My ILP Proposal Very Rough Draft

Hey All,

Here are the basics that I am trying to answer. Please give me comments!! :)

ILP PROPOSAL Draft


Topic: Informational Travel Website: A Business Plan for the Modern Professional Adult

“Travel (definition): is the act of taking a journey, for example, going on a trip or tour.”

Travel… relaxation or the ultimate vacation. Who does not like a vacation? These days travel is intertwined with the technology age. Travel agencies are becoming a dying breed. Travel websites are not just the wave of the future, they are the present they are the now. I ask what travel websites do you visit? Are you happy with what is it out there?

What I am proposing a business plan which is a website that is geared towards the “Modern Professional Adult”. The MPA is someone for on the average but is not limited to the ages of 25 to 40. It is for people who would like to have inexpensive lodging, adventure options, and tours. I see these types of options for the youth back packer but not for the MPA who is looking for their own comfortable niche. I am not looking to compete with the multitude of air travel websites. My goal is for more of information sharing website and network for fellow travelers.

Why am I interested in this topic? I would have to say that travel is a passion of mine. I have traveled to many places in the world. That led to me taking a job within a travel agency a few years ago. I started as a travel agent and moved into the technology department within the travel organization. I saw the value of the eCommerce department and how soon travel agents would loose their importance via the web. I also have a background in Anthropology. So learning about cultures and places outside the realm of my everyday knowledge peaks my interest. I would love to have people from many cultures share their knowledge, thoughts, and expertise within a certain framework. A place that is user friendly while be informative to enhance their next trip, holiday or vacation.

I have viewed a few travel websites and have not been very impressed with their format and content. They lack info that is easy to grasp, easy to follow, and up to date information of the modern needs. By incorporating blogs, photos, polls etc the website not only remains up to date they become fun, interactive and user friendly. I will be comparing what one can do on sites such as MySpace and Facebook and seeing if applications and information could be shared in a similar fashion.

Different opinions on what already exists in the marketplace will be a focus on whether or not what I am proposing can succeed. Once my research has been completed the hope is to assist other managers in constructing a business plan for the modern day informational travel website.


GOALS:

This is worth doing: because it is something that is not easily available to my knowledge
Practices: To share knowledge to the general public who have travel interests and are inspired to explore
Learn how to organize my own time and completes a project within the boundaries of work, school, and personal time
Using the knowledge provided by Cambridge College to develop my ideas




CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:

What I plan to study:
I plan to view various websites that are similar to my plan of study.
My own experience in travel and how I see my website succeeding
Articles concerning travel websites
How to start a travel website and what it takes
Reviews and ratings of already established websites
How Web 2.0 has effected the way we look at the web
How the standard travel agency will become antiquated

I will be relying more on Qualitative research hence emphasizing methods such as observing, describing, and interpreting. There will have to be some quantitative methods to back up my observations.




RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

What do I want to understand by doing this study:

Constructing a successful business plan for a travel website
Understanding what other people think about travel
If a new designed website would work with today’s culture
Understanding what the industry has to say about travel websites
How to fund money for the development and design?
How to market it?
How long will it take to develop and build?
What resources would be required?
How much would it cost?
How will money be made?
How will social networking apply (Web 2.0 etc)?




RESEARCH METHODS

Personal research of travel websites
Personal research of modern tech tools to be used within the website
Researching articles and other literature concerning website travel information
Interviewing travel websites employees
Polling people within the designated age range




VALIDITY

Proving that people would be interested in seeing a website that offers information that is not only difficult to find on the web, but info that might or might not be geared to their needs. How Web 2.0 has affected the way we look at the web and how it will influence web travel.