Hospitality sector response to Covid-19 crisis management practices - A study on The Berkeley

This research proposal aims to explore the crisis management practices that have helped the hospitality sector to deal with the global pandemic COVID-19. The study focuses on The Berkeley and aims to determine the challenges faced by the organization due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the crisis management practices that have helped The Berkeley to mitigate negative impacts of the pandemic.

PHigher National in Hospitality Management
Unit 18 Research Project
RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORM
STUDENT DETAILS
Section One : Research Title, Aim and Objectives
Research Title: The hospitality sector response to Covid-19 and crisis management
practices
Research Aim(What do you wish to find out or achieve?) :
The aim of this project is to explore the different crisis management practices that have helped
hospitality sector to deal with global pandemic COVID-19. A Study on The Berkeley
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 understand the conceptual framework of crisis management within an organisation
 To determine the challenges faced by The Berkeley due to outbreak of COVID-19
 To determine the crisis management practices that have helped The Berkeley to mitigate
negative impacts of global pandemic COVID-19
Research Questions (convert each objective above into a research question)
 Explain the conceptual framework of crisis management within an organisation?
 What are the challenges faced by The Berkeley due to outbreak of COVID-19?
 What are the crisis management practices that have helped The Berkeley to mitigate negative
impacts of global pandemic COVID-19?
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

Section Two: Research Rationale and Scope
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 main purpose of conducting the current study is to carry out the significance of crisis
management during uncertain situations in an organisation. With the present
investigation, it will be carried out that the practices of crisis management have gained its
importance again because they assist in successfully mitigating risky situations. This
report also carries out major challenges faced by hospitality sector during global
pandemic COVID-19 and the strategies adopted by the sector to reduce the negative
impact and continue its business operations. There are two vital objectives which are
attained by doing the existing research which are: personal and professional objective. In
respect of personal perspective, I will learn about the significance of conducting an
investigation and the different types of methodologies to collect and analyse information
in a proper manner. This will also broad my thought process as it also includes study of
different people’s behaviour. On the other hand, in respect of professional perspective, I
will increase my knowledge in relation to different strategies and practices of crisis
management. This will assist me in my professional career where I have to form different
strategies as per the need of an organisation.
ii- The gap identified in the literature
The main gap carried out by attempting the existing literature review is that it does not
include cons or disadvantages of crisis management practices. It only highlights the
positive side of crisis management in an organisation. Thus, this shows that it only covers
one side of the topic which is the major gap.
iii- Practical benefits of the study (i.e. state the beneficiaries of the study).
There are many benefits of doing the current study which include: great source of
secondary information about the topic called crisis management during global pandemic
COVID-19. The other benefit is that it also involves raw as well as numerical
information.
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 selected area for doing the existing study is the United Kingdom. The name of the
selected company is The Berkeley. The major reason of doing the research is that it operates
under hospitality sector.
ii. State the units of study (i.e. the target groups that the study will focus on)
Managers of the Berkeley are selected so that they can provide great piece of information.
iii. List the theories and/or themes that will be involved in the study.
Relational Model of Crisis Management
Section three : Preliminary Literature Review
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

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
Explain the conceptual framework of crisis management within an organisation?
According to Le and Phi (2021), crisis management is referred as a process through which an
organisation faces disruptive and uncertain situations that may create a negative impact over
stakeholders and the business itself. Organisations focus on forming crisis management team so that
they can identify the early signs of risky situations and circumstances. They warn workforce at right
time so that they can also take necessary and needed precautions to deal with uncertain situations. In
recent time, the biggest crisis ever faced by whole world is global pandemic COVID-19. The
outbreak of global pandemic has created a negative impact over the business performance as it has
created high losses for the company. COVID-19 has created many uncertainties and challenges for
hospitality industry such as low sales, low profit etc.
What are the challenges faced by The Berkeley due to outbreak of COVID-19?
As per the opinion of Hidayat, Anisti and Wibawa (2020), there are multiple challenges that are
faced by an organisation during the outbreak of global pandemic COVID-19. It has negatively
influenced the operations of a business which include retaining and attracting customers,
maintaining profitability level and improving the business performance. There are certain issues that
are faced by the Berkeley during the outbreak of COVID-19. It has become difficult for the hotel in
attracting large number of customers due to lock down restrictions. This has directly impacted the
financial performance of the company because they were not able to carry out their productive work
to maintain profitability and revenue level. Thus, outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the business
performance of The Berkley as they have lost their customers, had to invest more funds on advance
technologies for carrying out activities in the tough situation.
What are the crisis management practices that have helped The Berkeley to mitigate negative
impacts of global pandemic COVID-19?
As per the opinion of Lai and Wong (2020), it is identified that hospitality sector has considered
many crisis management practices so that they can prevent the impact of COVID-19 over business
performance. Crisis management practices have included health and safety of the employees,
adoption of advance technologies, keeping certain amount for carrying out business operating during
risky and uncertain situations.
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 Philosophy: The philosophy in the research methodology gives certain beliefs and
principles for the analysis of assembled information. It is of two important forms which include:
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

positivism and interpretivism philosophy. Researcher will select positivism philosophy because it
accommodates in the analysis and evaluation of assembled statistical piece of information in the
short span of time (Rutberg and Bouikidis, 2018). The main advantage of positivism philosophy is
that it only focuses on statistical figures and facts.
Research Approach: It is the approach that facilitates in the analysis of information as per the
requirement of whole investigation. The approach is categorised in two main kinds that are:
inductive and deductive approach. Researcher will select deductive approach because it facilitates in
the analysis of statistical data in the systematic way. The main benefit of deductive approach is that
it takes carry out relevancy of statistical data to attain defined aim and objectives.
Research Strategy: The strategy is of several kinds that include: grounded theory, action research,
survey, interview, observation, archival research etc. Investigator will choose survey as the strategy
to collect raw and numerical data in the same time. The main reason of selecting survey as the
strategy is that it is quite suitable because it carries out new opinions and views of people about the
topic. Under survey, questionnaire will also be used because it contains certain close-ended
questions that help in meeting the pre-determined aim and objectives.
Research Choice: The choice in the research methodology has two main forms which are:
qualitative and quantitative research choice (Basias and Pollalis, 2018). Investigator will select
quantitative method because it accommodates in collecting and recording numerical piece of
information without taking longer time period. The main benefit of quantitative method is that it
helps in the procedure of collecting relevant numerical and statistical figures.
Data Collection: Data collection is the type of research method which is of two kinds that are:
primary and secondary method. Researcher will use both the methods so that combination of data
can be recorded (Bauer and Scheim, 2019). The main reason of using primary method is to collect
raw data directly from the source. Questionnaire will be considered by researcher to collect first-
hand information. On the other hand, secondary method will be used to accumulate second-hand
information. The sources will be considered are: articles, newspapers, books, journals etc.
Sampling: Sampling is the research method that assists in selecting right number of participants to
collect right kind of information. It is of two main kinds that are: probability and non-probability
sampling. Researcher will be choosing probability sampling so that each respondent can get equal
chance and facilitate in answering the question effectively and efficiently. 30 managers from the
Berkeley will be selected so that they can provide great information about the whole topic. Random
sampling method will be chosen so that every respondent can get equal chance.
Ethical Aspect of Study
See Ethics Form below
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

SECTION FIVE: BREAKDOWN OF ACTIVITIES AND TIMESCALE
Include a Gantt Chart to reflect your research planning.
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

List of References : References used so far (using Harvard referencing style)
Le, D. and Phi, G., 2021. Strategic responses of the hotel sector to COVID-19: Toward a refined
pandemic crisis management framework. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94,
p.102808.
Hidayat, D.A.S.R.U.N., Anisti, P. and Wibawa, D., 2020. Crisis management and communication
experience in education during the covid–19 pandemic in indonesia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian
Journal of Communication, 36(3), pp.67-82.
Lai, I.K.W. and Wong, J.W.C., 2020. Comparing crisis management practices in the hotel industry
between initial and pandemic stages of COVID-19. International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management.
Abbas and et. al., 2021. The role of social media in the advent of COVID-19 pandemic: crisis
management, mental health challenges and implications. Risk management and healthcare
policy, 14, p.1917.
Basias, N. and Pollalis, Y., 2018. Quantitative and qualitative research in business & technology:
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

Justifying a suitable research methodology. Review of Integrative Business and Economics
Research, 7, pp.91-105.
Rutberg, S. and Bouikidis, C.D., 2018. Focusing on the fundamentals: A simplistic differentiation
between qualitative and quantitative research. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 45(2), pp.209-213.
Bauer, G.R. and Scheim, A.I., 2019. Methods for analytic intercategorical intersectionality in
quantitative research: discrimination as a mediator of health inequalities. Social Science &
Medicine, 226, pp.236-245.
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)
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.
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021

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
Other (please specify)
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021
Section One: Basic details
Project Title: The aim of this project is to explore the different crisis management
practices that have helped hospitality sector to deal with global pandemic
COVID-19. A Study on The Berkeley

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: Through 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
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:
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021
No
Young people aged 17-18:
No:

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:
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021
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?
Only investigator
During the research
Where will the data be stored?
In USB
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 laptop
How long will the data and records be kept, and in what format?
For 8 month in pdf format.
Will the data be kept for use by other researchers?
Yes:
If yes, please provide further details:
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021
No:
No:
No:

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
Unit 18 Research Project Proposal–
Spring 2021
No:
No: