School of Architecture and the Built Environment

Centre for Tourism Research

MA Tourism Management MA Conference & Events Management DISSERTATION RESEARCH HANDBOOK 2011/12
Module Leader: Dr. Andrew Smith

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Table of Contents

1 2

Introduction Selecting a Suitable Topic 2.1 Interest 2.2 Feasible 2.3 Academic Value 2.4 Ethical Considerations 2.5 The Focus of the Thesis Using your Supervisor The Research Contract The Content of a Dissertation 5.1 Title 5.2 Declaration 5.3 Abstract 5.4 Introduction 5.5 Literature Review 5.6 Methodology 5.7 Results 5.8 Discussion of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations 5.9 Bibliography 5.10 Appendices Style of the Dissertation 6.1 Requirements 6.2 Guidance 6.3 Tables and Figures 6.4 Abbreviations 6.5 The Use of Academic English Assessment Criteria Time Management Summary

3 4 5

7 8 9

Appendix 1: Appendix 2: Appendix 3 Appendix 4

Structure for Dissertation Preliminary Proposal Poster Presentations The Role of the Supervisor Arrangements for Supervision over the Summer Vacation

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Introduction

This handbook aims to help you complete the Dissertation double module successfully. It provides guidance on choosing your topic, developing a research proposal, the main elements of the Dissertation, how it should be presented and how you can carry out your research effectively. It should be read in conjunction with the Dissertation module guide, which includes details of module aims, the teaching programme and submission deadlines. A Dissertation or research project: the terms are used interchangeably - is an individual piece of work in the sense that you complete the work alone and not in groups However, it is also individual in the sense that it will become very personal to you and your interests. That means its nature will vary, and that makes attempts to be prescriptive difficult. However, all projects should aim to: 1. Reflect the focus of your Masters course, and thus be concerned with some aspect of tourism or conference and events management 2. Identify and define an appropriate topic for research 3. Locate it within a wider discourse or debate 4. Demonstrate a thorough understanding, critical analysis and evaluation of the context of the chosen topic, including relevant theoretical and practical literature and research 5. Demonstrate an ability to use academic skills in identifying and defining a research topic, applying appropriate research techniques and drawing practical and theoretical conclusions 6. Synthesise the findings from the relevant literature whilst adding originality in the findings, analysis and recommendations 7. Achieve the highest standards of English, referencing and presentation, including tables, illustrations and other relevant data. 8. Be a piece of work that will represent your academic ability to both internal and external examiners and also to potential employers.

Selecting a Suitable Topic: Preliminary Research Proposal

The requirements for a successful Dissertation are a topic that interests you, developed into a project that is feasible to conduct, which is of academic value and for which research can be undertaken ethically. 2.1 Interest As you will be working on the Dissertation for almost 12 months, it must hold your interest. Even the most conscientious student will find it impossible to write an excellent piece of work unless they are engaged by the topic. You can begin to identify areas that interest you by looking back at what you have studied in your first degree, reviewing your work and travel experiences, or thinking about your future career plans or aspirations. 2.2 Feasible As well as being of interest, the topic also needs to be feasible. This means that you should be able to complete the research within your time and financial constraints. The visitor experience of space tourism may be a research area that interests you, but unless you can secure a work placement with NASA, or have access to your own space vehicle, then it probably needs to be excluded as a potential topic. A further aspect of ensuring the feasibility of the research topic is to conduct a preliminary review of the available secondary material relating to the subject area. Published literature is the friend of the researcher; it provides comfort that your work is backed by theory. If there is a lack of literature on a subject, then you are working without a conceptual safety net and risk an unhappy landing should problems occur. However, a common weakness of students conducting a review of secondary material is to conclude quickly that there is insufficient 2

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

literature available. Students examining the potential impacts of the London Olympics on the residents of Stratford (the main proposed location) will soon find that there is as yet little written with that title. This is good; your research topic needs to be original. Yet, there is a mass of literature available on the impacts of tourism, the impacts of major events, the impacts of previous Olympics elsewhere in the world, the impacts of previous sporting events in the UK and on the people of Stratford. You need to look for the concepts behind the topic that you have considered. The example illustrates another point. You will need to ensure the topic you take on is not too ambitious: studying the impact of 2012 Olympic Games on London is a job for a very large research team with a lot of time and a big budget. 2.3 Academic Value The topic of the Dissertation must be agreed between you and your university supervisor. (If, unusually, you are undertaking a problem solving or consultancy project with a particular employer the topic must be agreed between you, your university supervisor and your work placement supervisor (referred to as your mentor)). The process of submitting a preliminary proposal, and then a more formal research contract helps you to take a rigorous approach to the process of selecting a topic and assessing its feasibility. It also ensures that your aims and research methodology are of academic worth. Ultimately, if the work is not of sufficient academic value, then regardless of how interesting the topic, or how feasible it has been to complete, the Dissertation will fail. It is therefore essential to produce an accurate description of your intended research topic to ensure that its value can be assessed before you stray down an unproductive avenue. 2.4 Ethical As the Social Research Association (SRA) point out, over recent years, ethical considerations across the research community have come to the forefront (SRA 2003: 7), and the University requires all its researchers to follow ethical good practice. The SRA has established a set of ethical guidelines to be applied to social research investigations. These give advice on obligations to Society; employers and funders; colleagues; and interview subjects. Your research is not funded, so issues of potential conflict between professional standards and employer requirements do not arise. The obligations to society revolve around the need to maintain high scientific standards and to be objective and impartial. The obligations to colleagues focus on professional standards and behaviour, the need for research to be open to collegial review your supervisor will be your main reviewer - and concern for safety and security. You must be aware of your safety and ensure that your research does not put you or anyone else at risk. You will need to discuss your proposed research methods with your supervisor, and review potential risks. In the great majority of cases, these will be low. Perhaps the major ethical concern is for the people who are the subject of the research. The SRA identifies a series of issues (ibid: 25-40), to be considered. It should be noted that these issues are most acute in research in which subjects may be at risk from harm (e.g. medical or psychological research) or where potential subjects are vulnerable in some way. This is unlikely to be the case for most of your topics. The main points to consider are: Avoiding undue intrusion for example by using surveys to collect data that are already available, or by an inappropriate attitude or demeanour. Obtaining informed consent. Subjects need to understand what is asked of them, and to give their consent freely. In most circumstances, it is sufficient for interviewees to be given a simple form, summarising the research and research procedures, which they can sign to confirm their consent. Protecting the interests of subjects is essential when the possibility of harm arises; this is most unlikely to be the case in your research. If this possibility arises it must be discussed carefully with your supervisor. 3

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Enabling participation: where relevant, there is an obligation to include those who might otherwise be excluded, for example by problems of communication, disability or expense. Maintaining confidentiality of records and preventing disclosure all data must be stored securely and the anonymity of participants must be preserved 2.5 The Focus of the Dissertation The tourism industry and the conference sector are vast and nebulous, as is the subject of management. Yet the task facing you is to devise a specific and focused research topic. Producing your preliminary Research Proposal helps you begin to do this. Figure 1 shows several dimensions that can be considered when choosing your topic. Having chosen a topic, you should write down all the questions that arise out of that topic and then try to provide answers for these questions. This will enable you to focus further on a group of questions, or even a single question. Considering what academic discipline the question relates to will identify the areas you need to research for your literature review. Examining the best way to achieve answers to this question will show the appropriate research methodology for the Dissertation. It cannot be stressed enough that the more specific the topic of the Dissertation, the more focused your project will be, and the easier it will be to undertake the research. You should be able to turn your research questions into a research proposition or hypothesis, which can be in the form of a question or a statement that you will test through your Dissertation. Taking the example from above, the research hypothesis might be, The residents of streets A, B, C and D in Stratford will be negatively affected by the Olympics developments. Every word of the statement should be carefully considered to determine if it is vague, or really says what the Dissertation aims to achieve. In the final chapter of the Dissertation you will need to provide an answer to this question or statement, based on your findings. As a general rule, being able to explain your research idea in one sentence shows clarity of focus that will aid the development of your Dissertation. Reviewing the literature relevant to your topic will help you develop a clear focus, and you must begin your literature review early you will need to include references in your Preliminary Research Proposal. There are now many ways of searching for relevant literature through academic databases, and the necessary skills will be discussed early in the module. The preliminary research proposal is set out in a standard form (see Appendix 1). It is a very brief (2 page) document. You should pay careful attention to completing each section as carefully and precisely as possible. This will help you get your proposed research clear in your mind, and help you start to think about how it links to wider issues and how you will carry out the primary research. You will develop and modify the proposed research in consultation with your supervisor.

Visit Research Gateway (link below) for a useful introduction and overview of the research process, what researching and writing your Dissertation involves, and links to other good quality academic sites. Work through Section 3 Getting Started to help you develop and structure your ideas. Explore further by following the relevant links: 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3 are especially useful. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/hlst/resources/researchgateway

Using your supervisor

You will be allocated to a supervisor soon after you have submitted your research proposal. They will help and guide you as you develop the Dissertation but please remember that they are not there to feed you information or references, or to tell you what to write. You should 4

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

arrange regular meetings with your supervisor and agree in advance what work you will have completed and will discuss at the tutorial. Your supervisor will be very busy teaching on other courses, and you cannot expect a tutorial unless it has been arranged in advance. It is always your responsibility to maintain contact with your supervisor and to ensure you have regular meetings. Appendix 3 gives guidance about what you can expect from your supervisor, and what they will expect from you.

The Research Contract

You are required to prepare a 2500-word document in the form of a research contract. This is prepared following feedback on your preliminary proposal. It sets out your research aims more precisely, and locates your proposal within existing research in the field by means of a thorough literature review. The literature review will form the main body of the research contract. You will develop the contract in consultation with your supervisor and a series of lectures will assist you. Advice about specific elements is given in section 5, below. You should structure the research contract around the following headings: 1. The key proposition and question(s) to be researched: Your topic should have an overall statement or question which will be the focus for the research. If your research is primarily quantitative in nature you may decide to test formally the validity of a hypothesis or set of hypotheses. If you are pursuing a more flexible approach, you may decide to set research 'propositions' which can be explored to reveal whether or not they can be justified given the empirical evidence available. In either case, you will need to derive specific research questions to guide your work. 2. A preliminary literature review of relevant books, articles and research reports which have led you to select your chosen topic and those that provide a theoretical basis for your work. This sets your topic in the context of existing research in the field. You should summarise the current debates and existing and past areas of research in your subject area, showing how your research will build on and develop these. Your research should be cumulative in that it builds on and develops existing knowledge in the subject area. This will be the basis for the (expanded and refined) literature review section of the Dissertation. This is the major section, and you should expect that it will amount to at least 2000 words. However, you must cover a substantial volume of literature (much more than in the preliminary proposal), so you must be precise and concise.

Impacts Social Environmental Economic Industry/Sector Public sector Transportation Accommodation Catering Museum/theme park Conference Geographic Perspective Destination Place of origin Peripherality Islands Alpine Coastline

Planning Physical planning and development Stakeholder analysis Policies and politics Sustainability issues

Selecting your research project

Demand Trends Destinations Segmentation Motivation Satisfaction Behaviour

Business Functions Marketing Finance and Accounting Purchasing Human Resources Physical planning

Trends Quality IT Globalisation Integration and Concentration Environmental Concern Regulatory Environment

Market size and type Demand trends and statistics Business Leisure VFR MICE

Figure One: Selecting your research project

5.

The Content of a Dissertation

All Dissertations are presented differently. Research using only secondary sources might place the methodology nearer to the beginning of the Dissertation, while for primary research the literature review will often precede the methodology. You should discuss content and structure with your supervisor once you have clearly defined your topic, explored the literature and are defining your research methods. The following section outlines the elements a typical Dissertation will include, but is not a standard or required format. Other approaches are possible, and the elements below could be presented in a rather different order discuss this with your supervisor. And do bear in mind the order of presentation is not the order in which you undertake the work on the Dissertation the Introduction will probably be the last section you write, for example. Title Declaration Abstract Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction Literature Review Methodology Data results and analysis Discussion of findings Conclusions and recommendations References Appendices 5.1 Title The title will probably change and evolve as the Dissertation progresses, but it is essential to have a working title that is focused and based on your research proposition. This will serve to keep you within the topic you are researching and stop you getting distracted into other areas that seem more interesting. The final title also serves as a guide to those reading the Dissertation. The title will be the filter through which everything you tell the reader passes - so any information that is not relevant to the title will be dismissed and rapidly becomes an annoyance. And you should avoid annoying readers especially as at least two of the readers of your Dissertation will be marking it! 5.2 Declaration This declares that the Dissertation is your own work, and states the number of words in the main body (i.e. excluding appendices). It should take the following form: Declaration: This Dissertation is the work of [your name]. All other contributors are acknowledged in the text and listed in the bibliography. Word count: [number of words] words

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

5.3 Abstract This will normally be the last part of your Dissertation to be written. It should offer a clear summary of your research question, methodology and findings. The aim is to grant potential readers an insight into what the Dissertation covers and particularly what the results showed, in order that the interest of the contents to another researcher can be determined. During your search for secondary materials you will be grateful for the provision of abstracts by other authors and you should return the compliment in your Dissertation. The abstract should not normally exceed 500 words. 5.4 Introduction The title and the abstract will give the reader of your Dissertation a clue as to where the research is going, but the Introduction should remove all need for guesswork. It should begin with an explanation of why this research has come into being and set out the rationale for the project. For example, we could argue that as business tourism increases in volume, then so will its impacts, positive and negative. London is trying to remain at the forefront of business tourism as part of its world city role, and so can expect to suffer a share of negative impacts. The author could argue that there is a greater need to study the results of these impacts to learn lessons for future developments e.g. if a new conference centre is contemplated. The introduction should also put the research in context. That will introduce the conceptual context, and may also introduce the essentials of the geographical context. However, you must avoid the temptation to explain in depth the wonders of a particular location) or to lapse into brochure-speak about the verdant splendour of the landscape; this can be a particular danger if you are examining your home region. Too often, the conceptual context is neglected, and there is insufficient explanation of where this topic sits within the various academic disciplines. Thinking about this question will help to focus your literature review. The hypothesis or proposition that has been developed should be presented in the introduction, as should a brief explanation of the methods you have chosen to answer the question. The final section to the introduction should contain a very brief review of the structure of the Dissertation. Thus, somewhat paradoxically, the introduction will be the last chapter to be completed. 5.5 Literature Review The aim of the literature review is to provide the conceptual background to your particular research topic. You should aim to show the reader that you understand the topic under consideration, but also to provide yourself with a point of evaluation for the final chapter. The Dissertation as a whole must provide an analysis and critical evaluation of the topic, which is impossible if you only have your own research findings to base the conclusions on. Thus, the literature review shows what other people asking similar questions have discovered, and then once you have revealed your own findings, the conclusion can compare and discuss the similarities and differences between the findings. This will ensure that the Dissertation is analytical and evaluative in outlook rather than simply being descriptive. If the Dissertation is descriptive, then the reader is left to make his/her own conclusions. It is the task of the Dissertation author to make these conclusions based on the argument presented. Students often fail to be sufficiently analytical or evaluative and try to compensate with a greater amount of information instead. Quantity cannot substitute for the quality of analysis. As well as providing the basis for analysis later, the literature review itself must be critical and analytical. This does not necessarily mean being negative and finding fault, but looking for commonality and themes. These might be by perspective (residents have a different view of tourism to tourists), geography (the US views genetically modified food differently to Europe), history (the world used to be considered flat, now we know it is round), politics (conservatives favour a strongly market based economy while social democrats are more concerned with social solidarity) and so the potential criteria for analysis continue. The review should not be a simple recitation of what other authors have written - it is essential that you compare and contrast the material and look for any trends or themes. And you must do so critically that 8

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

is questioningly, and with a willingness to interrogate the material. The literature review is not a summary, or annotated bibliography and must not drive the reader to ask, Why am I reading this? The review should build up an argument for your particular research and not simply stop when you feel sufficient literature has been reviewed. There is a mass of secondary material available and you should begin with general texts before moving to more specific material. The Dissertation teaching programme includes sessions on planning and carrying out a literature review and on using electronic sources of information. The latter are of increasing importance, and you will need to become familiar with means of accessing academic sources and be well aware of the pitfalls of information obtained from trawls of the WWW. You will need to be aware of the varying reliability and objectivity of material. Articles in academic journals are objective and can be relied upon since they have been peer reviewed (by other scholars) as well as because the authors are generally seeking to be objective. Other material may be biased or advocative. It would be surprising if the cities bidding for the 2012 Olympic Games had objectively set out all their weaknesses as well as their strengths, for example. Your supervisor may be able to help with specific references that provide a good starting point. However, while your supervisor can direct you as to what to read, a common weakness amongst students is the way that notes are taken whilst reading. The literature review is a critical stage of the Dissertation and any errors made in your note taking will be transferred throughout the research. The steps to avoid mistakes and hours spent chasing references at the end of the Dissertation are simple and obvious, yet often ignored. 1. Always keep notes tidy and file them systematically. You might want to use specific Dissertation notebooks (paper or electronic) for all your notes. 2. Understand what information you need to include in a bibliography and always put a full bibliographical reference, in the correct form, on every note taken. Include the page numbers of the reference. You should consider making use of an electronic citation manager such as Endnote. This will allow you to keep all your references electronically, in the correct form, and with a summary or abstract of the source. References can then be inserted at the appropriate point in the Dissertation with a few keystrokes. Many electronic bibliographic databases also allow you to download details of a reference, including the abstract, direct to Endnote. This can save you a lot of typing. You have access to Endnote: on the Intranet, follow Library/support/research/endnote for details. 3. If you copy a quotation into your notes for later use in your Dissertation be sure to do so fully and without abbreviations; you can always abbreviate later. Check the quote thoroughly to make sure that you have not misrepresented the authors views. Remember to record the specific page number the quote comes from. 4. Be particularly careful when you copy statistical tables. Set them out neatly in the notes and check every figure. 5. If you are doing any statistical calculations, be particularly careful to set out the worksheets tidily and with plenty of spaces. Check all calculations when you first make them. 5.6 Methodology As with the literature reviewed, the methodology selected will stem from the research questions you have chosen to answer. In answering any questions, as researchers we must be concerned with the validity of the answers we receive. Validity can be described by considering whether we received the answer to the question we actually asked, or the answer to another question. Thus, an underage teenage boy asked by his parents at the end of a Friday evening Have you been drinking? will provide a different answer than if asked the same question by his peers. While the real answer may lie somewhere between the two scenarios, we cannot know where exactly, and so the approach used to answer this research question (face to face interviewing) can be considered invalid. An approach that is more likely to yield the true answer would be to follow the teenager and watch his actions (non-participant observation). This has ethical considerations, but the answer would be valid. 9

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

The validity of the research can be threatened throughout a Dissertation, but focuses on three areas: 1. The research design can be invalid, as described above, where there is an inappropriate method used to elicit information. Other notable examples include recent face-to-face interviews by the military command into attitudes amongst infantry towards homosexuals in the army, interviews conducted by whites into attitudes of racial minorities towards racial discrimination in the southern states of America, and questioning of women, by men, during the 1950s into their sexual proclivity. You should ask yourself if the research design enables the true answer to be revealed, or if other factors will distort and invalidate the answer received. Use the methodology chapter to explain why after considering other methods you settled for the one you did. 2. Validity can be threatened by the way the research is administered. A poorly constructed questionnaire can lead respondents to feel frustrated and give answers designed to end the interview as quickly as possible rather than the true answers. Inappropriate timing, asking the question of the wrong people and asking too much of respondents all affect validity. A pilot survey will often reveal if there are any such weaknesses and enable the research to be administered differently, strengthening the certainty of the worth of the final answers. 3. The final way that research can be invalidated is the research analysis techniques used. Most statistical tests are appropriate only if certain conditions are met. Thus, if the research produces parametric data, then using the non-parametric chi-squared test would invalidate your findings. Instead, the parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) test may be appropriate if all other conditions are met. However, beyond the mechanics of statistical tests, common sense is required. If you have conducted a 50-person survey, then it is clearly invalid to conduct detailed statistical analysis and claim a spurious level of accuracy. You demonstrate a greater understanding of research by limiting your analysis to what can reasonably be supported. The same threat to validity exists in the conclusions that your Dissertation draws. It is essential to acknowledge that your sample survey of four streets in Stratford does not enable you to speak about all the residents of Stratford, or even all the residents of the streets you surveyed. Be humble in your conclusions. All of these issues should be covered in the methodology chapter. It is also worth reiterating the research questions to re-assert the focus of the Dissertation. 5.7 Results A common mistake of student Dissertations is to include all the information that has been gleaned from the research process, regardless of its applicability to the research question. A good research methodology should help to limit the amount of extraneous information, but extra information will always arise, and while this may be invaluable to further research, you must be strict with yourself and exclude it from the current Dissertation. The aim of the results chapter is to explore the evidence that helps you to address your research questions. Therefore, only include the information that helps to develop the argument. An appendix should be used to present raw data if necessary. In presenting the results, you should ensure that the approach you have used, whether it is pie charts, tables, or graphs, is the most appropriate. It is easier for the reader if there is consistency of approach throughout the chapter, thus, the same style is used wherever possible. Marks are awarded for the intellectual clarity of your presentation of results, as well as the visual clarity of presentation. 5.8 Discussion of Findings, and Conclusions and Recommendations These are usually the most difficult chapters to write, although if you have clear research questions, the task is simplified. The aim of the Discussion of Findings is to synthesise all the 10

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

information presented throughout the Dissertation in order to answer the research questions, and determine whether your propositions have been justified, or the hypothesis has been accepted or rejected. Thus, the views of the authors presented in the literature review should be re-introduced along with the findings of your own research. The reader should be able to see clearly that you have achieved what you said you would achieve. It is conventional to include a measure of self-criticism in this section, indicating what you might do differently if the research were to be repeated. The Conclusions chapter should include practical recommendations (e.g. for a destination or a business) and recommendations for further research. However, these recommendations should not be just listings, but should be derived from your arguments and explained fully. There is an opportunity for creativity and originality here, but recommendations must also be convincing based on prior argument - and demonstrably feasible. Too many students end their Dissertations with a shopping list of recommendations and this is a poor way to conclude. 5.9 Bibliography A bibliography of all the works you have consulted, and referenced in your text, is essential for a Dissertation. Anything that you include in the Dissertation that is not referenced will be assumed to be your own work. If this is not the case, then you are guilty of trying to pass off the work of another author as your own. This is plagiarism. The University regulations are very clear on the seriousness with which plagiarism will be regarded and the severity of the punishment for anyone found guilty. The course handbook, the library website and the Universitys Essential Information provide advice on avoiding plagiarism. A proper referencing system is essential to avoid unwitting plagiarism. The course handbook sets out our requirements, which are elaborated below. Whilst there are no absolute rules for setting out bibliographical references, certain information must be given and there must be consistency of style throughout. The Harvard system is the style required. In the text the authors are referenced thus: It is perhaps surprising, given this description of the UK outbound tourism industry that Taylor (1996:388) describes the package tour industry as being not sufficiently oligopolistic. The reasons cited for this interpretation are the relative ease of entry, the large number of firms that contest the market, the existence of merger activity and the instability of market share and profitability. Evans and Stabler (1995) believe that the problem has not been so much the shape of the industry (which conversely they believe to be oligopolistic), but the existence of excess capacity that gives the consumer greater power to dictate the price that is paid. In the bibliography, the entries would appear as; Evans, N.G., Stabler, M.J (1995) A Future for the Package Tour Operator in the 21 Century? Tourism Economics, 1(3), pp245-263
st

Taylor, P (1996) Oligopoly or Contestable Markets in the UK Package Tour Industry. The Service Industries Journal, 16, pp379-388 References in the bibliography tend to fall into seven categories; 1) Articles in Journals Author(s) of article, Date, Title of article (underline, or in bold, or in italics), volume number, part/issue number, page numbers. Maitland R (2002) Creating successful partnerships in urban management in Tourism (Fiftieth anniversary Special issue) 50, (3) The same procedure is used for professional journals 11 destination

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Stevenson, N. (2002) The Role of English Local Authorities in Tourism. Insights, Jan A107-112 2) Books Author(s) or editors of book, Date, Title of book (underline, or in bold, or in italics), Edition (unless first edition). Publisher, Place of Publication Davidson R and Cope B (2002) Business Travel: Conferences, incentive travel, exhibitions, corporate hospitality and corporate travel. Pearson Education. London 3) Chapters in Books Author(s) of chapter, Date, Title of Chapter. In [editors of book], Title of Book (underlined, or in bold, or in italics). Publisher, Place of Publication, page numbers of the chapter Smith A (2001) Sport-based Regeneration Strategies in Henry I and Gratton C (eds) Sport in the City: the role of Sport in Economic and Social Regeneration. Routledge. London 4) Conference Papers The proceedings of conferences are often published in book form, or as special issues of journals. Papers given at conferences should be referenced as for a chapter in a book, but adding: Name of the conference, Place and Date Maitland R (2002) Partnership and Collaboration in Destination Management Paper given at the International City Tourism Conference Marketing meets Science: Shaping the Future of City Tourism Vienna, Austria June 19-22 2002. Weber, K W [ed.] City Tourism 2002 Springer 2002. Vienna Where a proceeding has not been published, then present the following information: Graham A (2002) International Outbound Statistics: A Practical Analysis of the Major Tourism Origin Countries (with C. Humphreys) Sixth International Forum on Tourism Statistics, Budapest, 2002. 5) Theses Author of Thesis, Date, Title of Thesis (underlined, or in bold, or in italics), Degree awarded, University Miller, G (1997) Approaches Towards Achieving Sustainable Tourism. Dissertation, University of Surrey MSc

6) Technical Reports Author of Report, Date, Title of report (underlined, or in bold, or in italics), sponsoring body, report number UNEP (1995) Environmental Codes of Conduct for Tourism. UNEP, Technical Report, #29. 7) Internet Sources The authors name (if known), Full title of the work, Title of the complete work (if applicable), The document date (if known), Full URL, Date of visit Department of Education (Victoria, Australia) Using the Internet for Research. Learning with the Internet 1996. http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/loti/page1.htm (14th February 1997)

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Key Points: There are three key rules: your references must be: 1. Correct. You should double-check every detail. If you photocopy something, or make notes from an article or book, be sure you write down the full reference at the time. 2. Complete. Never omit page numbers, volume numbers, the date, or anything else. You are guiding your reader to the source you have used always ask yourself, Is it possible from the information I have given, for someone to walk into a library and readily locate the source I am referring to? 3. Consistent. Dont worry too much about full stops, commas, capital letters, and so on they are not of crucial importance. You should simply ensure that you give all the necessary information, choose a style and stick to it throughout the Dissertation. There is further advice on referencing on the Library web pages. Bear in mind that if you use Endnote or a similar program, your bibliography will be generated automatically, in the correct style.

5.10 Appendices The aim of the appendices is to give the reader a chance to verify the conclusions that the author has reached. Thus, you could include detailed statistical work, copies of blank questionnaires (do not include all the completed questionnaires), lengthy quotations from either published works, or your own findings that would otherwise break up the flow of your Dissertation. However, a common mistake is for students to use the appendices as a rubbish bin for pieces of information that didnt fit elsewhere. The same rule applies to the appendices as to the rest of the Dissertation - if it is not relevant to the research question or hypothesis, then it should not be included. The reader should be directed to relevant information in the appendices by way of a note at the appropriate point in the main body of the Dissertation.

Style of the Dissertation

6.1 Requirements Dissertations and projects should not exceed 15,000 words in length, excluding appendices. Latitude of 10% on the word limit is permitted, but beyond that, the work will be penalised. The Dissertation should be typed at 12 font Left hand margins should be 4cms, right hand, top and bottom should be 3cms Text should be spaced at 1.5 lines White A4 paper should be used, printed on one side only Print three copies of the Dissertation and soft-bind them in spirals. Keep one copy for yourself, and submit two copies of the Dissertation to the Postgraduate Office by the stated deadline. 6.2 Style Guidance: writing style To make the most of all your hard work you must present your research clearly. That means that you need to write in clear, plain English. Good academic English is clear and as easy to read as possible. It avoids pomposity, unnecessary technical language, and very long sentences. The complexity of the subject matter means that academic papers may inevitably 13

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

be hard to understand but you should always write as clearly as you can, whatever the topic. (Many published academic papers are, in my view, badly written and unnecessarily obtuse. No doubt you will have the same reaction to some of the papers you read for the Dissertation; do not see them as role models!). I suggest you re-read George Orwells Rules for Writing, derived from his famous essay (on Bb) and follow his advice. You might also find it helpful to visit http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/, where you can download free guides to writing in clear English. Some points to remember: Sentences should be concise and not overly complex in their structure. Short sentences are easier to read and more precise than very long ones. Clichs and colloquialisms should be avoided. Each paragraph should contain one idea or concept, which should then be developed. Avoid single sentence paragraphs. Chapter headings, sub-headings, introductions and summaries all help to guide the reader through your Dissertation, so you should make full use of them. A chapter introduction will explain what is to come and why, and then a summary will review what has been achieved and how it will relate to the following chapter. Write in the third person e.g. the research shows and not I have shown Vary the sentence construction used Use a thesaurus to find alternatives for frequently used words. More recent versions of Microsoft Word have a Synonym function

6.3 Style Guidance : Tables and Figures A table is a presentation of data in a tabular form; a figure is a diagrammatic representation of data, or other material. Tables and figures should be clearly and consistently labelled and the reader should be able to understand their meaning without having to refer back to the text. All units of measurement should be clearly identified and the label should match exactly with the reference in the text and in the list of tables and figures at the beginning of the Dissertation. There are a few simple rules to the use of tables and figures: 1. Each table or figure should only make one or two points. Do not try to squash a mass of information into one table, use several. 2. Present the table or figure electronically rather than drawing by hand. Ensure that shading or colours reproduce clearly so that the table or figure is easy to interpret 3. Ensure that the table or figure can fit on one side of A4; if not then it probably needs to be re-designed 4. Give the table or figure a heading that describes its contents, and not simply results of q12 5. Quote the source of the table or figure if it is taken from another author 6. Number tables and figures separately and in series within each chapter. Thus, table 5.1, figure 5.1 etc. 6.4 Style Guidance: Abbreviations Abbreviations should be used sparingly as they confuse the flow of the Dissertation. Any acronyms that are not widely understood should be written out in full on the occasion of their first use with the abbreviation in brackets, and then only the abbreviation used. A full list of all abbreviations used should be provided at the beginning of the Dissertation. Three simple rules: 1. No full stops in the abbreviation for words that have an initial capital letter - e.g. UK, US, EEC, OECD, BBC, UN 2. No full stops in the abbreviation for words where the last letter of the abbreviation is the last letter of the word e.g. Dr Mr Mrs St but Prof. 3. Full stops to be used in the abbreviation for phrases or single words e.g. i.e., op.cit., pp., vol., no. 14

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

6.5 Editing and Presentation This is of critical importance for your Dissertation. You cannot expect to receive an academic qualification if you do not demonstrate an ability to develop your arguments clearly and accurately. Simple rules: 1. Check the spelling and grammar carefully. Make sure your spellchecker is set to UK English. 2. Read your drafts several times before submitting them to your supervisor 3. Ask someone else to read your draft before submitting it to your supervisor. A fresh pair of eyes can often see mistakes that you have become immune to. 4. Check the logical flow of the arguments. Write down the key stages of your argument and ensure that there is a logical path between the various steps. Can you explain this pathway to another person? 5. Review the layout and overall presentation of the completed dissertation before submitting it.

Assessment Criteria

The specific criteria your Dissertation or project will be assessed against are shown in the module documentation, and reproduced below. The Dissertation is assessed on the extent to which: 1. the author identifies an appropriate topic for research and locates it in a wider context and examines it critically. 2. the Dissertation is based on a clear and comprehensive set of research methods which identify and collect appropriate data to test an hypothesis or research question. 3. clear and relevant conclusions and recommendations are drawn about the topic, and the extent to which these are related to the broader tourism context. 4. the Dissertation demonstrates the ability to plan and manage a programme of investigation amidst other competing pressures. 5. the Dissertation demonstrates a full command of the English language, the ability to set out complex arguments with clarity, and contains appropriate tables, diagrams etc, and is clearly presented and fully referenced. Remember that you must state the number of words (1.6.3) and you will be penalised if you exceed the word limit by more than 10%. Our general expectations for written work also apply in determining the mark. They are set out in the Course Handbook, and reproduced below. Expectations Applied When Marking Written Submissions 80% An outstanding answer in every regard, with exceptional command of the material asked for. Nothing more could reasonably be expected of the student within the constraints under which work was prepared. Excellent answer with high level of analysis, excellent referencing and evidence of wide knowledge of the subject, sound and original conclusions, and high quality presentation. Sound answer to the set question showing good knowledge of the subject and displaying a well-rounded understanding of the issues involved. Detailed mark depends on how well the criteria have been met and the standard of presentation. Answer tends to be more descriptive than analytical, and while information is provided it is not always relevant to the question. A basic understanding of the subject is however still shown. Again, detailed mark depends on how well the 15

70% -79%

60% -69%

50% -59%

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

criteria are met and the presentation standard of the answer. 40% - 49% Fail. Some information relevant to the question is given, but the approach is muddled or incomplete. While some elements of the question are answered, the basic knowledge level is insufficient. However, in some cases, a pass standard could be reached with relatively slight improvement. In others, fundamental aspects of the question may be missed, or major areas of the subject may be absent, with no indication of a real grasp of the issues involved. Outright fail due to failing to understand or answer the question as set. The work provides little relevant information and is unstructured and often irrelevant. Irredeemable answer without further major work.

< 39%

Remember that there are severe penalties for lateness see your Student Handbook, Essential Information for Students, or Postgraduate Office website. Note also that you will also receive a mark of zero if you plagiarise from other publications and/or the Internet.

Time Management

A final word about the way in which you organise your time throughout the year. We ask you to submit a preliminary idea and then a more detailed research proposal quite early, to ensure that you begin to think about your Dissertation as soon as possible. The sequence of classes over the year is intended to help and encourage you to keep making progress with your work. As your work develops you may want to adjust the focus of your research, and amend your aims, research questions and title. Thats fine but you should discuss changes and their rationale with your supervisor. It is a cruel fact that the Dissertation will be a lot more important to you than to anyone else. You should expect that survey respondents will not reply by your deadline, that people will not return phone calls and that someone else will always have the book you want from the library. You must accept that this is part of the process of research and of writing a Dissertation. Problems like this will not be accepted as an excuse for failing to submit work on time. The way to deal with these potential problems is through careful time planning. Computers crash at the most inopportune moment. This may be perverse, but it seems to be a fundamental truth. You should make back ups on disks or external drives at least weekly, and it is advisable to give a copy to a friend, or to email copies of your work to your parents/friends or to yourself at a web mail account like gmail. A flash drive will allow you to copy your files easily and store them robustly. Printing any documents with graphs or tables also increases the likelihood of problems, so time should be allowed for disasters. Mitigating circumstances are not normally given for any computer or printing problems, so do not aim to print on the eve of the submission date.

Summary

This handbook has explained the way to select a suitable research topic, focus the research and then structure your Dissertation. It includes some tips, many learnt from the bitter taste of experience, that should prove useful. However, the handbook can provide you with only the minimum of information to guide you in your Dissertation. It is essential that you attend all the classes, read extensively and maintain a close relationship with your supervisor. The tourism team have many years experience of conducting research and supervising Dissertations, and invite you to utilise their experience - but ultimately the responsibility for managing the Dissertation is yours.

Websites

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MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

The Universitys Infolinx site provides extensive access to electronic and Internet resources. That should be your starting point. Some other trustworthy sites that might provide useful information are: World Tourism Organisation World Travel and Tourism Council Association of National Tourist Offices Visit Britain Wales Tourist Board VisitScotland Association British Travel Agents British Hospitality Association European Tour Operators Association Travel Trade Gazette Government Statistics Tourism Statistics British Incoming Tour Operators Association Association for Tourism in Higher Education United States Tour Operators Association International Congress & Convention Association Business Visits & Events Partnership International Association of Professional Conference Organisers Destination Marketing Association International Professional Convention Management Association www.unwto.org www.wttc.org www.tourist-offices.org.uk www.visitbritain.com www.tourism.wales.gov.uk www.visitscotland.net www.abtanet.com www.bha-online.org.uk www.etoa.org www.subscription.co.uk/cc/ccirc1.asp?card=webtg www.statistics.gov.uk www.staruk.com www.bitoa.co.uk www.tourismeducation.org www.ustoa.com www.iccaworld.com www.businesstourismpartnership.com www.iapco.org www.destinationmarketing.org www.pcma.org

International Association of Congress Centres www.aipc.org

But remember, you should be using academic databases and academic sources as your main sources.

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MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Appendix 1: Structure for Preliminary Research Proposal

Typed: maximum two sheets A4.

University of Westminster

MA Tourism Management Dissertation: Preliminary Proposal

Submit to: Andrew Smith Student Name: 1 Proposed Title of Project:

2 Research Objectives: (What do you want to achieve?)

3 Preliminary observations on availability of background reading, secondary data sources and ideas for primary research

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MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

University of Westminster

MA Conference & Events Management Dissertation: Preliminary Proposal

Submit to: Simon Curtis Student Name: 1 Proposed Title of Project:

2 Research Objectives: (What do you want to achieve?)

3 Preliminary observations on availability of background reading, secondary data sources and ideas for primary research

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Appendix 2: Dissertation Poster Presentations

Introduction

The purpose of the presentations is for you to summarise the main issues to be investigated in your Dissertation, based on your aims and the findings from the literature review set out the research methods you propose to use identifying their advantages and disadvantages, and appraising their feasibility

What is a poster presentation?

Poster presentations are commonly used at academic and professional conferences to allow researchers to display and explain their research to delegates. A summary of research work is set out on a poster-sized sheet, affixed to the wall. Delegates can circulate and look at work that interests them. The researcher is on hand to discuss and explain particular points.

Advantages of poster presentations

For delegates

Delegates can review all the research on display quickly, and then focus on those posters (projects) that most interest them. This has advantages over a series of oral presentations, which inevitably require delegates to spend the same amount of time on each presentation, whatever their interests. For presenters Requires succinct summaries of the main issues in the research a helpful aid to focusing on what really matters Develops non-verbal presentation skills Provides feedback and discussion from several sources

Your presentations

You will be provided with an A1 card poster (A1 is the size of 8x A4 sheets). The poster must cover the issues and proposed research methods as set out in s1, above. They should be professionally, neatly and attractively set out. Bear in mind that people will be looking at the posters from some distance away, and will be reviewing them quickly in the first instance. Limit the material that you display, and choose an appropriate typeface and font size at least 20. Sans serif fonts like Helvetica generally look more professional. We will photograph the posters for our records, so it is essential that they are clear and that a suitable typeface and font are used. Make use of bullet pointed lists and summaries. Creative use of illustrations, charts or diagrams as well as text will be welcome. Summarising complex issues briefly is an important skill, and the posters will help you develop it. On the day, members of the Tourism team will review and assess all the posters. We will look over the posters in the morning, and in the afternoon discuss each poster with its presenter. The quality of the poster presentation and its defence by the presenter forms part of the assessment. In addition, you are also strongly encouraged to review and comment on one anothers posters - there will be much you can learn. 20

MA Tourism Management / MA Conference & Events Management: Dissertation Research Handbook

Practicalities
The poster presentation is part of the assessment for the progress element of the Dissertation, as set out in the Module Guide. I will confirm the room later. It will have sufficient wall and circulation space for all posters to be displayed. Posters must be set up in the room in advance of the poster. They will be reviewed by staff without students being present. Comments on one anothers work should of course observe the 4 Cs: Critical and Challenging but Courteous and Constructive. I will provide you with posters. If you mess them up, you must replace at your own expense.

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Appendix 3: The Role of the Supervisor

Introduction These guidelines are intended to clarify what your supervisor expects of you and what you can expect of them, to mutual benefit. They are also intended to promote equity, so that all students can expect a similar level of support. Please bear in mind they provide guidance and do not set out rigid rules. As in any working relationship, there is some scope for negotiation. Your supervisor wants to support you in your work, and in return expects you to treat them in a considerate and courteous way. Failure to attend booked tutorials, failure to produce work as promised or late submission of work for review will mean that a request for extra help is much less likely to be agreed to. Remember that the help you get depends on what you are willing to put in the responsibility to produce a good Dissertation is yours, not your supervisors. Finally, please bear in mind that we are all very busy and that we may well not be available during the vacation time to read your work or hold tutorials.

What you can expect of your supervisor

Your supervisor will: Meet regularly with you at pre-arranged times Support you generally in your work on the Dissertation Offer advice on the topic generally; work programming; making use of the literature; research methods; and analysis Review and advise on draft questionnaires and other research instruments Review and advise on draft chapters Your supervisor will not: Give a tutorial unless the meeting is pre-arranged Normally give a tutorial unless you have previously submitted, in good time, written work to discuss Provide a detailed list of references for your literature review Review work that is submitted only at the last minute Re-write questionnaires or other research instruments Make detailed corrections to English and grammar (although they will tell you when there are problems)

What is expected of you

You should: Show a consistent high level of commitment Create a work programme, and work to it Provide written work for review in a timely fashion Agree regular meetings with your supervisor, and attend them Plan ahead for the tutorials you will need, rather than attempt to arrange them at the last minute Make full use of the library facilities, including Infolinx and the librarians, when researching secondary sources You must not: Expect to be able to arrange an instant tutorial Normally expect your supervisor to provide research contacts for you Send out questionnaires or approach any external organisation or company without your supervisors prior agreement Miss a tutorial

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Appendix 4 Arrangements for supervision over the summer vacation

A substantial part of your summer vacation (more properly vacation) will be spent working on the Dissertation. You will have continued support from your supervisor over the summer period but you must bear in mind that they will have a series of other obligations. During the vacation we are always busy with preparations for the next academic year and with research and writing. We also like to take some leave! In order to have the supervision you need over the summer: Expect your supervisor to be on leave and/or out of contact for some time over the summer vacation. Find out from them when that will be, and build it into your work programme. Expect your supervisor to be working at home for much of the vacation. Ensure that you can contact each other by email, and arrange meetings well in advance. Agree a work programme for the summer with your supervisor as soon as possible, and certainly before the end of term. Build into it agreed milestones - times and dates for contact with your supervisor either in person or by email. Ensure that each milestone marks the completion of some element of the project e.g. submission of a draft chapter. Anticipate matters on which you may need advice, and plan a session to discuss them. Inevitably, many of us will be away in late August and early September as the deadline looms. Remember that the Research Project Handbook gives detailed advice about style and presentation. Use it and do not expect your supervisor to provide answers that are in the handbook. Remember that the quality of the project and hence the mark awarded will depend crucially on the depth of analysis and tightness of the argument, and the clarity with which ideas and arguments are presented (see the assessment criteria). To make the most of your work you will need to review and edit a draft; then do so again; and again; and again The editing process can make the crucial difference between a good and a very good or excellent submission. Build in plenty of time for it. Your supervisor will comment on draft chapters, but you must agree with them when the drafts will be submitted and allow a reasonable time for reading and comment normally a few days. They will only comment on each chapter once; make sure you have a good, well thought out draft before submitting it They will not comment on a complete draft of the whole dissertation Remember that we are pretty wonderful but not miracle workers. We cannot help you make substantial improvements unless you submit your work in a planned way and in good time

There is always at least one member of the team on duty over the vacation, and they will be in the University on a couple of days per week. If you have a serious and unexpected problem whilst your supervisor is on leave, whoever is on duty will offer the best help and advice they can. However they will be very busy with other things: please do not abuse this support by seeking routine advice from them.

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