiting NHM;

explore the behaviour of tourists visiting in NHM.

Research Questions

The research will seek to explore, investigate and answer to the following questions:

How can cultural tourism be defined in terms of the experience of tourists?

How can NHM affect in the development of tourism?

What is the economic impact of NHM?

What are the critical factors for the success?

5

Literature Review

Cultural Tourism

The word combination “cultural tourism” is broadly used, but also misunderstood. Academicians

were fast to classify cultural tourism as an important and increasing market, but were uncertain

or unable to define and describe that market.

Most efforts at describing cultural tourism concur that it contains in the ingestion of culture by

visitors (Richards, 2001). Nevertheless, this method also creates new harms because it embraces

an extensive variety of cultural elements.

It is obvious that outlining cultural tourism is complicated, because it can imply different factors

to different people (McKercher and Du Cros, 2003). Travelling to practice various cultures

associate to cultural tourism for many travellers. For these visitors, facing different cultures is

identical with a cultural tourism skill. They ingest the various sounds, sights, smells and tastes of

an unacquainted culture. On the other side, academics describe cultural tourism as a distinct

product grouping that is distinguished form tourism attractions or activities by depletion of a

destination’s intangible and tangible cultural heritage (Leask and Yeoman, 1999).

Aluza, O’Leary and Morrison (1998) discovered heritage and culture travel by observing

international outward travelers from the UK. The stable assumption that the heritage and culture

tourism market comprises of some distinctive parts was tried and sustained by the finding of five

distinctive segments through two phase combined bunch analysis. These sections were labeled

family/resort/sunbathing (31.2%), heritage/younger/backpacker (16.4%), heritage/middle-

age/family clusters (23.9%), older/urban/heritage (15.7%), and visiting friends and relatives

(12.8%). The research reveals that these sections have various trip features and proposed that not

all heritage and cultural travellers are similar and might be directed in various behaviors.

McKercher (2002) suggested that cultural tourism could be distinguished into numerous sections

founded on the deepness at which visitors occupies in a cultural or cultural attraction, and how

essential the cultural attraction was to their choice of purpose. On some fragments, culture

played a main role in their decision, whereas to other fragments culture played either minor or no

role in their decision making.

6

The Importance of Cultural Tourism

People are interested in cultural tourism above the decades, due to the growing standards of

living, raised spare time and progresses in infrastructure resulted in a acute increase in need for

overseas travel, which has grown increasingly to the present day. In general, the causes for

developing cultural tourism are conveyed more profits form cultural aspects and economy. The

significant points are as follows;

It changes the appearance or understanding of an area – cultural tourism is measured as a

“green industry” in 21st century, it did not create pollutions.

It makes a national uniqueness – the advancement of tourism in international markets and

with local tourists can paste a nation’s individuality.

It supports regional fortune - many natural touring adverts within countries can interest to

visit and get money. Those places are secured by government and develop well.

It promotes human intellect – culture is a spineless power to affect global economy and

bring the paybacks to society.

Tourism Development

In recent years, tourism comes to be the largest industry over the world. According to the report

of the WTO (World Tourism Organization), tourism is “a social and economic phenomenon.” It

is more suitable to travel from one destination to another one by rail train, flights as well as

marine transit. Based on the facts from WTO “from 1950-2005, the overseas tourism arrivals

extended to an annual amount of 6.5%, increasing from 24 million to 805 million travelers. And

international arrivals extended to 842 million in 2006, demonstrating a 4.6% year growth.” It

establishes that there are many people take a journey all over the world, and cultural tourism is

highlighted by states. This is also the purpose that tourism industry converts an important

industry in most countries. Tourism industry cannot bring profits and improve economic

condition, but also help countries to develop their images.

7

Case study: Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is one of the well-known museums in London. It is famous all over

the world as an investigation center. The museum is a famous center of study focusing in

taxonomy, recognition and preservation. Agreed the age of the organization, many of the

selection have great ancient as well as systematic cost, such as samples collected by Charles

Darwin. Its various monuments and ornaments are really significant of old and new aspects of

natural world, in its different ways.

There are nearly seventy million diversities of earth and life examples in its limits. Its five most

essential collected works are from the field of botany, mineralogy, paleontology, entomology

and zoology. The museum did unbelievable work in the preservation and innovation of

organization, as a popular research center. The Natural History Museum is a place, where the

largest natural history gatherings in the world are placed, from mammoth skeletons to

microscopic slides. The construction itself is extraordinary with cathedral like building,

sculptures and frescoes and the dominant hall is home to an astonishing Diplodocus skeleton.

In many industrialized countries today, the extreme development of cities with their skyscrapers,

supermarkets and network of cars and roads and nearly whole disappearance of environmental

assets for wild life have dropped the opportunities for exploration and observation in nature,

most of which is now limited to zoos and natural history museums.

The gorgeous and differentiated flora and fauna and other natural history reserves in steamy

Africa deliver freely accessible materials for exposition in British museums. The effect of this to

tourism, which is a substantial service-offer to the outdoor world, is obvious.

Like other freely funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum

does not charge an admission fee. The museum is an immune charity and a non-departmental

communal body supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Economic Impact

The museums straight expenditure is £52 million. On this amount must be appended the totals

spent by UK and international visitors to the NHM, calculated at £15 million for UK visitors and

£39.75 million by overseas visitors. The full influence of the museum and the outlay which is

8

generated from the visitors is calculated to be in the array of £161.55 million and £189.54

million.

Employees and Services

The NHM’s income is £52 million, from which some 60 % is dedicated to staff salaries. There

are just over 800 full time staff, plus 120 part-timers and 100 contractual staff. Outside £52

million spent openly by the Museum; there also will be indirect effects as a result of the point,

that the NHM’s spending buys things from supplier who can use the incomes to buy extra goods.

Tourists’ Behaviour

First, tourist behaviour prone to matter to tourists (Pearce, 2005). People are worried with their

life experience; what they want to do, and understand it. Perhaps, tourists themselves are much

troubled with their personal experiences and in what way to take full advantage of each

experience, whether it is a city break holiday or a regional visit. Secondly, tourist behaviour

issues matter to people who are creating decisions about tourists. There is a whole variety of

such decision-makers.

The NHM as Visitor Attraction

Nearly 6.6 % of 22.8 million international visitors to the UK visited to the NHM. Around 13.5%

of all international tourists to the capital determined to go to the NHM. The museum is an

influential tie for both the UK and London tourism industry. The extent and latest development

of competition for the NHM which have step on the market, creates this all accomplishment

more notable.

9

Research Methodology

Research Philosophy

Research philosophy or paradigm is an essential part of research methodology, so that gather

data in appropriate and effective manner. “Research paradigm is a perception that is based on the

set of shared values, assumptions, concepts and practices.” (Johnson, 2010). Research

philosophy is a mixture of two thoughts that are connected with the function of researcher and

the nature of world. It helps them to carry on the research in an operational manner. In research

paradigm, there are numerous issues that touch the study to instrument an approach in an actual

way such as budget restraints, time restraints etc. Usage of suitable research philosophies and

paradigm helps academic to remove these issues from the study. From the literary works it is

obvious that positivism can be described in different ways. Smith (1998) stated that positivism is

a clear quantitative approach to investigate phenomena. Sundars (2003) argues that positivism is

normally used in biology and it is an objective and critical base method. It is such an approach

that can include the different philosophy of natural science, for example, universal law,

unchanging philosophy and the vision of everything that happens in the nature. In positivism

paradigm the researcher shows role of an unbiased analyst to appraise the composed data and

creates an applicable result with the purpose of achieve research objectives and aims.

“Interpretivism delivers a marginal to the foundations and traditions of positivism for directing

controlled review. For the interpretivism researcher realism is not an inelastic thing, rather, it is

an establishment of those personalities who elaborate in the research. Within a vacuum, reality

does not exist, its arrangement is swayed by its perspective, and many structures of reality are

consequently probable” (Hughes, 1994).

In labeling the nature of interpretivist philosophy, Forbes et al (1999) recommend that it is

disturbed with searching and establishing for a “merited assertibility”; i.e. suggestion that is

effective and sound evidence for the survival of phenomena. This is in gap to the positivist

method of creating claims to total truth from the formation of generalization and laws.

The limits of interpretivist approaches commonly recount to the participatory and interactive

nature of qualitative approach. Parahoo (1997) states, that this is the key weakness and is

because of the closeness of the scientists to the research.

10

Research Approach and Design

Scientifics and researchers use different types of methods to obtain the answers. The main

approaches are quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative research regularly creates use of facts or numbers. However, it is positivism ideal

and takes neutral sight of studies. It is basically connected with deductive approach.

Deductive reasoning is commonly identified as a ‘top down approach’, as it commences the

study from more common to more particular. It begins through an importance which might be a

concept and before it is tightened down in to more precise theory that may be tried.

“Inductive reasoning operates in the contrasting way; it starts from more particular actions and

interpretations to more common conclusions or theories” (Trochim, 2006).

Qualitative research is a formless and primarily exploratory design based on small samples.

The questionnaire, for this study, will embrace both quantitative and qualitative questions.

Quantitative and qualitative methods will be triangulated to pursue outcome that is credible and

worthy. “Triangulation is a system for greater rationality of research judgments. Consuming

these two study approaches will bring stability to the power of both researches” (Trochim, 2006).

This study will make usage of survey. Questionnaire review is good for the study because it is

used to find out more data collection. According to Gable (1994) survey methods can be varied

from case studies, because study indicates that case studies are not completely qualitative and

can make usage of resilient quantitative survey. Sample for this study will be Natural History

Museum at the case study level, and cultural tourism at the analysis level.

Data Collection

For the resolution of the study the research will be using primary and secondary data.

Questioners will be used as primary data. Questionnaire is a structure of questions formed to

catch information from informants or respondents. Questionnaire is divided into 3 groups; semi

structured, structured and unstructured.

Structured questionnaire have intended specific questions, and structure. An unstructured

questionnaire cannot have specific questions. Semi structured questionnaire is a mixture of both

structured and unstructured methods, and several questions are calculated and formerly

determined, whereas some of them develop during the survey. “Secondary data’s are those that

have been beforehand evaluated or composed by other academics, it may be in the form of

surveys passed out by other personalities (researchers), records, government, etc.” (Vickery,

2009).

11

For this study articles, texts, reviewed journals, academic thesis, websites (UNWTWO, WTTC,

etc.), will be used to collect secondary data. Also a lot of opinions regarding the natural history

museum vary from person to person. Questions can be recognized based on existing and

reviewed literatures and will examine into modules, behavioural varying and creation of cultural

tourism.

Data Analysis Method

It is a method of examining data using analytical or systematic device to perceive data that is

formed. The data from various bases is analysed and reviewed together to present a conclusion.

Several stages are elaborated in analysing a data.

The first stage is making the data, which is proving for correctness, copying data from computer,

unifying and documenting various amounts.

Second stage is the usage of descriptive figures. It can be used to define main structures of the

data. It is very useful in analysing quantitative data’s.

The third stage, which is inferential statistics, can be used to analyze qualitative data’s. This is

used to conclude what the people think from data, or to create possible decisions from model

data. It is suitable in studying questions, hypothesis and models (Trochim, 2006).

For this study data collected shall be coded, consuming the literature and occurring subjects from

contributors, then analyse using statistic methods.

Sampling Technique

Sampling is a method that permits researchers to conclude information about population, without

having to explore every individual. Decreasing the number of individuals in a research decreases

the workload and cost, and can make it easier to gain high quality material, but this has to be

stabled against getting a large sample size with sufficient power to discover a true connotation.

For this research the tourists in the UK and Natural History Museum’s managers are included.

12

Ethical Consideration

Ethical issues are the decision complete with the social and moral values of a given person or

group in mind. The decision generally involves escaping procedures or acts that may

compromise the moral values of the individual person or group of people being measured

(Kouzmin, 2002). Study relays to how data is composed, managed and recounted. A lot of the

data’s will be collected over questionnaires for this research, and subsequent ethical

considerations will relate: individuals or responders will be expounded willingly as no pressure

or force will be used. Well-versed consent will be given them by not squashing information’s

concerning risk or manner elaborated. The privacy of the defendants will be appreciated, until

the members appeal for their individuality to be publicized.

Quantitative data’s to be composed concerning the purpose are typically accessible to the

community so the only ethical issue here will be to mention the source.

Time Plan for the Research

TASKS WEEKS

Introduction 1 week

Literature review 2 weeks

Research methodology 3 weeks

Conducting survey with questionnaires 2 week

Findings and analyses 3 weeks

Conclusion and recommendation 1 week

13

Conclusion

In this research I talked about the role of the museum in the improvement of cultural tourism: a

case of Natural History museum, which outlays an important historical tendency in the role of

museum in society. Museums everywhere are progressively called upon to prove an economic

return on speculation either by growing their profitability through enlarged visitors and ticket

revenues, or by qualifying their expense ultimately through influences to the tourist economy.

Natural history museum is an ideal to follow for any museums. With the history which goes back

for a century, the natural history museum achieved to find its effective path and is in our time

considered to be one of the most essential museums worldwide.

References

Aluza, A., O’Leary, J.T & Morrison, A.M. (1998). Cultural and Heritage Tourism:

Identifying Niches for International Travellers. Journal of Tourism Studies v9 n2.

Calantone, R., & Vickery, S. K. (2009). Special Topic Forum on Using Archival and

Secondary Data Sources in Supply Chain Management Research. Journal of Supply

Chain Management, 45(2).

Forbes, D.A. et al (1999). Warrantable evidence in nursing science. Journal of Advanced

Nursing. 29,2.

Gable, G. G. (1994). Integrating case study and survey research methods: an example in

information. European Journal of Information Systems, 3(2).

Hughes, J. (1994). The Philosophy of Social Research. Essex, Longman.

Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. (2010) Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative,

and Mixed Approaches. UK: SAGE.

Kakabadse, N. K., Kakabadse, A., & Kouzmin, A. (2002). Ethical Considerations in

Management Research: A 'Truth' Seeker's Guide. International Journal of Value - Based

Management, 15(2).

Leask, A. & Yeoman, I. (1999). Heritage Visitor Attractions: An Operations

Management Perspective, London: Cassel.

14

McKercher, B. (2002). Towards a Classification of Cultural Tourism; the International

Journal of Tourism. Research v4 n1.

McKercher, B. & Du Cros, H. (2003). Testing a Cultural Tourism Typology; the

International Journal of Tourism. Research v5 n1.

Parahoo, A.K, (1997). Nursing Research, Principles, Process and Issues. London:

MacMillan.

Pearce, P.L. (2005). Tourists Behaviour: Themes and Conceptual Schemes. Clevedon:

Channel view publication.

Richards, G. (2001). Cultural Attractions and European Tourism. Wallington: CABI.

Saunders, M. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. South Africa: Pearson

Education.

Smith, M.J. (1998). Social Science in Question. London: Sage.

Trochim, W. M. K. (2006). Research Method Knowledge Base. Available from:

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/index.php.

Walliman, W. (2006). Social research methods. London.

WTO (2010). UNWTO Tourism Highlights, available at:

http://www.unwto.org/facts/eng/highlights.htm

http://spirittourism.com/culture/history/natural-history-museum-cultural-attractions-

london/

http://www.lth-hotels.com/natural_history_museums_london.html

http://www.medwelljournals.com/fulltext/?doi=rjasci.2010.236.241

http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/thomson.html

http://statisticsbyrachel.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/sampling-techniques/

15