A social impact assessment approach using the reference group as the standard of impact analysis : The case of hana: Hawaiians and the proposed golf course

This article looks at an indigenous rural Hawaiian communityʹs response to the building of a proposed golf course to save the economic viability of the only hotel in town. Two methodologies were used for data analysis. The social resources of the Hawaiian community were identified in order to determine their impacts. The social resources of the community were ascertained employing the social resource unit, a qualitative methodology appropriate for group design. Impacts were determined by the group using the mind-mapping technique. This approach allows for total group participation. These two procedures work together to identify the social resources of the existing community, how the people use the site, and the perceived impacts of the proposed project. The reference group, in this case the Hawaiians, was the standard of impact analysis. The social resources they listed became the standard of evaluation in respect to the impacts they perceived.