The Impact of Customer Reviews on Tourism: A Research Project

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Research Project
THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON TOURISM
Student Name:
Student ID:
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Table of Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
1.1.Formulate and record possible research project outline specifications. You should include
possible aims and objectives, literature review and resource implications.................................4
1.2.Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection....................4
1.3.Undertake a critical review of key references. You should critically review primary
sources such as questionnaires and interviews; secondary sources such as books, journals, and
the internet; and support your argument by in-text citation of relevant academic sources.........5
1.4.Produce a research project specification. Write a brief entitled ‘Research Project Proposal
followed by appropriate research title or question. The length of this proposal should be
approximately two to three pages................................................................................................7
1.5.Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification. Your
plan can be presented in tabular or graphic form (Gantt chart) to show what the main
activities/ stages of your research are, how long each activity would take to complete, and
review dates...............................................................................................................................10
Task 2.............................................................................................................................................11
2.1. Match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis. You should explain (A)
what are the resources required to carry out your research? (B) What is the relationship
between ‘research resources’ and the ‘research question or hypothesis’? 283..........................11
2.2. Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification
and procedures. In this question, you need to use appropriate tools for data collection such as
interviews and questionnaires. You should design and distribute a ‘Questionnaire’ if
appropriate to your research and it is recommended to include a copy of the questionnaire at
the end of your assignment as an appendix. Please provide a record in form of
diary/journal/logbook detailing how you carried out the data collection..................................12
2.3. Record and collate relevant data where appropriate. Record the collected data from
participants in the form of a table that shows responses briefly. Collate the gathered primary
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data by comparing answers from respondents on each theme or question or across themes.
You can use a statistical or frequency tables to present a summary of responses.....................14
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................20
3.1. Use appropriate ‘research evaluation techniques’. Which types of evaluation (formative or
summative) is more appropriate for your research? Why?........................................................20
3.2. Interpret and analyze the results in terms of the original research specification by using
‘Frequency’ and/or ‘Percentage’ calculations and present suitable charts................................20
3.3. Make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration. Your
recommendations and justification must be supported by the evidence presented. You can
determine at least three new topics/areas for further research. You must provide detailed
explanation and not bullet points...............................................................................................30
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................32
4.1. Use an agreed format and appropriate media to present the outcomes of the research to an
audience.........................................................................................................................................32
Reference List................................................................................................................................42
Appendix........................................................................................................................................44
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Task 1
1.1.Formulate and record possible research project outline specifications. You should
include possible aims and objectives, literature review and resource implications.
1.1.1 Aim
The aim of the research is to find out the impact of customer reviews on tourism.
1.1.2 Objectives
The objectives of the research project are:
 To find out the importance of customers in tourism industry
 To figure out the impact of customer reviews on tourism
 To figure out the issues the tourism industry is facing to deal with customers
 To suggest recommendations for tourism industry to deal with the issues
Background of the study
The role of customers is of utmost importance in determining the success of an organization
because greater the customer satisfaction more is the sales and profitability of an organization.
The satisfaction derived by the customers by consuming the services offered by an organization
determines its profitability. The feedbacks given by the customers are important to be considered
as it determines the reputation or brand name of the organization in the market that in turn
determines its profit margin. Thus, it is necessary for organizations especially in tourism industry
to figure out the influence of customer reviews as in the tourism industry the customers directly
interact with professionals in the tourism industry. This aids the organizations to improve the
quality of its services.
1.2.Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection
The success of an organization depends upon the quality of services that an organization offers to
its customers. Thus, the reviews of customers or the feedbacks they provide are important to be
considered such that the areas where the organization fails to satisfy the customers can be
improved. The tourism industry is dependant totally upon its customers because in this industry
the professionals have direct interaction with the customers. The concern of this industry is to
make sure that the customers are happy and content with the services they received from the
organization while on a tour.
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The services that the organizations provide to the customers in tourism industry include
accommodation services, transportation services, food, and others. In the present scenario
tourism, for leisure and professional services have increased therefore it has become mandatory
for organizations in the tourism industry to find out the factors that affect customer satisfaction.
Thus, it has become necessary for organizations to consider the feedbacks received from
the customers and take apt measures accordingly. Therefore, the research project has been based
on to figure out the impact of customer feedback on the organizations in tourism industry. ,
1.3.Undertake a critical review of key references. You should critically review primary
sources such as questionnaires and interviews; secondary sources such as books, journals,
and the internet; and support your argument by in-text citation of relevant academic
sources
Importance of customers in tourism industry
Customer service is related to organizations in tourism industry directly. The tourism industry is
highly dependent on customers as the services offered by the organizations in the tourism
industry are transportation services, restaurants, lodging facilities and others. Therefore, it is
required that the organizations operating in the industry are concerned about the services they
offer to the customers and make sure that its quality meets the standards. If the customers are
satisfied with the services they get from the organizations, they prefer to choose that organization
whenever they choose to travel the next time (Radojevic et al., 2015). In case the customers are
satisfied with the services offered by an organization they recommend that organization to their
kith and kin. In this way, the name or the reputation of the organization is leveraged thereby
enhancing the productivity as well as profitability of the organization.
In case the organizations are not able to serve the customers as per their demand then it ruins the
reputation of the organization in the industry. Therefore, in tourism industry customer service
plays a crucial role as it aids the organization to improve its economic stability. It aids to build a
strong customer base for the organization that in turn paves way for the organization to grow and
flourish (Eid, 2015). Therefore, it is recommended that the organizations in travel industry make
sure that the services they provide to the customers are up to the standards such that the
customers are satisfied and merry with the services they receive.
Impact of customer reviews on organizations in tourism industry
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The impact of customer reviews on organizations in tourism industry in turn can be stated as the
effect of customer satisfaction on the performance and profitability of an organization. The
tourism industry is dependent on customers for its profitability as the reviews that the customers
give is the outcome of the satisfaction they derive by consuming the services they are delivered
(Neirotti et al., 2015). Thus, in case an organization receives negative reviews from its customers
then the operations of the organization is adversely affected because the reputation of the
organization in the market falls. Thus, as a result the profit margin of the organization is
narrowed.
Therefore, it is necessary for organizations in the tourism industry to make sure that the
customers are satisfied with the services that are offered to them. Any kind of negative feedback
or review from customer side adversely affects the operation, productivity as well as profitability
of the organization (Berezina et al., 2016). In order to deal with negative feedbacks it is required
that the organizations realize the areas where they are lagging behind and take apt steps such that
they can overcome the issues. This in turn aids the organizations to enhance the quality of their
services as the areas where it lagged behind is conquered slowly thereby making sure that the
customers are content and happy with the services they receive.
Issues faced by organizations in tourism industry in customer service
The organization in the tourism industry face issues , as they have to take care of overall journey
of the customers. They have to take care of transportation facility offered to the customers, the
lodging of the customers along with the food that is provided to them. The areas that the tourist
visits need to be taken care of by the tourism industry. Thus, it is necessary that the travel
agencies or the organizations in the tourism industry have large networks such that they can
provide all sorts of facilities to the customers that they desire (Tsai et al., 2015). However, the
issues that the organizations in the tourism industry face are that the number of skilled labors in
the field is less and the organizations fail to retain the good workers due to low salary in the
industry.
The demands of the customers are changing on a continuous basis therefore sometimes the
organizations in the industry fail to offer apt services to the customers as per their demand. The
increase in terrorism all around the world has imposed serious threat to the success of
organizations in the tourism industry (Werthner et al., 2015). The cost of energy is rising
therefore the expenditure of organizations in tourism industry has increased that in turn has
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increased the rates of travel packages offered to the customers. The latest developments in
technology gives the organizations in tourism industry very less time to respond that in turn has
increased the pressure on these organizations.
Steps the organizations take in order to deal with the issues
The organizations in the tourism industry are facing many issues in the management and
administration of its operations and activities in the areas they operate. However, it is required
that the issues are sorted out effectively such that the organizations can operate effectively
without any obstruction. The organizations in the tourism industry need to ensure that the
employees they recruit are skilled and in case they are not adequately skilled it is necessary for
the organizations to organize training and development programs in order to give 2017). The
infrastructure of the organizations needs to be improved to make sure that its staffs are satisfied
with the work environment that in turn will leverage their productivity hence improving the
quality of services offered to the customers.
The organizations in the tourism industry must increase the investments they make on market
research so that the needs and desires of the customers can be figured out effectively. This will
aid the organizations to take care of the needs of the customers thus increasing the quality of
services that are offered to the consumers (Javed et al., 2017). This will assist the organization to
increase its profit margin as well as productivity as it will increase the satisfaction derived by the
customers.
1.4.Produce a research project specification. Write a brief entitled ‘Research Project
Proposal followed by appropriate research title or question. The length of this proposal
should be approximately two to three pages.
1.4.1 Research Title
The impact of customer reviews on tourism, research question: do customers’ reviews matter?
1.4.2 Research Questions
The research questions that have been developed based on research topic have been listed below:
 What is the importance of customers in tourism industry?
 What is the impact of customer reviews on tourism?
 What are the issues faced by the tourism industry to deal with customers?
 How can the tourism industry deal with the issues that it is facing?
1.4.4 Research Methods
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1.4.4.1 Research methodology
Research methodology can be defined as the methods or the activities that are used to collect
data and its analysis in order to perform a thesis (Saunders et al., 2015). It is a broad term that
involves collection of data, its evaluation along with other procedures that are required perform a
thesis.
Figure 1: Research Onion
(Source: Research-Methodology.net, 2019B)
1.4.4.2 Research philosophy
Research philosophy is used to deal with the background as well as growth of knowledge. It is
concerned with the source of knowledge. In order to conduct thesis on the chosen topic
positivism research philosophy has been used as the data is highly structured, and has large
samples of data (Padilla-Díaz, 2015). Positivism research philosophy can be used for both
qualitative as well as quantitative methods of data collection.
1.4.4.3 Research approach
Research approach is of three kinds namely, deductive, inductive, and abductive research
approach. Deductive research approach is used to deduce from the theories or models that have
already been developed before. The generalizabilty in this case is from specific to general. The
route followed in this approach has been presented below:
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Figure 2: Deductive approach
(Source: Research-Methodology.net, 2019A)
1.4.4.4 Research design
In order to conduct the thesis on the chosen topic conclusive research design has been used as
the research project has been performed such that final as well as conclusive solutions have been
provided to the questions that have been raised in the research project (Creswell and Poth, 2017).
1.4.4.5 Data collection methods
In order to conduct research on the topic chosen, primary data as well as secondary data has
been collected through quantitative as well as qualitative means. Surveys and interviews have
been conducted in order to collect primary data. The process of collecting data through surveys is
known as quantitative method as the data so collected in this form can be calculated while the
process of collecting data through interviews is known as qualitative analysis, the data so
collected in this way cannot be calculated or measured (Ness, 2015). Hundred (100) employees
of tourism industry have been surveyed in order to collect data regarding the topic.
1.4.4.6 Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting a sample from a population in order to collect r gather data
for conducting research on a particular topic. Probability sampling has been used in order to
collect data to conduct the thesis. Simple random sampling has been used in order to conduct
research, as it is a straightforward strategy of conducting thesis. The chances of occurrence of
errors in this case are less and the level of reliability is high.
1.4.4.7 Ethical considerations
The privacy of the respondents participating in the surveys and interviews will be respected. No
person will be forced to participate in the surveys and interviews. In case the respondents want to
back out from the process, they will be free to do so without any restriction.
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1.5.Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification. Your
plan can be presented in tabular or graphic form (Gantt chart) to show what the main
activities/ stages of your research are, how long each activity would take to complete, and
review dates.
Research timeline emphasizes on the activities that are required to conduct a research project
within the stipulated frame of time. The various activities that are required to conduct research
and the time taken for each research activity have been shown below in the chart.
Activities of this research 1-2
weeks
3-4
weeks
5-6
weeks
7-8
weeks
9-12
weeks
13-15
weeks
Choosing the research
topic
Collecting data
(secondary)
Create research layout
Literature Review
Develop research plan
Select techniques
Analysis of primary data
Conclusion
Prepare draft
Submit the research
project
Table 1: Gantt chart
(Source: Created by learner)
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Task 2
2.1. Match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis. You should explain
(A) what are the resources required to carry out your research? (B) What is the
relationship between ‘research resources’ and the ‘research question or hypothesis’?
In order to conduct research on the chosen topic it is required that primary sources of data are
used in order to collect and gather data such that the research objectives are met and the research
questions are answered adequately. The current research project aims to figure out the impact of
customer reviews on organizations based in tourism industry. In order to conduct research on the
chosen topic it is required that adequate time, finances, technologies as well as infrastructure is
allocated such that apt and accurate data can be collected from respondents so that the research
objectives can be met.
The time required to complete the research project is 4 months. Hundred (100) employees of
tourism industry were interrogated with respect to the experience they have in the industry such
that adequate data ad statistics can be collected for the thesis. The research resources are the
means that aids a researcher to find out answers of research questions.
Tasks Cost Hours Cost per hour
(£)
Total (£)
Development of
Questionnaire
24 25 600
Printing Questionnaire 4 40 160
Distribution of
Questionnaire
70 24 1680
Entering Data 20 20 400
Analysing the Data
collected
44 50 2200
Documentation 60 10 6000
Total 222 169 11040
Table 2: Budget plan for research project
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2.2. Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed
specification and procedures. In this question, you need to use appropriate tools for data
collection such as interviews and questionnaires.
Quantitative Data:
Q1. Which age group you belong to?
 14-17
 18-21
 22-25
 26-30
 Above 30
Q2. What is your gender?
 Male
 Female
Q3. What is your work tenure in tourism industry?
 6 months to 1 year
 1 year to 3 years
 3 years to 6 years
 Above 6 years
Q4. How far do you agree that technology and quality management increases the
productivity of an organization tourism industry?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Strongly disagree
 Disagree
Q5. What are the elements of managing quality followed in your organization?
 Train the staffs and empower them
 Determine the desires of the guests
 Revise the system and implement them
 Analyse and change service delivery systems
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