HOSPITALITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Catalog description

Introduction to hospitality business management theory and practice in an entrepreneurial environment within the hospitality industry. Topics include financial and legal requirements of a startup venture, competitive market analysis, business plan development, and strategic planning, linking theory with real world problems, solutions, and multidimensional teaching strategies to encourage the competences of critical thinking, communication, technology and innovation. This approach challenges students to identify the issues central to complex management problems, understand the structure of the sector, and harness those resources to solve problems in the workplace by developing the ethics, diversity and quantitative reasoning competencies. Working in teams, students develop concise presentation decks and detailed business plans in a competitive framework over the course of the semester, leading to presentations to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs. Instruction is primarily textbook driven with accompanied online lectures and online classroom weekly discussions. It integrates the use of technology, the internet for research, the use of e-mail for communication purposes and software like Word and PowerPoint.