bhc assignment brief may 2015 final version (1) (1)

Nelson College London

1 Unit 20- Business Health Check

Assignment Brief

Unit Details:

Unit Code (K/601/1749) (Unit 20)

Unit Name: Business Health Check

Programme Name: HND in Hospitality Management

Awarding body: Pearson

Unit Level (QCF): QCF-5

Academic term: May – July 2015

Assignment Brief

Distribution date : Week commencing -18 May, 2015

Submission deadline : TBC

Result and feedback date : 4 weeks from the deadline


Course Details

Course Name Higher National Diploma (HND) in Hospitality Management

Unit number 20

Unit Name Business Health Check (Unit 20)

Credit Value 15

Lecturer Syed Tanvir Hussain

Hand Out/Issue Date 18 May 2015

Submission Deadline TBC

Introduction

Students are expected to write an essay, report and class activity covering the points listed under each of the learning outcomes. To achieve a pass in this unit, you must successfully address all of the assessment criteria listed (P1- P7). We expect all students to achieve their potentials and would encourage you to address all pass criteria, merit and distinction descriptors.

For certain tasks students are encouraged to use real life examples of their choice and/or the scenario provided below. The scenario given below may not be relevant to all pass criteria listed. Therefore, you should read and cite relevant books, newspapers and industry journals to find suitable articles from which you can draw examples to support your answers.

There is no set format for this essay. However, like all business essays you should have an introduction, body and a conclusion.

Assignment Tasks

The assignment is in three Parts.

Part 1 is in report writing that should accomplish P1, P2, P3, P4, &P5

Part 2 is an essay combining the requirements of P6

Part 3 is a class activity combining the requirements of P7



ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Task One: Pass, Merit and Distinction Criteria Questions (LO1)

Report format

P1. Analyse the objective of a selected business in a service industry (AC1.1)(You are required to analyse the mission, vision and objectives of the selected business in a service

industry)

P2. Explain factors that impact on a selected service oriented business.(AC 1.2)(Using any two of the PESTLE analysis, explain how these factors impact in your chosen hospitality business)

M1. To achieve M1 you need to explain all the PESTLE factors that have impact in your

chosen hospitality business. (P2)

P3. Determine potential improvements to a selected service oriented business. (AC 1.3) (Based on the factors mentioned in P2, determine potential improvements in your selected

hospitality business)

P4. Review the effectiveness of a selected business in a service industry. (AC 2.1)(Using the SWOT analyses, review the effectiveness of your chosen business in a service industry)

P5. Develop plans to improve the selected business in service industry by justifying their value. (You are required to develop a brief plan based on CRM( customer relationship management your selected hospitality business) (AC 2.2)

M2. To achieve M2 you are required to demonstrate the use of technical terms CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

D1. To achieve D1:

You have used practical examples from P1- P5. Or

You have used real event theories to support your answer

Task two: Pass, Merit and Distinction Criteria Questions (LO3)Essay format




ScenarioHRM in practice - Improving training at Pontins

Pontins is a British company that has a number of holiday centres which are catering primarily for families. The vast majority of Pontins employees are seasonal workers, many of whom will only work for the company for a short period of time. Despite the relatively high turnover of staff that this situation creates the company’s commitment to the IiP Standard means that all employees have the opportunity to improve. Drawing on the IiP guidelines the company now has a structure which means that every employee will have a personal development file with job description and aims, access to NVQs, access to funding for vocational training, assistance with professional qualifications and assessment of aims and goals and help achieving them. So even those employees who only stay a short period of time can gain a new qualification. As well as increasing the amount of training and delivering higher standards of service, the company has also seen improved employee retention, resulting in greater productivity and reduced costs.Source: Derived from http://www.investorsinpeople.co.uk/IIP/Web/Case+Studies/Pontin.htm

Answer the following:

P6. Evaluate the current skills of management and staff from a chosen hospitality organisation. (Identify and evaluate the current skills of the manager and the member of staff in your chosen hospitality organisation) (AC 3.1)

Task three: Pass, Merit and Distinction Criteria Questions (LO3)Class Activity

ScenarioInvesting in people: at what cost?

Amanda Scott, then General Manager of the Copthorne Hotel in Glasgow, suggests that in many respects IiP embodied what any good manager should be doing – investing in their people. However, she also outlined a number of criticisms. Many companies that have attained the IiP Standard often already have good HR systems and procedures in place so gaining the award may simply be nothing more than a ‘badging’ process. Moreover it is a badging process that generates a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy, with the awarding body often using obscure and confusing jargon. She also suggests that the cost of IiP accreditation may well be prohibitive, ‘As a management model it can deliver, but in my opinion £4000 for the privilege of a branding exercise … cannot be justified. It if was my personal money? I don’t think so’. This latter point concerning the costly nature of IiP accreditation could be particularly important for smaller companies who predominate in tourism and hospitality. The CIPD has recently estimated that the total cost of seeking IiP is between £5000–£15 000 depending on the size of the organization and how much consultancy support the organization uses.Derived from Scott (1999); CIPD (2006).

P7. Devise and justify plans for the development of skills for management and staff in a selected business in service industry. (This is a class activity and once the activity is carried out by you and agreed by your tutor then type the class activity and attach it with your assignment) (AC 3.2)

D2: To achieve D2 the student must participate in the class activity.


Achievement of Pass, Merit and Distinction Grade

Achievement of a Pass grade:A pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the assessment criteria for pass for each unit.

Achievement of a merit grade

To achieve a merit grade you must achieve a pass grade and also your essay/assignment/coursework demonstrates your abilities and skills in the following areas:

M1 identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions

M2 select/design and apply appropriate methods/ techniques

M3 present and communicate appropriate findings.

Grade Descriptors: Merit Indicative Characteristics

M1Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions

Effective judgements have been made Complex problems with more than one variable have

been explored An effective approach to study and research has been

applied

M2

Relevant theories and techniques have been applied A range of methods and techniques have been applied A range of sources of information has been used The selection of methods and techniques/sources has


ScenarioHRM in practice - Improving training at Pontins

Pontins is a British company that has a number of holiday centres which are catering primarily for families. The vast majority of Pontins employees are seasonal workers, many of whom will only work for the company for a short period of time. Despite the relatively high turnover of staff that this situation creates the company’s commitment to the IiP Standard means that all employees have the opportunity to improve. Drawing on the IiP guidelines the company now has a structure which means that every employee will have a personal development file with job description and aims, access to NVQs, access to funding for vocational training, assistance with professional qualifications and assessment of aims and goals and help achieving them. So even those employees who only stay a short period of time can gain a new qualification. As well as increasing the amount of training and delivering higher standards of service, the company has also seen improved employee retention, resulting in greater productivity and reduced costs.Source: Derived from http://www.investorsinpeople.co.uk/IIP/Web/Case+Studies/Pontin.htm

Answer the following:

P6. Evaluate the current skills of management and staff from a chosen hospitality organisation. (Identify and evaluate the current skills of the manager and the member of staff in your chosen hospitality organisation) (AC 3.1)

Task three: Pass, Merit and Distinction Criteria Questions (LO3)Class Activity

ScenarioInvesting in people: at what cost?

Amanda Scott, then General Manager of the Copthorne Hotel in Glasgow, suggests that in many respects IiP embodied what any good manager should be doing – investing in their people. However, she also outlined a number of criticisms. Many companies that have attained the IiP Standard often already have good HR systems and procedures in place so gaining the award may simply be nothing more than a ‘badging’ process. Moreover it is a badging process that generates a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy, with the awarding body often using obscure and confusing jargon. She also suggests that the cost of IiP accreditation may well be prohibitive, ‘As a management model it can deliver, but in my opinion £4000 for the privilege of a branding exercise … cannot be justified. It if was my personal money? I don’t think so’. This latter point concerning the costly nature of IiP accreditation could be particularly important for smaller companies who predominate in tourism and hospitality. The CIPD has recently estimated that the total cost of seeking IiP is between £5000–£15 000 depending on the size of the organization and how much consultancy support the organization uses.Derived from Scott (1999); CIPD (2006).

P7. Devise and justify plans for the development of skills for management and staff in a selected business in service industry. (This is a class activity and once the activity is carried out by you and agreed by your tutor then type the class activity and attach it with your assignment) (AC 3.2)

D2: To achieve D2 the student must participate in the class activity.


Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques

been justified The design of methods/techniques has been justified Complex information/data has been synthesised and

processed Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been

applied

M3Present and communicate appropriate findings

The appropriate structure and approach has been used Coherent, logical development of principles/concepts

for the intended audience A range of methods of presentation have been used and Technical language has been accurately used Communication has taken place in familiar and

unfamiliar contexts The communication is appropriate for familiar and

unfamiliar audiences and appropriate media have been used.

Achievement of a distinction grade

To achieve a distinction you must achieve distinction grade and also your essay/assignment/coursework demonstrates your abilities and skills in the following areas:

D1: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions

D2: Take responsibility for managing and organising activities

D3: Demonstrate convergent/lateral/ creative thinking.

Grade Descriptors: Distinction

Indicative Characteristics

D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions

Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified

The validity of results has been evaluated using definedcriteria

Self-criticism of approach has taken place Realistic improvements have been proposed against defined

characteristics for success

D2 Take responsibility for managing and organising activities

Autonomy/independence has been demonstrated Substantial activities, projects or investigations have been

planned, managed and organised Activities have been managed The unforeseen has been accommodated The importance of interdependence has been recognised and

achieved

Ideas have been generated and decisions taken Self-evaluation has taken place Convergent and lateral thinking have been applied



D3 Demonstrate convergent / lateral / creative thinking

Problems have been solved Innovation and creative thought have been applied Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Effective thinking has taken place in unfamiliar contexts

Submission Instructions:

The beginning of each section should outline a general introduction to the broad topic with the objective of providing a contextual background to the areas of discussion to follow.

Relevant references and academic quotes and the use of case examples are required as evidence of broader reading and research.

Reasonable consideration will be given in the case of failure to submit the assignments on

time due to any medical reasons. (Provided the sufficient medical proof is made available at

the time of exemption)

Late submissions are not allowed and will be penalised.

Referencing should be provided in Harvard Style referencing.

The assignments should be completed in Font Type: Time New Roman/Arial with Size 12

and 1.5 spacing between lines.

Appendix A: Plagiarism and Collusion

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations. In this context the definition and scope of plagiarism are presented below:

“Using the work of others without acknowledging source of information or inspiration. Even if the words are changed or sentences are put in different order, the result is still plagiarism”. (Cortell 2003)

Collusion describes as the submission of work produced in collaboration for an assignment based on the assessment of individual work. When one person shares his/her work with others who submit part or all of it as their own work.



Appendix B: Harvard Referencing System

Any information that is not yours needs to be referenced or else turns to be plagiarism. Copying from someone’s work can be unintentionally if you are unaware of the rules of acknowledging and referencing direct quotations.

The Harvard systems of citation require you to acknowledge certain information, which are mainly the surname and year of publication within the text.

For example:

According to Bell (1999), as you write up your research you will use a citation to indicate in your text the source of piece of information, ..

The authors and publication information cited within the main body of your work must be listed in the reference list. For example:

Bell, J. (1999) ‘Doing your research Project’. (3rd Ed) Buckingham: Open University Press

Detailed guidance on the Harvard Referencing System (HRS) is available on the Virtual Tutor (VT).



Learning outcomes and assessment criteria from Unit Specification



Indicative reading for learners

Textbooks

Chon,K and Maier,A.T.(2010) Welcome to Hospitality...an Introduction,3rd Edition. Canada:

Nelson

Education, Ltd.

Cathy,E.A.(2010) Hospitality Strategic Management-Concept and Cases,2nd Edition. , New Jersey:

John Wiley & Sons.

Sommerville,L.M.(2007) Hospitality Employee management and Supervision, New Jersey: John

Wiley & Sons.

Journals

Mohamed Nassar. 2012. Exploring current benchmarking practices in the Egyptian hotel sector. Benchmarking: An International Journal 19:6, 730-742.

Anthony Brien, Nazmun Ratna, Lyn Boddington. 2012. Is Organizational Social Capital Crucial for Productivity Growth? An Exploration of “Trust” within Luxury Hotels in New Zealand. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism 11:2, 123-145.

Jehad S. Aldehayyat, Adel A. Al Khattab, John R. Anchor. 2011. The use of strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in Jordan. Management Research Review 34:4, 477-490.

NewspapersQuality newspapers – especially the hospitality sections

Websites

www.abta.com Association of British Travel Agentswww.iata.org International Air Transport Associationwww.keynote.co.uk Key Note market informationwww.mintel.com Mintel site provides media, product and

Consumer informationwww.staruk.com English tourism statisticswww.statistics.gov.uk National Statistics Online — official UK

statisticswww.tourismconcern.com Tourism Concernwww.visitbritain.com Visit Britain travel guide to Britainwww.wttc.org World Travel and Tourism Council


http://www.wttc.org/

http://www.visitbritain.com/

http://www.tourismconcern.com/

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

http://www.staruk.com/

http://www.mintel.com/

http://www.keynote.co.uk/

http://www.iata.org/

http://www.abta.com/

bhc assignment brief may 2015 final version (1) (1)

Documents

selected business

chosen business

business essays

chosen hospitality business

pass criteria

service industry p5

service industry ac1

service industryp2