A focus group is a group of people who have been brought together to
discuss a specific topic in-depth. They are extremely useful for evaluating
services or for testing new ideas. Basically focus groups are interviews , but of
6-12 people at the same time. Focus groups have had a "bad press" in the
past because often they have been conducted in a manipulative way and
responses have been misinterpreted in order to fit in with the perceived
outcomes desired by those conducting the focus groups.
Why use a focus group
Focus groups are a very useful tool for collecting relevant and informative
data. They allow you to investigate complex behaviour such as what different
groups think about a subject and why they hold such views and can also help
to identify changes in behaviour. Focus groups are particularly useful in
investigating the use, effectiveness and usefulness of a service as they allow
you to gather detailed information and probe people's views. They also enable
the user to inform decision making and resource allocation.
However, Focus groups can be difficult to control and manage as some
participants may have their own agenda. It can also be difficult to get people
to take part as some people may find the focus group situation intimidating or
off-putting. It is important to remember that focus groups are not suitable for
every occasion and will only be useful where the topic being discussed is of
sufficient substance to merit vigorous debate. In order to protect the validity of
your findings you must also avoid joining in any debate that ensues but
merely record the participants' views. This can be more difficult than it
sounds, especially if they are saying something that you believe is not true!
However, unless you do this you leave yourself open to the accusation that
you have manipulated your results. You must not try to "engineer" the
responses you want to hear and allow participants to respond openly and
freely
Here are some guidelines, which you should follow when conducting a focus
group.
Preparing for a focus group
· Identify and define the issue for discussion - try to start with broad
themes that can then be refined. Write down the key areas that you
want to explore. If these areas are not brought out naturally by the
group it is permissible to prompt them, though you must not lead them
to any conclusions.
· Aim to develop no more than 5 or 6 questions. These should be open
in nature not closed, to avoid provoking a set response. Closed
questions are of limited use as they often produce a yes or no reply
which does not lead to any further debate. Develop your questions
along the themes you have identified.
· Choose the participants to be as representative as possible. Do NOT
select people who you think will give you the answers you want to hear.
They should be as random as possible, given the topic you are
discussing. You should choose between 6 and 12 people. This gives
you enough people so that individuals do not feel signalled out and not
too many that they do not get an adequate opportunity to record their
views. Allow yourself enough time to recruit your members as it can be
more difficult than you think! Offer an incentive where possible e.g. a
book token, additional print quota etc.
· Do prepare some icebreakers to get people talking. For example at a
focus group for international students get the students to say a little
about their country and background to help people to relax.
· Always follow up your initial contact with a formal invitation and contact
them a few days before the focus group meets to remind them.
Planning the session
· Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the session and if possible try and conduct
them over lunch as this is often a convenient time. Try and provide
refreshments as this acts as an ice-breaker and allows people to chat.
Lunch is a better incentive when recruiting participants than tea, coffee
and biscuits.
· Hold sessions in as good accommodation as possible. Make sure
everyone can see one another and provide name tags for everyone. Sit
people round a round table if possible.
· Try and keep the discussions flowing when the focus groups begin.
Make sure everyone gets a chance to contribute. Keep everyone
focussed - do NOT let people go off on a tangent that is not relevant.
Try NOT to allow any one person to dominate the discussion -
especially YOU. Always start your next question with a different person
than previously and alternate which way you go round the table. Try
and get a conclusion to the debate and if necessary summarise what
has been said.
· Have a clear agenda in mind which should include the following:
- welcome
- introductions
- agenda
- aim of the focus group meeting
- ground rules
- questions and answers
· Choose 6 - 10 people to participate in the focus group excluding the
organisers. Try to choose people who you think will participate but also
try and get as wide a cross section of participants as possible ( easier
said than done) Always offer an incentive e. g. book token, print quota
etc.
· Record the session both electronically as well as taking notes. It is very
difficult to transcribe the sessions if you do not use both methods as it
can very difficult to recall exactly what took place.
· Transcribe the sessions as soon as possible so that your finds are as
accurate as possible.
· Provide a list of the questions to all members of the group, including
helpers at the session.
· Carefully plan the questions. Always start with a question that should
elicit a positive answer e.g. What do you like about LSS's facilities?
· If one person seems to be dominating the discussions then call on
others for their opinions. Give each person a set time to answer e.g a
minute each.
Tourism focus on one's place recreational potential for the tourists like festivals, and great parks while Leisure generally defines all kinds of recreational activities including some of tourists favorites during their stay in a foreign place.
In order to write an effective report on travel tourism, the location should be well researched and the writer should be very knowledgeable about the area. Informing readers is the main focus of such a report, so it is important to give as much detail as possible about each area of interest.
Person culture refers to a type of organizational culture where individuals have a primary focus on their own needs, goals, and desires rather than those of the organization as a whole. In person culture, there is often a lack of cohesiveness and collective identity, as individuals prioritize their own success over that of the group. This can lead to a more individualistic and less collaborative work environment.
Focus is already a verb. For example, "to focus on something or someone" is an action and therefore a verb.
Hotels and resorts are great places to start looking for jobs in tourism. Jobs that may be available on cruise ships can be found on the internet, and Monster also has listings for travel, tourism and hospitality jobs. Some jobs in these fields do require more than a high school diploma, and many community colleges and other schools offer these types of classes.
Seismic waves travel in all directins radiating out from the Earthquake's epicenter and/or focus.
Samaritan's purse Catholic Charities Operation Blessing United methodist Committee on Relief, Episcopal Relief and Development World Vision
it is the center of an earthquake.
The only way to like tourism is to do some touring. The business of tourism would be very boring if you never get to do any. At the lower levels of the tourism industry, the work involved is "customer service"; finish your training so you can work at a higher level and go places yourself. You may like it better if you focus on the end result.
The older I get, the less able I am to focus my eyes on small print. Adam had to focus his eyes on the target before hitting it.
Traditional tourism is the practice of trying to draw visitors to a location as a form of income. Traditional tourism is similar to ecotourism, only without a focus on the environment.
Bruce S. Sharkin is a professor and author in the field of leisure studies, with a focus on tourism and recreation. Some of his works include "Sports Tourism: Participants, Policy and Providers" and "Tourism and Generation Y." Sharkin's research explores the intersection of leisure, travel, and tourism.