Tourism and Hospitality Principles
On this module, you will learn the key concepts and principles of tourism (such as mobility, motivation, experience economy, destinations, sustainability and futures) and hospitality (consumer behaviour, quality, localism, experience economy, sustainability and futures).
You will explore the value of tourism and hospitality on society and discover the importance of responsible hospitality and tourism development.
The history and development of the industry will also be covered on this module, where you will learn the impacts that tourism can create within destinations.
The future of hospitality and tourism will also be explored, where you will undertake an evaluation of either hospitality or tourism and assess their relevance in a 2050 future.
This module will also cover the complexities of the market and enable you to understand the building blocks needed to run a successful tourism organisation.
Strategic Marketing
The aim of this module is to build upon your knowledge of core marketing principles and teach you how to apply aspects of strategic marketing management to hospitality and tourism organisations.
You will study the principles, concepts and theories of strategic marketing management including managing the marketing mix, strategy formulation, strategic decision making and evaluation of marketing performance.
Emerging trends currently affecting the tourism market will also be explored, alongside key challenges faced by organisations both nationally and internationally.
You will also gain a strong understanding of how analytic models and tools can be applied to marketing planning, implementation, and control, with a focus on how organisations can retain their competitive advantage and provide value to their customers.
Managing and Leading People
Research shows that effective leadership determines if a business is successful or not. On this module, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of managing and leading people and people management processes.
Taking into considerations the diversity of every workplace, this module shows how to navigate different work environments to ensure employees are motivated and engaged with their jobs.
On this module, you will work closely with an external business and their stakeholders to identify problems and solutions to existing issues within their workforce.
The module will also cover current topics in workforce retention such as health, well-being, and flexible working so you can provide relevant support to businesses.
By the end of this module, you will have gained the knowledge and skills needed for a successful future career in a leadership role.
Contemporary Issues in Tourism and Hospitality
As the tourism and hospitality economy continues to expand globally, it’s critical to explore the complexities surrounding intercultural factors, shifting perspectives, and the rise of food and drink industries on how different countries approach their tourism market.
This main focus of this module will be on the impact of tourism on contemporary society, where you will explore the challenges often faced by the tourism and hospitality sectors and suggest alternative approaches where possible.
You will also learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to the tourism market and explore how the creative industries can create opportunities for tourism and hospitality sectors. Heritage cuisines and how to approach tourism in high conflict destinations will also be covered.
By the end of the module, you will have learned how to bridge the gap between theory and operational value.
Business Sustainability and Innovation
On this module you will discover the importance of how to balance people, profit and planet whilst achieving business stability.
You will learn key theories such as strategic management and discover the emerging importance of innovation and entrepreneurship on the visitor economy.
There will be a focus on analysing and interpreting ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance in businesses and how this contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
You will also be introduced to Osterwalder’s business model, which is a strategic management tool used to design and map business models, and discover how to utilise this effectively to guide the development of your own business model.
Data and Performance Metrics
On this module you will explore the strategic use of data and performance metrics in the Food, Tourism, Hospitality and Events (FTHE) industries.
You will explore a variety of data sources, industry-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and benchmarking methods relevant to FTHE sectors and discover how to apply them to real world scenarios and create actionable steps to help organisations with operational performance.
The module will also cover consumer behaviour analytics and data storytelling, where you will learn how to visualise data for a wider audience.
You will discover how to collect data, analyse data, apply your findings/results from data and take a sustainable approach to working with data.
At the end of this module, you’ll have the skills to interpret and explain data that can influence decision-making in a business setting.
Dissertation (60 credits)
On this module you will undertake a 12,000-word project on a topic of your choosing relevant to tourism.
You will use all the knowledge and skills gained on your modules to create a written dissertation.
The dissertation will enable you to showcase these skills, where you will interpret and evaluate research theory, select an appropriate research design, efficiently generate data, and accurately report your findings.
During this module, you will have supervisory meetings with an academic tutor who will provide you with support throughout the process.