Given the nature of today’s world, all organizations need to keep up with the changing times in order to remain literally in business. Successfully managing the process of strategic planning and implementation will grow a better and more successful organization. Strategic Management focuses on all the issues that relate to the process of strategy formation in organizations: the planning and implementation of strategy, strategic change/transformation and “turn-around processes”, the improvement of an organization’s strategic competences at various levels inside the organization, and on characteristics of organizations that manage to be successful and survive over long periods of time. 

“Going with the flow” is not a good approach to managing organisations and people. Nowadays organisations, public or private, large or small, local or international are intricate entities that require constant attention and care. To do this, one needs concepts, models, and tools that will make analysis possible and lead to logical conclusions including the choice of the relevant approach to steer the people and the organisation in the right direction. This course will lead you through several stages aimed at better understanding of organisations and the functioning of the people within them. This will always be approached from a business perspective to make sure that the situations being discussed are real and that mistakes can have serious consequences.

International Business (IB) is concerned with the issues facing international companies and governments in dealing with all types of cross-border transactions. This course will lay considerable emphasis on understanding the global dynamics of our world, including an understanding of the contexts of global business. Thinking globally — and understanding how to bring different cultures together. Areas of study within the course include individual and team management skills, intercultural communication, and global logistics, finance, and marketing.

Thinking critically and making the right decisions in specific situations is just as important in professional life as it is in personal life. These are not the same thing as intelligence, they require a focus on examining multiple points of view and using objective, bias-free thinking. As a result of using critical thinking skills, managers can make effective decisions by identifying and choosing the best option among multiple alternatives in specific situations. A way of thinking that allows you to develop positions on issues that are logical and explicable to others. Areas of study within the course include identifying thinking flaws, differentiating between good and bad suggestions, communicating persuasively, and managing difficult people or circumstances, especially in crisis situations.

The course is focussed on the idea of integrity at both corporate and individual levels, and will ultimately argue that a good person is good in all areas of life. We believe that a critical examination of central ethical issues at governance, organizational, and personal levels will demonstrate that nothing in the world is value free: not business, development, public health, and yes, also hospitality and tourism. The course examines the nature of governance to show that leadership and management are necessarily ethical practices with the ‘Common Good’ being a chief topic covered. The course also explains what ethical concerns are, how to reason in “solving” ethical dilemmas, and how to approach complex cases in ethics through the discussion of case studies. Students will develop an understanding of the impact professionals have in their roles as ‘moral agents’, with the decisions they take and the policies they make reaching beyond individuals or organizations.

Starting with understanding hospitality and tourism from both local and global perspectives and overt time this course explores the different markets and their needs, from luxury tourism through recreational tourism, to back-packer tourism. This includes the recent move to more tourism focussing on remote, less-travelled routes. The global economy and global citizenship is explored and the importance of business principles underlying the hospitality and tourism industry. The course concludes by looking at the issues surrounding tourism and the environment.

This course builds on the knowledge gained in the previous course. It looks at physical infrastructure of the tourist industry which depends on good, solid organisational management principles. The history and organisation of the accommodation providers is explored leading to the roles of key individuals in the modern hotel structure, information systems and customer satisfaction and complaints procedures. Facility / infrastructure management and maintenance including health, safety, and first aid are covered, including an examination of security and risk management.

Exploring the ‘hotel system’ and how best it can be managed for a seamless customer experience including food and beverages which covers roles in the kitchen in and front of house, menus, the principles of buying and storage to manage wastage and shortages and revenue management to generate optimal income. Accommodations services and management is then addressed, looking at the crucial role of housekeeping. The final part of the course looks at wellness and leisure / recreation services and their importance as additional income streams.

The business of tourism is growing with the ease of transport and travel in today’s world, with tourists now looking for tailor-made experiences. The diversity of tourism in Africa is explored from safaris in the wilderness, through mountain climbing and white-water rafting, to beach holidays and city exploration. There is a particular focus on cultural tourism and African heritage and how this can help build a tourist industry that educates while generating income. Visa and health issues are covered along with the changing role of travel agencies in the light of online booking and the growing opportunities for tour operators and specialist tour guides. The meaning of ‘green’, ethical and sustainable tourism and the complex relationship between tourism and development, from a revenue-generating perspective and from the perspective of sustainability.

This course on research methods will prepare students for serious research in any area of hospitality and tourism managemanet. Given that research methods is a course underpinned by different theoretical and philosophical assumptions, it is important for students to be able to evaluate the various methodologies and choose appropriately a method that will be conducive and relevant to the area of development s/he has chosen to study. The course will familiarize students with all aspects of research from locating and organizing literature, through the choice of research methodology, the collection and interpretation of data, to the dissemination of results. The course will also examine contemporary issues in development research and introduce students to the ethics of research.