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Course profile

Industry Research and Consultancy (TOUR7000)

Study period
Sem 2 2024
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Business School

This course presents both the managerial and technical perspectives of research design and data collection to support decision making in tourism, hospitality and event organisations. Students will learn about the process of conducting an industry research project including designing, bidding for, and implementing, a research project. Topics include interpreting and analysing data and information from a number of sources; market research and project evaluation; applied research methods and data gathering techniques and basic approaches to the presentation of data.

Thisᅠcourse introduces students to research design, implementation, data presentation and communication of research findings with a particular emphasis on the methods most commonly used in tourism, hospitality and event research. The focus will be on applied research and students will learn how to interpret, evaluate, summarise and translate research for use in industry and consulting contexts. Students will implement their knowledge through assignments that involve real consultancy projects.

Course requirements

Assumed background

It is assumed that students taking this course have at least completed a semester of study before attempting this course.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

8 units of MTHEM #24 or #32 courses

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

TALM6102 or 6106 or 7102 or TOUR6005

Course contact

Course staff

Lecturer

Tutor

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:

Full Name

Student ID

Course Code

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to present both the managerial and technical perspectives of research design and data collection to support decision making in tourism, hospitality and event organisations.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Develop knowledge of research methodologies commonly used in industry research.

LO2.

Design a project to address a research problem in a tourism, hospitality or events context.

LO3.

In teams, apply the skills and competencies to successfully develop and manage a client-based project.

LO4.

Critically evaluate and reflect on key elements of high-quality research project.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Participation/ Student contribution, Project, Reflection Industry Research Project
  • Team or group-based
60% - Team (40%) Individual (20%)

20/08/2024

15/10/2024

22/10/2024

Quiz Online Quiz
  • Online
40%

1/10/2024 5:00 pm

During seminar.

Assessment details

Industry Research Project

  • Team or group-based
Mode
Activity/ Performance, Oral, Written
Category
Participation/ Student contribution, Project, Reflection
Weight
60% - Team (40%) Individual (20%)
Due date

20/08/2024

15/10/2024

22/10/2024

Other conditions
Peer assessment factor, Work integrated learning.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Throughout the semester you will be working in teams of 5-6 students to deliver an industry research project. Your team is required to provide high-quality materials, procedures and practices that represent the professional execution of the project. Working collaboratively, your team is responsible for delivering the project according to the specific requirements outlined by the industry client. 

This task is spread across the semester with key milestones and assessment submissions required as detailed below.

Week 1: you will receive the project tender brief, which will outline the project’s objectives and expectations 

Week 2 and Week 3: industry client meetings will be scheduled to discuss and clarify any project-related matters. It is crucial to establish and maintain a professional client relationship throughout the project duration.

Week 5: Proposal (10%)

All teams submit a maximum 2-page project proposal (excluding references). Your team’s proposal must include the following details:

1. Describing the research problem, and proposing the overall research aim and several objectives

-         Provide an overview of the research problem discussed by the clients.

-         Propose an overall research aim and several relevant research objectives for your project.

2. A brief literature review on key concepts related to the topic.

3. A clear research design that could address your research objectives, including a plan for data collection, sampling strategies that are used for data collection, and brief timeline.

4. Reference list

Note: There is no minimum reference number requirement, but you should have enough references to demonstrate your knowledge of the topic and justify your research design of the report.

Week 12: Report (20%)

All teams submit a 4000-word written report, which includes all the details of the project, including project aim and objectives, literature review, methods (data collection and data analysis), results, discussion with the recommendation for clients, limitation, and conclusion.

It is critical that a concerted effort is made to demonstrate a clear link between the research design, implementation, and data analysis. When preparing your report, ensure it follows a structured format and adheres to the provided sub-headings.

Week 13: Poster presentation (10%)

Each team is required to present a poster related to their project during the seminar in Week 13.

Note: all team members need to be in attendance and participate in this seminar.

References should be in APA style (click the hyperlink)

Be very careful to avoid plagiarism. Information on Academic integrity and student conduct is available on the Library web site (click the hyperlink)

AI statement:

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Translation (MT)technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools. 

Criteria & Marking

A Marking Guide with criteria and weighting is provided on Blackboard under the Assessment tab. 

Submission

You will be submitting your proposal and report through Turnitin. Further details of the Task, and material to support your work, will be available on our course Blackboard site.

Teamwork evaluation and reflection will be assessed at two stages (mid-term review, and final review). Collaborative skills are a basic graduate attribute that all students should enter the workplace with.

The assessment criteria for collaborative skills are:

1. Contribution – team member contributed to the process required to complete the assignment.

2. Knowledge – team member contributed knowledge, opinions, and skills to team discussions and work completion.

3. Collaboration & Communication – team member collaborated and communicated with others in the team and fulfilled their individual roles within the team.

4. Responsibility – team member accepted responsibility for the team’s assignment outcome. 

More details will be provided in the blackboard.

Submission guidelines

You will submit your proposal and final report through the Turnitin link located in the Blackboard Assessment Folder.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Online Quiz

  • Online
Mode
Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
Category
Quiz
Weight
40%
Due date

1/10/2024 5:00 pm

During seminar.

Other conditions
Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes
L01, L04

Task description

Task Description:

  • This is an open book exam. You will have access to your own notes, seminars, course texts, and other materials. 
  • This Exam will consist of Single Answer Questions, Multiple Answers Questions, Matching Questions, and Ordering Questions, etc.
  • It will cover materials presented in Week 1 to Week 9, including lectures and related chapters from Veal 2018 (or 2011).
  • The Exam access will be open during the Lecture Time in Week 10.
  • You will have 60 minutes to complete all questions. The Exam is set to close after 60 minutes regardless of your beginning time. Please begin the Exam on time if you want to use full 60 minutes.
  • You will have one attempt ONLY. You will not be able to save your progress and exit once you have started - thus you must complete this assessment in one sitting.
  • If you accidentally close the window or lose your internet connection, you will be able to go back into the Exam and continue with your questions in the time remaining
  • If you experience any technical difficulties, be sure to take screenshots or photographs to show what has happened.

Practice Quiz:

  • A Practice Quiz will be available so that you can test the download speed of your device before you do the REAL Exam
  • The Practice Quiz is not practice of the context of the REAL Exam, but shows the question types that you can expect
  • If the speed or reliability of the Internet at your home is not good or not predictable, It is RECOMMENDED that you plan to do the Quiz on campus, or contact IT for help.

Academic Integrity:

  • The normal academic integrity rules apply - check Course Help (Academic Integrity Rules)
  • You are NOT permitted to consult any other person – whether directly, online, or through any other meansabout any aspect of the quiz questions or answers during the period that this assessment is available.
  • If it is found that you have given or sought outside assistance with this examination, then that will be deemed to be cheating.
  • This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
  • Undertaking this exam deems your commitment to UQ’s academic integrity pledge as summarised in the following declaration:
  • “I certify that I have completed this examination in an honest, fair and trustworthy manner, that my submitted answers are entirely my own work, and that I have neither given nor received any unauthorised assistance on this examination”.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Late submission

Exams submitted after the end of the submission time will incur a late penalty.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 0 - 29

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

2 (Fail) 30 - 46

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

3 (Marginal Fail) 47 - 49

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

4 (Pass) 50 - 64

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

5 (Credit) 65 - 74

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

6 (Distinction) 75 - 84

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

7 (High Distinction) 85 - 100

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Learn (Blackboard)
All courses are supported by the UQ Learning Management System, Blackboard Learn, which provides an interactive environment for the students and teachers. This is accessible via PC or Mac or Mobile (Apps) environment.
To log on to Blackboard, go to https://learn.uq.edu.au.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1
Seminar

Intro: Research and consulting project

This session will provide an introduction to the course and an overview of the growth, value and nature ofindustry research and consultancy.

Learning outcomes: L01

Week 2
Seminar

Research problems and project design

This session will outline how to conceptualise and refine research problems, including formulating research aims and questions. It also provides an overview of the steps involved in the project process.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 3
Seminar

Research methods and secondary data

This session will outline the pros and cons of different research methods. It will outline the use of secondary data in research projects and how best to utilise secondary sources of data.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 4
Seminar

Qualitative methods & data collection

This session will provide an introduction to the qualitative research methodology, focusing on personal interviews and focus groups as common data collection tools.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 5
Seminar

Quantitative methods & data collection

This session provides an introduction to the quantitative methodology and surveys as a common data collection tool.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 6
Seminar

Research ethics & teamwork evaluation

This session will provide an overview of some of the issues and problems in undertaking industry research projects including ethics, codes of conduct and professionalism. Teamwork evaluation will also be discussed.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 7
Seminar

Quantitative data analysis & project development

This session will provide an overview of quantitative data analysis techniques and appropriate forms to communicate research findings to audience.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 8
Seminar

Qualitative data analysis & project development

This session will provide an overview of qualitative data analysis techniques and appropriate forms to communicate research findings to audience.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 9
Seminar

Reporting & project management

This session will provide an overview of project reporting, and discuss project management.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Mid Sem break
No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Semester Break

Learning outcomes: L04

Week 10
Seminar

Quiz & Project development

This session has an online quiz and a session for project development.

Learning outcomes: L01, L04

Week 11
Seminar

Lab experiment in tourism research

This session will discuss lab experiment in tourism research.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04

Week 12
Seminar

Preparation for final delivery

This session prepares for the project final delivery to industry partners.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 13
Seminar

Poster presentation and industry feedback

Team project final delivery.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.