APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
INITIAL LETTER & STATEMENT OF INFORMED CONSENT
Linda G. Lyle
5903 Magazine Road
Knoxville, Tennessee 37920
(423) 577-4416 or (423) 974-3849
e-mail: llyle@utk.edu
date
[address]
[salutation]
[Your company's] well-established prominence in the student travel industry has attracted the attention of my academic research interests.
I am a doctoral candidate in the College of Communications at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I am involved in a project to examine cultural values within discrete industries, using the student travel industry as a data source. Purely academic in nature, this study is of value both to business and communications scholars, who are interested in analyzing processes of cultural growth and change. More specifically, previous research in organizational culture has been largely confined to the study of individual Fortune 500 companies. There is a paucity of empirical, multi-organizational research that examines the notion of culture shared across an industry, and few-to-no studies have examined culture in developing and/or entrepreneurial industries such as the student travel industry. This study thus offers potential benefits for extending theory regarding the source of extant cultural assumptions in emerging industries. It is also potentially beneficial on a practical level; enhancing our understanding of emerging industries, and/or enhancing the understanding of how culture is formed and transmitted across an industry may enable executives to plan and execute corporate strategy more efficiently — to name only one practical outcome. When completed, the study may be reviewed by academics and researchers, among others, whose interests lie within this field of inquiry.
I would very much appreciate being able to conduct an audio-taped interview with you for approximately one hour's time (during the week of ***). Interview questions will be general in nature and will attempt to uncover your perceptions regarding the evolvement of your company and of the industry in general. Any risk of your remarks being identified in the final product is minimal, and in any case will be controlled as follows: (1) tapes will be coded with a number rather than a name; (2) I will personally transcribe all tapes, and transcriptions will be coded in the same manner; (3) a copy of the transcription will be forwarded to you, for your information and corroboration; (4) material quoted in the research report will be edited to eliminate identifying phrases, if/when necessary; (5) tapes and transcriptions will be stored at my home, in a locked file; (6) only myself and the chair of my committee will have access to names of participants and identifying codes for same; (7) acknowledgment of your or your company's participation in the study will require your written permission; (8) you will be given the opportunity to request a copy of the final report/results.
An informed consent form is attached. If you are willing to participate, and if you understand and agree with the conditions stated herein and/or on the form, I ask that you sign the form and return it to me at your convenience, via fax (423-579-6963) or via mail, at the address above. Upon receiving your form, I will contact you to schedule the interview.
(Name), I do hope that you will be able to assist my research efforts. Your participation will not only strengthen the study, but will also make it complete. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Linda G. Lyle
55 Glocker Building
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
enclosure: consent form
STATEMENT OF INFORMED CONSENT FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE
This is to certify that Linda Lyle is the principal investigator of the research project entitled ("Industry Culture" — a working title only). She may be contacted at the University of Tennessee, 55 Glocker, Knoxville, TN 373996, 423-974-3849, should you have any questions. This project is being sponsored by the College of Communication, University of Tennessee Knoxville. Please note that as a participant in this project, you have several very definite rights:
To indicate your willingness to participate in the study, and to acknowledge your informed consent thereto, please sign below.
(signed)_________________________________________________________________
(printed)________________________________________________________________
(dated)__________________________________________________________________
Do you grant permission for your company to be acknowledged as participants in the research study? YES NO
Do you grant permission for the research study to acknowledge your personal participation? YES NO
Would you like to have a report on the results of this research project? YES NO
PLEASE FAX THE COMPLETED FORM TO LINDA LYLE AT 423-974-4879
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.
APPENDIX B
PILOT STUDY INTERVIEW GUIDE
APPENDIX B: Pilot Study Interview Guide
Tell me about the student travel industry.
How did you initially become involved in the industry?
Describe the industry's early years.
How has the industry changed over the years?
What things are common across the industry?
What are your own contributions to the industry?
APPENDIX C
FINAL INTERVIEW GUIDE
APPENDIX C: Final Interview Guide
Please describe what it is you do here.
Please tell me about how you became involved in student travel and give me a synopsis of your career to date.
How would you describe the nature of your own work?
Is this typical of what goes on in the industry?
How would you describe this industry at present?
How would you describe the industry when you started?
How would you describe the relationship between companies in the industry?
What kinds of things make your work easy or difficult or otherwise have the greatest impact on what you do?
What are the most important decisions that you make on a regular basis?
To whom do you feel a sense of responsibility when you make these decisions?
What kinds of problems need resolving on a regular basis and how are solutions arrived at?
What is the biggest problem the industry as a whole has faced?
How would you describe an ideal employee? A "bad" employee?
What do you like best about your work?
Would anything make you want to move on from this job or industry?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
APPENDIX D
PERMISSION TO BE IDENTIFIED (FORM)
APPENDIX D: Permission to be Identified in the Study
RELEASE FORM FOR IDENTIFICATION IN DISSERTATION RESEARCH
COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE
I the undersigned do hereby grant permission to be personally identified, without compensation, in the research project entitled and authored as follows:
An Evolution of Industry Culture as Revealed in Communicative Performance
Author: Linda G. Lyle
Committee Chairperson: Dr. Dorothy Bowles
Specifically, I agree to the following terms of identification:
The dissertation chapter wherein identification appears (Chapter 3) was submitted to me for reading and approval. By signing this form, I grant permission to be identified, as represented and submitted to me in the manuscript (Chapter 3) that I have read. To ensure that these specific identifications are approved, and that no other will be added, I agree to return the manuscript submitted to me in the enclosed postage-paid envelope, and to return this form in a second enclosed, postage-paid envelope.
Permission is granted, as stated above, but with the following changes and/or limitations:
Signed____________________________________________________________
Printed name_______________________________________________________
Date _____________________________________________________________
APPENDIX E
GENEALOGY OF THE STUDENT TRAVEL INDUSTRY
tbd
APPENDIX F
GENERAL SUMMARY OF ASSUMPTIONS
Appendix F: General Summary of Assumptions
Working in this industry was not a career goal; you rather "fell into" it by chance.
You often describe work as if it were a religion.
Sometimes, working at this job feels like a religion.
Your company's mission may be described as: to "educate" via student travel and thereby perhaps to "change the world."
You are very committed to your company's mission.
Students are "mutable" — meaning that there is a good chance that your travel programs will make a difference in their lives.
Most of your co-workers may also be described as "committed" to the company's mission.
Co-workers are perceived to be like part of your extended family.
Your co-workers — at least the "good" ones — generally believe the same thing you do about the value of educational travel.
Some teachers are also like part of this extended family; at the very least, they are partners in fulfilling our mission.
To a degree, some of your suppliers are also part of your extended family; at the very least, they too are partners in fulfilling your company's mission.
This industry exposes young people to the world in a way that has a life-changing impact.
There are various sizes of companies in the industry; generally, it may be said that there are 2-3 "big" companies and several other "smaller" companies.
There are "quality" companies and "budget" companies.
Quality is important to my company.
Quality is reflected in "caring" about the client, which in turn prompts a concern for excellence in the product and services offered.
Symbolically, "membership" in the industry is "extended" only to those companies whose mission is educational in nature; in other words, only educational travel companies are part of this industry.
There is at least one "renegade" company in the industry, who is "not like the rest of us" in terms of its commitment to education and/or to the "romance" of learning.
The environment is very competitive.
The members of this industry are nonetheless relatively collegial, especially when compared to other industries.
"Bashing" competitors is not a good strategy.
There is some contact between members of various companies in the industry.
There is contact between your company and/or its CEO and other companies in the industry.
One of the most critical elements in this industry is control: having control over the product and services is important and empowering.
Things that are out of one's control are the hardest things to deal with.
Ignorance (lack of knowledge) generally results in being out of control.
The industry as a whole is not in control of its political environment.
The industry as a whole is not in control of its economic environment.
To be successful in this business, you have to "know in your heart" its basic ingredients.
In general, you and your colleagues do not rely upon "experts" because you have become the experts.
In general, your own expertise is a result of your first-hand experience in the business.
Unfamiliar situations are handled improvisationally.
When this company was founded, it was a seat-of-the-pants proposition.
Some "truths" in this industry endure while some change.
Many of the "basics" of practicing this business are similar in each company.
There is an historical basis for the way many things are done in this industry.
It is difficult to depart very markedly from traditional industry practices.
Even if it is difficult to do so, our company tries to do things differently, where possible.
Our company has the best "slant" on the way this business is practiced.
Basic work practices include the following:
Basic "treatments" include the following:
Jargon includes the following:
You have to find ways to "bridge" the geographic space between yourselves (and/or your home office) and your clients, and between yourselves and your product delivery (tours).
Couriers are one way to bridge this "space" effectively.
Overseas "PR" also bridges this space, as does technology (web sites, e-mail, phones).
It is a fair statement to say that your company is concerned with the past, the present, and the future: the past in terms of the history you hope students will learn; the present, in
terms of your imperative to deal in "real time" with your business; and the future, in terms of remaining on the "cutting edge" of our profession.
Your company's yearly routine is more cyclical in nature than not.
The year traditionally "begins" with the fall sales season and "ends" when the trips occur.