Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be able to produce a business case for
a travel and tourism enterprise within
i nancial constraints
SECTION 4
In this section of the unit you will plan a travel and
tourism project with specifi c objectives and within an
agreed budget. This will develop the knowledge and
skills needed to complete the assessment for this part
of the unit - producing a business case for a travel an
d
tourism enterprise. You must work independently w
he
n
completing the assessment, but may work with other
members of your group when completing the activities
to produce a business plan included i
n
this section.
•
M
easurable - objectives must be capable of being
mea
s
ured so that you know if you have achieved
yo
u
r targets;
•
A
chievable - setting objectives that are wildly
optimistic wastes everybody's time;
•
R
ealistic - objectives must fi t in with the organisation's
overall business aims;
•
T
imed - it is important to set time deadlines to
review progress.
Business case
Remember also that setting objectives is not a 'one off'
activity, but they must be constantly monitored and, if
necessary, updated while your project plan takes shape
in the light of changing circumstances. The evaluation
of your project plan will be based on the objectives
you agree at this stage, so take your time and work as
a team to get them right!
In this section we cons
i
der the objectives, timescales,
fi nancial aspects, m
a
rketing and actions required for
your project, which will provide valuable information
when completing the business case assessment.
Objectives of the project
Y
o
u, and the rest of your team, must be clear from the
outset what exactly your project is trying to achieve. In
other words, you must have a clear aim and objectives.
An aim is a general statement about the overall target
of a project. For example, the aim of your project could
be
'to make a profi t'
,
'to cover your costs'
or
'to raise
funds'
. Anybody reading this aim will be clear as to what
the project involves. Objectives are more specifi c and
give greater detail about the project. In this example,
the objectives could include
'to plan a successful series
of guided walks for tourists that make a profi t of £20'
or
'to break even fi nancially, after making a donation of
£15 to charity out of the proceeds'
.
Activity 2.8
Begin to write your project plan by stating the aims
and objectives of your project in collaboration with
the other members of your team. Remember that
the objectives must be SMART!
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P4.
Timescales
We all have deadlines to meet in our daily lives and
planning this project is no different! Your team will
need to demonstrate excellent time management
skills if the project is to achieve its objectives. There
should be an overall project timetable that details the
main deadlines. In addition to this, team members will
need to devise their own deadlines for their area of
You will need to work with the other members of
your team to agree your project objectives. Whatever
objectives you decide upon, remember that they must
be SMART, in other words:
•
S
pecifi c - it's no use having 'woolly' ideas that are
not well thought through or clearly defi ned;
