Service experience in hospitality industry

Course: Business Research Methods Book: Operation management in the hospitality industry Topic: Service experience in hospitality industry

Each student will develop and write a research proposal of 2,500 words in length, excluding the cover page, abstract page, table of contents, appendix (if relevant) and reference list. The paper presentation should use Font 12, Arial, double-spacing in the main body of the paper, and Harvard-style referencing.

The research proposal should include: an abstract page; table of contents; research field description; initial literature review; research question; research methodology (research design, data collection and analysis); expected research contribution; research project feasibility; appendix (containing further tables, figures or in-depth analytical material attached to research proposal, should it be relevant) reference list.

(a) Abstract Page – it is a page with working proposal title, single-spaced abstract text no longer than 400 words and a list of 5 to 10 key words, representing key terms in the proposal. An abstract summarizes the essence of your research proposal. It should contain the following information:

I) Statement of the Problem: Explain very briefly the background of the problem that your paper aims to address.

II) Research Question: State briefly in one or two short sentences which scientific question pour paper attempts to answer, which hypothesis you want to test or which specific problem you are attempting to solve.

III) Proposed Research Methodology: Describe which research design you propose to use in your investigation. Explain how you plan to collect the data, which type of data and from which sources. State which main outcomes you are interested in and which measurements of the main outcome you would like to use.

IV) Expected findings, their interpretation and conclusion: State briefly in one or two short sentences which contribution your proposed research will make and which implications your findings may possibly have for theory or practice.

(b) Research Field Description - It should indicate the research field(s) of the study.

(c) Initial Literature Review - This section involves an initial literature review providing a critical analysis of key literature sources pertinent to the research topic. Provide comprehensive coverage of the major areas of the study and integrate these areas by giving the key construct definition, its dimensions and connection to other constructs, describing an existing theoretical framework or deriving a conceptual framework.

(d) Research Question - The literature review should identify a gap in knowledge that this study proposes to fill, or a question/problem that needs to be answered/addressed. In accordance, within this section the student should clearly show which gap in knowledge the proposed study is to fill.

(e) Research Methodology - This section should fully address the research design, data collection and analysis methods. It should be justified by the methodological literature pertinent to the research topic and appropriate to achieve the purpose and objectives of the study.

(f) Expected Research Contribution – Show how will the proposed study contribute to already existing knowledge in a specific field or to practice. Describe the research objectives of the study as "concise statements of expected outcomes".

(g) Research Project Feasibility - This section should detail the anticipated research credibility, factors that determine feasibility of the study (addressing the proposed research question, research ethics, access to participants, data collection, measurement and analysis, report writing, other resources). It should also suggestions for implemented or future research project improvements, based on deductions made from the completed literature review, class presentations, ongoing formative feedback and personal reflection.

(h) Reference List - literature review from at least 10 different credible sources (references to be provided according to Harvard referencing style)

(i) Completeness of the Proposal – This overall assessment criteria includes presentation, style, grammar, syntax and spelling, length, citation of references, and reference list.

Topics selected for the proposed study have to relate to issues with regards to the hospitality industry.

The main body of research proposal text must contain no less than 2’000 and no more than 2,500 words in length. Each 100 words below or above the word count limit will be penalized by 1 point of deduction from the final research proposal grade. All final submissions of proposals will be submitted to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. Students have to assure to maintain an appropriate level of academic scholarship in their writing and to fully adhere to Harvard-style referencing standards.

Several ‘Research Labs’ are scheduled during the term. This provides students an opportunity to perform practical exercises, present their research in progress, ask questions and receive ongoing formative feedback in relation and relevant to their proposal.

Full details of the University of Derby Academic Regulations (3Rs) can be found at: http://www.derby.ac.uk/academic-regulations