Interview Method

The telephone interview was advantageous as it is time and cost effective (each interview was for a duration of between twenty minutes and one hour) when compared to face-to-face interviews within the respondent’s home (Sturges and Hanrahan 2004; Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2007). This type of interview technique also removed geographical limitations and as such, provided the opportunity to obtain data from individuals who were difficult and expensive to access in person (e.g. those respondents from remote rural areas, particularly the Highlands and Islands). A wider variety of respondents could therefore be included thus increasing sample variation and generating more information than would have otherwise been possible with face-to-face interviews alone. One of the main drawbacks with this type of interview is that you cannot see the respondent to gauge their response. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2007) note that “with telephone interviews you lose the opportunity to witness the non-verbal behaviour of your participant, which may adversely affect your interpretation of how far to pursue a particular line of questioning” (p. 342). However, the absence of visual communication made it possible to take notes without disturbing the interviewee. As such, this interviewing technique made it possible to stay clearly focused on the interviewee responses. All but one of the telephone interviewees attained a friendly rapport similar to the face-to-face interviews. Data analysis confirms that there are no appreciable differences in the quality or quantity of the data gathered, regardless of whether the data was collected from either the

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to-face or telephone interviews. The following examples illustrate this point.

The respondents were asked directly why they decided to create a Bed and Breakfast rather than pursue some other form of employment. One face-to-face interviewee responded as follows: “Just as an occupation that would fit in and I had the room. It was an occupation that would allow me to stay at home with the children”. A similarly detailed response was provided by a telephone interviewee who stated: “I don’t drive and to work at anything that I would be qualified to work at I would have to go to Lerwick and that’s 30 miles away so I would need to have public transport and that would have been difficult to go and work outside the family”. The respondents were also asked whether they were members of any public/private sector organisations and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages associated with organisation membership. One face-to-face interview answered the question as follows:

“The tourist board wanted all singing, all dancing stuff. We had three or four inspections before we had somebody who knew what we were about. We also know people who have been told their furniture is dated and carpets are worn.

People who have come to inspect the B&B have on the whole, been involved with hotels. We feel that the B&B has a whole different ethos”. In comparison one telephone interviewee stated: “The key advantages [of tourist board membership] would be grading and classification but I would say that that is the only benefit and also the web presence. Disadvantages would be the cost of being a member and being graded and classified, I know they can’t do it for nothing but it is a lot of money. The costs have been escalating steeply.

When I first started, it was £40 to be a member of Shetland Tourist Board, it’s now £183; it really has gone up. That enables you to be included in the publication for this area, however if you want a picture, you have to pay extra on top of that. You can’t be in there unless you are graded and classified by VisitScotland so you know, you have to pay all of it, it soon adds up. However, going by the B&B’s in this area, who are not members they all seem to make a living”. Thus both the face-to-face and the telephone interviews discussed their concerns regarding organisation membership, placing particular emphasis on factors relating to tourist board membership. Given the similarities in terms of the nature and depth of the responses given above, it can be concluded that the interview method did not appear to influence the data to any degree.

68 3.8 Chapter Summary

This chapter has outlined the methodological approach to this research. It has given a brief account of the largely quantitative approaches traditionally applied to both tourism and small business research and highlighted the inability of this approach to answer the how and why questions. Given that the focus of this research was to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning and experience of the lifestyle concept, a methodological approach was required which allowed scope for a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. A qualitative approach was therefore applied to this research.

As discussed above, this research approach is particularly useful for exploring a particular issue in-depth as opposed to simply measuring it. Details are provided regarding the techniques used in collecting and analysing the data.

Data collection methods include interviews, both face-to-face and over the telephone. The interviews were semi-structured in nature and sought to gain an insight into Bed and Breakfast proprietorship as viewed through the eyes of the respondents. Semi-structured interviews enabled respondents to discuss their experiences in detail, thus providing a more comprehensive understanding of respondent’s attitudes and opinions than would be the case if structured interviews were conducted. Details are provided regarding the way in which the interviews were transcribed and how the interview responses were analysed in order to gain an understanding of lifestyle issues in the Bed and Breakfast accommodation market in Scotland. Details are also provided regarding the sampling methods used and the resulting sample size required to achieve theoretical saturation.

The constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis was deemed the most appropriate methodology in the analysis of the interview transcripts.

Constant comparative analysis was used to identify themes and categories in the data. Adopting this research approach meant that the view of each individual could be captured and recalled and the data could be presented in a logical sequence in relation to the questions to be addressed. Furthermore, by examining this group on their own as opposed to making comparisons with traditional profit seeking entrepreneurs, it was possible to investigate issues other than financial motives and thus providing an understanding of the lifestyle concept from a different angle.

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The latter part of the chapter discussed the methodological issues, particularly the criticisms of qualitative research and the advantages and disadvantages of the telephone interview.

The following chapter discusses the findings of the research, arising from the analysis of the interview data. This research begins by trying to provide an understanding of the entrepreneur and their motivations for business.

70 Chapter 4: Data Analysis

4.1 Chapter Introduction

The previous chapter discussed the research design and the methods employed in the collection of the data. The purpose of this chapter is to present a detailed overview of the respondent motivations findings and the many factors which have influenced respondents to create a Bed and Breakfast accommodation business.

As indicated in the literature review provided in chapter two, an increasing number of studies have emerged in recent years which address the concept of lifestyle in the context of the small business. Research has shown that entry into small business entrepreneurship is often linked to non-economic reasons such as being self-employed or to experience a certain lifestyle (see for example Ateljevic and Doorne 2000; Morrison, Baum and Andrew 2001; Claire 2012). The literature distinguishes these lifestyle entrepreneurs by their contributions to family, community and quality of life as opposed to high growth. Examples of entrepreneurial lifestyle motivations include earning enough money to support the family, acting as a host whilst still maintaining a relatively unencumbered lifestyle and moving away from the perceived “rat race” of city living to a rural location of natural scenic beauty (Morrison 2002).

The most prominent and noteworthy examples of lifestyle entrepreneurship can be found in the areas of tourism and hospitality, however a small, but equally important number of studies can be found in entrepreneurship and small business literature. As indicated in chapter three, this study aims to build on recent qualitative work in these areas to provide an enhanced understanding of lifestyle theory.

In order to explore the nature of lifestyle proprietorship and the possible impact of this approach on business operations, this chapter will provide an analysis of the data gathered from Bed and Breakfast accommodation businesses in Scotland. Specifically, it analyses some of the possible motivations for business to help to determine the meaning and experience of

‘lifestyle’ in small business operations and to identify whether different motivations create different opportunities for achieving different lifestyle

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objectives. In doing so, it aims to improve our current understanding of what a lifestyle business may mean.

It is suggested that answering questions about why and how individuals enter the B&B accommodation industry may be useful in understanding the aspirations and motivations of the individual and how these characteristics influence the decision making process. As Kuratko, Hornsby and Naffziger (2001) point out, it is worthwhile to study individual characteristics, as an understanding of what motivates entrepreneurs to create and sustain their businesses is crucial to understanding the complete entrepreneurial process.