COURSE SYLLABUS FOR “TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT”
Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management
The objective of the programme is to prepare students to assume leadership roles in the tourism and hospitality sectors. It prepares students for management positions in marketing, business control, and human resource management in tourism and hospitality organisations, which operate domestically and internationally. Major departments at the School of Business, Economics and Law are involved in providing different perspectives on tourism in an integrative framework with participation from the Departments of Human and Economic Geography, Law, Economics and Business Administration. Focus is however on educating and training students for management tasks in tourism organisations. Collaboration with the tourism industry is a central issue and the successful tourism industry will be used as a “tourism laboratory” for the programme.
Requirements:
The applicant’s university education must include a minimum of 60 ECTS credits in Business Administration. In addition, the applicant is requested to write a three-page essay reflecting intellectual abilities, sense of imagination and interest in tourism and hospitality. The essay should be attached to the application.
ALL PROGRAMMES REQUIRE A HIGH LEVEL OF COMPUTER LITERACY!
1.Decision and guidelines
The course syllabus for the programme Tourism and Hospitality Management was approved by the Board of the Graduate Business School 2002-07-11, and established by the Dean of the School of Economics and Commercial Law, 2002-08-19.
2.The course name and admission requirements
The course is called “Tourism and Hospitality Management” and is worth 40 credit points. The tuition is in English throughout the course. The course is open to students admitted to the Tourism and Hospitality Management programme, within the Graduate Business School.
3.Objective
The objective of the course is to prepare students to assume leadership roles in the tourism and hospitality sectors. It prepares students for leading positions in marketing, business control, and human resource management in tourism and hospitality organisations, which operate domestically and internationally.
4.Disposition
This course will cover two academic semesters (40 credit points).
5.Contents
The first two semesters consist of eight modules providing in-depth knowledge in the area of tourism and hospitality.
1st semester:
Module 1: Tourism and Hospitality in Social Science (5 credit points)
Many disciplines or fields relate to the study of tourism, and therefore this course is designed in order to ensure a multi-disciplinary treatment. It contains the breadth, and potential of research in tourism and hospitality, and introduces students to different theoretical perspectives. Social interaction among students is emphasised and students are also introduced to the library, and other school facilities.
Since both tourism and hospitality are socio-economic phenomena, and since social science has collectively made a significant contribution in this field, this course aims to give an overview of ‘tourism and hospitality in social science’. It discusses how the two areas have evolved in the past as well as their significance today. Many disciplines relate to the study of tourism, and therefore this course is designed in order to ensure the thematic treatment – a multi-disciplinary design.
The major objective is to introduce the different theoretical perspectives, and to expose students to the practise of tourism management through excursions and guest lectures by managers from the tourism industry.
Module 2: Project Management (5 credit points)
Many tourism activities are performed in the form of projects. This course aims at understanding the management of projects and temporary organisations in tourism organisations, and special focus is placed on the management of festivals and events. Students are confronted with two perspectives of project management. Firstly, a traditional and normative perspective that focuses on project management techniques, and secondly, a more analytical and descriptive perspective that aims at understanding what actually happens in projects. Tourism undertakings, such as festivals and events, are often organised by many actors. The course will therefore also deal with management and co-operation in project networks.
This course covers four academic weeks of full-time study, and uses representative literature from both perspectives on the above mentioned projects. Students learn and practise some of the traditional tools in project management, often used by practitioners, and at the same time, with the help of the more analytical literature, learn to critically analyse the limits of these tools.
Empirical findings, mainly from research in Scandinavia, and from the students’ own field studies, are used to discuss the different phases of projects such as events. To attain, plan, execute, and evaluate events involves different problems, for example legal considerations or the evaluation of the various impacts of events.
Module 3: Human Resource Management (HRM) (5 credit points)
Human resource issues, i.e., recruitment, motivation, staff turnover, education, and training have become major concerns for the management of the tourism and hospitality industry. These are of a typically "low tech" character, and therefore highly dependent on people to perform services. Generally speaking, the aim of the course is to identify and elaborate on dilemmas in everyday service work related to the service industry, and in particular to the specifics of the tourism and hospitality sector.
This course covers four academic weeks of full-time study, organised in three blocks: historical résumé, contemporary practices and globalisation issues. In the historical résumé, an introduction is given to the body of service management literature, and its writings on the subject of the organising and co-ordination of service employees. The aim of this section is to familiarise the students with the original ideas and models of today’s HRM-practices, and the lecturers are mainly management researchers specialised in services and HRM issues.
The second block presents contemporary HRM-practices that are frequently, and generally, used in the service industry and which are also becoming increasingly common in the tourism and hospitality industry. Empowerment, service training procedures and quality control devices, such as service guarantees and mystery shoppers, are some examples of the topics discussed.
In the third and final block, the globalisation of the tourism and hotel industry is discussed in terms of HRM related dilemmas such as: local specifics or standardized service procedures and cultural adaptation or "Disneyfication" and "McDonaldization" of the service culture. In this block, as well as in the second, guest lecturers from the service industry will be invited to share their experiences of HRM related issues.
Module 4: Managerial Economics for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry (5 credit points)
This course is based on a microeconomic perspective and an analysis of efficiency, revenue and cost. Marginal and average effects provide a framework for pricing exercises. Relevant topics from industrial organisation theory are introduced in order to discuss topics specific for the tourism and hospitality industry. Particular emphasis is given to the application of theoretical issues in real-life management decision-making.
The major objective is to train the ability to analyse a specific market structure, to make operational decisions regarding the conduct of a specific hospitality firm, and to draw correct conclusions from economic performance information.
The course is based on two theoretical pillars joined together by a simulation game:
Management accounting for hospitality industry introduces techniques for budgeting, pricing, capacity planning and financial analysis. Techniques of specific relevance to the industry such as “menu-engineering”, “revpash”, “bundling”, and “food and beverage management” are emphasised.
During the entire course, every student is a member of a management team that is responsible for running a simulated restaurant in a town with a total of six restaurants. The other five restaurants are also run by students, working in other management teams. Performance information, mainly in the form of P&L statements, is provided at regular intervals. The analytical skills of the students are trained and so is the ability to make group decisions in stressful situations.
2nd semester:
Module 5: Tourism and Hospitality Marketing (5 credit points)
The theme is that hotels, restaurants, and other tourism organisations differ in many important respects from manufacturing businesses, thus requiring a distinctive approach to planning and implementing marketing strategies. It stresses the importance of understanding these organisations on their own terms, and then tailoring marketing goals and strategies accordingly. The focus is on the challenges of managing services and delivering quality services to customers. The attraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships through quality service are the heart of the course content.
The course provides a good general knowledge in tourism and hospitality marketing in order to prepare for future careers at management level in the trade. Students will develop an interactive and overall view of tourism and hospitality marketing and they will become more knowledgeable about:
The marketing implications of product intangibility;
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Market communication, image and branding;
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Memorable experiences;
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The role played by customers themselves; and
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The drivers of sustainable success in tourism and hospitality businesses.
During the course, the students explore marketing concepts, frameworks and models designed to facilitate analysis of different types of tourism and hospitality services and these will then help in the development and implementation of appropriate strategies.
Module 6: Research Method (5 credit points)
This course discusses the relation between theory, problem, and choice of method. It strikes a balance between quantitative and qualitative approaches, in particular the relative merits and disadvantages of these two styles of inquiry. The objective is to enable reflection and the ability to evaluate research. Since both quantitative and qualitative data are treated in the study of tourism and hospitality, methods used in statistics are presented both when planning the data collection and when analysing data.
The course is divided into three parts:
Methods for collecting qualitative and quantitative data.
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Methods for analysing qualitative and quantitative data.
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Practical work at the computer.
Module 7: Thematic Study (5 credit points)
Every year a guest professor is invited to teach this course. The themes vary and depend on front line research, as well as current events in Göteborg.
This course covers four academic weeks of full-time study. Its major objectives are:
To make students familiar with research work of high international standards.
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To stimulate relevant discussions regarding the formulation of research questions, research design, and methodology.
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To help formulate a viable thesis project for the last semester.
This module explores research concepts, frameworks and models designed to facilitate analysis of different types of tourism and hospitality services and helps in the development and generation of new knowledge.
Module 8: Family Firms and Entrepreneurship in Tourism and Hospitality Management (5 credit points)
The course themes are based on front line research as well as case studies from Australia, Canada and Sweden. During the course, the students explore research concepts, frameworks and models designed to facilitate analysis of different types of tourism and hospitality services and to help in development and generation of new knowledge.
This is the last course that students take before the Thesis and this course has the following major objectives:
To identify the unique opportunities, challenges and issues facing family firms in this industry:
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To discuss entrepreneurship in the industry;
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To make students familiar with research work of high international standards;
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To stimulate relevant discussions regarding the formulation of research questions, research design, and methodology; and
To help students formulate a viable thesis project for their last term.
6. Tuition and examination
The tuition is in English throughout the course and free of cost. The students will, to a large extent, work together in smaller groups with case studies and other tasks.
The modules will be examined separately. Each module, as well as the 40 credit point course, is graded with fail (F), pass (P) or high pass (HP).
Examinations take place at the end of each module. They are based on written exams as well as on an evaluation of the performance from case studies and other tasks.
A student who has failed an examination twice has the right to demand another examiner from the Faculty Board.
A student has the right to be examined a maximum of five times for each module.
After each module is completed an evaluation will be made.
Application Procedure:
All Transcripts and Certificates to be attested by notary public.
Passport copy
Photographs
Two Recommendation Letters from Faculty and Employer
Statement of Purpose (600 words)
IELTS 6 bands/ TOEFL 213
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