Domestic Tourism Scenario and Government Data Obtaining

Domestic Tourism Scenario and Government Data Obtaining

A new domestic tourism operator specializing in surf holidays wishes to build an interactive web site that allows the customer to see in real time the weather, wind, surf, and other data relating to their destination. As a new and bold initiative, the operator wishes to tie in the price of the holiday with the weather situation Better waves and better weather attract a higher price and vice versa. It is a new and potentially risky project, and the business owner is exceedingly concerned about how such a plan will play out. In viewing the risks associated with this project, as well as the top ten steps that would be undertaken to deliver this project to completion, one can understand that such a project is not only innovative but will prove exceedingly beneficial to the company over the long-haul.

In undertaking a project such as the one at hand, it is easy for individuals involved to see past the risks and understand only what success in the long-run will bring. However, in undertaking this type of project, which is essentially a game-changer for the operation itself, one must remember that each possible risk must be weighed significantly over and over before such a project can be executed. The implementation of such technology within the company has the capacity to bring in more and more tourists who will not only be able to see the conditions in which they will be surfing, but understand completely what they will be getting for their money. While this sounds foolproof at first glance, one must understand that the risks associated with this undertaking do exist and have the ability to throw a wrench in the works of the entire project if not handled correctly.

Today, tourism itself is at the mercy of the weather, as vacationers consistently consider the daily or weekly weather and climate factors when determining both where to go and the extent to which they enjoyed their travel experience (ECU, 2012, pp.1). As such, this provides the most substantial risk of all in that individuals, having seen weather forecasts will simply not decide to travel. In years past, without the technology that exists today, vacationers, having planned their vacations blind to weather and conditions, were forced to essentially "risk it" by vacationing regardless of weather or surf conditions. This new capacity to understand the weather and conditions before vacationing could be detrimental, especially to tourists who have the ability to plan vacations in a timely manner. For those individuals who would plan to travel months in advance of their trip, such new technology would not have the same effects.

However, in viewing this issue in terms of day-trippers, and especially those who surf, posting such conditions and weather could have a significant impact, either positively or negatively, on the revenue that the tourism industry brings in. For individuals who plan a trip in December but do not plan to vacation until June, their travel, and their respective influx into that destination's tourism industry is set in stone. While these individuals may not participate in many different outdoor activities during the days with poor weather during their stay, their imminent stay opens up the door for possibility. However for day-trippers such as surfers, providing such technological information eliminates the long-practiced method of "risking it." Surfers who saw a beautiful day outside would, in years past, hop in the car and go to their favorite surfing destination. These individuals would stay and profit the tourism industry until the weather turned bad or the conditions worsened, upon which time they would leave -- early, but still after effecting tourism to a certain degree. Establishing such technology takes away the opportunity for these individuals to risk it, and the tourism industry could suffer. Additionally, surfers who would, without such technology, take their chances on a fair surf day, might instead wait for the web site at hand to depict "perfect" conditions before they ventured out.

However, certain risks can be overlooked in a sense, due to the frequency with which tourists are choosing outdoor destinations, such as beach resorts and surfing areas for their vacations. Tourists are choosing outdoor and nature based activities now more than ever before, and at the same time, their decision time-lines and length of vacations are shortening. Thus, weather becomes an increasingly-important factor in choosing where to travel as well as the overall satisfaction level with the vacation experience (Arrigo and Curtis, 2012, pp.3). Providing such technology, will undoubtedly provide these travelers with the satisfaction that they expect from a trip, as they will not travel until the conditions are at an optimal level. Certain weather has the ability to attract tourists and up revenue, as everyone talks about the weather and weather offers any advertiser the ability to target big capabilities (Thomases, 2005, pp.1).

The steps needed to undertake such a project are essentially simple, but must be undertaken methodically, with no step overtaking the next until the former is complete and operating smoothly. First, the web site and all its features must be laid out strategically. Next, the correct software must be instituted to run the web site. This web site must be set up on a server that is capable of reaching throughout the country and hopefully internationally in order to attract tourists. An individual must be hired to undertake the project, who is capable of handling any glitches that may occur. The web site must be tested by individuals who are not privy to the intricacies of the project. The web site and its attributes must be promoted in the community. An individual must be hired to answer any web site queries. The web site must be marketed correctly and advertised in areas of interest. The web site must be updated with increasingly-relevant information. And finally, during the initial phases of its use, certain promotions can be offered for tourists who choose to utilize the web site at hand to encourage continued use and word of mouth.

Part II.

A government department wishes to obtain data from private companies regarding their economic activity. This project requires 100 firms to be interviewed, and these firms are split into three separate categories. The project manager has a time frame of two months and has three employees to deliver this project to its completion, and the results need to be verified by a second government department before they are used. In viewing the many different stakeholders in this project, one must understand how this stakeholder interaction must by managed throughout the following steps of the project: design; inception; scope agreement; delivery; review; and completion. Much of this interaction will be managed by the project owner, the project management team, the three categories of business, the second government party and the end user of the data. Additionally, in all of these stages, the project manager must communicate with and document the written agreement of the parties and their common understanding as to what the project should deliver.

The stakeholders in the project at hand consist of the company instituting the project, all of the firms which are to be interviewed, the individuals who hold stocks or stakes in the company and the company's respective customers. As seen, the stakeholders in this proposed operation stem far beyond the individuals who are directly involved in the project, and branch out to anyone who can be considered connected with the company at hand. Those individuals who hold the most at stake in this venture are clearly the government department at hand, the individuals working in this area, and those involved in the companies who will be interviewed. However, regardless of the size or contribution of the stakeholder to any project, all must be considered, especially when dealing with any area of government (Nguen, 2009, pp. 1130).

In understanding the entire process of the project at hand, it must be understood that stakeholders have a close and immediate impact on much of the process and its execution. To begin, a design must meet the business needs of the company and must be supported by disparate members of the management team and institutional stakeholders in order to be actually implemented (Boutelle, 2006, pp.1). Any initial project design must be considered with stakeholders in mind, as any initiative within an organization eventually trickles down to each and every one of its stakeholders, regardless of magnitude of that effect. Without the consent of higher-level stakeholders, any project within a company is essentially dead on arrival, as no project can be undertaken without the support of the individuals who will be effected by it.

The inception of the project, while not handled by stakeholders, includes a certain degree of stakeholder engagement and management in order to keep these individuals at bay during the implementation of the project at hand. Stakeholder engagement is the process of effectively eliciting stakeholder views on their relationship with the organization, program or project (Friedman and Miles, 2006,, pp. 208). Additionally, stakeholder management is essentially stakeholder relationship management as it is the relationship and not the actual stakeholder groups that are managed (Friedman and Miles, 2006, pp. 206). The inception of the project as whole has little to do with stakeholders on a full-level other than notification as to progress and implementation of plans.

When it comes to project planning, defining the project scope is the most critical step, as a complete understand of what will be delivered to the client will be laid out as well as the boundaries of the project and time constraints. In this case, the project scope has little to do with stakeholders and more to do with the government organization and the clients of the project at hand. This implementation of the project in its entirety will not be completed by stakeholders, and as such the stakeholders hold little weight in the scope agreement. It is upon the completion of the project and its perceived success or lack thereof that the stakeholders come back into play, having an immediate reaction and position in this area of work and development.

The same is relevant in the area of delivery, in which the project is carried out by the organization who spearheaded the project and not the stakeholders. The delivery of any project refers to the actual undertaking of the steps necessary to complete the project at hand. Project delivery, undertaken by a government department in this capacity, refers to the obtaining of data from private companies regarding their economic activity. The delivery of this project contains not only the interviewing of the 100 firms at hand, but the splitting of these organizations into three distinct categories and analyzing the economic activity in a manner that does not surpass the allotted two-month time-frame or go beyond the scope of the three employees who have been assigned to carry out the bulk of the work within the project.