Research Methods and Project: Research Proposal on Hospitality Safety

This research proposal investigates the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry, specifically examining the challenges faced by businesses like A Loft and the strategies they employ to ensure customer and employee safety. The study aims to determine the challenges, investigate safety strategies, and discern the advantages of these strategies in retaining customers and upgrading business functions. The research employs a quantitative approach using a deductive research approach and a survey strategy within Saunders’s research onion framework. The literature review explores the impact of COVID-19 on business functions, safety strategies, and their advantages. The methodology section details the research philosophy (positivism), approach (deductive), strategy (survey), choice (quantitative), and data collection methods (primary and secondary). The proposal concludes with a work plan and references, providing a comprehensive overview of the research's scope, methods, and expected outcomes. The research will use a sample size of 30 respondents. The research paper will be published on Desklib.

LT6P19GN: Research Methods and Project
ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET
PROGRAMME TITLE: BA (Hons) Hospitality Management (Top Up)
MODULE TITLE: Research Methods and Projects
MODULE CODE:
INTAKE/SEMESTER:
ASSESSMENT TITLE: Research Project Proposal
MODULE LEADER/LECTURER
STUDENT ID: (London Met)
STUDENT ID:
STUDENT NAME:
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 019
I declare that all material in this assignment is my own work except where there is clear
acknowledgement or reference to the work of others and I have complied and agreed to the
College statement on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity on the College Student Handbook
provided at Induction.
Signed: Date:
Word Count:
Assignment Submission Guidance:
Students should provide a completed assignment cover sheet with all essential details. All assignments
should be submitted in electronic format via college systems on or before the submission deadline. The
e-submission system will not allow late submissions. By submitting this assignment and cover sheet
electronically, in whatever form, you are deemed to have made the declaration set out above.
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Research Topic/ Research Question:
1. INTRODUCTION.
Research Background: (Introduction to the research area with some background information).
Include the following:
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has considered as one of the largest pandemic ever which has
created higher impact over hospitality industry (Davahli and et. al., 2020). This has been analysed
that the spread of COVID-19 has given negative implication to the hospitality industry as in their
business operation. This is essential for hospitality industry that to use various safety measures so
that safety can be provided to their customers and employees. The current research report is going
to provide measures that can be used by the hospitality industry so that to provide safety measures
to the employee and customers.
Aims & Objectives
Aim: (What do you want to achieve and why do you want to achieve aim?)
To examine the strategies used by hospitality industry for maintaining safety of customers and
employees during the period of pandemic COVID-19. A study on A Loft.
Objectives: (How do you want to achieve this aim(s)). State at least three but not more than four
objectives).
 To determine the challenges faced by A Loft due to the implication of COVID-19 in their
business functions
 To investigate the strategies used by A Loft for maintaining safety of customer and
employee during the period of COVID-19
 To discern the advantages of above mentioned strategies in retaining customers and
upgrading business functions
Research Questions: (The breakdown of the research topic for some specific questions- it is easier
to convert the objectives into questions- only required for if you are conducting a qualitative
research study.
 What are the challenges faced by A Loft due to the implication of COVID-19 in their
business functions?
 What are the strategies used by A Loft for maintaining safety of customer and employee
during the period of COVID-19?
 What are the advantages of above mentioned strategies in retaining customers and
upgrading business functions?
Research Hypotheses: These may be only required if you are conducting a quantitative research
study
H0 (Null hypothesis):
H1 (Alternative hypothesis):
Research Rationale: (Justification of the proposed study and potential benefits). The following
questions will help you).
The main purpose of this research is to acquire knowledge in respect of intensity of global
pandemic COVID-19 and its impact over business functions of hospitality industry. The report is
also going to manage such measures which are helpful for the organisation that to manage safety
and retention of their customers and employees. The report is also entailing different measure that
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can be used by the organisation in order to provide higher level of safety to their customers and
employees. The report is related with personal and professional perspective so that these aspects n
can be managed in appropriate manner. In the context of personal perspective the research will
increase skills within researcher such as communication skills, research skills and many others. On
the other hand, in terms of professional skills the research will provide edge to the researcher in
which future researches can be executed in more effective manner.
Scope of Research Study:
The current research is related with using of quantitative research methods by which using
statistical information the research can be executed. With the assistance of quantitative research
method scope of the research can be enhanced as these methods are useful in taking out reliable
information. The scope of the research is limited as under this only 30 respondents are selected
which means that it is not possible that to take out accurate results using response of only 30
respondents.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW:
The literature should have an introduction, main body that is organised in relevant themes; and a
conclusion
What are the challenges faced by A Loft due to the implication of COVID-19 in their
business functions?
According to Rodríguez-Antón and Alonso-Almeida, (2020), there are various challenges that can
be faced by the hospitality industry due to the implication of COVID-19 in their business
functions. The industry was facing issue of minimised sales and customer footfall in their
organisation. The organisations are also facing issues of mis-managed business functions as due to
shutting down of businesses. This has been analysed that these challenges are directly related with
business functions and its execution in which profitability is minimised.
What are the strategies used by A Loft for maintaining safety of customer and employee
during the period of COVID-19?
According to Ranasinghe and et. al., (2020), there are various strategies that can be used by
hospitality industry so that to manage safety of their customers and employees in order to increase
business functions in overall manner. This can be stated that the organisation is needed to use
safety plan so that situations of contingency can be managed and in the same manner business
response can be provided. On the other hand the organisation is also using no contact methods to
provide services in order to minimise customer contact and to meet their level of expectations.
What are the advantages of above mentioned strategies in retaining customers and
upgrading business functions?
According toKraus and et. al, (2020) by using such strategies this is easier for the organisation that
to manage their customer base and to develop their market image as well. In the context of
hospitality industry this can be said that they are fully dependent on their customer which means
that by using such measures overall customer base can be enhanced. On the other hand, using such
strategies this will be easier that to convey appropriate benefits to their stakeholders so that they
can be aligned with the organisation for longer period of time.
METHODOLOGY
Use Saunders’s research onion framework to develop an effective academic research methodology
For the current research the researcher will use Saunder's onion framework so that to manage the
research and to acquire information in easy manner. These methods are elaborated as under:
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Research Philosophy: This is categorised in two types such as interpretivism and positivism. In
the current research positivism research philosophy will be used in order to manage the research
process in easy manner. This research philosophy is aligned with quantitative research methods
which is the major reason of selecting positivism research philosophy (Knottnerus and Tugwell,
2018).
Research Approach: There are two types of research approaches such as inductive and inductive.
For the current research deductive research approach will be followed so that in statistical manner
overall research can be executed.
Research Strategy: For the current research, survey is selected as research strategy in which third
party responses can be taken so that reliability within the research can be managed (Shahar and et.
al., 2019). . The major advantage of survey is that it helps in collecting information out of large
samples so that appropriate conclusion can be drawn.
Research Choice: Research choice is divided into two types such as quantitative and qualitative.
For the current research the investigator will select quantitative research choice so that to gather
information in appropriate manner (Venable, Pries-Heje and Baskerville, 2017)
Data Collection: Data collection is divided into two types such as primary and secondary. Primary
method is useful in gathering raw information whereas secondary data collection is helpful in
accumulating systematic information. For the current research both the method will be selected, for
primary data collection method questionnaire will be used and for secondary data collection books
and journals will be used.
Sampling: Sampling is of two types such as probability and non-probability. For the current
research probability sampling will be used and in which 30 respondent are selected out of the
organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the detailed information this can be analysed that COVID-19 has given different negative
aspects to the business so that using appropriate business strategies this will be easier that to
manage customer safety and security.
WORK PLANNING
(Gantt Chart, PERT Chart). Presentation of the actual Chart
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REFRENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davahli and et. al., 2020. The hospitality industry in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Current
topics and research methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 17(20), p.7366.
Knottnerus, J.A. and Tugwell, P., 2018. Ethics of research methodology requires a methodology of
research ethics. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 100, pp.v-vi.
Kraus and et. al, 2020. The economics of COVID-19: initial empirical evidence on how family
firms in five European countries cope with the corona crisis. International Journal of
Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
Ranasinghe and et. al., 2020. Tourism after corona: Impacts of COVID 19 pandemic and way
forward for tourism, hotel and mice industry in Sri Lanka. Hotel and Mice Industry in Sri Lanka
(April 22, 2020).
Rodríguez-Antón, J.M. and Alonso-Almeida, M.D.M., 2020. COVID-19 impacts and recovery
strategies: The case of the hospitality industry in Spain. Sustainability, 12(20), p.8599.
Shahar and et. al., 2019, September. Research Methodology Trending in Evolutionary Computing.
In International Conference on Computational Collective Intelligence (pp. 474-485). Springer,
Cham.
Venable, J.R., Pries-Heje, J. and Baskerville, R.L., 2017. Choosing a design science research
methodology.
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