Historical approaches for hospitality and tourism research

Mackenzie, N. G. , Pittaki, Z. and Wong, N. (2019) Historical approaches for hospitality and tourism research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(4), pp. 1469-1485. (doi: 10.1108/IJCHM-03-2019-0273)

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Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to show how historical approaches can better inform understanding of hospitality and tourism research. Recent work in business and management has posited the value of historical research and narrative frameworks to explicate business phenomena – here the authors propose an approach to hospitality and tourism studies could be similarly beneficial. Design/methodology/approach: Three principal historical approaches are proposed: systematic study of historical archives, oral histories and biography and prosopography. The paper further proposes that such work should be aligned to Andrews and Burke’s framework of the 5Cs: context, change over time, causality, complexity and contingency to help situate research appropriately and effectively. Findings: This paper suggests that historical methods can prove particularly useful in hospitality and tourism research by testing, extending and creating theory that is empirically informed and socially situated. The analysis put forward shows that undertaking historical work set against the framework of the 5Cs of historical research offers the potential for wider and deeper understandings of hospitality and tourism research by revealing temporal and historical dynamics in the field that may hitherto be unseen or insufficiently explored. Originality/value: Much of the existing work on the benefits of historical approaches in business and management has focussed on the why or the what. This paper focuses on the how, articulating how historical approaches offer significant potential to aid the understanding of hospitality and tourism research.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Mackenzie, Professor Niall and Pittaki, Dr Zoi
Authors: Mackenzie, N. G., Pittaki, Z., and Wong, N.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
Journal Name:International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Publisher:Emerald Publishing
ISSN:0959-6119
ISSN (Online):0959-6119
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2019 Emerald Group Publishing
First Published:First published in International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 32(4): 1469-1485
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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