Conflict Management Within the Context of Community Based Tourism: an Exploratory Study Marcus Curcija BA, MB
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Conflict Management within the Context of Community Based Tourism: An Exploratory Study Marcus Curcija BA, MB A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 UQ Business School Abstract Community based tourism (CBT) as a concept offers a multitude of opportunities and benefits; however, there are numerous challenges in achieving such positive outcomes in real world communities. While conducting the review of the literature, the term ‘conflict’ emerged as a concept that could be used to describe many of the challenges occurring within CBT and the term ‘conflict management’ was recognised as the process responsible for positive or negative outcomes during the CBT process. The research gap became evident through the realisation that conflict and conflict management had not been specifically studied within the CBT context. To address the research gap, the purpose of this study was developed: to explore conflict and its management during CBT initiatives. To initiate this process, a model of conflict management was developed after reviewing both the CBT and conflict management literature. As a result, an original contribution towards understanding conflict management was developed, which was presented as a linear model. The conceptualisation of the linear model involved an ‘instance’ of conflict occurring, followed by a ‘response’ to the conflict, which then initiated an ‘impact’ on the CBT project. To determine if this logic was appropriate, a systematic review of the CBT literature was then conducted to assess the context of these three CBT-related concepts. This review determined the linear model to be a logical progression and also distinguished which CBT related concepts were most frequently mentioned as being ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’. The five research objectives developed for this study were 1) to explore instances of conflict that occur within CBT initiatives; 2) to investigate the conflict management techniques used to respond to the identified conflict; 3) to explore how the response to the conflict impacted the CBT initiative; 4) to determine whether the proposed model of ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’ provides an initial understanding of the ‘conflict theme’ components that can be identified when addressing conflict management during CBT; and 5) to consider how the investigation of ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’ of conflict in CBT can inform future projects to increase the likelihood of success. Page | i Two stages of the exploratory research design were undertaken to attain qualitative data from CBT examples across the globe from representatives of four CBT stakeholder groups affiliated with CBT development: community, government, non-governmental organisations, and private enterprise. The first stage was an online survey, which investigated the conflict themes of ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’ across the four stakeholder groups. The respondents were invited to participate in the second stage and the results were used to inform and develop the Stage 2 interview guide. During the Stage 2 interviews, the Constant Comparative Method (CCM) was used to acquire a dataset that constantly grew in detail and richness due to the evolution of the interview guide. Content analysis and NVivo were used to categorise and analyse the data to determine the most frequently referenced categories of concepts pertinent to conflict during the CBT process. The research derived from both stages of the research process generated qualitative results for research objectives 1, 2, and 3, regarding the ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’ related to conflict. These results were compiled from all of the CBT examples described by the study participants who clearly understood conflict through the progression of ‘instances’, ‘responses’, and ‘impacts’, as originally conceptualised for this study. The identification of these ‘conflict themes’ is a contribution of this study. Empirical evidence on the conflict themes attained during data collection determined that in addition to the linear progression, there are ‘interrelationship’ scenarios depicting the occurrence of the conflict themes, which include the ‘feedback’, ‘multiple conflict themes’, and ‘simultaneous’ sub-models. These models alone do not always demonstrate the complexity of the conflict management process; hence the importance of realising that these models can act in a congruent way with one or more of the additional models. Therefore, the original model conceptualisation that was based on the literature led to a systematic analysis of the practical process undergone by practitioners during CBT operations, as depicted within the CBT literature, and refined through primary research to develop the full Conflict Management Model. Through the data gathered on CBT, conflict and the understanding of the conflict management model scenarios, six practical recommendations were developed based on empirical evidence and these represent best practice to manage conflict and assist in positive outcomes and/or success during the CBT process. The recommendations are summarised as: proper implementation of planning is necessary, dedicated leadership must remain diligent and Page | ii support participation, the community’s goals and benefit scheme should be reviewed systematically, successful CBT takes time, the funding process must enable the empowerment of the community, and partnerships and networks need to be utilised. The key theoretical contribution is that this study is the first to have explored in detail the concepts of conflict and conflict management in CBT. Additional contributions are the development of a conflict management model and an approach to analyse conflict themes. The key methodological contribution was the use of CCM in a CBT study to continually derive richer data throughout the interview process. Page | iii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. Page | iv Publications during candidature Curcija, M., Breakey, N. & Driml, S. (2014). Global Study on Conflict Management during a Community-based Tourism Initiative. Paper presented at the CAUTHE Conference. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 10-13 February 2014. Publications included in this thesis None Page | v Contributions by others to the thesis Ms Sharon Donny – translation during three of the interviews during Case Study 2 and transcription of Malay into English for these three interviews. Carl Smith – professional editing of the full thesis prior to submission. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None Page | vi Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to give a special ‘thank you’ to my supervisors, Noreen Breakey and Sally Driml. I can’t thank them enough for their support and assistance throughout the course of this research. I also must acknowledge their faith in me to complete this study and for being understanding while I was ill. I could not have been more pleased with my supervisors, as I believe that are a great fit for me. Next, I must thank my mother, Alice L. Berkebile, for always ‘being in my corner’ and for her assistance in my relocation to Australia. I also must give appreciation to Mathew J. Gerko, my brother, who always was, and shall forever be by my side and whose misfortune inspired a path that brought me to this point. Well-deserved, special gratitude must be expressed to my girlfriend, Chloe McIntyre, whom I shall wed on February 27, 2016. Although we met while I was already undergoing the PhD process, she had no idea how absent I would be for the majority of the time we should have been sharing together or how erratic my behaviour would be throughout the process, particularly during the final year or more. Fortunately, we were able to endure the seemingly never-ending saga of my dedication to the thesis versus the attempts we both made to have a ‘normal’ relationship. In respect to her love for me and her willingness to make a marital commitment to a guy she has yet to see in a prolonged state of happiness, I must acknowledge her faith in me to be the man she knows I can be. I love you, Chlo! I would also like to thank those who participated in my study by sharing their experiences with me. In particular, I would like to express additional gratitude to those who participated in my second stage interviews. I also must express appreciation to those who have been a part of my life during this journey. Whether as a friend, colleague, or employer, thank you for playing your part. Finally, I need to thank everyone who has brought me joy and/or inspiration over the years.