Week 5(a) gather and -present_product_information

GATHER AND PRESENT
PRODUCT INFORMATION
D1.HGE.CL7.02
D1.HGA.CL6.04
Slide 1
DEDY WIJAYANTO
Gather and Present Product Information

Subject Elements
This unit comprises three Elements:
 Gather and organise information
 Research and analyse information
 Present information
Slide 2Gather and Present Product Information

Gather and organise
information
Element 1

Gather and organise information
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Gather and organise information in a
format suitable for analysis, interpretation
and dissemination in accordance with
organisational requirements and relevant
legislation codes and standards
 Access and assess information held by the
organisation for accuracy and relevance
in line with established organisational
requirements

Gather and organise information
 Ensure methods of collecting information
are reliable and make efficient use of
resources in accordance with
organisational requirements
 Use business technology to access,
organise
and monitor information in accordance with
 Update, modify, maintain and store
information

Importance of information
The hospitality and tourism industry is one of
the largest industries in the world and for
many countries is its major economy and
employer.
Industry knowledge is a vital pre-requisite for
effective performance within the industry.

For all businesses within the hospitality and
tourism industry, it is important to have up-to-
date information so you can:
 Talk to customers about industry-specific
events, trends and happenings
 Plan your career as opportunities present
themselves
 Know when you need to update your
training
 Cultivate and maintain a professional
interest in what is truly a profession Slide 7Gather and Present Product Information

 Communicate effectively with colleagues and
management who have themselves kept up-to-date
 Learn new techniques
 Develop a broader appreciation of what the industry is
all about
 Understand who the key players are, and how they
operate

Types of industry information
Main categories of information
The two main categories of information that
all staff should know relate to:
 The Tourism and Hospitality Industry
 Their specific role

Tourism and Hospitality industry
sectors
Accommodation
This sector includes but is not limited to:
 Hotels and motels
 Guest houses and bed and breakfasts
 Caravan parks and camping grounds
 Resorts and time share properties
 Apartments, villas and cottages
 Conference and exhibition centres

sectors
Attractions and theme parks
This sector includes but not limited to:
 Museums and galleries
 National parks, wildlife parks and gardens
 Theme parks
 Heritage sites and centres
 Sports activity centres
 Aquariums and zoos

sectors
Tour operators
 A tour operator typically organises sightseeing tours and
accommodation in a particular destination or region
Inbound tour wholesaler
 An inbound tour wholesaler packages products to form a
trip for an overseas market travelling to your countr

sectors
Outbound tour wholesaler
 An outbound tour wholesaler negotiates product from
International Suppliers for clients in your country travelling
to an international destination
Retail travel agents
 A retail travel agent is the go-between between the client
and the wholesaler

sectors
Local, regional and national information services
 These information services exist to assist the public and
travel agents in obtaining knowledge and information on a
particular region from the experts
Meetings and events
 These companies organise meetings,
conferences and major events by
booking flights, accommodation,
tours and the meeting facilities

Tourism and Hospitality
industry sectors
Corporate agents
 This sector tenders for travel accounts from large,
medium and small sized businesses
Airlines
 Airlines own the planes and sell seats to all
sectors in the travel industry

Information relating to job roles
Not only is it important for all
persons working in the industry to
understand their industry and sector
within it, but also to collect
information that relates to their
specific job roles.

Career prospects
This includes being able to have a clear
understanding of:
 Your development path within the industry
 Your next career step including need for:
 training
 experience
 qualifications

Employment obligations and entitlements
You can obtain information regarding your employment
obligations and entitlements from a combination of:
 The employment instrument you are employed under
 The job description for your role
 The job specification for your position
 Talking to your employer about their
expectations of your work

Product Knowledge
Product knowledge embodies knowledge about:
 Products sold
 Services provided
 Facilities available
 Operating procedures and conditions
of the business

Information relating to job
roles
‘Quality assurance’ (QA)
This is a term used to systematically measure
and compare aspects of operations within a
business against operational standards of
performance.
‘Total Quality Management’ (TQM)
This is a philosophy of management that is
driven by customer needs and expectations to
provide a process of excellence.

Other job related information
 Union and employer concerns
 Legislative and political changes
 Service, product and facility initiatives
 What else is important to know in relation
to your job role?

Sources of information
There are a number of sources that will be a great starting
point to get an overview of the industry as a whole:
 Colleagues, supervisors and managers
 Representatives
 Developing your own industry network
 Conferences and seminars
 Product launches
 Asking someone to be your mentor

Information services
Most information services are fee-for-service providers.
This means it costs money to use their services for:
 E-newsletters
 Fact Sheets
 Updates
 Guides
 Information Sheets
 Over-the-phone advice

Written materials
 Trade magazines
 Hotel school publications
 Newsletters
 Brochures
 Advertisements
 Reference books

Government and Industry bodies
The ASEAN region, whilst working collectively to
achieve a primary purpose of attracting tourism
to the region as a whole, each participating
government will also have their own websites
and departments in which to collect information.

 A range of industry specific bodies have
been established to cater to the needs
of industry
 What tourism industry bodies do you
know of?

Their goal is to ensure the tourism industry:
 Provides a safe and secure offering to its
customers
 Is regulated and operates in a legal and
compliant manner
 Provides quality products and services to its
customers
 Employs staff who have the necessary
knowledge, skill relevant to the current
industry needs and expectations

Pertanyaan untuk latihan
Gather and Present Product Information 28

Pertanyaan untuk latihan

Ministries of Tourism
The Ministry may co-ordinate special initiatives including:
 Selecting and managing heritage sites
 Dedication and allocation of government funding to
tourism initiatives
 Providing information on news laws and
regulations
 Establishing service excellence awards
 Publishing and managing tenders for
tourism projects

Tourism Boards
The primary task of tourism boards is to coordinate the
efforts of hotels, airlines and travel agents to develop the
fledging tourism industry of the country.
Industry Authorities
Authorities are established, either by a
government or working closely with
government to provide services relating to
the tourism industry.

Industry Associations
These bodies provide businesses with a variety of services
which can include:
 Representing the industry
 Legal advice
 Training
 Industry standards and benchmarks
 Cost savings

Industry Unions
In the same way that industry associations represent the
interests of business, the unions represent the interests of
employees.

Obtaining information
 The key to obtaining information is for you to be
proactive. It is highly unlikely most information will seek
you out, so you have to go and find it
 Obtaining the information you need is a matter of applying
yourself to the sources identified

 Subscribing to, and reading, industry magazines,
newsletters, updates
 Picking and reading through the local and city
newspapers
 Getting on Internet e-mail lists
 Receiving newsletters and updates
 Joining your local union or industry
association to receive regular material
 Reading books on the industry sector
that you are working in

Getting out and having a look around to see:
 What’s happening
 What people are doing
 What the competition is doing
 What people are doing and saying

Keys when gathering information:
 Display a friendly attitude towards people
 Use an appropriate tone of voice and volume
 Ask clear and concise questions.

Monitoring current issues
It is important to note though, the collection of information is
most powerful when used to gain an understanding of current
issues that are important to the success of the operation:
 What are current issues of importance?
 Why are they important?
 How can you monitor them?

Monitoring current issues
In order to keep up-to-date with industry issues impacting
within your workplace:
 Conduct constant internet research
 Attend all meetings and discuss relevant issues
 Monitor the media
 Read about it in the journals and on-line
subscriptions detailed in this manual
 Talk to supervisors and management
 Talk to customers

Tourism industry statistics and
trends
Given the tourism and hospitality industry is one of the
largest industries in the world, it is not surprising to learn
that they are numerous sources devoted to industry news,
trends and statistics.

Types of industry statistics and
trends
Industry Statistics
Industry statistics are popular amongst both employees
within the tourism industry and also end consumers.
Statistics prove a ‘snapshot’ of important information
which can be examined and applied to:
 Improve business operations
 Attract new markets
 Build confidence in the eyes of a consumer

trends
Industry Statistics
 Types of tourism businesses
 Types and demographics of customers
 Top destinations
 Hotel occupancy percentages
 Reasons for stays
 Current industry information
 Destination countries

trends
Industry Statistics
 Departure months
 Length of stay
 Type of organisation for the trip
 Transport mode
 Accommodation type
 Expenditure
 Popular tourist attractions

trends
Industry Trends
Understanding of current industry trends helps operators
within the tourism and hospitality industry gain an
understanding of what may take in the future.
This helps to determine strategy and develop a
competitive advantage over competitors.

trends
Industry Trends
 Great comparison-shopping by consumers
 Tourism related applications ‘apps’
 Women-only floors
 Budget lodging at private accommodation
 Unusual one-off experiences and
mini-vacations
 App creators breaking through
language barriers

trends
Industry Trends
 Websites offering personalized activities and tours
 Using smart-phones as room keys
 Booking agents to overlay the social graph, asking users to
sign in with their social media accounts for
the opportunity to hand-pick desirable
seating arrangements
 VIP treatment at amusement parks

Operational Information
 Most tourism and hospitality organisations will collect
information on a daily basis, from a variety of sources
 This information aims to provide managers with vital
information relating to operations
 It also helps staff in determining possible
work demands or requirements

Some of this information may relate to:
 Current operations
 Projected operations
 Past operational performance

The collection of information is helpful when:
 Providing destination and specific product information and
advice
 Providing specific information and advice about the
credentials of an operator
 Selling products and services to the customer
 Preparing quotations
 Booking and coordinating a supplier
service for the customer

 Receiving and processing a reservation from a customer
 Processing financial transactions
 Issuing customer travel documentation
 Issuing crew documentation or technical itineraries
 Organising functions

 Processing and monitoring meeting or event registrations
 Purchasing promotional products
 Hiring special equipment

Types of information
Specific informational details in relation to products may
include:
 Costs, tariffs and rates
 Additional taxes and levies imposed
 Currency applied to the cost
 Terms, conditions and rules
 Scheduling information

 Product codes
 Booking procedures
 Point of departure
 Route taken
 Point of conclusion or disembarkation

 Touring inclusions and exclusions
 Technical specifications for audiovisual and other
meetings and events equipment
 Specifications for products to be branded
with corporate details

Collecting Operational Information
There are a number of ways to collect information relating to
operational effectiveness including:
 Reports
 Obtaining customer feedback
 Using a pretend customer
 Walking about the premises and observing
 Use of checklists
 Brainstorming sessions
 Staff input and review

Customer Information
Understanding customers and their preferences is a very
important aspect of a business.
Therefore being able to collect information is very important to
understand:
 What your business is doing well to meet their needs
 Identify where improvements can be made

Formal feedback
 Customer comment cards
 General Manager cocktail parties
 Interviews and follow up calls
 Meetings
 Performance reviews

Informal feedback
This information may come in the form of ‘gossip’ or ‘through
the grapevine’, however is the provider of the largest amount
of feedback.
This includes:
 General discussion
 Observations

Labour issues
 Pay rates
 The ability to recruit sufficient and properly trained or
experienced staff
 Working conditions
 Training
 Mandatory licensing and certification
requirements
 Superannuation and Insurance
 Disciplinary and dismissal procedures

Government initiatives
 Creating advertising campaigns to promote certain
locations or industry sectors
 Funding training initiatives in certain trades or roles
 Encouraging overseas workers
 Amending or introducing legislation
 Introducing changes to
Industrial Relations legislation
 Specific government initiatives

Emerging markets
 Spa resorts and the emergence of the well-being industry
 Fast food
 Recognition of ‘grey power’ and their potential for
spending
 Increase in the growth of ‘action’ holidays
 Emphasis on domestic travel as
opposed to internal travel

Environmental and social concerns
 Waste management, recycling of materials and a
reduction in energy and resource consumption
 Noise and air quality
 Sustainable tourism activities
 Respect for indigenous lands and cultures
 Responsible advertising of hospitality
products and services

Environmental and social concerns
 Complying with legislated service requirements
(alcohol, gaming, tobacco) to minors
 Social awareness towards alcohol and gaming
problems
 Ensure discrimination in the provision of
hospitality services does not occur
 Accommodating local concerns
into the standard operating procedures
 Changes or requirements to planning
requirements

Industry expansion or retraction
 The business remains in the sector it currently occupies
 Set new directions, new target markets and revised goals
 To quit the industry and move into a new industry
 To invest in additional buildings, plant, stock
 To recruit new staff or to begin staff reductions
 To alter the focus of their training programs
 To change promotional campaigns
 To vary its products and services
 To vary prices

Legal compliance information
The importance of complying with legal requirements cannot
be strongly emphasised.
Failure to meet legally imposed obligations can result in fines
(to you and the business) as well as a whole range of
penalties including closure of the business.

Laws
Laws are a set of principles, rules and standards established
by parliament and enforced by the courts for the regulation of
behaviour in society and the protection of members of
society and their property:
 What laws affect you in the workplace?

Consumer protection issues
These traditionally address increasing the responsibility on
business to protect the interests of the consumer from
unconscionable activities and illegal action:
 How can you ‘protect’ the consumer?

Duty of care
This common law requirement reinforces the responsibility
that all employers and businesses have to provide a safe
workplace and to take appropriate care and action to make
sure that staff, customers and members of the public are not
injured while at the place of business.
 How can you make the workplace safe?

Equal employment opportunity
EEO legislation ensures people are not victimised or
discriminated against of their age, gender, race, disability or
sexual preference in the areas of:
 Employment
 Provision of products and services
 What EEO practices can you introduce?

Workplace relations
Existing HR legislation, systems, structures, terms and
conditions of employment and instruments of employment
are subject to amendment or repeal through the efforts of the
government, employer bodies or unions.
 What are examples of workplace relations?

Privacy
Obligation on employees not to release confidential
information about their customers without their express
consent including:
 Name
 Address
 Phone number
 Buying habits
 Marital status
 Methods of payment
 Purchases

Finding information on legal requirements
You understand the legal requirements of your position and
how to conduct your duties in a legal manner.
Update understanding of legal issues by:
 Asking Human Resources
 Asking Management
 Research internet

Emerging technological trends
 The hospitality and tourism industry is all about
connections
 Connecting people, places and cultures
 Using new technologies, social media, and social
networks can help to foster the connections that we
share

 Technology greatly impacts on all aspects of operations
 The improvements in technology have been immensely
beneficial for the industry
 It has made the world a smaller place and made it easier
for businesses to get in touch with customers

The main ways technology can enhance the industry are:
 Streamline and speed up access and delivery of services
 Improve management and profitability of operations
 Enhance marketing of the industry as a
whole and the businesses within it
 Improve the relationships between
businesses and its customers

Examples of trends
 Standardized set of XML messages for the distribution of
tour and activity data
 Short-term, purely spontaneous travel specials
 Dedicated travel apps
 Sharing of traveller’s personal information
to simplify bookings

Examples of trends
 Advanced travel search engines
 Travellers to find activities and local
content in a mobile optimized environment
 Small business owners to access the
business travel market
 Hotels and resorts to communicate with
guest through on property mobile before,
during, and after their visit to the property

Examples of trends
 Hotels manage their online reputation and social media
 Friends to collaborate and plan trips together
 Travellers research and decide where to go, where to
stay and what to do

Local community information
Ways in which an organisation can benefit the community
includes:
 Employing staff from the community
 Using local suppliers
 Investing in the local community through a range of
programs
 Recommending community businesses

To be able to recommend community businesses, staff should
have a thorough understanding of:
 Local attractions
 Shopping and retail areas
 Events and festivals
 Eateries
 Supermarkets
 Local transport
 Activities
 Places of worship

The best ways to gather community information includes:
 Visiting local businesses and finding out what they provide
 Talking to management and staff
 Collecting and reading brochures
 Keeping up with local media
 Visiting the local Tourist Information Centre
 Attending town meetings
 Looking at notice boards in
shopping centres

Collection of effective information
To date we have explored different types and sources of
information that are essential to enable staff and
management of an organisation operate in a successful
manner.
It is important that the information that is collected is:
 Accurate
 Suited to the needs of their organisation

Data and Information
 Whilst the word ‘information’ has been used to date, in
effect this is the collective term for ‘data’ that has been
collected
 Data is a piece of information that can be collected and
interpreted by an organisation for their use
 What types of data are there?

Types of data
The two most common sources of data are:
 Primary data – collected for a specific purpose
 Secondary data – generic information

Primary data
 Primary research data is newly generated research
information that you yourself or the organisation create
 The need for primary research data commonly arises
because of gaps in the information available through the
secondary research data

Primary data
The most common forms of primary market research for
tourism businesses include:
 Customer surveys
 In-house questionnaires and feedback sheets
 Focus groups
 Electronic responses on the website
 Observation

Primary data
Primary data
Primary data is considered to be either:
 Qualitative research
 Quantitative research

Primary data
Qualitative research
 Qualitative research does not look at numbers
 It tries to find out the reasoning behind certain actions,
procedures, activities or ways of thought.
 It explores reasoning

Primary data
Advantages:
 It provides richness and depth of information
 It provides interactive and snowball brainstorming
 Invites expression of opinions
 Uses open-ended questions designed
to stimulate thinking
 Can be conducted quickly

Primary data
Disadvantages:
 It does not provide a sample of people that is
representative of a target population
 Results are open to subjective interpretation
 Moderator could bias results by steering
group in a set direction
 Dominant group member could sway or
outweigh opinions of other group
participants

Primary data
Quantitative research
 Based on structured, closed-ended questionnaires
 Aims to gather responses that can be summarised in
numbers
 Summarise the information quantitatively or numerically
by percentages, frequencies and averages
 Samples can be larger
 More representative and statistical
techniques can be used to draw
conclusions

Primary data
The main types of quantitative research are:
 Mail survey
 Telephone survey
 Face-to-face interview
 Combination of mail/telephone surveys
 Observation

Primary data
Advantages:
 The objectivity of the results
 Sample can be representative of target population
 Simply structured answers
 Interviewer bias is not such a problem
 More cost effective
 Can measure consumer attitudes,
behaviour and trends over time

Primary data
Disadvantages:
 Sampling difficulties
 Problems with interpretation of reliability and validity
 Well designed research requires a basic
understanding of statistical techniques
 Deriving accurate results depends upon
meaningful questionnaire design

Primary data
Qualitative & Quantitative research
Customer Evaluation Forms
Customer evaluation forms are a perfect example of where
these two types of research are used:
 Quantitative – Where customers are asked to rate
an aspect of the operations between 1 – 5
 Qualitative – Where the customer is asked to
give comments or explanations

Secondary data
Secondary data
 Using information that already exists
 A business can generate secondary research data from
its sales figures, databases from other sources
 Should be used before primary research is undertaken

Secondary data
Main types of secondary data
 Business and industry-specific journals and periodicals
 Trade, professional and business associations
 Government statistics
 Libraries
 Internet
 Government websites
 Private market research firms
 Newspapers and magazines

Using business technology
 All organisations use technology to access, organise and
monitor information that is relevant to the operations
 There is a wide selection of information that can be
collected for a variety of purposes

Information systems
An information system is a way for managers to:
 Assess information needs
 Develop information from existing operations, an internal
audit or current situation analysis, external audit and the
market research process
 Distribute information accurately to
the right person in the right place at
the right time

Information systems
Reports
The most efficient way that information software systems can
help managers is through the collation of data into useful
reports:
 What reports can be produced?

Point of sale systems
Different outlets will use separate equipment to handle
transactions specific to their needs including:
 Cash registers
 Point-of-sale (POS) terminals

Cash registers
A cash register is a machine that is used to accurately record
transactions including:
 Charges
 Methods of payments
 Issue of accounts and receipts
 Store of cash and non-cash payments

Cash registers
X and Z Readings
Cash registers are the most common equipment used in
recording sales.
A summary of takings is obtained through the use of:
 ‘X’ reading
 ‘Z’ Reading

Cash registers
X Reading
 An ‘X’ reading provides an updated reading/report on
all the financial transactions processed through the
cash register/terminal during the shift or day
 An ‘X’ reading can be taken at any stage during a shift
to get an updated summary

Cash registers
Z Reading
 A ‘Z’ reading provides a final report on all the financial
transactions that have been processed through the
register/terminal during the shift or day
 A ‘Z’ reading is only done at the end
of a shift of day

Cash registers
Additional information
More importantly these systems provide useful information
in relation to the day’s trade including a breakdown of, but
not limited to:
 Amount of each item sold
 Financial information including average spends
 Sales taken by each staff member

Internet
The internet is a great source of information which allows
users to gather endless amounts of valuable information
without leaving the workplace:
 Suppliers
 Industry associations
 Government bodies
 Specific properties

Updating information
To keep learning, you must source the most recent and
relevant information about what is happening in:
 The industry in general
 Your sector of interest
 Your workplace department
 Your job

Updating information
You should seek to identify a wide range of issues such as:
 Changing and emerging trends
 New techniques and workplace practices
 New equipment and technology
 New recipes
 Initiatives relating to advertising, marketing
and promotion
 Changes to legislation, regulations & codes
of practice
 Market research information
 Trends
 Activities that the opposition is undertaking

Learning opportunities
Not only is the regular updating information beneficial to the
organisation, it also helps develop your own understanding
and level of knowledge:
 What learning and development activities
can you undertake?

Learning options
 On-the-job
 Staff meetings and briefings
 Undertaking advanced formal studies
 Participating in training courses and seminars
 Keeping tuned in to TV, cable, electronic
media and the Internet
 Doing a relevant correspondence courses

Learning options
 Subscribing to hospitality journals, newsletters and
periodicals
 Becoming a member of an industry association or union
 Attending industry functions, product launches or
promotions
 Trying something new
 Taking time to visit the opposition

Using information
Using information to enhance performance
 To advise customers of up-coming events, specials
 To make recommendations and suggestions
 To provide additional information
 To demonstrate professionalism
 To help make sales

Using information
Using information to enhance performance
 To generate repeat business from customers
 To generate referral business
 To comply with general operational requirements
 To entice the customer to increase
expenditure
 To answer routine questions

Research and
analyse information
Element 2

Research and analyse information
 Define objectives of research clearly and consistently
with organisational requirements
 Ensure data used in research is valid and relevant to
research purposes
 Ensure research strategies are appropriate
to the requirements of the research and
make efficient use of available resources

Research and analyse information
 Ensure methods of data analysis are reliable and
suitable to research purposes
 Ensure assumptions used in analyses are clear,
justified and consistent with research objectives
 Ensure conclusions are supported by evidence and
contribute to the achievement of the
organisation’s goals and objectives

Focusing research
 As can be seen there are many types of information that
can be collected, using a wide array of sources, to address
endless aspects of an operation
 No person can keep abreast of all information. In addition,
each organisation will have different informational needs
and priorities

Focusing research
Therefore instead of collecting information for the sake of it,
there must be a specific purpose and focus on what should be
researched:
 What information is more important to collect than other?

Assessing information needs
The following questions can be of assistance when assessing
information research needs:
 What types of decisions are you regularly called on to make?
 What types of information do you need to make these decisions?
 What types of information do you regularly get?
 What types of special studies do you periodically
request?
 What types of information would you like to get
that you are not now getting?

Assessing information needs
 What information would you want daily? Weekly?
Monthly? Yearly?
 What magazines and trade reports would you like to see
on a regular basis?
 What specific topics would you like to be kept informed
of?
 What types of data analysis programs would
you like to be kept informed of?
 What do you think would be the four most
helpful improvements that could be made
to the present information system?

Research process and plan
A research process is a four step activity:
 Define the research problem and objectives
 Develop the research plan for collecting information
 Implement the research plan by collecting and analysing
the data
 Interpret and report the findings

Defining the research problem
Defining the research problem
The first step is to try to identify exactly where the focus of
research and information collection should be concentrated
on.
XYZ Hotel
For example, XYZ Hotel may examine whether
undertaking a renovation to their accommodation
rooms will lead to greater profits for the
organisation as a whole.

Determining specific research
questions
The research problem and research objectives must then be
translated into specific research questions that address
particular information needs:
 What questions would you have if you were the XYZ
Hotel?

Determining specific research
questions
XYZ Hotel
 What do customers consider value when staying at a hotel?
 Will upgrading our facilities keep current patrons?
 Will upgrading our facilities attract new patrons?
 What specific upgrades will add value to a hotel experience?
 Will upgrading facilities lead to a competitive advantage over the
completion in the area?
 What extra revenue will the customers be willing to pay?
 What are the potential costs of refurbishment?
 What is the expected profitability of upgrading facilities?

Define research objectives
By using research questions as the basis, research objectives
may identified:
 What research objectives would you have if you were the
XYZ Hotel?

Define research objectives
XYZ Hotel
 Identify components of value in the customer’s eyes
 Identify needs of current customers
 Identify what the competition is providing to customers
 Identify products and facilities that can be upgraded
 Identify potential costs of refurbishment, including loss of income
during refurbishment
 Identify timeline and steps associated with refurbishment
 Identify expected profitability of upgrading facilities

Developing the research plan
 Once the objectives have been determined, it is now time
to identify and develop the research plan
 This is the framework in which trying to find the answers to
the research questions and objectives are based

Gathering secondary data
XYZ Hotel:
 Industry journals to identify current trends in hotels
 Statistical information on the industry, its offerings and
market segments
 Discussions with industry bodies relating to projected
activities and areas of concerns in the industry
 Trade magazines and websites to identify
range of products and facilities that can
be upgraded

Gathering primary data
XYZ Hotel:
 Customer surveys to identify customers current satisfaction,
needs and areas of value
 Phone meetings with current and potential customers
 Interviews with customers
 Visiting equipment supplies
 Visiting competitors
 Getting a financial advisor to prepare
financial forecasts
 Getting contractors to prepare a
renovation budget and timeline

Implementing the research plan
Implementing the plan involves collecting, processing, editing
and analysing the data:
 What considerations need to be taken into account when
implementing the research activity?

Implementing the research plan
It is important that all people associated with the research
activity have an understanding of the exercise and what is
expected of them including:
 Objectives of the research project
 Methods of data collection to use
 Timeframes for collecting data
 Budget associated with project
 Communication of findings

Monitor the research plan
When monitoring the progress of the research plan some
suggestions include:
 Start small
 Review research method on a regular basis
 Understand the issues at hand
 Be flexible in research methods
 Focus on answering objectives

Analysing information
Once data has been collected, it is now analysed for the
purpose of shedding light on answering the research
objectives.
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning,
transforming, and modelling data with the goal of:
 Highlighting useful information
 Collecting evidence
 Suggesting conclusions
 Supporting decision making

Analysis of quantitative information
 Make copies of your data
 Tabulate the information, i.e., add up the number of
ratings, rankings, yes's, no's for each question
 For ratings and rankings, consider computing a mean, or
average, for each question
 Consider conveying the range of answers

Analysis of "qualitative" information
 Read through all the data
 Organize comments into similar categories
 Label the categories or themes
 Attempt to identify patterns where people
may have similar feelings or thoughts

Interpret information
The aim of interpreting information is to review all the
information collected with the hope of:
 Providing a summary of key pieces of evidence
 In which assumptions, conclusions and recommendations
be based
 The process is not to find reason or purpose
in all the information collected, but to
methodically compile and interpret
evidence that is relevant

Ensuring clear, justified and consistent
assumptions
Whilst at some stage, the person who collects and interprets
information will have to make some assumptions and then
recommendations based on these, it is important that their
assumptions are as valid and accurate as possible:
 How can you do this?

Ensuring clear, justified and consistent
assumptions
 Trying not to box findings into a solution they think is correct, as
opposed to what is seen as correct
 Don’t draw general conclusions or assumptions based on only
one or two findings
 It is important to have supporting evidence from different sources
 Try to be critical in making assumptions by
trying to find holes or weaknesses in them
 Discuss the findings with another person/s
to see if assumptions are consistent

Report the findings
Now that assumptions have been made in reference to the
information collated and summarised, it is now time to prepare
and record:
 Findings
 Conclusions
 Recommendations

Report the findings
It is essential that:
 Important findings relate to the original research problem
and objectives
 Any recommendations that are made should be based on
factual evidence collected during the data collection
process
 The conclusions presented must be
understandable to management and practical
to the problem at hand

Report the findings
It is essential that:
 The level and scope of content depends on to whom the
report is intended including owners, management,
employees, clients, customers, the public
 Be sure to record the research plans and
activities in a research plan which can be
referenced when a similar research effort
is needed in the future

Element 3
Present information

Present information
 Present recommendations and issues in an appropriate
format, style and structure using suitable business
technology
 Ensure structure and format of reports are clear and
conform to organisational requirements
 Report and distribute research findings in accordance
with organisational requirements
 Obtain feedback and comments on suitability and
sufficiency of findings in accordance with

Presenting findings and
recommendations
 Depending on the nature of the research activity, the
findings may be presented in a wide variety of ways to suit
the importance, formality and intended audience
 Simple research activities may result in findings being
emailed or may require a more formal approach

Presenting findings and
recommendations
Methods of presenting recommendations
Some ways to present information include:
 Formal meetings
 One-on-one or group discussions
 Staff briefings
 E-mail
 Prepare notices for distribution on walls
 Written reports
 Training sessions

Preparing the research report
Where a formal report is required, either to supplement a
verbal meeting or to provide structured and documented
evidence, it is important that it is prepared in a manner that
is:
 Easy to read by a wide base of potential audiences
 In a logical and concise manner

It is important that the research report is documented in a
manner that provides an accurate snapshot of the:
 Purpose of the research activity
 Research objectives
 Research activities
 Evidence collected
 Recommendations and conclusions

Contents of a Research Report
 Title Page
 Table of Contents
 Executive Summary
 Purpose of the Report
 Background Information

Presenting the research report
 Once the appropriate method of presenting
recommendations has been decided, it is now time to
prepare and present the recommendations
 This planning is just as important as the actual research
activity itself

Preparing for the presentation
 Step 1 – Obtain the necessary information for the
presentation
 Step 2 – Work out the structure of the actual presentation
 Step 3 – Arrange all required information in the required
sequence
 Step 4 – Identify the key points that need
to be made in the presentation

 Step 5 – Write a draft presentation (script)
 Step 6 – Practise the draft presentation
 Step 7 – Develop the necessary presentation aids and
materials
 Step 8 – Rehearse the total presentation

Step 1 – Obtain the necessary information for the
presentation
Classify material that you have captured into the three
traditional categories of:
 Must present, must know
 Could present, could know
 Nice to present, nice to know
The focus of the delivery has to be on the
‘must present’ information.

Step 2 – Work out the structure of the actual presentation
The traditional structure of a presentation will generally consist
of three parts:
 An introduction to the presentation
 The main body of the presentation
 Summary
 Question and Answers

Introduction
 Let the audience know what the presentation is going to be
about
 Acknowledge and make reference to any information about
the topic that the audience already has
 Tell the audience what your objectives are
 Give an overview of what you are going to
present
 Advise them of any participation you have
organised for them

Main body
 Keeping focussed on your identified objectives
 Putting the information into context
 Starting with the simple and moving to the more complex
 Integrating A-V and presentation aids into the presentation
 Ensuring a logical flow of information
 Seeking clarity
 Involving the audience

Summary
 This section of the presentation should be quite brief,
summarising the information that was contained in the
main body
 Only key points should be provided in the summary
 Include a set of conclusions, or
recommendations for future action
 ‘Thank you’

Q & A sessions:
 Encourage questions
 Respond enthusiastically
 Don’t get annoyed with one person who asks lots of questions
 Provide concise and accurate answers
 Acknowledge good and incisive questions
 Never be afraid to admit when you don’t
know the answer to a question
 Thank participants for their questions

Step 3: Place the information in order
Ordering your information is a fairly logical process and can
be best achieved if you follow these simple steps:
 Write down a series of subheadings you wish to present in
the main body
 Arrange the subheadings into a logical order
and then number them in a logical sequence
 Use a numbering system

Step 4: Identify key points
The type of key points you select will depend upon the factors
below:
 The objectives you hope to achieve with your presentation
 The type of presentation or occasion
 The type of information you have access to
 The characteristics of the audience
 The depth and breadth of your knowledge
and experience

Step 5: Prepare a draft
 Use headings in your notes
 Keep in mind the objectives
 Consider the audience characteristics
 Use language that has a clear meaning
 Present in an informative and interesting
manner
 Identify where to use visual aids

Step 6: Practise your verbal presentation
You need to practise your verbal presentation by reading it
out aloud to identify:
 Information that does not flow smoothly
 Areas too detailed or wordy
 Sections that are not clear or concise
 Information that is difficult to present verbally
 Areas you just have difficulty with

Step 7 – Develop the necessary presentation aids and
materials
 PowerPoint presentations
 Diagrams, models and charts
 Products, samples and models
 Paper-based materials
 DVDs, slides, overhead projection sheets
 Whiteboards, flip charts, posters
 Video or teleconferences
 DVDs

Step 8: Rehearse the entire presentation
You will need to practise:
 Reading the information
 Showing the visual materials while delivering
the verbal presentation
 Your stance
 The speed and pace of presentation
 Controlling your breathing
 Integrating the roles of other presenters

Preparing the audience in advance
 Once the appropriate method of presenting
recommendations has been decided, it is now time to
distribute findings to the intended audience
 In many cases, it may be wise to distribute written reports
to the audience in advance so they have a chance to
carefully review and discuss the report

Deliver the presentation
Prior to the presentation
Before the actual presentation commences there are several
things you should do to maximise both your chance of
success and the effectiveness of the presentation:
 Check who is attending
 Review the presentation
 Prepare the venue
 Check your personal presentation

Making the presentation
Speech delivery:
 Volume
 Speed or pace of delivery
 Tone, pitch and modulation
 Pronunciation

The message:
 Your objectives are your message
 The presentation needs to stay focussed on this
 Attention should be paid to ensure that the
information prepared is in fact the information
presented

Gestures and facial expressions:
 Smiling is a positive facial expression that will make you look
and feel relaxed
 Try to adopt a stance that you feel comfortable with
 Use your hands only when they are needed
 Try to look relaxed
 Try to use a range of different gestures
and expressions
 Avoid using nervous body movements
but portray enthusiasm

Eye contact:
 Eye contact is an extremely important form of non-verbal
communication
 Try to remember that by maintaining eye contact, it is
possible to personally include members of the audience
into your presentation

Using cue cards
Cue cards can be used in many ways, including:
 To jog your memory
 To remind you of difficult concepts or ideas
 To ensure you remain focussed or on track
 To provide you with an order in which
key points are presented
 To assist you with presenting factual
information, such as figures or statistics

Involving the audience
Involving the audience usually enhances the success of any
presentation because adults generally prefer ‘active’ learning
to ‘passive’ learning:
 How can you involve the audience?
 How can you involve quiet people?

Obtain feedback
In the event that findings are presented in a meeting, it is
important that the audience is able to provide feedback,
suggestions or general comments:
 What is feedback?
 Why is getting feedback important?
 What type of feedback can be given?

Obtain feedback
Feedback could come in the form of:
 Providing general comments
 Providing expert advice
 Providing suggestion
 Providing criticism
 Providing acceptance and approval
 Translate recommendations to action plans

Handle Questions
 There may be a number of questions in which the
audience may want to ask
 Presenters should see questions from audiences as a
positive thing and not as an interruption or a distraction

Handle Questions
Purpose of questions
 Demonstrate the audience is interested and paying
attention
 Provide an extra opportunity for clarify information
 Enable a check to be made on the level of understanding
the audience has
 Facilitate interaction with the audience
 Help make a passive session
into an active one

After the presentation
 Whilst most questions may be clarified during the
presentation, it is unlikely that all questions or actions
required will be resolved
 Where this occurs, you have to arrange to get the required
information to them after the presentation has finished

Follow up activities
 Arranging a follow-up meeting or another presentation
 Posting information on the website
 Mailing hard copy information to individuals

Follow up activities
 Issuing a media release
 Meeting with individuals after the presentation, in the
venue, and discussing things there
 Deciding follow up action resulting from the
recommendations or conclusions in the
research report

Week 5(a) gather and -present_product_information

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