Case Study Writing: publication opportunities and guidelines

1. Case Study Writing: publication opportunities and guidelines Elizabeth M. Ineson EuroCHRIE, Manchester, October, 2015

2. The Focus • international • related to hospitality, tourism or events’ management • developed based on specialist knowledge and real-life experiences • offer students/management trainees opportunities to consider and to respond to realistic scenarios of varying complexity

3. Developing case studies[for publication in Volume 7, 2016] • Focus? Field? Topic? Learning outcomes? • Level? For whom? • Information retrieval? Experience? • Revealed or non-revealed? Time? • Format? Instructions? Feedback?

4. Information Retrieval • workplace • student and employee experiences • student placements • own, relatives’ or friends’ experiences • critical incidents; observations or involvement • visits to industry; interviews; focus groups

5. Groups: working mode? • Team organisation? • Chairperson? Leader? • Knowledge and experience? • List? • Debate versus action?

6. Solving Case Studies • ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’ • customer care and fair and correct treatment of employees • cross-disciplinary/inter-departmental issues; team work? team roles? • research?

7. Case Study Research • more comprehensive than conducting • research on one specific topic • in addressing more advanced cases, students and management trainees should be encouraged to: • collect relevant data from a variety of sources • consider this information, employing divergent thinking to brainstorm the case • employ convergent, potentially valid decision-making in order to devise and justify the solution(s)

8. Non-revealed Case Studies • distributed to individuals ‘on the spot’, i.e. everyone has access to an electronic or hard copy • responses may be prepared by individuals or debated by groups who develop a joint solution • focus on at least one area/department, for example in an hotel based case study: Food and Beverage; Wines; Housekeeping; Marketing; Human Resources; etc

9. Revealed Case Studies • more complex and inter/cross-disciplinary, encouraging consideration of broader managerial, international and cultural perspectives • usually require research, secondary data collection, calculations, preparation of budgets et al. and written responses May be used for open book examinations/ assessments if not in public domain

10. Case Study 1: Missing Luggage (Non-revealed) A tourist group from Germany was accommodated in the Hotel Classica in Riga for one night and they had to leave at 7 o’clock in the morning. To ensure a quick check out and luggage pick up procedure, a receptionist asked all tourists to place their luggage in the corridor in front of their room doors before breakfast. The luggage would be collected by the bellboy and placed in the bus. After breakfast the guests went to their rooms, took their hand luggage, made sure that they had not left anything and went to the bus. The procedure was, as always, well organised and one group of tourists complimented the hotel staff on a job well done. Five hours later the Classica hotel received a desperate telephone call from a hotel in Vilnius where the group had just arrived. The message was that one of the guests from the Classica room 507 had complained about missing luggage. Following this call, a serious investigation began in the hotel, but no luggage was found and everybody was puzzled about this situation. 10 1/5/2020 10

11. Case Study 1: Missing Luggage (Non-revealed) • What do you think happened to the missing luggage? Some hours later a receptionist received a telephone call from room 506. A Finnish guest informed her that he has a large suitcase in his room but it did not belong to him. During a conversation with the Finnish guest he recollected that he had returned from a party in the early hours of the morning a bit tipsy. He saw a suitcase near his door, was surprised and thought: “What is a suitcase was doing outside my room?” so he took it inside and went to bed. The missing luggage was immediately transported to Vilnius. 11 1/5/2020 11

12. Case Study 1: Missing Luggage (Non-revealed) • Work individually and then discuss with neighbour (5+5 mins) • Why did the problem of the missing luggage occur? • How should the luggage collection procedures for groups be organised to avoid such a situation in future? • What security improvements should be made in the future? 12 1/5/2020 12

13. Case Study 1: Missing Luggage (Non-revealed) • Work individually and then discuss with neighbour (5+5 mins) • Why did the problem of the missing luggage occur? • How should the luggage collection procedures for groups be organised to avoid such a situation in future? • What security improvements should be made in the future? 13 1/5/2020 13

14. Points for discussion: • Procedures for, and responsibilities of, the bellboy and the receptionist • Luggage control for departing groups • Future practice 14 1/5/2020 14

15. Case study 2: Wings of Heaven (Revealed) Activities • Critically evaluate Wing’s approach to developing Wings of Heaven, strategically and from a marketing perspective. • Identify the challenges that face him now. • Suggest ways forward for him, with reasons. Recommended Reading and Points for Discussion 15 1/5/2020 15

16. Format: A4 paper; Font: Garamond; Margins: Top and bottom 1", Left 1.6", Right 0.5"; Spacing 1.5" For example: • Title (16 font bold) • By Your name (12 font bold) • Insert text (12 font) with any tables/diagrams inserted at appropriate position in text • Question(s) for students (12 font bold italics) • Points for discussion (12 font bold) (Will be in separate section at the end of the book)  • You may also include further information to assist with the discussion/problem solving.

17. Format for Case Study • non-revealed cases pose at least one question for consideration followed by a series of points for discussion to initiate and/or follow debate further information may be added • revealed cases involve one or more follow-up activities, for example: debate; information collection; further projects; letter writing; report writing; and making presentations • may suggest whether suitable for individual and/or group participation • encourage practical problem-solving approach to achieve learning outcomes; variable levels of difficulty; different types of questions and activities such as researching, collecting and processing information and brain-storming e.ineson@mmu.ac.uk

18. Format for Case Study Thank you for listening Any questions?