Tourism Business Analysis and Planning

Business Health Check
Assignment Brief
Purpose of the assignment
The purpose of this assignment is for you to carry out a business health check to help you gain greater understanding of travel and tourism businesses, including their foci, planning and human resource management. Thus you should use this assignment to build on learning not only from this unit but also from other related units.
Task 1 – Individual written report with citations and bibliography in the Harvard Referencing Format
Scenario
Imagine you are a business consultant and have been approach by a travel or tourism organisation which has asked you to review its performance and suggest areas for future improvement. You have been asked to produce your report in two parts – the first focusses on the business as a whole and the second on the staff and their contribution to the business.
Task 1: Travel/ Tourism Business Analysis and Planning
Select an existing business / organisation which operates in the travel and tourism sector (either one you are familiar with or a well-known business / organisation that you can obtain sufficient data for), prepare a report on its current position and make recommendations as to how its performance could be improved upon.
The findings from task 1 should be submitted in a written report with an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. The suggested word length for this report is 2500 words, excluding any appendices. Include a bibliography of all sources used in Harvard Referencing Format, showing use of at least ten sources.
The analytical report should be structured as follows:
a) Introduction, which includes a short description of the selected travel or tourism business.
b) Analysis of the objectives of the case study business. A good analysis will consider how well these relate to the stated mission, vision, goals, priorities, etc. of the business
c) SWOT and PESTLE analysis of the business. Good analysis will show your ability to make reasoned judgements about internal environment factors (e.g. trading status, management skills, policies, stakeholders, financial performance, staff resources, location, problems and ability to change) and external environment factors (i.e. political, economic, social, technological, legislation and environmental factors) Excellent analysis are well justified.
d) Explanation of the different factors which impact on the business, based on the SWOT and PESTLE analysis. Good explanations will also consider the market environment (e.g. customers, customer loyalty, quality management, marketing methods, competitors and competitive advantage) in addition to the external and internal environment. Excellent explanations will demonstrate thorough awareness of the relative importance of the different factors to the success of the business
e) Review of the effectiveness of the business. A good review will include aspects such as the product/services, marketing, sales, finance and overall business performance.
f) Determination of potential improvements that could be made to the business, based on the SWOT, PESTLE and market analysis that have been carried out. Good determinations will be related to the long-term objectives of the business. Excellent determinations will evaluate a range of options based on their suitability, feasibility and acceptability.
g) Business plan that you have developed for improving the business. This plan must be justified. A good plan will include resources (including premises and personnel) finances and financial management systems, marketing, quality management, action planning, risk management and timescale. Excellent plans are realistic and well justified, showing ability to apply theory about improving business performance.
h) Conclusion with summarises the key points of your analysis and the main proposals for improvement.