International Hospitality and Tourism Management (with Foundation Year)

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Building Professional and Academic Skills for Success

  This module will provide you with effective personal and professional skills on which to base your academic study and professional careers in the tourism, hospitality and events industries and is an integral element of the transition to University learning. You will be learning the rules of academic study, acquiring and developing skills to support both your academic and professional careers.

• The Experience Economy

  The experience economy, comprising the tourism, hospitality and events industries, has significant positive and negative effects on places. This module introduces the Experience Economy via a set of in-depth case studies, focusing on specific places. In each case study you will be introduced to a specific Experience Economy example, including at least one international event, one tourism destination and one hospitality industry case. The module will include short field trips and site visits, some virtual, including at least one aspect of Oxford’s significant visitor economy, and one international case.

• Developing and Planning Experiences of Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  This module introduces you to the theoretical and contextual aspects of developing and planning memorable experiences, preparing you to organise your first experience industry products. The module also gives you the opportunity to explore planning for sustainable and responsible practice.

• Management in International Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  Every aspect of the business such as management, marketing and finance is based on key techniques. In this module we will introduce these to you with a specific focus on the business realities in tourism, hospitality and events. The techniques from the basic building blocks of academic knowledge are essential to the student experience.

• Global Industry Contexts in Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  This module aims to introduce you to the context within which the highly dynamic international tourism, hospitality and events industries operate. This includes a comprehensive overview of the composition, scale and scope of the industry. Historic, current and anticipated trends, developments and challenges will be examined, not the least in the light of the UN principles of sustainable development.

Optional modules

• Foundations of Marketing

  The aim of this module is to introduce you to the concept of creativity and its role within a marketing context. You will explore creativity in general terms and how it manifests within marketing practice. You will also have an opportunity to develop your own creativity skills in relation to a range of marketing scenarios and audiences.

• Digital Technology and Maths for Business

  This module introduces foundations of business information management to understand the potential of digital technologies. You will gain essential numerical, modelling and IT-skills, and will learn to manipulate data in order to create meaningful and user-friendly management information. These skills are taught in a business and problem-oriented way, using simplified business problems, combining several skills for each problem. 

• Business in Society

  This module is designed to provide an introduction to the ideas of personal corporate responsibility, sustainability, diversity and criticality that will underpin your professional career. You’ll also practise argument construction and debate in order to use wider thinking. 

  Upon successful completion of this module, you’ll be able to critically analyse evidence, demonstrate critical awareness to the complexity of diverse global perspectives and construct an argument to an audience.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Managing People in Hospitality, Tourism and Events

  This module will help you build on your first year learning. You’ll be able to identify and analyse the characteristics of managing people in Tourism, Hospitality and Events labour markets. Also, you’ll gain knowledge of theory and practices associated with managing culturally diverse people and workforces in these sectors. You’ll evaluate critically contemporary people management theoretical approaches utilising a range of independently researched evidence to support your arguments. 

  You’ll analyse relevant theoretical propositions for international Tourism,Hospitality and Events sectors. To build your understanding of managing people in these sectors. And you’ll also engage with current debates concerning the diversity and inclusion, culture and cultural differences and ethical management of diverse workforces to develop your key management skills in Tourism, Hospitality and Events.

• Marketing and Digital Transformations

  This is your introduction to the core principles of marketing within the current digital environment. You’ll develop an understanding of the current changes in digital marketplaces and the need to adapt Tourism, Hospitality or Event (THE) products and services for those markets. Also you’ll explore the discipline of Digital Marketing in the wider context of service industries’ marketing activities combining theoretical foundations with a hands-on approach to the topic. You’ll have the opportunity to work in teams to audit an existing THE brand and/or develop your own team brand, draft a marketing plan and engage in the creation of a realistic digital marketing campaign.

• Methods of Research in Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  Develop your critical research methods that can be used in the industry to provide the foundations for evidence based decision making. You will look at qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as developing your background knowledge that underpins research efforts. The knowledge you’ll acquire on this module will lay the foundation for you to use on your later research projects and in your future employment.

• Professional Skills and Preparing for Employability

  On this module you'll build on your acquired professional skills from your first year module Building Professional and Academic Skills for Success to help you further prepare you for your future employment. You'll be able to reflect on your experiences and increase your self-awareness about the skills that you'll need to gain employment in the tourism, hospitality and events management sector as you work through your live projects. 

• Revenue Management and Financial Essentials

  Managing revenue effectively is of ultimate importance to maximising value and profit for the Hospitality, Tourism and Event industry. Management of revenue involves a co-ordinated application of a range of financial, operational and marketing skills, ranging from: 

  • price determination
  • demand forecasting
  • customer value perception
  • inventory control 
  • to channel distribution management. 

  On this module you’ll examine all these topics and it will give you a holistic insight into Revenue Management from a combined financial and customer-centric approach. Your study will help prepare you for a fast-tracked career in the hospitality industry, in the Revenue Management area. You’ll finish this module equipped with the financial knowledge to tackle your final year financial modules.

• Tourism Destination Development

  Develop your understanding of destination product development and provides an opportunity for them to apply their learning through collaborative projects.

  On this module you will explore how tourism products are conceived and developed in destinations. Including the roles of different stakeholders, including:

  • governments
  • tour operators
  • local communities 
  • and accommodation providers. 

  You will develop and grow your understanding of destination development, the relevance of place and the role of place-making in supporting the development of sustainable destinations.

• Placement Search and Preparation (Compulsory for sandwich mode)

  This module provides you with practical guidance and support as you undertake a placement search, and helps prepare you for the placement experience and its related assessment requirements. It integrates with other employability related learning experiences, including co-curricular activities, which you may be undertaking.

Optional modules

• International Business Strategy

  In this module, you’ll delve into the social issues and opportunities associated with international business, and the challenges associated with a dynamic business environment. To develop your understanding of globalisation, you’ll be provided with a thorough overview of current affairs. You’ll also explore international business, while considering issues of sustainability and equality. 

  By completing this module, you’ll be able to assess the management and operational environment in which international business operates, while also developing the ability to analyse specific international business, innovation and sustainability strategies pursued by firms (MNCs, SMEs, NGOs).

• Environmentally Sustainable Business

  You’ll look at the environmental sustainability challenges facing society and businesses. You’ll discuss key environmental issues such as:

  • global warming
  • pollution
  • biodiversity loss 
  • freshwater depletion 
  • and the role of business in causing as well as responding to such issues. 

  You’ll explore macro (economic, policy, governance) as well as micro (organisational and individual) perspectives. You’ll also be introduced to a variety of stakeholder perspectives and frameworks for evaluating business responses. Through the module you’ll develop your key competencies for sustainability that are endorsed by UNESCO (2017) and the QAA/Advance HE (2021). The competencies are:

  • systems thinking
  • anticipatory thinking
  • normative competency 
  • strategic thinking
  • collaborative competency 
  • critical thinking
  • self-awareness 
  • integrated problem-solving competency.

• Tourist Behaviour

  You will explore, critically analyse and apply theories, models and frameworks of consumer behaviour to the specific behaviour of consumers for different sub-sectors of the tourism, hospitality and events (THE) industries. You will examine consumer behaviour before, during and after a tourism.

• Wedding Planning and Celebratory Events

  You’ll explore the socio-cultural origins and place in society of a range of celebratory events, such as:

  • weddings
  • anniversaries
  • celebrations of birth and death.

  You’ll critically review the religious, ethnic and social associations of such events in various settings. Also you’ll apply the key practical and creative requirements of designing and staging such events. 

  Through your studies you’ll develop core events skills like taking a client brief, managing stakeholders and events communications. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a live client brief. Practising your core skills you’ll acknowledge the cultural expectations of the client, and reflect on difference and opportunity, to celebrate diversity.

• Business Analytics and Decision Making

  This module concentrates on developing an understanding of the wider strategic and tactical aspects of analysing corporate performance. In teams, you’ll use a range of IT systems to develop a business intelligence system. And you’ll also explore the nature of decision making in business, from strategic to transaction based decision making, and the role of IT in supporting it. 

  Upon completion of this module, you’ll develop the necessary skills to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data, while being adept for management decision making.You’ll also have the ability to evaluate appropriate frameworks used for developing business intelligence solutions.

• Family and Society in Business

  Through this module you will build a comprehensive understanding of the impact of family businesses and social economy organisations (SEO’s) on the business landscape. 

  Firstly you will focus on family businesses and develop your insight into the unique challenges, dynamics, and advantages of family-owned enterprises, along with the strategies for effective governance and smooth transition across generations. You will delve into the study of cooperatives, including definitions, types, principles/values, governance structures, and the benefits and challenges associated with them. 

  You will conclude the module by examining the role of SEOs in economic development and exploring the current state of SEOs in the business landscape. You will also look at the contribution of SEOs to sustainable economic growth and societal well-being.

Optional Placement Year

Optional modules

• Choose 1 module from:

• Supervised Work Experience

  This module helps you to develop the competencies required by graduate employers. You will undertake a placement in a hospitality, tourism, and events organisation to give a significant length of time to experience the realities of work. Learn more about how Oxford Brookes Business School supports students secure a work placement.

• Full Year International Study Abroad

  This is an opportunity for you to study Business topics abroad in order to experience a different national, educational and business culture and to build on your knowledge, understanding, skills and competencies you have acquired during the earlier part of your course. This will help you to develop those skills to a higher level and to acquire new skills. All the topics studied will be relevant to your degree.

  You will undertake an international study exchange at a university outside the UK, arranged by the University’s exchanges office. This international study exchange lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of studies (Level 5).

• OR take both these modules:

• Short Placement

  This 24-week placement is your opportunity to develop your employability and enterprise skills. In the UK or Europe you will gain first-hand knowledge and experience of making applications to and working in a placement role. You will set your work based targets and reflect upon your success in your placement role. At the end of the placement, you will make a presentation to your line manager and placement tutor which summarises the knowledge and skills you have developed on your placement.

• Work-based Learning

  This module is also a 24-week work-based learning opportunity for you to develop your employability and enterprise skills. As on the other modules you will have the opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge and experience of making applications to and working in a placement role. This could include employment, volunteer work experience or undertaking a consultancy type project. 

  You will agree a brief before your work-based role begins,set work based targets and reflect upon your success in your placement role. At the end of the placement, you will make a presentation to your line manager and placement tutor which summarises the knowledge and skills you have developed on your placement.

Final Year

Compulsory modules

• Leadership and Professional Development in Tourism and Hospitality

  You will be challenged to advance your reflective skills and reassess the personal ability to effectively manage a diverse range of relationships. Also you’ll look at authentic leadership skills within the international hospitality and tourism industries.

  By the end of the module, you will have developed:

  • leadership knowledge
  • competencies and skills by using your own work
  • university and/or community-based experiences to explore key relationships
  • professional sector competencies
  • and how to evaluate contemporary leadership challenges. 

• Research Project of Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  Through this Research Project you’ll have the opportunity to conduct sustained, self-directed, independent work through an in-depth study of a hospitality or tourism-related topic where you can analyse theory, evaluate it and apply it to examining practice.

• Tourism Impact Analysis

  You’ll focus on the study of the range of nature and type of impacts associated with tourism and tourists on the: 

  • Environment
  • Economy 
  • Society.

  Including approaches to impact assessment and management to ensure that the tourism and hospitality industry benefits from them.

Optional modules

• Business Analytics for Hospitality and Tourism

  You will build skills in thinking logically and critically about complex managerial issues that hospitality organisations face today and structure solutions with a data-driven approach.

  You’ll develop your understanding of the content, importance and relevance of business analytics and data visualisation in business decision-making with a focus on the hospitality and tourism industry.

  You will gain knowledge of the key concepts and methods combined with extensive opportunities to develop your hands-on skills for applying business analytics and data visualisation to managerial decision-making.

• Business Ethics

  This module is designed to address our changing world that is facing social and environmental challenges. You’ll develop the capacity to make ethically defensible decisions as members of business organisations and of society in general. You’ll analyse and evaluate the ethical propositions of others. And, you’ll evaluate the ethics of different systemic models of production, distribution and exchange.

  Upon completing this module, be able evaluate and apply ethical reasoning to local and global business dilemmas and economic systems, and you’ll be able to evaluate the significance of a range of western and non-western ethical perspectives.

• Creative Communication Management

  You will practise marketing problem-solving using marketing communications throughout this module. Your taught input and practical exercises will help you develop a holistic view of marketing communications campaigns, their role and how they are developed, managed and evaluated in a variety of organisational and social contexts, cultures and communities. 

  You’ll build on your knowledge of marketing communications tools, ability to conduct independent research into a variety of markets and sectors. You will further develop and hone your knowledge and skills, which will be utilised throughout this module in a way that prepares you to be effective within a marketing communications-focused area.

• Critical Management

  This module is designed to provide you with a range of benefits to support your development as a successful corporate leader. Through the exploration of contemporary business themes and analysis of current cases, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the external drivers that shape organisational strategy, behaviour, and management. This understanding will enable you to recommend effective policies and strategies that align with stakeholder interests and wider societal responsibilities. Additionally, this module focuses on both national and international levels, which will help provide a global perspective on business themes and their impact on strategy.

  By developing cognitive skills such as critical thinking, analysis, creative problem solving, and decision making, you will be better equipped to navigate complex business environments with confidence.

• Entrepreneurship and Creativity Enterprise in Hospitality and Tourism

  You will be exposed to what is involved in being a successful entrepreneur in the Hospitality and Tourism industry sectors. Also you’ll learn techniques to foster creativity and innovation.

  You’ll undertake informed reflection on your entrepreneurial predispositions and have the opportunity to work up and present an idea for your own potential venture to a panel of expert entrepreneurs.

• Financial Decision Making for Hospitality and Tourism

  Explore how the assets of a hospitality and tourism organisation are effectively managed on behalf of internal and external stakeholders and key techniques of financial decision-making for hospitality and tourism organisations. Also, you will get the opportunity to analyse and interpret the Annual Report and Accounts of a publically listed Hospitality or Tourism business.

  You’ll look at hospitality and tourism financial reports, where you build your skills and knowledge of:

  • uniform accounting systems
  • responsibility accounting
  • hotel industry studies and comparative analysis.
  • content and interpretation of annual reports of hospitality and tourism businesses
  • hotel management contracts
  • franchising
  • business valuation
  • capital project appraisal methods
  • responsibilities of the asset manager within the owner/operator context
  • contemporary financial issues.

• Food, Drink and Culture

  You’ll have the opportunity to explore complex relationships between food and drink, individuals and societies.You will build your critical thinking skills and be able to argue and present about the extensive implications of food and drink-related practices for society. 

  You’ll analyse a variety of factors that shape these relationships and examine the:

  • consequences for health
  • environment
  • distinctiveness of cultures
  • cohesiveness of communities.

• International Business Strategies in Hospitality and Tourism

  You will explore factors affecting the decisions related to the international business strategies of hospitality and tourism (H and T) organisations. You’ll also learn methods to evaluate various international expansion modes considering the political, economic and socio-cultural environments of potential destinations. 

  You’ll build appreciation of the risks associated with doing business in international markets by addressing transnational differences (with a particular focus on emerging markets) that affect the strategy, performance, and value of international H and T organisations. 

  You’ll have the oppportunity to critically reflect on the impacts of a globalised brand or brands on local markets and consider ethical, social and environmental effects of a company’s decision to expand internationally. You’ll also look at models for organising and managing an international network of operations and how to coordinate knowledge transfer across borders.

• Optimising Hospitality Operations

  You will explore the fundamental techniques and tools to analyse and improve operational capabilities of hospitality organisations. You will learn about commonly occurring application problems such as:

  • hotel/restaurant inventory control
  • facility layout and workflow problems
  • process and bottleneck analysis.

  Also you’ll look at optimisation models that support hospitality procurement and purchasing functions, including labour productivity analysis and regulating waiting times.

  By the end of this module you will have explored various case studies of the role of operations in building the competitive strengths of an organisation and in fulfilling its ultimate goal of creating value and delivering customer satisfaction.

• Work-Based Learning in Tourism, Hospitality and Events

  This module offers you an opportunity to obtain knowledge and experience in making applications for and working in the sector related to your course. 

  Through this module you will have access to paid work experience to develop your employability and enterprise skills and mindset as part of your degree.