Stress is a universally known phenomenon and in stress situations everybody acts and behaves differently; some people stay calm in certain situations while others completely freak out. Stress situations occur every day, but not all are recognised as such. There are stress situations which appear regularly, such as an overstuffed schedule; and there are those stress situations which primarily have nothing to do with a tight schedule, because they only occur once in a while. Imagine the following: You are at an airport and about to fly home, on holidays or away for work and at the airport there is nothing but total chaos because almost all flights have been cancelled due to unpredictable incidents such as bad weather conditions or a volcanic ash cloud, which both occurred in 2010. How do you think would most people react? There are not many ways to find out how people behave in this specific stress situation. Interviewing people at the airport would be an option, handing out questionnaires would be another option; but without a doubt people would not be in the cheer to answer questions or fill out a form; and collecting data afterwards would probably distort the results, because it is not contemporary enough.
This paper deals with the research method observation; in order to understand how observation can be used in research, chapter two sets the theoretical background on observation methods, including error sources and application possibilities. The third chapter gives a theoretical approach of evaluating data through observation. This approach deals with people’s behaviours while being stranded at an international airport such as Heathrow, Frankfurt or Paris. How do people deal with such a stressful situation? What kind of reactions and behaviours can be observed when people find out that there flight has been cancelled? This kind of stress is not comparable to everyday stress; therefore the working definition of a stress situation used in this work, which is based on the ideas of Barton Cunningham (2000), is as follows: Stress is a universally appearing human response which resulted from the apperception of and distressing and intense experience. It may also be referred to as conflict, anxiety, frustration, conflict, emotional trauma and pressure. Last but not least, the paper concludes with a short review and possible chances and difficulties in chapter four.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Theoretical foundations of observation methods
3 Stranded travellers: Observation of tourist behaviour at the airport
4 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the utility of observation as a primary research method to understand human behavioral responses to high-stress situations, specifically focusing on travelers stranded at international airports due to flight cancellations.
- Theoretical paradigms of observational research in social sciences.
- Methodological frameworks for conducting structured observations.
- Application of observational data to analyze human reaction patterns under pressure.
- Integration of observation with other data collection techniques for customer service improvement.
Excerpt from the Book
3 Stranded travellers: Observation of tourist behaviour at the airport
Every year people are stranded at airports due to various reasons. During the volcanic ash cloud in April more than 150.000 Britons were stranded abroad and could not get back to their home country (BBC: 2010). Some people may have liked the situation considering the fact that they had literally been forced to spend a couple of more days in their holiday resort. On the other side there are those people who urgently had to return to their home country, but could not due to the numberless cancellations. In order to find out how people react in this situation, more precisely how they act at the airport after finding out that their flight has been cancelled and that they will at least have to spend another night abroad, an observation frame needs to be set up. As mentioned in the previews chapter there are multiple possibilities to create such a frame.
Since cancellations such as the ones which have recently taken place because of the bad weather conditions and the ash cloud are exceptional circumstances and cannot be foreseen a non-recurring observation would be more suitable than a recurring one. It is tough for employees at the airport to influence the behaviour of the travellers, since they themselves are stressed and under pressure.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the phenomenon of stress-induced behavior at airports and outlines the research objective of using observation as a method to study stranded travelers.
2 Theoretical foundations of observation methods: This chapter reviews key sociological and psychological paradigms of observation and discusses the technical and procedural aspects of conducting observational research.
3 Stranded travellers: Observation of tourist behaviour at the airport: This chapter applies the previously discussed theoretical frameworks to the specific case of airport flight cancellations and proposes a structure for observational data collection.
4 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the benefits of the observational approach in emergency management and notes the necessity of cost-utility considerations for large-scale observational studies.
Keywords
Observation, Behavioral Patterns, Stress, Flight Cancellations, Stranded Travellers, Research Methods, Qualitative Data, Quantitative Data, Airport Management, Customer Relationship Management, Social Sciences, Behavioral Analysis, Structured Observation, Unstructured Observation, Emergency Management
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper fundamentally explores how the research method of observation can be systematically applied to understand how people behave when faced with the stressful experience of flight cancellations at international airports.
What are the primary themes discussed in this work?
The central themes include the theoretical paradigms of observation in social science, the distinction between structured and unstructured observation, and the practical application of these methods in high-pressure travel environments.
What is the main research goal?
The primary goal is to establish a guideline for observing stranded people to identify common reaction types and behavioral patterns that occur when flight plans are disrupted.
Which research methodology is employed?
The paper focuses on the research method of observation, discussing how to gather, organize, and analyze observational data, while also suggesting the use of recording technology to capture reactions.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the sociological foundations of observation (such as dramaturgical sociology and ethnomethodology), the logistical steps of the observation process, and a specific case study on applying these methods at an airport.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include observation, behavioral patterns, stress, flight cancellations, stranded travellers, research methods, and emergency management.
Why is observation considered more suitable than interviews in this specific scenario?
The author argues that in highly stressful situations like flight cancellations, people are often not in the mood to participate in interviews or fill out questionnaires, which could lead to distorted or non-representative data.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the use of single versus mixed methods?
The author concludes that while observation is a powerful tool, it should ideally be combined with other methods like interviews and questionnaires to provide a more detailed and robust analysis.
What role do "behavior groups" play in the proposed observation framework?
Behavior groups serve as a classification system used by observers to assign observed reactions to specific categories, helping to gain a clearer overview of how different individuals respond to similar stressors.
What are the practical implications of this research for airlines?
The research suggests that airlines could use observational data to evaluate their customer service and emergency management performance, ultimately identifying areas to improve customer relationship management and satisfaction.
- Arbeit zitieren
- B.A. Corinna Colette Vellnagel (Autor:in), 2011, Flight cancellations and their influence on people’s behaviours, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/167254
