Business with Hospitality and Tourism Management MSc
September Start | 2 Years Full-Time (with study abroad in second year)

In this module you will learn about a comprehensive range of research methods and business analytics techniques. This will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s Dissertation, Consultancy Project or Management Enquiry. By the end of the module you will know how to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection and business analysis techniques. In quantitative techniques you will learn about sampling, questionnaire design, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing while qualitative techniques covered will include methods such as interviewing and focus groups. Analysis methods such as content analysis and thematic analysis will also be covered. In addition, you will gain some understanding of research philosophy (positivism and interpretivism) and research ethics and you will be able to write a research proposal to bring these ideas together.
Furthermore, this module will provide clear, critical, and analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the use of analytics implementation skills, where you will be introduced to analytics software such as SPSS. SPSS statistics analysis is one of the powerful solutions that is designed to help businesses and researchers to solve problems by various methods (geospatial analysis, predictive analytics and hypothesis testing).

Studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This

module is designed to support your transition to postgraduate level study in the use and practice of subject specific skills around assessments

and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to further develop your abilities to read and study effectively

for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your

use and application of language and communications skills suitable for a postgraduate level of study.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding postgraduate assignment briefs.

• Developing advanced academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.

• Practising advanced ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’

• Planning and structuring postgraduate level academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).

• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.

• Speaking in postgraduate seminar presentations.

• Presenting your ideas

• Giving discipline-related postgraduate level academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.

• Postgraduate level speed reading techniques.

• Developing self-reflection skills.

This module engages you in personal and professional development in order that you develop and hone your teamworking, management and leadership skills, capabilities and attributes, and in so doing, enhance your employability. On this module, you will not only prepare for your first job after you graduate but also kickstart your commitment to life-long personal and professional learning. In the first part of the module you will be supported in a self-analysis by a range of activities, including the completion of self-administered tool-kits to demonstrate an increased self-awareness and self-understanding. This will also involve applying theoretical frameworks and researching contemporary literature for a more in-depth understanding of self. A key outcome of this process is how you will be able to exploit this development in order to lead, and manage, more effectively in your future careers. The second part of the module contains activities which enable you to build on your self-analysis and explore further your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in the context of your career development plans. You will receive guidance on how to craft professional, postgraduate CVs, LinkeIn profiles, and supporting documentation to meet the needs of employer. Furthermore, you will use your understanding of self to help you to understand the key issues and specific challenges that you face, with your skills profile, in relation to your employability prospects in your target profession/industry/sector. This will also include the development of knowledge into the global graduate market, (including routes such as self-employment and developing your career with an existing employer) drawing upon local, national and international examples.

This is a 40-credit core module running in the first semester of the MSc Business with programme and is developed for those of you who have little or no prior business and management subject experience. The aim of the module is to introduce you to the main business functions – Finance, Marketing, HRM, Operations – and show how each can contribute to the competitive advantage of a firm and hence enable the firm to achieve its strategic objectives. The content of the module comprises six key parts which are listed below.

Business Simulation
Introduction to the module; The Business Simulation – introduction, decision-making, group work and allocation of roles, group presentation – annual report to shareholders; Round-up to the Business Simulation and summative assessment guidance.

Strategy
Developing a Business Plan; The Business Environment; The Competitive Environment; Organisational Objectives; Competitive Strategy; Functional Strategy; Strategic Capabilities; Responsible Decision-making; Evaluating Company Performance.

Financial Management
Cost behaviour and product costing; Cost classification and product costing; Pricing decisions and costing; Behavioural Aspects of Budgeting; Cash Budgeting; Integrated Performance Measures; Balanced Scorecard.

Operations Management
Role of Operations Management; Operations Strategy; Resource planning and capacity management; Quality Management; Global supply networks; JIT and Lean Management; Supplier selection and procurement; Benchmarking and Inventory Management.

Human Resources Management
Understanding HR and its contribution to Business Strategy; Human Resource Planning and Measures; Recruitment, Selection and Retention; Compensation and Benefits; Training and Development; Productivity and Performance Management; Employee Relations; Motivation and Employee Engagement.

Marketing Management
The Role of Marketing; Market Segmentation & Positioning; Buyer Behaviour/Consumer Behaviour; Pricing Strategy; Collecting Information and Forecasting Demand;
New Product Development; Channel Management and International Marketing; Integrated Marketing Communications.

The hospitality industry has developed a critical role in the world economy and represents a major source of income for many developing countries. The industry is dynamic and is greatly influenced by many external factors that affect modern management practice. In this module, you will explore a number of relevant contemporary issues and opportunities facing international hospitality organisations and the impact of these issues and subsequent management responses.

The Module is delivered in themes; including managing resources, managing the experience, managing technology and sustainability. You will explore current and future concerns with topics such as, but not exclusively:

• changing nature of the hospitality workforce ;
• multicultural workforce;
• managing the experience;
• service quality and service recovery;
• the role of social media;
• introduction to environmentalism;
• new trends in hospitality eg pop-Up hospitality and consumer to consumer (C2C) provision;
• marketing and distribution strategies;
• loyalty and trust;
• the use of information and communication technology and hospitality.

A constant theme within this module the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to hospitality management in order to meet the challenges and opportunities explored in these issues.

This module provides you with a concise and lively introduction to the increasingly complex and ever exciting world of tourism. The module is conceived as a travel guide through the discipline. Like any guidebook, it seeks to stimulate your imagination, point out noteworthy areas and minimise the stress of the experience.
You will develop a general understanding of tourism as both as an area of business economics and as a social phenomenon, and will gain an advance knowledge of some of the main theories and concepts in tourism studies. You will also become aware of the state of tourism in the 21st century as well as the different components that constitute the tourism complex including its tourists, destinations, business and attractions
The management of tourism and tourists will receive special attention. As future managers in the contemporary industry you will gain familiarity with the structure and management of the business overall and a range of appropriate business types, the issues facing the industry and the management principles that are relevant to tourism.
You will cover a range of topics in four areas, the understanding of tourism as both a social phenomenon and as a sector of the economy, the nature of tourist experience, the planning of tourism destinations and attractions and responsible tourism futures.
With this module you will develop critical, practical, academic study and information literacy skills to enable the full achievement of learning outcomes at the module and programme levels. In particular, you will learn to develop a sustained reasoned argument where you research and assess paradigms, theories, principles, concepts and factual information, and apply such skills in explaining and solving questions.