| CODE | TTC1103 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | The Business Environment of Tourism and Culture | ||||||||||||
| 今日黑料 LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| EQF/MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Tourism Management | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will serve as an introduction to the tourism operation, by providing a solid background to the environment of the tourism business activity. The first part of the study-unit will discuss the way in which business organisations act as a transformation process and the way in which a business may structure its activities. It will introduce the student to the complexity and uniqueness of the organisation's environment and introduce the student to the nature of the external environment (PEST), including the analysis of change and its implication on business activity. The second part of the study-unit will focus on the structure and organisation of tourism businesses, by classifying businesses, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of organisations, small and large firms, public, private and social tourism enterprises. The third part of the study-unit will focus on the competitive and political environments facing tourism businesses. Students will be introduced to mechanisms to be utilised in assessing businesses, such as SWOT and Porter's Five Forces, the various forms of competition and how governments affect or hinder the growth of a tourism activity. The fourth part looks at the macro-economic environment on business, and how different economies can influence tourism businesses. The fifth part look at globalisation and tourism activity and in the sixth and final part, students will be introduced to socio-cultural influences and technology on business decisions. Study-unit Aims: The purpose of this study-unit is to provide an overview of the business environment as it affects organisations involved in tourism and travel and to introduce different approaches to analysing that environment. As well as helping one develop an understanding of the factors that influence business operations, this module will also encourage students to develop more practical skills related to information gathering, problem solving and team work. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Discuss how tourism and cultural organisations interact with, and are shaped by, their external business environment; • Explain the structure, characteristics, and dynamics of the industries and markets in which tourism and travel businesses operate, including key trends influencing their development; • Describe and interpret major analytical frameworks—such as PEST, SWOT, and Porter’s Five Forces—and evaluate their relevance to tourism businessplanning and strategic decision making; • Discuss the relationship between theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence in tourism management, and how these inform organisational practice. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Apply critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and synthesis to interpret business environments and assess tourism related organisational challenges; • Conduct structured research using country level data, industry reports, and case study material to support evidence based analysis of tourism businesses; • Use established business models and strategic tools to analyse real world business problems and propose informed solutions within tourism and cultural sectors; • Demonstrate self awareness and sensitivity to cultural, organisational, and managerial diversity when evaluating business contexts and working collaboratively with others. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Evans, N., Campbell, D. and Stonehouse, G. (2014): Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism. Butterworth Heineman, Oxford (ISBN 13: 9780415837279; ISBN 10: 0415837278). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Etienne Dalli Alfred Mifsud |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2026/7. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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