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2021/2022

Bachelor's Degree Final Project

Code: 101239 ECTS Credits: 12
Degree Type Year Semester
2500894 Tourism OB 4 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Anna Zinenko
Email:
Anna.Zinenko@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Olga Bravo Soler

Prerequisites

To get enrolled into this subject it is highly RECOMMENDED to have passed all the core and compulsory subjects and it is also ESSENTIAL to have passed at least two third of the ECTS credits of the degree (that is, 160 ECTS credits).

Objectives and Contextualisation

The Bachelor’s Degree Final Project (DFP) is the culmination of a four-year learning process which reflects the competences acquired, as well as their application and development. It aims at evaluating the achievement and integrated consolidation of the specific and transversal competences associated with the formative program of the Bachelor Degree in Tourism.

The DFP consists of a research and/or practical project related to the creation or improvement of an existing project, product or touristic company or the development of the research tasks related to some aspect of the tourism industry, supervised by a director or a tutor.

The DFP will be done in pairs (2 students). However, the evaluation is going to be done individually. 

The goal is to apply in an integrated manner the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the undergraduate studies, through an original and unpublished work.

Competences

  • Adapt to ongoing technological changes.
  • Behave ethically and adapt to different intercultural contexts.
  • Behave responsibly towards the environment.
  • Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  • Display a customer service orientation.
  • Have a business vision, pinpoint the customer's needs and pre-empt possible changes in the environment.
  • Integrate knowledge and skills to write an academic or professional paper in the field of tourism.
  • Plan and manage activities on the basis of quality and sustainability.
  • Take decisions in situations of uncertainty, taking into account potential consequences of these decisions in the short, medium and long term.
  • Use communication techniques at all levels.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Adapt to ongoing technological changes.
  2. Behave ethically and adapt to different intercultural contexts.
  3. Behave responsibly towards the environment.
  4. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  5. Display a customer service orientation.
  6. Have a business vision, pinpoint the customer's needs and pre-empt possible changes in the environment.
  7. Integrate knowledge and skills to write an academic or professional paper in the field of tourism.
  8. Plan and manage activities on the basis of quality and sustainability.
  9. Take decisions in situations of uncertainty, taking into account potential consequences of these decisions in the short, medium and long term.
  10. Use communication techniques at all levels.

Content

The DFP consists of a research and/or practical project related to the creation or improvement of an existing project, product or touristic company or the development of the research tasks related to some aspect of the tourism industry.

A) Research Project

Topic 1: Introduction. Preparation of the research proposal.

  • The objective of this part is enable the student through the immersion in the scientific method, to plan and design a research proposal as a basis for the elaboration of the DFP. This objective will involve the identification of the area and economic research questions, a first review of existing methods and approaches and the preparation of a work plan. At the end of this part, the student has to submit a provisional research proposal.

Topic 2: Analysis of the Proposal

  • In the second part, the objective is that the student put into practice techniques for the search of academic and empirical information through the web, electronic and physical libraries and other physical reference points. For this reason, at the end of the module the student will present a list of academic references on the field of the research topic chosen by the student.

Topic 3: Research Proposal II

  • Once the goals of the previous topics have been overcome, the student will elaborate a much more concrete and extensive research proposal. This will consist of a review of the chosen topic, the redefinition of research questions, theory and methods as well as planning the next steps of the project.

Topic 4: Development of DFP

  • Finally, based on the proposal given in the previous topic, the student will begin to elaborate the DFP. Among the tasks that the student has to carry out are: 1) to finish gathering the data for the analysis, 2) to process and analyze the data, 3) to draw and compare the conclusions, 4) to apply the knowledge acquired tothe defined problem, 5) to write the DFP and 6) to submit it.

Topic 5: Conclusions, proposals and future alternatives

  • This section should incorporate personal conclusions and not a compilation of the opinions of other authors.

B) Practical Project or Business Plan

Topic 1: Introduction. Preparation of the proposal.

  • The student has to summarize his/her business idea and its model. Mainly, the student has to answer what he/she will do (what need he/she is going to satisfy in the market)? For whom (market segment)? how (the solution)? In general, in order to achieve this objective, several techniques for the idea generation (creativity techniques) will be shared to help the student to come up with his/her business idea for the development of the business plan.

Topic 2: Analysis of the Environment

  • Answering the question where the new company or entrepreneurial project will operate, while using various analysis tools that have been learned during the Degree in Tourism.

Topic 3: Market Analysis and Marketing Plan

  • In this part, the student has to describe and quantify the segment of the market for whom the product is being developed, as well as describe its positioning strategy. Under this topic the student will develop a marketing plan consistent with the needs of the segment and the analysis of the environment performed in the previous step of the business plan.

 Topic 4: Plan of the Operations

  • Plan of the operations includes all those decisions related to the production and distribution of the proposed product or service.

 Topic 5: Human Recourses and Organizational Architecture

  • In this phase, all aspects related to the organization (organizational architecture, structure, and culture)and human resources necessary to carry out the proposed business idea (number of people who will work in the new company, their position and functions, remuneration and profile) will be developed.

 Topic 6: Economic Viability  

  • All the decisions taken previously will be reflected in an economic and financial plan that quantitatively justifies the proposed business idea.
  • Financial plan will consist of initial Financial Statements (Balance Sheet and Income Statement), which include all the actions that have been taken to start the activity, the Treasury Budget (monthly), amortizations, etc. and the financial statements at the end of the first economic year.

Topic 7: Conclusions, proposals and future alternatives

  • This section should incorporate personal conclusions and not a compilation of the opinions of other authors.

Methodology

  • Lectures by the professors
  • Follow up of the realized work, presentation, and discussion
  • Tutorials
  • Development of the business plan or research project

The subject of the DFP will be established and confirmed by the Coordinator among the topics proposed by the student.

Each student will be assigned a tutor for the DFP.

The following are the tutor’s functions:

  • Help to define the characteristics of the DFP and the work plan for the DFP.
  • Provide the orientation for the development of the DFP.
  • Ensure compliance with the learning objectives and set the minimum standards to be reached by the completion of the DFP.  
  • Follow-up of the DFP by establishing periodic meetings with the student.
  • Follow-up on the regulations of the DFP and the program.
  • Carry out the evaluation report and if there is a case authorize for the defense of the DFP.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theoretical classes 24 0.96 1, 7, 10, 8, 5
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 45 1.8 1, 3, 2, 4, 7, 10, 8, 9, 5, 6
Type: Autonomous      
Personal Study 211 8.44 1, 3, 2, 4, 7, 10, 8, 9, 5, 6

Assessment

The assessment of this subject is organized into two modules:

  • Training module: with the global weight of 5%, it will evaluate assistance to:
    • the orientation sessions and scheduled classes 
    • the talks and conferences
  • Execution module: This module will have a global weight of 95% and will consist of scheduled face-to-face and on-line tutorials and the delivery of the DFP, as well as its subsequent presentation and defense (if applicable).

The evaluation of the DFP will be individual, although the activity is going to be carried out collectively (in pairs).

The DFP qualification will be the exclusive competence of the DFP Evaluation Board, (established by the center).

The student will have two calls for the presentation of his/her DFP (announced by calendar).

The evaluation will take into account:

  • Delivered project:

a)    Theme: originality, innovation, ...

b)    Structure of the presented work

c)     The methodology used and the systematization of the information

d)    Summaries and conclusions

e)    Proposals and alternatives for the future

f)     Bibliography and the references used

  • Tutor’s evaluation report

The DFP can receive a qualification from the tutor up to a maximum determined by the Center (which is 8.5). If the grade of the tutor, in the first call for delivery, is 8.5 and only in this case (the two conditions have to be followed), the student, in order to opt for a higher grade, has the right to request the defense of their work before the Defense Board. The Defense Board will re-evaluate the DFP prepared by the student and decide the final grade.

This Defense Board will be appointed by the Center’s Studies Directorate.

The final version of DFP will be delivered to the coordinator and corresponding tutor on the date established and announced by the academic calendar in electronic format (via Moodle).

If the student does not follow the guidelines indicated by the tutor and the center, and the tutor does not have sufficient evidence to guarantee the authorship of the DFP presented by the student, the tutor may decide not to assess the student's work.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance to the sessions 5% 15 0.6 1, 3, 2, 4, 7, 10, 8, 9, 5, 6
Meetings and presentations of the project to the tutor 15% 4.5 0.18 1, 3, 2, 4, 7, 10, 8, 9, 5, 6
Presentation of the written project 80% 0.5 0.02 1, 3, 2, 4, 7, 10, 8, 9, 5, 6

Bibliography

It will be detailed for each DFP according to its topic and objective. However, it is recommended the use of these books for the preparation of the methodology of the project:

 
Durbarry, R. (2017). Research Methods for Tourism Students. Routledge.
 
Veal, A.J. (2018). Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism. Pearson.

Software

NA