Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Cultural issues may include:
culturally appropriate activities
use of cultural information
access restrictions
use of appropriate staff
traditional and contemporary values and customs
cultural differences in styles of negotiation and communication.


Impact on the communities may be:
positive:
economic benefits to local community
improved local facilities
employment opportunities
cultural benefits
visitor education
greater understanding between host and visitor cultures
negative:
trivialisation of culture
effect on social structures
damage to culturally sensitive areas or sites.


Codes of practice and procedures may relate to:
involving appropriate people in both product development and delivery
developing formal or informal guidance on appropriate staff and customer behaviour in given situations
selecting appropriate staff for different situations
guidelines for language skill requirements
specific guidance on the use of culturally sensitive information
guidance for negotiating contracts in cross-cultural situations.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the following is essential:
ability to strategically plan for, develop and operate a culturally appropriate operation and to monitor the delivery of the product to ensure ongoing culturally appropriate behaviour
ability to integrate culturally appropriate practices into the product development phase
ability to critically analyse all information that relates to the product development phase
knowledge of strategies to manage and minimise negative tourism impact and maximise positive impact on the local culture
project or work activities conducted over a commercially realistic period of time so that the planning, evaluation and monitoring aspects of the operations can be assessed.


Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
access to a fully equipped industry-realistic office environment using appropriate computers, printers, information programs and publications currently used in the tourism industry to facilitate the planning and product development processes involved
access to a destination where the culturally appropriate tourism operation would be established and operated or access to comprehensive and sufficient information about that destination, the local communities and culture to allow the candidate to plan for strategically, establish and operate a culturally appropriate tourism operation and to monitor any impact on the local culture
involvement and interaction with a group of people so that consultation can be achieved.


Methods of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to plan and develop culturally appropriate tourism operations. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
review of a completed plan for the tourism operation, including analysis of all evaluations that have been conducted
review of codes of practice developed by the candidate
review of monitoring reports completed by the candidate and action plans for any required operational changes
project activities to plan and develop a culturally appropriate tourism operation in conjunction with industry
project activities to plan and develop a culturally appropriate tourism operation for a given destination, local community and culture
case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate the development and operation of different tourism operations with differing culturally sensitive issues
case studies and projects to assess the candidate's ability to improve the cultural appropriateness of existing tourism operations
written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge such as social, cultural and economic impacts of tourism, copyright and intellectual property issues, and strategies for the management of the impact of tourism on local communities and their culture
review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
SITTPPD001B Research, assess and develop tourism products
SITTPPD006B Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations
SITXFIN005A Prepare and monitor budgets.


Assessing employability skills
Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.