To read this content please select one of the options below:

Units, populations, and valid analyses

Chia‐Huh Joy Liang (Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism and Leisure Management, National Penghu University, Makung, Taiwan)
Hung‐Bin Chen (Assistant Professor in the Department of Hospitality Management, National Penghu University, Makung, Taiwan)
Ming‐Yang Wang (Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism Management, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

ISSN: 1750-6182

Article publication date: 23 March 2012

509

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to show the need for tourism researchers to identify clearly units of observation and measurement.

Design/methodology/approach

Using examples focusing on international tourism, discussion shows how terms commonly used in tourism research can be vague, ambiguous or invalid for formulating theory or analysis or for generating and presenting research results.

Findings

A tourism research best practice is needed regarding identifying populations and observation and measurement units so ambiguous or invalid use of terms like person, visits, visitor and travelers does not occur and specific terms, for example, person‐visit, person‐visit‐day and party‐visit are used to communicate clearly.

Originality/value

The paper clarifies the necessity of using terms like person‐visit, person‐visit days and nuclear‐family party visit to give research clear meaning and, in some cases, to avoid propagating questionable or invalid analysis.

Keywords

Citation

Joy Liang, C., Chen, H. and Wang, M. (2012), "Units, populations, and valid analyses", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181211206261

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles