ESSAY TITLE:
You are required to produce an essay on “Operations Management in Tourism: Strategy, Design, and Experience” through the use of a variety of research materials.
STRUCTURE OF THE ESSAY:
The essay must include:
1. Introduction (150 words):
• Outline the aims and objectives of this essay.
• Briefly explain the concept and importance of operations management within a tourism context.
2. Section 1 (500 words): The Interplay of Operations Management and Tourism
• Discuss, with examples, how supporting functions interact with operations management within a tourism context.
• Highlight how servitisation is revolutionising tourist offerings and experiences. Give real-world examples from the tourism industry.
3. Section 2 (600 words): Strategic Alignments in Tourism
• Explore the synchronisation between operations strategy and overarching business strategy within tourism ventures.
• Address the trade-offs in performance at the operational levels, citing real-world examples from the tourism industry.
4. Section 3 (600 words): Designing Tourist Experiences
• Discuss, with examples, how standardisation can streamline and enhance tourist experiences.
• Discuss how process mapping can help in personalising customer experience and triggering positive emotions within tourists.
5. Conclusion (150 words):
• Summarise the topic of the essay and add a conclusion.
• Include your recommendations based on the issues you discussed in the paper.
IMPORTANT NOTES!
I am currently level 4 ( 2nd yr) and I am studying Business and Tourism Management so please use examples from the tourism industry when looking for supporting arguments.
The essay must be based on reliable research and supported with a minimum of 15 different sources. Academic concepts and theories, as well as research findings, must be properly cited in accordance with the CCC
U Harvard Referencing Style.
Headers, pictures and graphs, bold or italics fonts should NOT be used in the body of the text on academic essays.
Reference Page
DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA! or any source that cannot be verified afterwards.
Indicative resources:
Core texts
• Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Burgess, N. (2023). Essentials Of Operations Management. S.L.: Pearson Education Limited.
• Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Burgess, N. (2022). Operations Management 10th edition. S.L.: Pearson Education Limited.
Recommended texts
• Cai, L.A. and Pūyā ʿalāʾ-Ad-Dīnī (2018). Quality services and experiences in hospitality and tourism. Bingley: Emerald Publishing
• Johnston, R., Shulver, M., Slack, N. and Clark, G. (2021). Service Operations Management 5th edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
• Mark Anthony Camilleri (2019). Tourism planning and destination marketing. Bingley, Uk Emerald Publishing.
• Paton, S., Clegg, B., Hsuan, J. and Pilkington, A. (2021). Operations management. London [U.A.] Mcgraw Hill.
• Robinson, P. and Jones, P. (2020). Operations Management. Oxford University Press.
Recommended journals
• Adhikari, A. and Bhattacharya, S. (2016). Appraisal of literature on customer experience in tourism sector: review and framework. Current Issues in Tourism, 19(4), pp.296-321.
• Agarwal, N. and Mohan, A. (2021) ‘Influence of Social Interaction on Customer Experience in Tourism Industry’, Purusharta, 14(2), pp. 104–116. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=158334009&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 10 September 2023).
• Alonso, A.D. and Ogle, A. (2008). Exploring design among small hospitality and tourism operations. Journal of Retail & Leisure Property, 7(4), pp.325–337. doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/rlp.2008.23.
• Bozkurt, A. (2010). Tourism Industry and Standardisation: An Impossible Task?. Journal of Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences,19(3), 331-344.
• Bozkurt, A. (2012). Tourism Industry and Standardisation: Possibilities and Opportunities. Çağ Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 9(1).
• Bustinza Sánchez, Ó.F., Vendrell-Herrero, F., Baines, T.S. and Parry, G. (2015). Service business model and performance: Unpacking the complex relationship.
• Godovykh, M. and Tasci, A.D. (2020). Customer experience in tourism: A review of definitions, components, and measurements. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, p.100694.
• Jakulin, T.J. and Golob, A. (2015). Systems Approach to Standardisation, Classification and Modelling of Managed Events for Tourism. Organizacija, 48(3), pp.188–197. doi:https://doi.org/10.1515/orga-2015-0016.
• Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing, [online] 80(6), pp.69–96.
• Li, K., Ji, C., He, Q., & Rastegar, R. (2023). Understanding the sense-making process of visitor experience in the integrated resort setting: Investigating the role of experience-centric attributes. International Journal of Tourism Research, 25(5), 491–505. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2584
• So, K.K.F., Li, X. and Kim, H. (2020). A decade of customer engagement research in hospitality and tourism: A systematic review and research agenda. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(2), pp.178-200.
