The course aims to provide students with an insight into the general and basic aspects of business economics and management, focusing on tourism businesses that populate the national and international context. Furthermore, in order to understand the positioning of tourism businesses in a systemic logic, their role with respect to tourist destinations will be contextualized.

During the course case studies as well as direct testimonies of entrepreneurs, industry associations, and stakeholders, who will illustrate the critical success factors in the current tourism context, will be presented and analyzed.

The course aims to provide students with an introductory framework on the general and basic aspects of the economy and management of businesses, subsequently focusing on businesses that are present in the tourism context (tourism businesses). In addition, the role of tourism enterprises in tourism systems and destinations will be clarified.

1. Business: definitions and introductory aspects

2. The strategic process and the evaluation of strategic performance

3. Marketing as a process of value creation in tourism

4. The role of the tourism business in tourist destinations

5. Tourism enterprises: legislative framework and classification

6. Tourism businesses and the experiential approach

7. Tourism businesses and the perspective of sustainability

8. Tourism businesses and digitization

9. The role of tourism businesses in local planning

Knowledge and understanding

Students must acquire adequate knowledge about and the ability to understand of basic knowledge of economics and business management, in particular with respect to the tourism context (tourism businesses)

Applying knowledge and  understanding

Students must be able to apply acquired knowledge to understand and solve problems related to multiple and different tourism business contexts also in a systemic logic

Making judgements

Students must know how to utilize, both conceptually and practically, the knowledge they have gained in order to autonomously assess and discern the various applicative business contexts.

Communication skills

Students must acquire the technical language of the discipline in order to communicate clearly and unambiguously with specialized interlocutors (managers of both private and public enterprises, scholars, experts, local agencies, etc.) and must also develop relational and communication skills for dealing with non specialists.

Learning skills

Students must develop adequate learning skills so as to continue to expand their knowledge of the discipline and in particular, of the working contexts in which they will act.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

As a supplement to the lessons, seminars on certain topics and pratical workshop will be offered

Teaching

The course includes the following teaching methods:

• frontal lectures
• guest speakers: entrepreneurs, industry associations, public agency representatives
• group projects and practical case study work
• class discussions or webinar

Innovative teaching methods

The in-person teaching method will be enriched with individual and group exercises and insights, which students will carry out using the University's Moodle platform. Some topics of the course will be covered following the practice of the "flipped lesson".

Course books

Didactic material and support activities (Material provided by the teacher):

The teaching material made available by the teacher can be found, together with other support activities, within the Moodle platform ›blended.uniurb.it

Assessment

Each student’s expected learning outcomes will be assessed by means of a written, two-part examination: 

1) a structured first part consisting of: 24 multiple-choice questions (each worth 1 point, for a total of 24 points). The objective of this part is to assess the student’s declarative knowledge as well as his/her capacity to comprehend concepts and representations.

2) an unstructured second part consisting of: 1 open question (worth a maximum of 7 points). The evaluation criteria for the response to this question are:

1. student’s knowledge of course concepts

2. student’s capacity for critical thinking

Each of these criteria will be assessed on a four-level marking scale.

Students taking the exam will have a total of 24 minutes available to answer the questions.

The final score on the written examination will be expressed in 30ths. 

With a minimum passing score (18/30) on the written exam, a student may elect to take an oral examination in order to increase his/her final score. This final mark will reflect any additional points gained during the oral examination.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

For the academic year 2023/2024 the program of attending and non-attending students is the same.