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The Impacts Of Tourism On Property Prices In Cyprus
The Impacts Of Tourism On Property Prices In Cyprus
Research Proposal
Proposed Title of Dissertation: The Impacts of Tourism on Property Prices in Cyprus
Subtitle: The roles tourism plays in determining property prices in Cyprus
Statement of objectives
This study’s major objective will be to investigate the impact of tourism in determining property prices in Cyprus. From this main objective the following ancillary objectives can be drawn out. To investigate:
The impact of impact of European Union market on property prices in Cyprus.
The impact of global economic and socio-political trends on property prices in Cyprus.
Discrepancies between property prices in Cyprus and other European Union nations.
Property prices discrepancies across the major cities and region in the country.
The role of local private property owners in determining the prices of immovable properties.
The role of the internal economic and socio-political policies in determining property prices.
Theoretical framework
This research study will employ an explorative qualitative theoretical framework. As Lincoln and Guba (1985) suggest an exploratory research is a fundamental framework that helps to draw out clear insights as well as conclusions into a social issue that has not received prior research. Basically, this framework accords researchers an opportunity to make appropriate decisions regarding the best methodologies of carrying their studies. Perhaps this is because the framework espouses relatively simple procedures to complex research problem that otherwise may pose significant challenges in terms of organization, presentation and engagement of context. As a matter of fact, this research framework allows researchers a wide range of data collection and analysis methods hence making the investigation of complex social phenomena more enjoyable and meaningful. For instance, through the use of internet, research can get to easily unearth large volumes important data as well as interact with the sampled study participants. No doubt this allows for deeper understanding and insights into the critical social determinants that underlies major social happenings (Shields & Tajalli, 2006).
This research framework will be of great use to my study given that it will accord the researcher the opportunity to investigate the socio-economic determinants pertaining to the property prices in Cyprus. Prior studies in this area have tended to address the “big-picture” and have missed significant details particularly in the area about the impacts of tourism on the prices of houses in Cyprus. As a matter of fact, existing studies only give a general overview of the Cypriot real estate sector and does not dwell into pertinent details such as how prices of immovable property in Cyprus are impacted by global economic trends. As such, through the use of simple methods of research such as interviews, questionnaires, direct retrieval of information, this study will be able to determine how different socio-economic, political and cultural factors affect the pricing of immovable property in Cyprus.
Literature references
The nature and scope of this research study calls for a deeper and wider analysis of literature. In this case, a wide range of literature from socio-economic, political, cultural, social policy, economic domains will be utilized. This will enable the achievement of the above outlined objectives. Ideally, this literature will include both local (Cyprus) and international readings published in scholarly journals, text books, newspapers, and magazines. Unfortunately, preliminary search on most local and international academic databases has revealed very little in terms of scholarly sources tackling the study’s topic perhaps due to the fact that Cyprus is still a small economy compared to global economies such as the United States, Japan, and German among others. In this regard, the study will also utilize unpublished sources such as websites. Even so, the selection of such websites will be restricted to the authentic ones, that is, those hosted by government agencies, local and international institutions of higher learning as well as international agencies.
Hypothesis
A critical analysis of the various property prices determinants in the Cypriot real estate sector reveals one exclusively strong factor: input from the country’s bulging tourism sector.
Methodology
Rationale
Essentially, this study will utilize a qualitative research methodology. The decision to utilize this methodology derives its impetus from the fact that it will accord the researcher a greater opportunity to identify many price determinants on the Cypriot immovable property sector. As Babbie (2004) asserts, a qualitative methodology ensures that all key issues that affect a particular social phenomenon such are clearly outlined. In this case, it is hoped that this research methodology will enhance the chances of determining the extent which the Cypriot property market is influenced by both internal and external price determinants. Such sentiments are also shared by Creswell (2003) when he postulates that a qualitative research methodology offer the best results particularly if intensive interviews and questionnaires are employed. As it will be explained later, the envisaged research study will utilize interviews and questionnaires as its major data collection instruments. On the other hand, and as it has been hinted in the preceding sections, there has never been an intensive empirical research carried out to determine the determinants of property prices in the Cyprus real estate sector. In this regard, a qualitative research is the most appropriate methodology given that it will accord the research the opportunity to put at task some of the meta-narratives as well as held notions regarding how particular price determinants are considered more influential to the Cypriot immovable property sector in general as well as how such determinants fair in various regions of the country (Denzim & Lincoln, 2005).
Sample Size
Due to the intensive nature of this study, a wide range of participants will be targeted. The study sample will comprise of persons working in the real estate sector, home owners, private property owners, real estate investment experts, tourists, as well as persons working with tourist agencies. Ideally, owing to the large number of the potential participants only a small fraction of this number will be considered for the study – about ten participants from each of the above named groups. The decision to have a relatively small sample size was advised by Ader, Mellenbergh, and Hand (2008) postulations regarding the ideal size of a study sample. Precisely, it is opined that a study sample should neither be too big nor too small. This is because a big study sample may pose challenges in data collections, compiling and analysis and may also end up consuming a lot of resources. On the other hand, it is opined that a very small sample size may not reflect the ideal situation of the targeted demographic (Ader et al, 2008).
Selection
Essentially, the participants will be selected on the basis of their willingness to take part in the study and most importantly on their availability within the entire study period. In this case, no form of coercion will be used. Potentially participants will be send formal request letters to seek their consent in taking part in the study. To enhance participation the participants will be assured that only the information they were willing to divulge would be used in the study. Ideally, a list will be prepared detailing those who will be willing to take part and available in the entire study period in each of the distinct categories hinted above (home owners, property owners, tourists, employees of tourist agencies, employees of real estate agencies, and real estate investment experts). This list will then be used to randomly select ten participants from each of the various categories.
Data Collection
The process of gathering data for this study will involve three levels as advanced by Babbie (2004). Data will be acquired through structured questionnaires and interviews as well as through secondary research carried out on relevant literary materials. To allow for maximum retrieval of information, the interviews and questionnaires will be structured according to the guidelines offered by Creswell (2003) and Kvale and Britmann (2008), where both open-ended and closed-ended questions will be used.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires will be carefully structured so as to capture pertinent data regarding the various property prices determinants. The prepared questionnaires will be dispatched to the participants through the post office, quick mail services, as well as hand delivery. Each participant will be expected to fill one such questionnaire. So as to enhance accuracy and validity the participants will be given a period of two weeks to study the questionnaires and fill them accordingly. Then the returned questionnaires will be studied, transcribed, coded and analyzed as per the selected data analysis methodology.
Interviews
The next level of data collection will involve in-depth interviews which ill be conducted through face-to-face encounters, over the phone, as well as through the internet. The prerogative to make a choice will be determined by the participants’ ease of availability as well as access any of the three options. Ideally, the interviews will be administered to the same sample that undertook the filling of the questionnaires. Even so, due to the involving nature of the structured interviews as well as the unpredictable work schedules on the part of the participants, it is anticipated that interviews will take a relatively long period of time to be satisfactorily completed. In this regard, it is envisaged that, the interview process will take at least three months to complete.
Desk research
The final level of the data collection method will entail the gathering of information from relevant secondary sources. A wide range of literary sources will be used here. This data collection method will offer an opportunity for comparison between the primary information collected from the participants.
Timetable
Week 1 – Week 2 Preparation of research materials such as questionnaires, interview templates, participants consent letters, etc.
Week 3 – Week 4 Distribution of the consent letters among the target demographic.
Sampling of the study participants.
Week 5
Week 6 Distribution of questionnaires.
Filling of questionnaires.
Week 7 Collection of the filled questionnaires.
Compiling of questionnaire data.
Week 8 – Week 20 Administration of the interviews.
Week 21- Week 22 Compiling and transcription of interview and questionnaire data.
Week 23 – Week 24 Analysis of data.
Reporting of data.
References
Ader, HJ, Mellenbergh, GJ, & Hand, DJ 2008, Advising on research methods: A consultant’s companion,. Johannes van Kessel Publishing, Huizen, The Netherlands.
Babbie, E 2004, The Practice of Social Research 10th Ed, Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Creswell, JW 2003, Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach 2nd ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, retrieved August 16, 2010, from: HYPERLINK “http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=nSVxmN2KWeYC&dq=Research+design:+Qualitative,+quantitative,+and+mixed+methods+approach&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=lOJoTMTKA43U4gby9MyYBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAw” l “v=onepage&q=Research%20design%3A%20Qualitative%2C%20quantitative%2C%20and%20mixed%20methods%20approach&f=false/”http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=nSVxmN2KWeYC&dq=Research+design:+Qualitative,+quantitative,+and+mixed+methods+approach&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=lOJoTMTKA43U4gby9MyYBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Research%20design%3A%20Qualitative%2C%20quantitative%2C%20and%20mixed%20methods%20approach&f=false/
Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.) (2005). The sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kvale, S & Britmann, S 2008, Interviewing: Learning the craft of qualitative interviewing, Sage, London.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Shields, P. & Tajalli, H. (2006). Intermediate Theory: The Missing Link in Successful Student Scholarship. Journal of Public Affairs Education. Vol. 12, No. 3. Pp. 313-334.
a more productive agriculture is necessary in order to fuel economic growth which is required to alleviate poverty
which should target in food insecure sections of populations
The Impacts of Social Media on Emirati Society
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2286004514850The Impacts of Social Media on Emirati Society
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The Impacts of Social Media on Emirati Society
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The Impacts of Social Media on Emirati Society
A. Introduction
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Myspace, and so many more are all social networking websites with the purpose of promoting and aiding communication. Although, it aides long distance communication greatly and connects you with friends from all over the world; it is still in my opinion the type of technology that is doing more harm than good. Not only it is changing the way to communicate, but also how we interact with each other on a daily basis. Social networking influences our day to day self-expression, and it is isolating us away from people, and it is affecting our friendship relations in negative ways. The big question is: Are we controlling or controlled? Are we leading or lead?
Social media have a major impact on the Emirati society. Recently it has been obvious that sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram affected different social sectors, especially which it is very easy to get and use. It is available for everyone and all ages, especially children who possess their own devices and accounts. New generations all over the world are highly influenced by this trend. Analyzing this issue from different corners force us to pay more attention and focus on it as it affects the culture and the community through different elements that allow us to be globally aware of technology and knowledge, and enable us to follow the regulations on how to deal with individuals and community as well.
B. Positive Impacts
One can argue that social networks have many positive effects on the society that I will agree with to some degree. It can increase communication among individuals, especially those that have difficulty socializing in person. Using these websites will increase a person’s computer abilities. It will connect us with millions of friends from all around the world; it can also act as a source of entertainment (joining groups, playing games, etc.) But in my opinion, the real questions that I ask myself are, how many hours I am spending a day on social networks? Do I really need millions of friends to view my personal information and share my life and how many of these millions are considered real friends and how many are strangers?
C. Negative Impacts
On the other hand, with the constant use of these social technologies, fewer people are communicating in person. Many people are becoming more isolated due to the lack of personal interaction. It is becoming easier to go through life with less personal confrontations and conversations. Many people are becoming used to only conversing through their computer, I-Pads and phones. If we continue to be isolated than all of our communication skills will drop lower than they already are. Incidents in the UAE community about the drawbacks of using The Facebook, for example, are countless. In many cases, kids post private photos of the females in their families without informing them or being aware; this might lead to divorce and ruining the family in a community like ours. Girls at high school also took photos to their friends and teachers and post them without realizing the consequences that might occur. Suspension from school was the result, and this is due to the policies of The Ministry of Education in the country. Personally, my daughters ask me to take them to particular places such as restaurants and cafes in order to take photos and post them on their Facebook accounts to tease their peers who had already done the same. So going out nowadays is for the simple reason of showing this on Facebook and receiving silly and hypocritical comments not to enjoy special moments with family and friends. In some cases also kids fake photos in order to send a message through them. This is in addition to countless fake accounts and unreal names of people who try to follow your daily steps secretly and in a hidden way.
These social networks allow an individual to have a lot of friends. However, 80 percent of these supposed “friends” are no more than strangers. On these websites, we allow strangers onto our page for petty reasons, such as having the same taste in music or movies or sports. We spend more time with these people online, when we should be spending time with our real life friends and family members that we have known for years. This lack of dedication to our real life relatives and friends leads to shallower friendships. Many people care for their “Face book” friends, but they don’t even know what their lives are like. Many of those people will know what a bunch of they call friends had for breakfast or dinner, but don’t know whether any of them is struggling with major life issues and obstacles.
D. Policies Applied By the UAE Government
Government agencies have become responsible for controlling and the developing plans and rules that limit the negative impacts on the culture and the community, especially the UAE.
Legal risks for Social Media users in the UAE: This media coverage had many people in the UAE talking about the legal risks of using social media in the UAE, and the importance of being aware of the applicable law. There are some legal provisions that might make social media users think twice before posting risky content.
Photographs
Care needs to be taken when posting pictures of others online, including via social media sites. The Cyber Crimes Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 2012) makes it an offence to use any IT means to breach someone else’s privacy, including by taking pictures of others, or publishing or displaying those pictures. The UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No 3 of 1987) makes it an offence to transmit someone’s photograph without their consent. (Our view is that this is likely to extend to moving images, and not only still images.) The Copyright Law (Federal Law No 7 of 2002 in Respect of Author Copyrights and Parallel Rights) states that, in the absence of an agreement to the contrary (and with limited exceptions), a person who takes a picture of another cannot distribute or publish such picture without the consent of the person appearing in the picture.
Content contrary to morality, social cohesion, etc.
The Cyber Crimes Law makes it an offence to use any IT means for activities that are inconsistent with public morals and good conduct. This could include content that is un-Islamic, blasphemous, and lewd, that encourages sinful activity, or that are aimed at corrupting minors, etc. It can also extend to content that might negatively impact on social cohesion and peace, such as content that that stirs sedition or sectarianism, mocks the leaders of the nation, or that hurts national unity or social peace. UAE law contains some interesting provisions relating to the responsibility of site operators for user generated content that is considered to breach these types of prohibitions, and some interesting provisions relating to the extra-territorial application of UAE law in an on-line context. Once again, users of social media should familiarize themselves with the social mores of the UAE, and the applicable law.
E. Personal Experience and Recommendations
In many life aspects, social media have tremendous effects. As a mother, I can clearly state through my observations that social media has facilitated communication among parents and others who are interfering with their kids. It updates all parties with all modifications and announcements. It facilitates the parental role, especially the ones who are very busy with their professional tasks. In addition, it adds fun to learning and bridge gaps between generations. Feeling embarrassed to ask, these websites provide sufficient clarification and answers many inquiries. Although social media has played a significant role in the reform of the educational relationship, it still has negative impacts on the students. Due to the excessive usage of online chatting and shortcuts, the writing skills of today’s generation have declined quite tremendously. The children are not reading, and when they do, we do not guarantee that they are reading the proper thing that suits their age, level and culture. For this reason, the creativity of children and their imagination are affected. The writing skills cannot improve as long as children rely more on digital communication. They do not follow the spelling, capitalization, and punctuation rules. They ignore the proper usage of grammar or how doing cursive writing.
The UAE government should consider preparing an intensive awareness program geared towards all Emirati society members. A particular focus must be dedicated to the youth. However; the site should work to exploit younger people capabilities and energies in strengthening positive use of the internet.
The government should also use the media programs and community seminar with the media channels, with the help of prominent people to raise awareness on this issue and its negative effects on political, cultural, and religious value.
Designing a social site under the community foundation supervision – It should include new technologies and various modes of communication using all interest factors and attractions to ensure all that all users are registered to this site.
It should also consider using of awareness programs in universities and schools, especially weekly lecture and school radio that targets the teenager and youths to monitor the vital pros and cons of using social sites.
The introduction of social media has changed the world in many ways. These changes can be positive and affect our lives in a good way, if we know how to manage and control them, but they also can change our lives in a very bad way if we let them control us. Social Networks should only be used as a tool. It cannot become our main form of communication and interaction. There are positives to this new technology, but nowhere do these positives outweigh the negatives in my opinion. If we continue overusing the aid of these sites, then it will keep affecting our communication, self-expression, isolation, friendship and humanity in negative ways. There is nothing that can substitute for personal interaction.