Patchwork Report on Tourism, Hospitality or Event Organisation and Its Business Environment

Analytical Frameworks and Concepts

You are required to complete a patchwork report of a maximum of 3000 words on a tourism, hospitality or event organisation and its business environment. You can also choose an event and its business environment. The report will consist of three (3) parts that are submitted throughout the semester.

The module prepares you for future management positions. You need to develop a general knowledge of how organisations operate within their specific industries as well as in the wider economic environment. This assessment requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the environments businesses have to operate in. This includes the investigation of the macro and micro business environment and the concept of competitive advantage (specifically Porter’s Generic Strategies) for a specific organisation or event.

The individual report will be based on an organisation or event specific to your area of study. This could be a specific accommodation provider or restaurant (Hospitality), a tour operator, travel agent or attraction (Tourism) or an event or an event organisation (Events).  Please run your ideas past me if you are not too sure.

You will research the selected organisation and the industry sector in which it operates. For example if you choose Easyjet you will need to research the low cost airline industry. This will include the size and scope of the industry and its development over the past 20 years.

Apply the PESTEL framework (macro) and the SWOT framework (micro) to your organisation. Use your analysis to assess its competitive advantage/positioning. You are also required to discuss the importance of CSR and Leadership within your organisation and make recommendations for improving its competitive advantage/positioning.

There are three parts to the coursework that are submitted at various points of the semester:

Is your Introduction. Here you need to state the overall aim (just one sentence) and objectives (they relate to the mini topics you need to cover) of the report. You are also required to provide an introduction and outline of your chosen industry sector and its history; and then of your chosen organisation.

Is where you discuss the analytical frameworks and concepts (you need links to academic theory here. These are your PESTEL analysis (macro) of your organisation, the SWOT or SOAR (micro) that follows on and an assessment of the organisation’s competitive advantage (link to Porter’s Generic Strategies).

Consists of a discussion of the importance of business ethics and ethical considerations (including CSR) in today’s business environment. You need to discuss how/if your organisation’s leadership style considers ethical aspects or what they need to do to become more ethical (internally or externally). You should link to effective leadership here.

Importance of Business Ethics and Ethical Considerations

The final aspects here are your conclusion and recommendations. Make sure you restate your aim and objectives and briefly summarise your main findings before making recommendations. Make sure that the recommendations link in particular to staying competitive or gaining competitive advantage and how future difficulties can be overcome.

Please note that I will partially mark your work after each submission. I will make sure that your work is re-uploaded before you hand in the next part, as you will need to continue in the same document. You CANNOT improve on the previous part. After handing in all three parts you will receive your overall mark in one continuous document. The only part you can add to and change is the Bibliography, which will be marked at the end.

Weighting and Contribution to the overall module mark:

Learning outcomes assessed:

1.Recognise the key characteristics of the business environments of Events, Hospitality and Tourism and the relationships between them.

2.Identify the market segmentation, and the impacts of socio-economic factors and related factors on their participation.

3.Interpret the key issues of sustainable development, ethical policy, funding and legislative frameworks as they affect public, private and voluntary sectors.

4.Identify, access, and collate evidence from university and internal sources, including textbooks and academic as well as industry articles.

5.Demonstrate an understanding of ethical considerations, socio-economic factors and lifestyles factors, sustainable development, legislative frameworks and subsequent funding.

6.Demonstrate appropriate academic integrity, avoiding plagiarism and/or collusion and/or other forms of academic misconduct. 

7.Demonstrate an understanding of providers from the Public, Private and Voluntary sectors by evaluating and interpreting underlying concepts and principles of the business environment within Events, Hospitality and Tourism.

8.Present a range of ideas, conclusions and recommendations using appropriate spoken and written English, demonstrating understanding of academic writing conventions and styles as specific to the subject discipline.

We strongly suggest that you try to submit all coursework by the deadline set as meeting deadlines is expected in employment.  However, in our regulations, UEL has permitted students to be able to submit their coursework up to 24 hours after the deadline.  The deadline will be published in your module guide.  Coursework which is submitted late, but within 24 hours of the deadline, will be assessed but subjected to a fixed penalty of 5% of the total marks available (as opposed to marks obtained).  However, you have to be very careful when you are submitting your assessment.  If you submit your work twice, once using the original deadline link and then again using the late submission link, your assignment will be graded as late with the 5% deduction.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Please note that if you submit twice, once before the deadline and once during the 24-hour late period, then the second submission will be marked and 5% deducted.

This rule only applies to coursework.  It does not apply to examinations, presentations, performances, practical assessments or viva voce examinations.  If you miss these for a genuine reason, then you will need to apply for extenuating circumstances, or accept that you will receive a zero mark.

Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which:

·impair your examination performance prevent you from attending examinations or other types of assessment, or

·prevent you from submitting coursework or other assessed work by the scheduled deadline date, or within 24 hours of the deadline date

Such circumstances rarely occur and would normally be:

·unforeseeable - in that you could have no prior knowledge of the event concerned, and

·unpreventable - in that you could do nothing reasonably in your power to prevent such an event, and

·expected to have a serious impact on performance

You can make an application for extenuating circumstances by following this link: https://uelac.sharepoint.com/StudentSupport/Pages/Extenuation-information.aspx

Specific Marking Criteria for this Assignment

Have you provided a clear aim and objectives for your report and briefly introduced your organisation?

Have you chosen an organisation appropriate to your area of study?

Have you introduced and outlined the industry sector and its history briefly?

Have you linked your chosen organisation to the industry/sector in which it operates?

Does your work include an explanation and discussion of the analytical frameworks and concepts (PESTEL, SWOT or SOAR and Competitive Advantage)?

Have you applied the PESTEL analysis to your organisation?

Have you conducted a SWOT analysis of your organisation?

Have you assessed the organisation’s competitive advantage linking to Porter’s Generic Strategies?

Have you provided an introduction to the concept and importance of business ethics?

Have you made the link between ethics and leadership?

Is there a discussion as to how your chosen organisations, events or venues have already implemented or can implement business ethics in an ever changing business environment?

In your conclusion have you restated your aim and objectives?

Have you written a conclusion that summarises the key findings from your report?

Have you made sure that you did not put any new information in the conclusion?

Have you related your recommendations to gaining competitive advantage/positioning? Have you considered how the organisation can overcome future difficulties?

Do your recommendations link to your previous arguments and the issues you addressed?

Support through relevant literature

Have you used relevant sources (e.g. journal articles, books, annual reports, industry reports etc.) to back up your arguments? Have you used a range of reliable sources? Have you used appropriate citations throughout the text?

Overall presentation

Have you formatted the assessment according to the guidelines given? Including one continuous document.

Have you provided an appropriate title and appropriate headings?

Is the assignment well written?

Does the report follow a clear structure?

Have you included your table of contents, reference list and if necessary appendices? Have you correctly applied Cite Them Right for your citations and reference list?

Have you stayed within the word limit?