Research Project Guide – Cheap Research Essays

Foundation Degree Hospitality Management

Foundation Degree Travel & Tourism Management

Research Projects Guide

Contents page

1 The nature of the Research Project 2
2 What students are expected to demonstrate 2

3 Size, structure and presentation 2

4 Support and guidance 3

5 Suitable topics 3

6 Making a proposal to the allocated support tutor 4

7 Submission 4

8 Assessment 5

Appendices

1 Research Project proposal form 6

2 Research Project assessment form and marking matrix 8

3 Format and structure – requirements 10

4 Standard layout – front cover page 11

5 Standard layout – title page 12

6 Referencing in Research Projects 13

7 Standard penalty system for late submission 16

8 Research Projects – Common student errors 17

9 General learning points for Research Projects 19

1 The Nature of the Research Project

The Research Project is:
– An essential element of Level 5 work for your Foundation Degree
– An applied piece of work that should integrate theory, systematic enquiry and
Organisational practice
– Not an extended essay or a library-based enquiry, nor a dissertation.

The Research Project provides an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to:
– Investigate and diagnose a ‘live’ issue or problem
– Locate your work within the body of contemporary industry knowledge
– Collect and analyse data
– Derive supportable conclusions and perhaps to make practical recommendations for change and improvement.

The Project must relate to an issue relevant to the broad spectrum of the hospitality or travel and tourism industries, or to a sector or organisation within them.

Having the support of organisations or individuals is advantageous in terms of commitment and support, but it is essential that any necessary permission is given in connection with your use of (perhaps confidential or sensitive) information, and that you and your tutor have agreed the research objectives of the report.

2 What students are expected to demonstrate

The Project is investigative: it is not merely a description of a current situation, or a history of past development. A key element of your research must be the demonstration of a critically evaluative approach. You are expected to demonstrate the ability to:
• Understand the research literature underpinning the area being investigated;
• Apply research skills, e.g. research design and collection of primary and/or secondary data;
• Communicate findings clearly in the form of a written report;
• Present and analyse quantitative and/or qualitative data in a way that communicates effectively;
• Draw relevant conclusions, and (where appropriate) present feasible recommendations.

3 Size, structure and presentation

The report should be no more than 6000 words in length, including the executive summary up to and conclusions/recommendations, but excluding the front cover, title page, bibliography and appendices. There is a tolerance factor of plus 10% on this word limit, where justified. The title page of the report must state the word total.
Exceeding the maximum word count of 6000 +10% will result in a penalty – the mark will normally be restricted to a maximum of 50% (see Appendix 7 below).

The structure of the report should progress logically from the clear statement of research aim and objectives to conclusions and, where appropriate, recommendations.

The marking matrix in Appendix 2 is strongly recommended as a guide to structure of the investigation and Appendix 3 specifies the required report layout.

Presentation should conform to the following conventions:
• A word-processed document printed on one side only of A4 paper
• 3cm margin on the left and 2.54cm margins on the right, top and bottom
• Standard, non-cursive 12 point font e.g. Arial, Elite, Times Roman
• All lines to begin at left-hand margin i.e. no indenting
• Fully justified text
• Double-line spacing
• An extra line of space between each paragraph
• Follow the conventions on spacing after punctuation marks
• Start new chapters on a new page
• Pages numbered
• Use a decimal numbering system for headings and sub-headings within each chapter (e.g. 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1 etc) – not for each paragraph
• Number tables and figures consecutively in each chapter e.g. in Chapter 1 table 1.1, table 1.2, fig 1.1, fig 1.2; in Chapter 2 table 2.1 etc.
• Number the appendices

4 Support and guidance

Mechanisms are in place to support the production of the Research Project. These include this written guide, a substantive briefing session, a series of research method lectures and opportunities to discuss any issues. The unit tutor will provide a list of the dates of the Research Project sessions, and also names of tutors who may provide additional advice in areas of expertise.

5 Suitable topics

You should select and propose potential Research Project topics for approval by the unit tutor either by e-mail or personally. The report should investigate a live issue, there must be a strategic dimension to the investigation i.e. the area selected for investigation must be clearly located within a broader academic business discipline (Marketing, HR, Finance, Law etc.).

This will enable the problem under investigation to be properly contextualised within the discipline’s academic literature, thus providing the basis for further research and analysis.

6 Making a proposal for the Research Project subject

It is recommended that you discuss potential Research Project ideas with the unit tutor, and other specialist lecturers as appropriate before you submit a proposal. You must submit a proposal to the unit tutor on the appropriate form (Appendix 1), giving the working title and answering a number of questions about the chosen topic. The date for this will be agreed at the start of Semester 3. Your tutor will need to be satisfied that the proposed Research Project is investigating a suitable topic and that you have thought through the process. Your tutor will provide brief feedback on the proposal.

7 Submission

You must produce a hard copy of the Research Project for submission on the prescribed date, and submit it electronically via Canvas on that date.

The Research Project is required to have a standard front cover page and a standard title page – see Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 respectively.

The Research Project must be securely bound using either spiral or heat sealing binding.

Exceptionally, if it is essential for the report to be treated as confidential, then the word “confidential” must be typed in bold capital letters at the top right hand corner of the front cover page.

Make arrangements for word-processing, reproducing and binding in good time: this will avoid the risk of late submission. The responsibility for making such arrangements rests with you.

You will be informed of the submission date for the Research Project by the unit tutor at the beginning of Semester 3. A standard penalty system will apply to late submissions (see Appendix 7).

8 Assessment

The Research Project must satisfy the assessor that the choice of subject is a relevant one within the organisational context, that the objectives of the investigation are clearly articulated and that sufficient reading has been undertaken, critically reviewed and used.

Assessment will be based on the Research Project assessment form and marking matrix (see Appendix 2). You should be mindful of this matrix when considering the presentation and format of the Research Project.

Correct attribution and referencing of your work is essential. Guidance is provided in Appendix 6 and further information on the Harvard APA system of referencing is available on My Course.

You are expected to demonstrate a good standard in the matter of referencing which forms part of the overall assessment.

Research Project Proposal Form Appendix 1
Student: Date:
Support Tutor:

Research Project working title:

Complete boxes 1–11 fully before you submit your proposal.
Questions 7–10 require a yes or no answer
1. What issue do you propose to investigate and why?

2. Explain the links between your topic and the academic business discipline.

3. List the specific research objectives of your investigation using active verbs

4. Provide references for the main literature you propose to review, in order to inform your investigation i.e. author, year, book/article title. A literature review is not a research method.

5. What data collection methods do you anticipate using to generate quality relevant data and what is your rationale for that method/s? Justify your sample frame.

6. What potential difficulties do you anticipate and how will these be overcome?

7. Do you have sufficient organisational support to enable you to complete the report?

8. Are you confident that you can gain access to the necessary information and people?

9. Can you comply with ethical standards relating to confidentiality, informed consent and risk assessment
10. Have you carefully read and understood the areas of assessment which are specified in the research project assessment form and marking matrix (Appendix 2)
11. Provide a short plan of action with timescales.

Tutor comments:

Tutor approval: Date:

Research Report assessment form and marking matrix Appendix 2

Name of Student:
Assessor:
Title:
Date:

Area of assessment Assessor rating out of 100 Indicative weighting Rating x weighting

1 Introduction, context and objectives.
Identification of the business issue, explanation of the organizational/business context of the investigation, the articulation of specific research objectives (using active verbs) and a plan of action

10%

2 Literature review
A critical review of appropriate literature in relation to the research objectives to reflect current thinking and effective practice; a thematic approach should be adopted which includes a summary which identifies the issues/questions to be addressed when collecting organisational data

30%

3 Methods of data collection
Description and justification of the selected method/s of data collection, including an explanation of the questions being asked; a justification of the sample frame; and, a critique of the method/s used.

10%

4 Presentation and analysis of data
Reduction, aggregation and presentation of the data collected, grouped by important issues ie thematically, using visual display or respondent quotes as appropriate. Analysis and evaluation of the data which interprets and communicates the research findings and interacts with the literature.

30%

5 Conclusions & recommendations (where appropriate)
Significant findings and overall conclusions which flow from the analysis and link to the literature review. Recommendations consistent with the conclusions, which are feasible, practicable, persuasive.

15%

6 Format
Body of text conforms with requirements of formatting and referencing.
Conformity with APA 6th Ed. referencing system in body of text and bibliography.
5%

Assessor’s Comments
*Overall percentage

Grading Criteria

70+ Distinction

As below plus:
? Excellent work – able to express an original reasoned argument in a lucid manner by reviewing and critiquing a wide range of material. Original, critical thinking based on outstanding insight, knowledge and understanding of material. Material contributes to current understanding and is of potentially publishable quality in terms of presentation and content
? Wide reaching research showing breadth and depth of sources

60-69 Merit

As below plus:
? Clear, balanced coherent critical & rigorous analysis of the subject matter. Detailed understanding of knowledge & theory expressed with clarity
? Extensive use of relevant & current literature to view topic in perspective, analyse context and develop new explanations and theories
? Detailed review and grasp of pertinent issues and a critical contextual overview of the literature. Thorough knowledge of theory and methods and uses this to underpin arguments and conclusions
? Confidence in understanding and using literature

40-49 Pass

? Demonstrates grasp of key concepts and an ability to develop and support an argument in a predominately descriptive way with valid conclusions draw from the research
? Familiarity with key literature which is cited and presented according to convention
? Logical & clear structure, well organised with good use of language and supporting material

< 39 Fail

Some knowledge of relevant concepts and literature but significant gaps in understanding and/or knowledge. Little attempt at evaluation, conclusions vague, ambiguous and not based on researched material. Limited or inappropriate research. Deficits in length, structure, presentation and/or prose.

Verifier’s Comments:

Verifier’s name: Date:

Appendix 3

Format and structure – Requirements

Front cover – use light card (see Appendix 4)

Title page (see Appendix 5)

An Executive Summary – in which you convincingly and powerfully communicate your findings and any recommendations in a maximum of one page

Acknowledgements – if any

Contents page – chapters, headings and subheadings with page numbers; list of tables, diagrams and figures

The following chapters are mandatory:

1 Introduction, context and research objectives (include the business drivers for your investigation here)

2 Literature review

3 Methods of data collection (a literature review is not a data collection method)

4 Presentation and analysis of data

5 Conclusions

6 Recommendations and implementation, including any costings

Bibliography – in the required format (see Appendix 6).

Appendices – these may include an initial plan of the investigation, an example of the questionnaire or interview schedule used and any other relevant supporting documentation. Do not include gratuitous appendices – ask yourself the question “Do the appendices really add value to my report or do they just add paper?”

Appendix 4

Example of Standard layout of the front cover– in light card

A critical evaluation of the economic benefits of cruise tourism for the UK

Student name: Chris P Student

Tutor: A N Academic

Appendix 5

Example of Standard layout of the title page

Course: Foundation Degree Travel & Tourism Management

Title: A critical evaluation of the economic benefits of cruise tourism for the UK.

Author: Chris P Student

Tutor: A N Academic

Year: 20XX

Word total

Total words in the Research Project: xxxx

Integrity statement

I confirm that this report is my own work and that I have attributed the intellectual property of other writers.

Signature:

Date:

Appendix 6

Referencing in Research Projects

Attribution

The work submitted must be your own and must avoid copying from books or other texts without attribution or quotations (plagiarism). Plagiarism refers to attempts to pass off other people’s concepts, ideas, language, sentences or phrases as your own and is serious academic misconduct. When you do need to draw on someone else’s work, there are two ways of doing it – direct quotation or legitimate paraphrasing. To show you how to do this, the following passage from page 217 of Harriet Bradley’s book Gender and Power in the Workplace (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999) will be used as an example:

“I have argued that the relations of wage labour have been affected by the increased competitiveness of lean, mean globalizing consumer capitalism. This has brought an increasing sense of insecurity to hitherto more protected groups of employees, such as office staff and public-sector professionals, as organizations restructure their employment hierarchies and downsize to get rid of slack”.

1. Direct quotation

If you wanted to quote from Bradley’s work directly there are two ways of doing it. For example:

‘the relations of wage labour have been affected by the increased competitiveness of Lean, mean globalizing consumer capitalism’ (Bradley 1999 p.217).

or:
According to Bradley (1999 p.217), ‘the relations of wage labour have been affected by the increased competitiveness of Lean, mean globalizing consumer capitalism’.

In both cases the three necessary components are the author’s name, the year of the publication and the page number(s).

2. Legitimate paraphrasing

If you want to include Bradley’s arguments, but without using direct quotations from her book, then you may paraphrase them, that is put them in your own words. There are two ways of doing this:

Bradley (1999) has argued that recent organizational restructuring, arising out of global economic change, has had a deleterious impact on staff who have previously enjoyed relatively stable conditions of employment.

or:
Recent organizational restructuring, arising out of global economic change, has had a deleterious impact on staff who have previously enjoyed relatively stable conditions of employment (Bradley, 1999).

Note that only the author’s name and the year of the publication is necessary when paraphrasing. However, if the argument you are using appears in a small section of the original text then it is a good idea also to include the page number(s).

Remember that it is important you do not copy the original with only minor variations. The following would be unacceptable:

Increasingly competitive global capitalism is greatly affecting wage labour relations. The result of this has been that hitherto once protected employees, especially public-sector professionals and staff working in offices have suffered from increasing insecurity, particularly as the employment hierarchies of organizations have been reduced to eliminate slack.

Bibliography

Your bibliography should be arranged in alphabetical order of authors/editors.

For books you need the author, year of publication, title, place of publication and publisher. The title of the book can either be underlined, set in italics or set in bold for emphasis. For example:

Bradley, H. (1999) Gender and Power in the Workplace, Basingstoke: Macmillan.

For a chapter in an edited book you need the author, year of publication, title of chapter, editor(s), title of book, place of publication, publisher and page numbers. For example:

Waddington, J. and Whitston, C. (1995) ‘Trade unions: growth, structure, policy’, In Edwards, P. K. (ed.), Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice in Britain, Oxford: Blackwell, pp.151-202.

For an article in a periodical or journal you need author, year of publication, title of article, name of journal, volume number, part number and page numbers. Periodicals and newspapers may not have volume and part numbers, but a date of publication. For example:

Heery, E. (1998) ‘The relaunch of the Trades Union Congress’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 36, 3, pp.339-360.

Keep, E. (1999) ‘Missing links’, People Management, 28 January, p.35.

If you use material from the internet, then you should include the title of the web site, its address and the date you accessed it. For example:

Giddens, A. (1999) Runaway World: BBC Reith Lectures, http://news.bbc.co.uk/ hi/english/static/events/reith_99/default.htm (accessed 8th June 1999).

Two final points to bear in mind. If you use texts published by the same author in the same year then you should use the following format. Imagine you have used these two articles by Jamie Peck:

Peck, J. (1991) ‘Letting the market decide (with public money): Training and Enterprise Councils and the future of labour market programmes’, Critical Social Policy, 31, pp.4-17.

Peck, J. (1991) ‘The politics of training in Britain: contradictions in the TEC initiative’, Capital and Class, 44, pp.23-34.

In your bibliography they should be presented in alphabetical order by title with the letters ‘a’ and ‘b’ attached to the year of publication. If you have more than two of such texts then you would have to go to ‘c’ and so on. For example:

Peck, J. (1991a) ‘Letting the market decide (with public money): Training and Enterprise Councils and the future of labour market programmes’, Critical Social Policy, 31, pp.4-17.

Peck, J. (1991b) ‘The politics of training in Britain: contradictions in the TEC initiative’, Capital and Class, 44, pp.23-34.

In the text of your Research Project when you are attributing the article in Critical Social Policy you would write (Peck 1991a), and when attributing the Capital and Class article you would write (Peck 1991b).

Finally, if you are attributing material for which there is no year of publication, then instead of the year use ‘n.d.’ no date.

Appendix 7

Standard Penalty System for late submission

(See also Programme Handbook)

1. Coursework submitted on or before the published submission date will be marked promptly and returned to students, with feedback within the prescribed time.

2. Coursework submitted after the published submission date, but within 20 working days of that date will be marked. The mark awarded will be limited to the unit pass mark (40%).

3. Coursework submitted more than 20 working days after the published submission date will be marked, but a mark of zero will be recorded on the student’s record.

4. The requirements relating to feedback and prompt return of work will not apply to work that is submitted late.

5. The Exam Board shall waive assessment penalties if the conditions for valid Extenuating Circumstances notification are met.

Appendix 8
Research Projects – Common student errors

The path to losing marks!

General

Failing to read back your draft for errors of spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage.

Weak paragraphing, or too few sub-headings to divide up the work for the reader.

Writing in paragraphs which are much too short and disrupt the flow.

The use of ‘I’ (except in the brief critical and personal section in which you can use ‘I’)

Failing to reference accurately using APA 6th edition format.

Introduction
No summary of research objectives at the end of chapter 1, and a failure to use active verbs to articulate the research objectives

Failure to address the strategic dimension by putting the subject in the broader academic and business context.

Literature review

Failure to structure the report around the headings in the ‘marking matrix’.

A failure to comply with the layout requirements (see p.3).

Poor numbering of headings and sub-headings, and/or labelling of charts.

Over-reliance on bullet points – use them sparingly.

Lack of clear links between the literature review and the body of the research.

Failure to justify the data collection methods, the questions and the sample frame.

Failure to address ‘the added value of the report’ (Chapter 7).

Evaluating different methods of data collection without justifying your choice of method(s).

Failing to state the main findings you identified in any Executive Summary!

Describing the data ‘professionally’ rather than thematically.

Irrelevant appendices. For example there is no requirement to include all the questionnaire or interview responses in an appendix.
Appendix 9

General learning points for Research Projects

Introduction and objectives section: Clear and precisely specified objectives are essential as these drive your investigation. Have you clearly specified your investigation objectives e.g. placing an organization in its context for the reader? Have you made explicit the links between your investigation and the academic/ business discipline?

Literature review: Wide and deep reading is necessary to access the existing body of knowledge about the subject you have chosen. The literature (not literary) review informs, and therefore comes before, method design. The body of knowledge should be integrated within your work, not stand out as a separate or ‘processional’ section. If you introduce concepts or frameworks you need to explain them – assume no knowledge by the reader. Have you checked that you have properly attributed the words and intellectual property of the writers that you use as sources of information? Have you identified the questions you need to ask in your investigation and is there a link with the methods section of your report?

Methods of data collection: The method of data collection must be justified and explained: Which method and why? Which questions and why? What sample and why? The method should be piloted before being applied, and critiqued afterwards. No method = no data = no analysis etc. Have you fully explained and justified your method of data collection and your choice of questions? You are not expected to justify and critique data collection methods in general, only your method in particular. Have you critiqued your method of data collection in a way that you demonstrate an awareness of its limitations as well as its suitability? REMEMBER a literature review is not a data collection method!

Analysis of data: Data analysis involves reducing and presenting the data as information and making comments on it – what does it tell you? Seek creative ways of displaying quantitative data within the text – have you thought about using creative displays, which illuminate the analysis for the reader? Consider illuminating the analysis of qualitative data with quotes from your respondents.

Conclusions: These are more over-arching – ‘what am I entitled to conclude from my analysis?’ Have you made links to the literature review?

Recommendations: These represent action points and the implementation is the ‘how’ and ‘when’ the recommendations are actioned. Are your recommendations realistic and therefore convincing?

Bibliography: Distinguish between bibliographies and references, as they are different. Words, or intellectual property, of other writers must always be attributed to avoid plagiarism (theft of intellectual property). Make sure you use the Harvard conventions on referencing and bibliography layout as they are quite precise. The bibliography should be located before appendices

Appendices: Only include relevant appendices. Do your appendices add value or bulk? Appendices are located after the bibliography.

Layout and presentation have you fully justified the text? Have you left a line of space between paragraphs? Do not start each sentence on a new line! Have you been consistent in your styles of headings and sub-headings? Has the project been proof-read to remove irritating typographical errors? Is your spell check set in UK English, and not US English, to avoid US spellings?

Avoid using the first person: For example “I feel” “My view” – it is what the literature and the data say that is important, not a personal view. Avoid “I” by using the passive mood e.g. “A survey was conducted…” rather than “I conducted a survey”.

General points:

Avoid unsupported assertions – if you can’t justify it, don’t say it.

Describing what goes on is not sufficient; you are required to investigate and critically evaluate.

Decimal numbering applies to headings and sub-headings (or sections), not each paragraph.

You need to be able to distinguish between primary data, secondary data and the body of knowledge. A literature review is not a data collection method.

Always include a contents page.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR PROMOTIONAL DISCOUNT DISPLAYED ON THE WEBSITE AND GET A DISCOUNT FOR YOUR PAPER NOW!

Foundation Degree Hospitality Management