Contemporary Issues in Hospitality Management

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Nick Pronger
• Assessment: a 3500-word individual report (100%)

The hospitality industry is dynamic, complex and it plays an important role in the global business environment. Hospitality organisations operate in a highly competitive setting and must be adaptive to meet industry and customer demands.

Hospitality operators are influenced by emerging contemporary issues such as new offerings, innovative business models, changing consumer preferences and the use of technology that often challenge the way they operate. Therefore, hospitality managers must have a clear understanding of contemporary issues and they must be able to provide solutions that will allow their businesses to achieve a competitive advantage.

In this module you will explore a number of contemporary issues and trends related to the international hospitality industry. A range of topics that are widely addressed by academics, practitioners and customers will be examined in detail. The module provides you with the opportunity to understand how hospitality businesses respond to a range of contemporary issues that are likely to influence their performance. Industry practitioners will be invited to present on contemporary issues which are critical for the future of the industry.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• critically evaluate a contemporary issue and its impact on a hospitality organisation and make recommendations on how to achieve a competitive advantage in the business environment
• understand and use relevant concepts, models and theories to assess contemporary issues that apply to organisations
• identify and address challenges and opportunities on the short- and long-term and develop solutions for organisational functions in a hospitality context
• appreciate the importance and role of managers to meet industry and customer demands.