Comparative Approach

2.1 Introduction

The nature of the comparative approach

At   a   basic   level   the   comparative   approach   is   simply   one   of making   comparisons,   something   we   do   constantly   in   our everyday lives.

Thinking, and learning, by making comparisons is a very natural and intuitive process for us. We use comparisons extensively in our   daily   thinking   and   interactions   with   people   and   various objects.

However, making comparisons is not necessarily easy or without its pitfalls.   Any comparison may be appropriate and valid, or it may not. A comparison made between things that have   some   similarity   to   each   other   is   more   likely   to   be appropriate and valid than one trying to compare things that are totally different. Indeed, everyday expressions such as ‘they are as different as apples and pears, or chalk and cheese’ imply that it is very difficult to make useful comparisons between things that   do   not   have   any   common   features   or   characteristics. Therefore, this provides our first clue to what may be regarded as a useful and valid comparison, and what may not.

It is the exploration of these similarities and differences that makes the comparative approach so interesting. This now raises the   issue   of   the   extent   to   which   the   things   are   the   same   or different. For example, we might ask questions such as: is the process of producing food for a hotel restaurant the same as it is in   school   canteen   or   a   burger   restaurant?   Are   there   any differences in the reservation systems used by hotels, airlines, or leisure centres? Do employment practices differ between contract catering   and   restaurant   companies?   In   seeking   to   explore questions   such   as   these   we   begin   to   adopt   a   comparative approach to study. However, we must be careful to do this in a meaningful and valid way.

To achieve this it is important that we do not fall into the trap of making surface or superficial comparisons. Things that may initially... [continues]

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