FISCALIZACIÓN, INFRACCIONES Y APLICACIÓN DE MULTAS

Multi-method qualitative techniques were adopted to gather data in this research. Using a combination of data-collection methods allowed the researcher to use a triangulation strategy to overcome the weaknesses in one method by bringing in the strengths of another method to compensate (Denscombe, 2007).

Table 4.1 shows the research objectives and methods used in this research, followed by identified key stakeholders and why they have been selected.

90 Table 4.1: Research objectives and rationale

Research objective Data Sources and

methods or techniques

Rationale

 To provide an analytical framework for the use of tourism in poverty reduction

Local people and tourism stakeholders

- Semi-structured interviews; - Focus group discussions; - Participant observation; - Informal discussions; - Secondary data: tourism policies and government development plans

- To provide poor local people’s rich accounts of how they define poverty;

- Interviews with other tourism stakeholders will provide official accounts of how they perceive poverty;

- Review literature on poverty, development theories, tourism concepts, national tourism policy and plans, and macro-economic data related to tourism.

 To determine the local community of Bulon Island’s understanding of how tourism can be used to improve their livelihoods.

Local people and tourism stakeholders

- Semi-structured interviews; - Focus group discussions; - Participant observation.

- Identify local livelihoods linked to tourism from local people’s perspectives i.e. based on interactions between tourism and local people’s livelihoods. - Participant observation utilized to identify or verify other livelihood resources.

- Focus group: collecting data on shared understanding of the role of tourism in improving people livelihoods.

- Tourism stakeholders: what they perceive as the role of tourism in improving local people’s livelihoods and how far this has been achieved.  To identify the barriers to

local people participating in the tourism industry.

Local people and stakeholders - Semi-structured interviews; - Focus group discussions - Participant observation.

- Identify various barriers to local people’s perspectives

- Make recommendation based on findings.

 To recommend measures to overcome these barriers.

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4.3.2.1 Semi-structured interviews

The literature suggests a semi-structure interview is the method to provide a balance between an unstructured interview and a structured, explanatory or descriptive approach. Semi-structured interviews provide new insights and identify the general patterns in order to understand the relationship between variables. Saunders et al. (2007) stated semi-structured interviews are characterised by extensive probing and open-ended questions. Moreover, this type of interview is flexible and fluid in nature, allowing the researcher to have more interaction with respondents. However, the literature suggests that combining semi-structured interviews and a focus group will enable the researcher to overcome any methodological weaknesses.

The advantage of using semi-structured interviews for this research is that it will allow the researcher to gather ‘rich data’. The researcher can clarify questions and probe the topic being investigated; additionally, because most interviewees are illiterate, conducting the interview can be complex and might have sensitive issues, as the interviewer might have to ask questions and give explanations in the local language. Similarly, if the answer is not clear, the researcher can give an example or request more detail (Carey, 2013). Moreover, this research applies an interpretive paradigm, with which the semi-structured interview approach corresponds.

4.3.2.2 Focus Groups

The researcher believes interactions between group members in a community will provide deeper understanding and insight into the empirical materials collected. Moreover, interactions between participants are important because these can cause participants to reflect and further develop or clarify their positions. Furthermore, focus groups enable the researcher to gather empirical material in more detail than would be possible via a survey.

Bryman (2001) suggested the ideal size of a focus group is often between six and ten; however, it should not be larger because some participants might become marginalised and passive due to a few influential participants who may dominate the interactions.

92 The reason for the researcher conducting focus groups is that after conducting unstructured and semi-structured interviews, the researcher wants to discuss themes emerging from the interviews and give opportunities to the local residents in Bulon. There are some considerations when using focus groups. For example, participants with strong personalities may influence other members and this is a challenge to the researcher, according to Bell (2005). The opposite challenge may also occur when group members are reserved and express few opinions. To overcome such problems, the researcher needs to invent strategies, as suggested by Bell (2005). In addition, Law et al. (2003) suggested the researcher should maintain a periodic check to monitor whether particular opinions are frequently expressed.

4.3.2.3 Participant observation

Participant observation refers to the researcher making observations while taking part in the activities of the people they are studying (Belsky, 2004). This method was used because interviewees are not always able to articulate their feelings (Goulding, 2000).

In this research, the researcher participated in different roles, as Junker (1960) describes, by dividing participant observation into four roles:

1. the complete observer, when the researcher does not interact with people;

2. the observer as participant, when the researcher is mainly an interviewer and some observation occurs;

3. the participant as an observer; and

4. the complete participant, in which the researcher is a member of society. The researcher engages in regular interaction with local people and participates in their daily lives.

Denscombe (2007) recommended a researcher should try not to distort the naturalness of the social environment of the subject studied, regardless of the role chosen. The evidence supporting participant observation is found in studies by Carey (2009) and Densecombe (2007), as they concluded other methods fail to reveal real human behaviours. For instance, focus groups and semi-structured interviews are unlikely to help the researcher detect people’s actual activities. It is therefore believed that participant observation is the key to learn what truly happens in an

93 investigated area. Denscome (2007) also stated that participant observation is recognized as a more straightforward method than others in terms of information- gathering because it allows researchers to notice actual incidents. Further advantages of this method include assisting researchers to discover issues previously unseen, gaining deeper insight and observing individuals’ opinions and reactions to the studied social setting (Jennings, 2001).