Researching E-commerce Technology Impact on Travellers in Romania

This research report explores the impact of e-commerce technology on traveller behaviour in Romania, focusing on Exodus Travels as a case study. It examines the role of e-commerce in the tourism sector, analyzing its influence on customer satisfaction, market segments, and decision-making processes. The research employs both primary data, collected through questionnaires distributed among UKCBC students, and secondary data, gathered from academic journals and books. The literature review highlights the benefits of e-commerce, such as increased convenience, cost reduction, and access to a wider range of travel options. The report also addresses potential drawbacks, including technological dependence and the risk of internet fraud. The research aims to provide insights for Exodus Travels to enhance its market position and better meet the evolving needs of travellers in Romania.

RESEARCH PROJECT
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task-1..........................................................................................................................................4
1.1. Formulate and record possible research project outline specifications...............................4
1.2. Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection...................7
1.3. Undertake a critical review of key references.....................................................................8
1.4. Produce a research project specification..............................................................................9
1.5. Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification...........10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13
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Introduction
The tour and travel industry has been facing a number of challenges of handling technology
efficiently, though Tour and Travel industry has benefitted a lot from the technology. This
research will produce an outline in identifying various factors of technological advancement like
e-commerce technologies and its usage for this industry. The primary and secondary data is
collected for the methodology section of this research which makes this research more proficient.
The travel and tour provider that is selected for this research is the Exodus Travels and this
research proposal comprises of aims, objectives, and questions related to the travel and tourism
sector. A literature review is done on the topic that is selected to support the research objectives.
Also, explanation regarding the methodologies for this research is done. Efficiency in evaluation
is taken into consideration for this research proposal.
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Task-1
1.1. Formulate and record possible research project outline specifications
TITLE: An analysis of the effect of e-commerce technology on travellers’ behaviour in
Romania.
Background of the research
The tourism is a vital component and has developed as people willingly like to travel and
decrease their stress level in this world of technology that requires mental work more than
physical work. Technology is influencing the travel and tourism sector and is currently playing a
vital role in this sector. The e-commerce has brought new opportunities to the tourists and the
travellers. There are many benefits of the e-commerce as it has brought vast changes in the travel
and tourism platform. E-commerce has changed the travellers’ behaviour in Romania
completely and has developed a network of the customers who are using the technology and
have greatly benefitted.
Research Aim
This research aims at analysing and reviewing the significance of e-commerce technology for the
Exodus Travels. It aims at fulfilling and satisfying the customer needs, which has been achieved
through this research.
Research Objectives
 Identify the role of e-commerce in Exodus Travels.
 Analyse the current market segment and the competitors.
 To establish relevancy in technology usage in the decision-making process for the
travellers.
 Developing best action for grabbing more market for Exodus in this sector.
Selection Rationale
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This research is carried out to analyse e-commerce and its impacts of the technology on the
travellers’ behaviour in Romania. This research will give the Exodus Travels true information
that will be important in this competitive market (Zivkovic, et. al., 2014).
Methodology for data collection
The research project is based on the aims, objectives, and hypothesis for analysing the use of e-
commerce in decision making for the travellers. The research hypothesis will help in analysing
negative as well as the positive aspect of the e-commerce on the decision-making process of
tourists and the travellers. Primary data is collected via distributing the questionnaires among
the UKCBC students and also data is collected via authors’ journals and academic journals and
books, e-books, etc.
Literature Review
According to Firoiu and Croitoru (2015), the effect of e-commerce technology on the travellers’
behaviour is vast and has encouraged the tourism industry to grab more market share with its
use. The usage of e-commerce revolutionized full tourism industry and has completely changed
the structure of distribution channel and influencing the suppliers of touristic packages,
stakeholders, etc. in taking interest in this sector at large scale. E-tourism is a part of the e-
commerce technology and is one of the outcomes of the stakeholders taking interest in the fastest
technological development. The e-commerce benefitted both the travel consumers as well as the
tour providers. Furthermore, Firoiu and Croitoru emphasize more on growing number of
smartphone users which has been a boon to this sector and has become essential for the tour
providers like the Exodus Travels (Li, 2017).
The hotel market of Romania is expanding at a fast rate due to the expansion of the e-tourism
that involves e-information, E-bookings, and the electronic payments. In this context, Firoiu and
Croitoru further state that e-commerce has made the tourism extremely competitive as an
economic branch.
E-commerce is basically based on information regarding the distribution and helps in direct
selling and it also helps in reducing the time and physical barriers.E-commerce offer the
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opportunities for the consumers to get improved services and reduces the cost and provides quick
ways to increase efficiency in the sector.
Firoiu and Croitoru further emphasize that the behaviour of the tourists have also made e-
commerce popular. In the same time, the e-commerce provides tourists to get the flight tickets,
booking of the hotels, car rentals, etc. booked at lower prices than the travel agencies which are
provided by the online tour providers like Exodus Travel in Romania. The range of products
offered on the tourism sites and at a single site has helped to increase the use of e-commerce by
the travellers (Gass and Seiter, 2015). The expectations of the Romania consumers and tourists
are been fulfilled by the use of the e-commerce technologies and therefore they are very much
satisfied with the services provided via technology usage in this sector. In the end, Firoiu and
Croitoruemphasize greatly that e-commerce technology provides information based on important
factors and have helped and worked harder on the lesser known aspects by the consumers like
weather information, monuments, atypical landscapes, etc.
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1.2. Identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection.
This research includes the factors that are directly associated with contributing the selection
process that is directly related to the customer satisfaction, scope, time factor and financial
resources. The customer satisfaction and the financial resources to be used for the research are
the basis of this research. Financial resources need to be adequate for the research project. They
play a vitally important role in this research and their consideration is equally important for
effective research results. Customers are considered as the basis of the researchers and the
surveys and should be satisfied. So, it is important that the customer satisfaction is taken as a
primary aspect of this research. The factors that contribute selection process are as follows:
Individuals-The human resources are required for this research and for better operations and
efficiency (Firoiu and Croitoru, 2015). The questionnaires will only help in accurate selection if
the human resource available for the survey is ample. Individuals are required so that the
research is carried out effectively.
Customer satisfaction-The most important factor for this research includes the customer
satisfaction. For carrying out the research project selection, the various factors are included and
one of the important among them is the customer satisfaction. For the tourism industry, e-
commerce has helped a lot in satisfying its customers.
Time-Time remains the essential factor as completion of the task adds to the value of the
research. The time limit of the research should be taken into consideration before starting the
research as it takes a lot of time to conduct the research.
Financial Resources-The questionnaire cost, human resource cost, and other costs should be
met and adequate financial resources should be organized before starting the research (El-
Gohary, et. al., 2017). If the funds are not adequate then it can lead to stopping the research in
between which may hinder the accuracy and efficiency of the research. Proper research budget
should be prepared before starting the research.
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1.3. Undertake a critical review of key references.
According to Abdoulmola (2014), the primary reason of tourists utilizing the e-commerce
technology for travelling is the convenience and satisfaction that they get with the online
bookings. The behaviour of the customers has largely changed in the last decade. The tourists
rely more on the online services than relying on the agents for booking their tickets or providing
them touristic packages. There have been positive and negative impacts of the use of e-
commerce technology in this sector for the Exodus Travels in Romania. Various characteristics
of local environments along with socio-economic changes, the e-commerce has helped in the
development and growth of the tourism sector (Abdoulmola, 2014).
The negative impact of the e-commerce also cannot be ruled out as it has made the individuals or
the customers more dependent on the technology and any failure in the technology may result in
consuming extra time and may take a lot of time in solving the issues as many old age people
cannot use the typical technologies and are mostly dependent for using these technologies
(Minazzi, 2015). There are lots of internet frauds which also should be considered before
completely getting dependent on the internet or e-commerce.
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1.4. Produce a research project specification
Research title:-
“An analysis of the effect of e-commerce technology on travellers’ behaviour in Romania.”
Background Information and Issues Involved
The reason behind conducting this research is to analyse effects of e-commerce technology on
the travellers’ behaviour in Romania. The Exodus Travels is considered as the organization for
this research. The Exodus Travels takes the tourists for the adventure and provides them with
quality services. The Exodus provides online services. The internet has impacted a lot on the
travel purchases and this has led to the growth and development of this sector. The use of e-
commerce provides a number of alternatives to the tour providers to seek on how to meet the
demands of the tourists (Wise and Harris, 2017). The e-commerce technology has helped in
making tourism safe and the concerns regarding security have been resolved with internet and
smartphones use. The technology has helped in expanding the business of Exodus Travels. This
research has helped in satisfying the customer needs and providing encouragement to opt Exodus
Travels for the adventurous tours. With the help of this survey, the students who are the new
generation are taken as the respondents and they use the technology the most. This research
provides accurate results on the travellers’ behaviour in Romania with the use of e-commerce.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of this research is to analyse and review the significance of e-commerce technology for
the Exodus Travels whereas the objectives are providing different ways by which technology can
enhance the market for the Exodus Travels.
Methodology
Primary and secondary data is collected via various reliable sources like human resources. It is
collected through the questionnaire distributed among the UKCBC students. The information is
collected via detailed literature review done with the help of data that is collected from the
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author’s journals. Different methods used for methodology are data analysis and sampling
techniques.
1.5. Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification
Appropriate plan and procedure are used to make the action plan which is discussed for the
research specification that is formulated. Estimation of the time period for each step is provided.
Formulation took 20 days for this action plan and effective results are extracted from the
research.
April, 2018
Activiti
es Processes Particulars Start Date
End
Date
Tim
e
slot
A
Identification of
the research topic
Selection is done after
complete study 1/4/2018
2/4/201
8
2
day
s
B
Detailed analysis
of the research
exact figures are extracted
from information provided 3/4/208
5/4/201
8
3
day
s
C
Identifying and
preparing data
primary and secondary data
collection methods 6/4/2018
9/4/201
8
4
day
s
D collecting data
properly analysing
techniques
10/4/201815/4/2
018
6
day
s
E
evaluation of
analysed data
analysed data effectively
evaluated 16/4/2018
18/4/20
18
3
day
s
F
recommendation
& conclusion
recommendations and
conclusions provided 19/4/2018
20/4/20
18
2
day
s
10

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Gantt Chart
Apr,
2018
Activiti
es 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
0
1
1
1
2
1
3 14
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
8
1
9
2
0
A
B
C
D
E
F
The Gantt Chart above helps in analysing the action plan graphically and gives a clear picture of
the action plan that has been formulated for the completion of this complete research (Wahab,
2017). The activities should be completed and performed on time as they are mentioned in the
action plan and as shown in the Gantt Chart.
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Conclusion
Keeping in consideration the various factors described above this research can be concluded and
the analysis can be made on the influence of e-commerce technology on the behaviour of the
tourists in Romania. The e-commerce technology has helped the overall tourism in Romania.
The Exodus Travels is considered as the travel organization for this research project. All the tour
providers need to make effective choices in order to grow in the provider market segment. This
research will also benefit the Exodus Travels in carrying out there working in both efficient and
effective manner. The Exodus Travels have attracted the tourists via e-commerce activities in
the last few years and is doing great with the use of the e-commerce and is providing efficient
services to the tourists. This research project proposal is a beginning towards the e-commerce
technology usage. To conclude, the technology is a very important aspect that makes the
business efficient and effective.
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References
 Abdoulmola, M., 2014. E-Commerce in Developing Countries: Issues and Influences.
International Journal & Magazine of Engineering, Technology, Management and
Research, vol 1, Iss No.12.
 El-Gohary, H., Edwards, D.J. and Eid, R., 2017. Global Perspectives on Religious
Tourism and Pilgrimage. IGI Global.
 Firoiu, D. and Croitoru, A.G., 2015. The Information and Communication Technology –
Impact on the Hospitality industry in Romania. Ecoforum, vol. 4, Issue 1 (6).
 Gass, R.H. and Seiter, J.S., 2015. Persuasion: Social influence and compliance gaining.
Routledge.
 Li, M., 2017. An Optimal Design of Forest Wetland Tourism Development Strategy
Based on GIS Technology. Boletín Tecnico, ISSN: 0376-723X, 55(11).
 Minazzi, R., 2015. Social media marketing in tourism and hospitality. Heidelberg:
Springer.
 Wahab, I.N., 2017. Role of Information Technology in Tourism Industry: Impact and
Growth. International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and Communication
Engineering, vol.5, Special Issue 2.
 Wise, N. and Harris, J., 2017. Sport, Events, Tourism and Regeneration (Vol. 65). Taylor
& Francis.
 Zivkovic, R., Gajic, J. and Brdar, I., 2014. The Impact of Social Media on Tourism.
Sinteza 2014 E-Business in tourism and hospitality industry.
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