Importance of Crisis Management in Hospitality Sector during Covid-19: A Study on Crown Plaza

This research proposal aims to investigate the different crisis management practices adopted by the hospitality sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on Crown Plaza. The study aims to identify the issues faced by Crown Plaza, determine the practices of crisis management used by the hotel, and investigate the benefits gained by the hotel with the adoption of crisis management strategies during Covid-19.

PHigher National in Hospitality Management
Unit 18 Research Project
RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORM
STUDENT DETAILS
Section One : Research Title, Aim and Objectives
Research Title: The importance of managing crisis in the hospitality sector
Research Aim(What do you wish to find out or achieve?) :
The aim of this project is to investigate/explore/study
To identify the different crisis management practices adopted by hospitality sector during global
pandemic Covid-19. A study on Crown Plaza
Research Objectives (How do you want to achieve this aim. At least three/four objectives).
To achieve this aim, the following objectives have been proposed.
 To identify the issues faced by crown plaza and importance of crisis management during
Covid-19
 To determine the practices of crisis management used by crown plaza to mitigate Covid-19
impact
 To investigate the benefits gained by crown plaza with the adoption of crisis management
strategies during Covid-19
Research Questions (convert each objective above into a research question)
 What are the issues faced by crown plaza and importance of crisis management during
Covid-19?
 What are the practices of crisis management used by crown plaza to mitigate Covid-19
impact?
 What are the benefits gained by crown plaza with the adoption of crisis management
strategies during Covid-19?
Section Two: Research Rationale and Scope
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Rationale/Justification for the Topic: this should briefly cover the following three areas.
i- Personal reasons for choosing the project topic (e.g. links to other subjects you are
studying, personal interest, future plans, knowledge/skills you want to improve)
The major motive of conducting the existing investigation is to showcase the significance
of crisis management during COVID-19 and the benefits gained by an organisation with
the assistance of systematic crisis management. This report also highlights the
mismanagement created by COVID-19 in the operations of the business. There are two
significant targets that will be aimed by doing the existing study which are: personal and
professional objective. In respect of personal perspective, I will get a chance of
increasing my knowledge through conducting this current investigation. I will also learn
about the several research methods which are used for collection and analysis of
information in a systematic way. This will also increase my knowledge about the
behaviour of people in uncertain and difficult situations. On the other hand, in respect of
professional perspective, I will get a chance to learn about the working and operations of
a business during risky situations and circumstances. Hence, this will increase my
knowledge which will help me in personal and professional life.
ii- The gap identified in the literature
The gap determined and analysed in the section of literature review is that the report only
covers the importance of crisis management as it does not include the challenges faced by
an organisation while forming different practices of crisis management. Therefore, this
becomes the major drawback of the literature review because it gives more attention to
only positive impact.
iii- Practical benefits of the study (i.e. state the beneficiaries of the study).
There are various benefits that are gained by conducting the present investigation which
are: it has combination of information which includes primary as well as secondary. The
other benefit is it has collected data from reliable sources which can be used by other
researchers for their own work.
Research Scope: this should briefly cover the following.
i. State the geographical area and name of organisation the research will focus on. Give
reason.
The chosen organisation for the existing study is Crown Plaza. The selected geographical
area is United Kingdom because t was majorly affected by the emergence of COVID-19.
ii. State the units of study (i.e. the target groups that the study will focus on)
Managers of the Crown Plaza will be chosen to collect data.
iii. List the theories and/or themes that will be involved in the study.
Relational Model of Crisis Management
Section three : Preliminary Literature Review
The Literature Review, at this stage of the research process, does not have to be critical literature
review but each reviewed source should cover the following
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What are the issues faced by crown plaza and importance of crisis management during Covid-19?
According to Spais and Paul (2021), there are various issues faced by company during pandemic
these problems created a great impact on the performance and profitability of hotel. The issues
which are faced by Crowne Plaza are lack of employee’s contribution, low profitability, low morale
and motivation level of staff and lack of engagement level with guest. These challenges create an
impact on the performance and productivity of business due to which it becomes difficult to survive
in competitive environment. The importance of crisis management is to provide information of
unexpected situation so that employees can take action accordingly.
What are the practices of crisis management used by crown plaza to mitigate Covid-19 impact?
As per the opinion of Pattyn, Matthys and Heck (2021), there are few practices of crisis
management which must be used by crowne plaza in order to mitigate COVID 19 impact such as
offering health and safety measures, providing discounts and coupons and implementing operational
protocols. These practices helps Crowne plaza to overcome the negative impact of COVID 19. It is
important for Crowne Plaza to offer health and safety measures so that they can prevent people from
spread of disease. The brand is also focusing on providing discount and coupons in order to attract
and retain their loyal customers. Crowne plaza is implementing operational protocols in order to
mitigate the impact of COVID 19 such as they are developing strategic plans in order to deal with
the challenges.
What are the benefits gained by crown plaza with the adoption of crisis management strategies
during Covid-19?
As per the opinion of Kwok and et. al., (2019), there are various benefits which can be gained by
company while adopting crisis management strategies during COVID 19 such as it improves the
profitability, attracts customers, improves performance and also increase the engagement level of
guest and staff. While adopting crisis management strategies, Crowne Plaza can improve their
profitability and performance of business by overcoming the negative impact of business (Siagian,
Berybe and Panjaitan, 2021). Through implementing effective crisis management strategies, crowne
plaza can also attract and retain their guest which helps in improving the profitability and
performance of business.
Section Four: Overview of Research Methodology:
Discuss in short your research methods, philosophical approaches, research design e.g
qualitative/quantitative/mixed, research sample and sampling techniques.
Research methodology is a tool which helps in analysing and collecting the data in appropriate
manner. It is of different types they are as follows:
Research approach:
Research approach is a tool or method which helps researcher to gather the data and information in
significant way. There are mainly two types of research approach such as deductive and inductive
approach. These approaches are used by researcher in order to analyse the research field. Under this
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research, the chosen approach is deductive approach as it provides relevant information about the
particular topic and also it is based on quantitative method.
Research strategy:
Research strategy is a plan which is designed to conduct the research in effective and efficient
manner. The tool is used by researcher to provide direction for accomplishing the researcher in
appropriate manner. Research strategy helps in identifying the research method and approaches for
conducting investigation. Under this research the chosen research strategy is survey as it helps in
gathering the data from large number of participants.
Research Methodology:
Research methodology is a technique which is used to analyse the data in effective and efficient
way. There are basically two types of research methodology such as quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative research method is a technique that quantifies the data collection. Qualitative research
method focuses on understanding the exploratory motives. The chosen research methodology for
this research is quantitative research method as it helps in providing the exact figures and facts
related to specific topic (Pettey, Bracken and Pask, 2017).
Research tools:
Research tools helps in collecting the data related to specific field of study. In this research, the
chosen tool is questionnaire as it includes wide range of data in significant way. Through this
research tool, researcher can identify the perception and opinion of participants regarding the crisis
management and their impact on hotel.
Sampling:
Sampling is a tool which helps in collecting the data from larger segment of population. There are
two types of sampling such as probability and non-probability. Under this research the chosen
sampling method is probability method as it helps in providing equal chance to each participant to
give their opinion (Nørgaard and Sørensen, 2016). The chosen respondent in this research is 30
which are chosen on the basis of random sampling method.
Ethical Aspect of Study
See Ethics Form below
SECTION FIVE: BREAKDOWN OF ACTIVITIES AND TIMESCALE
Include a Gantt Chart to reflect your research planning.
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List of References : References used so far (using Harvard referencing style)
Spais, G. and Paul, P., 2021. A Crisis Management Model For Marketing Education: Reflections On
Marketing Education System’s Transformation In View Of The COVID-19 Crisis. Marketing
Education Review, 31(4), pp.322-339.
Pattyn, V., Matthys, J. and Hecke, S. V., 2021. High-stakes crisis management in the Low
Countries: Comparing government responses to COVID-19. International Review of Administrative
Sciences, 87(3), pp.593-611.
Kwok, P. K and et. al., 2019. Crisis management training using discrete-event simulation and virtual
reality techniques. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 135, pp.711-722.
Siagian, R .A., Berybe, G. A. and Panjaitan, T. W., 2021. Crisis Management in Managing Hotels in
Labuan Bajo during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute
(BIRCI-Journal): Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(3), pp.4163-4172.
Pettey, G. R., Bracken, C. C. and Pask, E. B., 2017. Communication research methodology: A
strategic approach to applied research. Routledge.
Nørgaard, L. S. and Sørensen, E. W., 2016. Action research methodology in clinical pharmacy: how
to involve and change. International journal of clinical pharmacy, 38(3), pp.739-745.
Student Declaration
I confirm that the proposed Research Project is not work that has been or will be submitted for
another qualification or by another student and is appropriate:
Student Name and Signature: Date:
Comments and Agreement from Tutor
Comments:
I confirm that the project is not work that has been or will be submitted for another qualification and
is appropriate:
Agreed: (Name) (Date)
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Research ethics approval form
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the
use of data, collected from human participants, may be required to gain ethical
approval before commencing their research. Please answer all relevant questions
and note that your form may be returned if incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your Unit Tutor.
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully with your
Unit Tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research project is due to
commence.
Student Details
Student Name Student ID
Section Two: Project summary
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as part of your project:
Interviews
Questionnaires
Observations
Use of Personal Records
Data Analysis
Action Research
Focus Groups
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
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Section One: Basic details
Project Title: To identify the different crisis management practices adopted by
hospitality sector during global pandemic Covid-19. A study on Crown Plaza

Other (please specify)
Section Three: Participants
Will your research involve human participants? Yes
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply
Ages 12-16 Adults:
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
Through probability sampling.
Describe the process you will use to inform participants about what you are
doing:
Consent form
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it
be made clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at
any time?
Through e-mail
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No
Young people aged 17-18:

Studies involving questionnaires: Will participants be given the option of omitting
questions they do not wish to answer?
Yes:
If No, please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues
arising from this:
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for their
informed consent to be approved.
Yes:
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation? (e.g. give them a brief
explanation of the study)
Yes:
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study? (This could be
a summary of your findings generally)
Yes:
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No:
No:
No:
No:

Section Four: Data storage and security
Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with
the Data Protection Act (1998)
Yes:
Who will have access to the data and personal information?
Researcher
During the research
Where will the data be stored?
In laptop
Will mobile devices, such as USB storage and laptops, be used?
Yes:
If yes, please provide further details:
After the research
Where will the data be stored?
In USB
How long will the data and records be kept, and in what format?
For 1 year in pdf format
Will the data be kept for use by other researchers?
Yes:
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No:
No:
No:

If yes, please provide further details:
Section Five: Ethical issues
Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical
concerns? If so, please outline how you will deal with these:
It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may
arise as a result of your research. Please consider/address all issues that may
apply. Ethical concerns may include, but are not limited to the following:
• informed consent
• potentially vulnerable participants
• sensitive topics
• risks to participants and/or researchers
• confidentiality/anonymity
• disclosures/limits to confidentiality
• data storage and security, both during and after the research (including
transfer, sharing, encryption, protection)
• reporting
• dissemination and use of your findings.
Section Six: Declaration
I have read, understood, and will abide by the [Nelson College London ]
Research Ethics Policy:
Yes:
I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with my tutor:
Yes:
I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the above information is correct and that this is a full
description of the ethical issues that may arise in the course of my/our research.
Student Name(s) Date
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No:
No:

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