I have assessment of 2500 words

‘Project proposal form’ submitted at the early stage in semester

3. The work plan includes your declaration to follow ethical guideline when conducting research.

This coursework assignment consists of two parts spread over semester 3 and semester 4 and successful completion of the unit provides 30 credits toward the HND. Although the students are expected to focus on a research related issue or problem in the management of travel and tourism or hospitality sector organisations, this being a Pearson-set assignment, your project should be related to a specific topic within the given theme of Sustainability in your chosen sector. Part 1 of your assignment relates to meeting the learning outcome 1 and partly learning outcome 2. Part 2 is related to meeting the learning outcomes 2, 3 and 4 (see below for guidance)

Assignment Theme, Context and Scenario:

As a responsible management trainee employed in the travel and tourism or hospitality industry and wanted to investigate the effectiveness of sustainable management practices in your chosen destination or organisation, you are expected to undertake a thorough research under this theme. Your Research Proposal, therefore, should be based on a realistic research topic under the theme of Sustainability in tourism development or management. Your investigation will consist of both primary and secondary research.

The concept of sustainability is not simply about managing the resources effectively in an organisation but it is much wider in perspectives. The UNWTO (2020) states that sustainable tourism is that it takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. As for hospitality management, as Stottler (2018) states, hoteliers over the past several decades, have turned their focus to the importance of sustainability in the hospitality industry as it relates to hotel development and operations, including the environmental, economic and social impact.

For the learners of this unit, research questions may emerge under such topics as: sustainable tourism for preservation of heritage sites, sustainable development in different types of destinations, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable tourism initiatives, promoting sustainable tourism development, the role of ecotourism in sustainable development, or the sustainable practices in the management of travel and tourism operations.

For the research project to be valid and strong, you would need to identify a specific issue or research problem and clearly define the objectives to be investigated. It is very important that you discuss your chosen topic and research title leading to setting specific and clear research objectives with your tutor before you undertake your research project.

Part 1: Semester 3 (research questions/hypothesis, rational, methodology and the process, conduct research, analyse the findings)

i. Produce a research proposal which clearly identifies a research question or hypothesis which is supported by a literature review

ii. Examines appropriate research methods and approaches

iii. Evaluates different research approaches and research methods to primary and secondary research, with justifications for your choice of methods based on philosophical/theoretical frameworks

Based on the satisfactory research proposal:

i. Conduct primary and secondary research that is accessible, cost effective and ethical.

ii. Apply appropriate analytical tools to analyse data and research findings, discussing the merits, limitations and pitfalls of the date collection and analysis

iii. Critically evaluate the methodology and processes used, considering the industry sector, to justify chosen methods and analysis.

Guidance:

· Be careful to choose a specific topic under the theme of Sustainability applied to the Travel, Tourism Management and clearly define the research objectives based on the research question and outline the rationale and significance of your research.

· Review of your literature needs to be adequate and relevant to support your argument why you need to carry out this research. The proposed methodology should include both primary and secondary research (based on literature review) as well as appropriate research methods.

· Critical evaluation of the methodologies is expected along with justification for using any specific research methods.

· Submit your proposal before conducting the field research for formative assessment. You need to submit online in the VLE but not via TURNITIN.

· As per project proposal, consider starting with secondary research based on the review of literature conducted first to set the direction before a primary research is conducted.

· Identify the source of data for your primary research and work on the sample size and develop the survey instruments with tutor’s feedback. It is important that you collect data within the ethical framework and store date to protect confidentiality. Evidence of data collection and analysis also would be required for authentication.

Part 2: Semester 4 (communicate the outcomes and reflect on the application of the research methodologies)

Plan and organise the research findings and draw conclusions in order to present and communicate these to an intended audience coherently and logically, outlining how outcomes meet the research objectives along with justified and valid recommendations.

Review and provide critical reflection of the research methods used for meeting the objectives of your project and in their effectiveness in achieving validity and reliability as well as on the overall research process and provide alternative methodologies and approaches for future tourism and hospitality research.

Guidance:

· Present the data in appropriate format and analyse using a range of methods. It does not have to be complicated but relevant to your research objectives.

· Critically evaluate and reflect on the success of the research (match conclusions to objectives) as well as on the methodology used and suggest alternative approaches and methods to improve future research on the topic.

· Completed work from Part 1 (only the proposal setting out the aims and objectives, literature review and description of the methodology to be used) should be submitted online for formative assessment and feedback but no grades will be awarded in semester 3

· Final submission in semester 4 should include completed part 1 works along with the findings and analysis as well as conclusion and reflection on methodology for summative assessment.

1. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

2. Preparation guidelines of the Coursework Document

a) All coursework must be word processed.

b) Document margins must not be more than 2.54 cm (1 inch) or less than 1.9cm (3/4 inch).

c) Font size must be within the range of 10 point to 14 point including the headings and body text.

d) Standard type face such as Times new Roman or Arial etc. should be used.

e) All figures, graphs and tables must be numbered.

f) Material taken from external sources must be properly refereed and cited within the text using Harvard standard

g) Do not use Wikipedia as a reference.

Department of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management

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