Mixed-Methods Research: The Practicalities and Strategies Employed to Investigate the Transient and International Work on Cruise Ships

This case provides an overview of the methodological journey I took for my PhD research investigating the working and social lives of a transient, international, and semi-closed population of cruise ship workers. This will include a discussion of the practical realities of carrying out this research while justifying and reflecting upon the methodological choices. To comprehend some of the complexity of work and life, the study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods through online questionnaires and interviews. The methods used are both guided and to some extent restricted because of the lack of cooperation from the firms and the unique work/life characteristics involved toward carrying out research on cruise ship employees.