Perception, Conduction and Management of Emotional Labor of Cruise Tourist Guides in Aalborg Tourism Management Authors Ciprian – George Radu Yana Zhivkova Yankova Supervisor Vilhelmiina Vainikka Master Thesis Aalborg University Faculty of Social Sciences Date of submission: 1st June 2020 Number of Characters: 221 458 1 Abstract This is a study case research on the perception, conduction and management of emotional labor, in the context of cruise tourist guides in Aalborg. The topic is investigated through the perspective of the tourist guides. The approach to this topic is based on the literature and theoretical frameworks behind emotional labor and tourist guide work. In order to obtain the cruise tourist guides’ perspective, we examine how they perceive their job expectations, related to the emotional requirements, how they see emotional display rules at their job, what practices they use to regulate their emotional state, the antecedents and the outcomes of performing emotional labor. This study employs a qualitative methodology, in the form of eight semi-structured interviews with cruise tourist guides, working for VisitAalborg, operating in the destination of Aalborg, Denmark. Through the use of thematic analysis, the findings of this study reveal: (1) The cruise tourist guides’ emotional display is affected by the needs and expectations of both their employer VisitAAlborg and their customers, the tourists. (2) The emotion regulation strategies employed by the cruise guides include surface acting, compartmentalization, along with some instances of genuine emotions. (3) In terms of personality, contrary to the general assumption about the tour guide job, being extrovert is not a required personality trait to successfully perform the emotional side of the tourist guide job. (4) The tourist guides express high job satisfaction and are generally positively affected by the performance of emotional labor in various ways. 1 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Research Area ................................................................................................................ 6 2. Literature review & Theoretical Background ....................................................................... 8 2.1 Tourist Guide Literature .................................................................................................. 8 2.1.1 Definition and terminology ....................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 A historical approach ............................................................................................... 9 2.1.3 Typology of guiding ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.4 The Role of the tourist guide .................................................................................... 13 2.2 Emotional Labor Literature ............................................................................................ 22 2.2.1 Concepts of emotional labor .................................................................................... 22 2.2.2 A trifocal view of emotional labor ............................................................................ 28 2.2.3 Additional components to emotional labor ................................................................. 31 2.2.4 Emotional labor in tourist guide research .................................................................. 34 2.3 Conceptual framework .................................................................................................. 37 3. Philosophy of Science ..................................................................................................... 40 3.1. Ontology ................................................................................................................ 40 3.2 Epistemology ............................................................................................................... 41 4. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 41 4.1. Qualitative research ................................................................................................. 41 4.2 Research design ............................................................................................................ 42 4.3 Sampling method .......................................................................................................... 43 4.4 Data collection ............................................................................................................ 44 4.4.1 The semi-structured interview .................................................................................. 44 4.4.2 Skype as a data collection tool ................................................................................. 46 4.5 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................... 48 4.6 Assessing the quality of the data collected ....................................................................... 49 4.7 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 50 5. Findings ............................................................................................................................ 52 5.1 Role of the tourist guide ................................................................................................ 54 5.1.1 Perceived job expectations ...................................................................................... 54 5.1.2 Perceived Attitude Expectations .............................................................................. 58 5.1.3 Role Strain ............................................................................................................ 59 5.2 Role of VisitAalborg in the guides’ emotional labor .................................................... 60 5.3 Role of tourists in the guides’ emotional labor .................................................................. 64 2 3 5.4 Influential factors to emotional labor ............................................................................... 65 5.5 Emotion management strategies ..................................................................................... 71 5.6 Personality ................................................................................................................... 74 5.7 Outcomes of emotional labor ......................................................................................... 76 6. Discussion & Conclusion .................................................................................................... 79 6.1 Emotional labor as job requirements .............................................................................. 81 6.2 Emotional labor as emotional display .............................................................................. 84 6.3 Emotional labor as intrapsychic experiences .................................................................... 86 6.4 Antecedents of emotional labor ...................................................................................... 88 6.5 Outcomes of emotional labor ......................................................................................... 90 7. Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 92 8. Appendix .......................................................................................................................... 98 8.1 Appendix 1 - Interview Andy ......................................................................................... 98 8.2 Appendix 2 - Interview Charlie .................................................................................... 113 8.3 Appendix 3 - Interview Evan........................................................................................ 125 8.4 Appendix 4 - Interview Jaime....................................................................................... 141 8.5 Appendix 5 - Interview Leslie ...................................................................................... 153 8.6 Appendix 6 - Interview Robin ...................................................................................... 163 8.7 Appendix 7 - Interview Wesley .................................................................................... 171 8.8 Appendix 8 - Interview Taylor ..................................................................................... 181 8.9 Appendix 9 - Interview Questions ................................................................................. 189 8.10 Appendix 10 - Thematic codes ................................................................................... 191 8.11 Appendix 11 - Figures ............................................................................................... 199 3 4 1. Introduction Front line employees in the tourism sector face customers on a daily basis. During these interactions, other than services or goods, the employee also provides a certain emotional display. This performance of emotions is usually specified by the employer; hence making it a part of the job responsibilities of the employee. Such mending of the emotional state in exchange for monetary or other gains,