Welcome to your Business Management (Tourism) course

Welcome to University of Staffordshire

We know you're already passionate about your subject, which is why we're excited you've chosen University of Staffordshire as the place to turn possibility into reality.

To give you an insight into what life as a Business Management (Tourism) student is like, your course leaders have prepared introductions to the course and further activities.

Welcome to BSc (Hons) Business Management (Tourism)! We’re excited to meet you and begin the journey….

This course will immerse you in the world of tourism and provide you the skills and experience for your future career. You'll learn the principles of business and management along with subject specific modules such as globalisation, tourism and development and tourism perspectives. You'll also start thinking strategically and creatively about the tourism industry in a variety of commercial contexts.

First activity

The first semester is an opportunity to make new friends and build a support network of peers and mentors. This network can provide academic support, share experiences, and help you adjust to university life.

You'll attend lectures, discussions, and tutorials. This is a time to immerse yourself in the subjects you're passionate about and gain foundational knowledge.

In the first year, the course will provide the groundings of tourism management and the business environment. You will cover modules such as: foundations of HRM, introduction to management accounting, marketing in the business environment and managerial economics.

Course delivery

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. In addition, you will have meetings with an academic mentor at least twice a year.

The course will provide you with opportunities to engage with formative modules and engagement activities to help us to gauge your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments.

There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, practical portfolio work, development logbooks, written reports, presentations, and independent supervised projects. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark, and ultimately to your degree classification.

You’ll often be given independent learning tasks (homework) that are designed to consolidate your learning and give you opportunities to complete tutorials or practice what you’ve learnt from your scheduled sessions. This is what we refer to as self-managed study time. Assignments are broken up into milestones throughout the semesters.

In terms of practical elements during the course you will critically reflect upon the experience of visitors and relate this to relevant academic theories in the areas of the visitor motivation, visitor behaviour, expectation/perception, and the experience economy.

You will undertake tasks such as developing a travel itinerary that considers various tourism markets with regard to supply and demand.

In the final year you will take part in a consultancy module whereby you will develop collaborative management project with an organisation of your choice to identify an area of research beneficial to both you and the organisation. You will be involved in real-time problem solving, develop a set of recommendations based on your research findings and present those findings to the organisation. By collaborating with tourism professionals, you’ll gain valuable skills to help you develop your career.

Pre-learning

The university provides academic resources such as libraries, writing centres, tutoring services, and study groups. Get to know what is available to you and take advantage of these resources to enhance your learning experience.

Reference texts to familiarise yourself with:

  • Fletcher, J., Fyall, A., Gilbert, D. and Wanhill, S. (2017). Tourism Principles and Practice. 6th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
  • Holloway, C. J. and Humphreys, C. (2016) The Business of Tourism 10th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
  • Page, S. and Connel, J. (2020) Tourism a Modern Synthesis. 5th edn. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Page, S.J. (2009). Tourism Management. Managing for Change. 3rd edn. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, Elsevier. 

Foundation year semester one activities

On the foundation year you will cover modules such as: business performance, communication in the digital age, external business environments and managing for people and profit. You will also undertake a business simulation project.

This year will act as a steppingstone and will provide you confidence by strengthening your academic background. Beyond subject-specific knowledge, the foundation year will emphasise the development of transferable skills such as critical thinking, research, and communication, which are valuable in any academic or professional setting moving forward.

Foundation year pre-learning

The university provides academic resources such as libraries, writing centres, tutoring services, and study groups. Get to know what is available to you and take advantage of these resources to enhance your learning experience.

Reference texts to familiarise yourself with:

  • Porter, M (2004) Competitive Advantage : creating and sustaining superior performance. New York: Free Press
  • McDonald, M & Meldrum, M (2013) The Complete Marketer. London: Kogan Page
  • Paul, D. et al. (2020) Business Analysis. 4th edn. Swindon: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

Meet the team

Amanda Payne

Senior Lecturer

Amanda is an active researcher and Course Leader for the FdA Visitor Attraction and Resort Management. She is working towards A PhD and is currently researching poverty alleviation through art and cultural tourism in Cambodia.

Amanda's profile

Karl Mccormack

Senior Lecturer

Karl has experience teaching on Apprenticeship and Foundation Degrees, BA accounting programmes, MBA modules. He has also taught as a subject specialist in forensic accounting, computerised accounting and management accounting.

Karl's profile

Frances-Marie Hitchen

Lecturer

Fran is a lecturer in Visitor Attraction and Resort Management, Business Management (Tourism & Events) and Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeships and has vast industry experience enabling her to provide real life industry knowledge.

Frances-Marie's profile

Dr Mohammad Wasim

Senior Lecturer

Ali has industry experience in roles such as product management, brand management and operations. He joined Staffordshire University in 2017 after completing his PhD in Management. He is Deputy Award Leader for Undergraduate Business Management.

Mohammad's profile

Paul Dobson

Senior Lecturer

Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire Business School for over 17 years, specialising in digital and strategic marketing. This includes local, national and international Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO).

Paul's profile

Dr Joe Hazzam

Interim Course Director

Joe is a Senior Lecturer, and course leader of the BSc digital and social media programme. Joe delivers workshops and masterclasses on social media and digital marketing strategies with 17 years of experience in strategic and digital marketing

Joe's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.

Your course leader is Amanda Payne – Amanda.payne@staffs.ac.uk

If you have any doubts or issues, do not hesitate to contact her.

We look forward to welcoming you to the campus in September.

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