Research Proposal: Low Energy Lighting System in UK Hospitality Sector

This research proposal investigates the impact of low energy lighting systems on the environment within the UK hospitality sector, with a specific focus on Marriott Hotel. The introduction establishes the background, rationale, and objectives, highlighting the increasing importance of sustainability in the industry. A comprehensive literature review explores the environmental benefits of low energy lighting, its implementation in hospitality, and associated challenges. The research methodology outlines a qualitative approach using questionnaires and literature review to gather and analyze data, emphasizing an interpretivism philosophy and inductive approach. The research aims to evaluate the technology, its environmental impact, identify implementation challenges, and propose solutions, contributing to a better understanding of sustainable practices in the hospitality sector.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Background..................................................................................................................................3
Rationale......................................................................................................................................3
Aim and Objectives.....................................................................................................................4
Research Questions......................................................................................................................4
LITERAURE REVIEW...................................................................................................................4
Low energy lighting system and its impact on environment.......................................................4
Installation of low energy lighting system in hospitality industry..............................................5
Challenges that arise in the implementation of low energy lighting system...............................6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................7
Research Design..........................................................................................................................7
Methodology................................................................................................................................7
Data Sources................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Background
The changing environment and the rising concern towards carbon emissions has made
many of the businesses focus more on the sustainability aspect of the activities that they perform.
The constraint strain that the human activities are creating on earth is continuously increasing the
scale of environment friendly activities that are increasingly being adopted by the industries in
all the major sectors. Additionally, the concern of the customers and the society regarding the
sustainable practices that they are adopting has also increased where the industries are in
constant scrutiny over the activities that they carry out (Wang and et.al., 2018). Therefore, in this
research, the technology of low energy lighting system will be evaluated where the impact of
such system on the environment will be evaluated. Low energy lighting system has evolved very
much in the past few years where many industries and companies are appreciating the positive
impacts of such technology on the environment and its consumption along with the feasibility of
such technique. The hospitality industry is becoming particularly inclined towards this technique
because they constantly seek such feasible techniques due to increased usage of electricity and
therefore a research in this aspect becomes necessary in the currently dynamic scenario.
The researcher will conduct this research particularly in context of the Marriott hotel and
various objectives will be achieved through this research project. The proposal for the intended
research will highlight the aim and objectives of undertaking this research followed by the
analysis of relevant literature. The research proposal will further present a guideline regarding
the research methodology that will be adopted by the researcher in future for undertaking the
completed research. Therefore, the research will particularly highlight how the low energy
lighting system can be adopted in the Marriott hotel and the impact that it will have over the
hotel.
Rationale
The reason that the current topic is chosen for the research i.e. the topic of installation of
low energy lighting system is because the environmental concerns have risen with time. Now the
customers regularly monitor that how sustainable the activities of a business is and how eco –
friendly their products or services are (Papageorgiou and et.al., 2018). Since hospitality sector is
a major utilises of the electricity that is required in almost every activity and additionally their
major source of revenue is the number of customers that they attract, it is important for the
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industry to be concerned about this aspect. Additionally, the sustainability rating has become a
major rating criterion today for the hotels especially international hotels and therefore, in this
research the topic of sustainability practices in Marriott Hotel is extremely essential. Therefore,
this research will help in analysing the manner in which sustainability can be increased in the
hotel and the impact it will have on the hotel’s operation.
Aim and Objectives
Aim:
To investigate the impact of installing low energy lighting system on environment in the context
of UK hospitality sector. A study on Marriott Hotel.
Objectives:
 To evaluate the technology of low energy lighting system and its impact on environment.
 To identify the impact of installation of such low energy lighting system in Marriott
 To ascertain the challenges that can arise in the implementation of low energy lighting
system.
 To develop appropriate conclusions based on the challenges identified.
Research Questions
The research questions that will be addressed are:
 How the technology of low energy lighting system impacts the environment?
 What will be the impact of installation of this system in Marriott hotel?
 What are the challenges that can arise in the implementation of low energy lighting
system in the hotel?
 How adequate solutions can be developed for the challenges identified?
LITERAURE REVIEW
Literature review helps in analysis of the relevant research papers articles and journals that
have been published in the past and can contribute in the proposed research study (Xin and Leng,
2018). Through this literature review, the research can gather the relevant facts that have already
been researched and this can be done in a thematic analysis where different themes will be
developed in a relevant manner.
Low energy lighting system and its impact on environment
As per the research paper published by Legrand, Sloan and Chen (2016), the technique of
using low energy lighting or Led in short has created a revolution all over the world. The author
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has repeatedly emphasized the positive effect of this technique on the problem of rising carbon
footprint. The Led technique does not incorporate any toxic elements unlike the e fluorescent
tubes that have been prevalent till now which contains many toxic elements the most prominent
being mercury. The author further illustrates that the LED's are approximately 80 percent more
energy efficient in comparison with the traditional lighting methods that are being used by
everyone. The LED's waste only 5 percent of the electricity as heat and the remaining 95 percent
gets converted to light as compared to the fluorescent tubes where 95 percent is heat and only 5
percent is actual light. The authors therefore concluded that with several benefits such as reduced
carbon footprint a, increased energy efficiency, better disposal mechanisms and use of less toxic
elements makes the technology of Led as a positive impact on the environment.
In contradiction to the point discussed above, the authors, Stylos and et.al. (2018), have
discussed in their research paper that Led's are capable of exceeding the recommended limit of
blue light on the eye safety standards. The Led light are extra bright and this makes them unsafe
for many categories of age group of people. The authors’ further highlights that the voltage
sensitivity of Led is much higher than the traditional lighting method where they need to have a
regular threshold supply of the voltage. They conclude that the use of this Led technique is not as
effective contribution as it is being highlighted because the salient requirements of the
technology is very high and the impact on environment is not entirely positive and healthy in the
long run.
Installation of low energy lighting system in hospitality industry
The authors, Kannan and Kannan (2016), have illustrated in their research paper that the
use of Led techniques in the hospitality industry is extremely beneficial and there are several
advantages that they have illustrated which the companies in this industry can utilize. The
authors have illustrated that major benefit will be through the costs of electricity bills that the
hotels in particular incur. These are extremely energy efficient thus requiring less power and
further their life span is also higher than normal lights. This will reduce the cost of changing the
lights being used currently. The authors further state that the light transmitted by LED's is much
brighter than the one given by the original fluorescent tubes despite being energy efficient.
Apart from this, the authors, King and Perry (2017), further highlight that when the Led
will be installed in the hospitality industries, their contribution towards sustainability will
increase immensely due to the multiple benefits that the use of this technology provides. This
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will increase and improve their overall rating and score. The authors therefore conclude that the
implementation of this environment friendly technique will help in increasing the profitability of
the hospitality organizations.
However, another research paper published by authors, Wan, Chan and Huang (2017),
contradicts the above point staring that the costs of implementing Led seems cheaper only on the
up front. The cost utilized in the maintenance of the Led lights is actually much more than is
actually portrayed. Addition the temperature is also a bigger factor in increasing the lifespan of
such Led lights where at high temperatures the chances of the Led mode burning out I creases
due to the change in the current that is being passed between them. However the authors have
also agreed that energy saving aspect of this technique is credit worthy but again the disposal of
such Led lights is not a very feasible and easy option because companies have to undergo a
detailed procedure before they can be properly disposed off.
Challenges that arise in the implementation of low energy lighting system
Authors, Kansakar, Munir and Shabani (2019), in their research paper have highlighted the
various challenges that organizations can face while implementing the Led technique in their
organization. The first major challenge that they have highlighted is the change in their entire
system that will have to be implemented in the organizations so that they can implement and
enable the low energy lighting system because the voltage transmitters etc. that are required for
the longer and successful operation of this type of lighting system is higher. The authors have
further discussed another challenge where they State the overall cost incurred in the initial set up
of Led can be much higher than the anticipated budget despite the actual Led lights being placed
at a feasible pricing rate.
Another research paper published by Bianco and et.al. (2017), discusses that the Led lights
are extra bright and this might not be a preferable option for those age group of customers who
are not comfortable with the extra brightness. These generally include the older people and the
children who get irritated with extra sharp brightness and develop headaches which are a
frequent and most plausible thing to happen.
Author, Verma and Jain (2016), has also presented their views on the challenges illustrating
that the entire process of implementation of Led is not as sustainable and cost efficient as it is
claimed to be and therefore even of the organizations choose to implement this technique they
might not improve their sustainability score in the longer run.
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Therefore, the literature review done above helps in drawing overall conclusion that the use
of Led technology in the system of the hospitality organizations is still a preferable and
profitable option despite the negative aspects that have been illustrated in the review. The overall
analysis concludes that the weight of positive impact is more than that of fewer negative points
thus concluding that the implementation of low energy lighting system is a sustainable option.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The research design that will be utilised in the completion of the research will be
qualitative where the data will be collected through questionnaire method. The research will be
conducted in an exploratory research design method and the primary as well as secondary data
will be used in order to conduct the research successfully (Kumar, 2019). Since the research is
based on the evaluation of low energy lighting system on the environmental impact, qualitative
research design will be best suited for the proposed research. This will help in collection of
qualitative perception that people have towards the use of such sustainable technologies thus
fulfilling the research objective in a better manner.
Methodology
Research methodology helps in analysis and description of the detailed tools and
techniques that will be used to systematically collect analyse and interpret the data that will be
collected for the research. The qualitative research will be carried out through collection of data
through both primary and secondary sources. Primary data will be collected through
questionnaire method and secondary will be collected and analysed using literature review
technique. Further the research will utilise the interpretivism philosophy and inductive approach
as these are better for conducting a qualitative research effectively (Wiek and Lang, 2016). The
researcher will also ensure the ethical aspect is not compromised with where the consent form
will be signed by the respondents and the researcher himself will attach a declaration form
stating that the research is his own piece of work and wherever relevant external sources have
been quoted, they have all been referenced.
Data Sources
The major sources of collection of primary data will be the employees of the company that
are working in the CSR department in the Marriott Hotel. The non purposive probability
sampling method will be used where the respondents are selected randomly from a specific
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group of population. Therefore, 30 respondents will be selected that this will be collected
through the emails, Skype or zoom application or through phone calls. Personal visits can also be
incurred in the hotel for the better collection of facts that can be used for interpretation
(Taherdoost, 2016). Further, the primary data collected will be analysed in the thematic analysis
manner where the different themes will be developed and different pie charts, bar graphs etc. will
be developed in order to interpret the data in a more meaningful manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Wang, X., and et.al., 2018. Assessment of energy-saving practices of the hospitality industry in
Macau. Sustainability. 10(1). p.255.
Xin, K.X. and Leng, K.L., 2018. A Study of Factors which Influence Energy Efficiency in
Medium-Sized Hotels: A Case of a Four-Star Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Legrand, W., Sloan, P. and Chen, J.S., 2016. Sustainability in the hospitality industry: Principles
of sustainable operations. Routledge.
Stylos, N., and et.al., 2018. Exergy as an indicator for enhancing evaluation of environmental
management performance in the hospitality industry. Journal of cleaner production. 198.
pp.1503-1514.
Kannan, S. and Kannan, S., 2016. The energy management strategies for the hotel industry in
Papua New Guinea. Asian Journal of Business and Management (ISSN: 2321–
2802). 4(03).
King, J. and Perry, C., 2017. Smart buildings: Using smart technology to save energy in existing
buildings. Amercian Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Wan, Y.K.P., Chan, S.H.J. and Huang, H.L.W., 2017. Environmental awareness, initiatives and
performance in the hotel industry of Macau. Tourism Review.
Kansakar, P., Munir, A. and Shabani, N., 2019. Technology in the Hospitality Industry:
Prospects and Challenges. IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. 8(3). pp.60-65.
Bianco, V., and et.al., 2017. Modeling energy consumption and efficiency measures in the Italian
hotel sector. Energy and Buildings. 149. pp.329-338.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited.
Wiek, A. and Lang, D.J., 2016. Transformational sustainability research methodology.
In Sustainability science (pp. 31-41). Springer, Dordrecht.
Taherdoost, H., 2016. Sampling methods in research methodology; how to choose a sampling
technique for research. How to Choose a Sampling Technique for Research (April 10,
2016).
Verma, N. and Jain, A., 2016, November. Energy optimized building automation with guest
comfort in hospitality sector. In 2016 Second International Innovative Applications of
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Computational Intelligence on Power, Energy and Controls with their Impact on
Humanity (CIPECH) (pp. 188-192). IEEE.
Papageorgiou, G., and et.al., 2018, June. Energy management in the hotel industry of Cyprus.
In 2018 IEEE International Energy Conference (ENERGYCON) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
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