Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Course Content

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 1: The Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry, in its entirety, is probably the largest global industry. Excluding the food and beverage sector, the industry generated 2.36 trillion US dollars in 2014 with all indicators show continuing growth over the next few decades: the only global industry that continued to grow during the recession.

The hospitality industry encompasses sectors that are considered to be industries in their own right: catering; tourism; accommodation; sport and recreation; leisure and entertainment. In Unit 1, students will be introduced to the scale and structure of the industry as a whole. Students will gain an overview of each sector and an understanding of the inter relationship between the sectors.

Recent developments that have impacted on the industry such as issues relating to food safety, e-commerce & social media, terrorism and sustainability will be discussed and analysed. In addition, future trends that can impact on the industry, for example possible increased travel restrictions in light of recent political events, global warming and socio-economic fluctuations, will also be examined.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 2: The External Business Environment

No business, regardless of size, product or service, operates within a bubble. The policies of governments, the changing demands and needs of consumers, and the operation of the wider economy and political establishment all impact on a business.

In this unit students will be introduced to the various business structures and how these impact on businesses, employees and consumers which will include the increase of out-sourcing, franchises and entrepreneurs. There will be an analysis of how these structures impact on profitability, management and employees and how they influence the future of the hospitality industry.

Focusing on the United Kingdom, the role of central and local government will be assessed. There will be discussion of the legislative framework in which the hospitality industry must operate and some consideration of how Brexit might change this.

Currently, many countries across the globe are experiencing political volatility. Wars and internal conflicts are producing terrorism. Brexit has created many economic and social unknowns as has the election of President Trump in the United States. As the hospitality industry is international by nature e.g. entertainment or tourism, global political events have an enormous impact. The impact and how the industry is responding will be discussed and future developments explored.

Finally, the economy and political environment also impacts on the consumer. How consumers are reacting to current affairs will be examined and the industry´s responses critically evaluated.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 3: Human Resource Management

In this unit, students will be introduced to human resource management. Both the role of the supervisor/manager and the Human Resources Department will be discussed and evaluated. The methods of recruiting, managing, motivating, training and developing employees will be examined in detail.

Focusing on the United Kingdom, students will be introduced to the legislative framework in which employers must operate. There will be a general discussion of how and why legal principles such as equality and safety of employees should be universally recognised across the global hospitality industry.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 4: Developing Good Customer Service

The hospitality industry is a ‘people orientated’ industry: to keep in business, hospitality businesses must ‘keep the customer satisfied’. Business travellers demand efficient, polite service in order to conduct their own business goals effectively. The day tripper or holiday maker want relaxation, enrichment or fun, whatever their motivation they will expect courteous, enthusiastic customer service. With so much choice now available, but often of a similar kind, customer service is the value added that can draw the consumers in.

In this unit you will explore how businesses can develop and maintain a customer service culture and clear customer service standards. You will understand the importance of teams and team building and the difficulties that have to be overcome in an industry where high staff turnover and a high percentage of remote employees are prevalent.

The concept of quality will be analysed and an exploration of how quality management can improve customer service and consequently customer satisfaction.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 5: Marketing

Well planned, motivating promotion and marketing is essential for success in hospitality in the 21st century.

In this unit, students will gain an understanding of the traditional methods of promotion and advertising; the role of public relations and the impact of social media on the industry. The tools required to develop a successful marketing campaign, such as SWOT analysis and the marketing mix, will be used to analyse current marketing campaigns and to create a new campaign.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 6: Finance in Tourism and Hospitality

A business must keep control of their finances to survive. A successful business will also effectively access all sources of funding; price their service or product at the right level, and use available funds efficiently and wisely. In this unit, students will be introduced to funding; pricing strategies and monitoring tools that are widely used in the hospitality industry.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 7: Food and Beverage Operations

Catering is at the heart of the hospitality industry and satisfies the needs of both locals and visitors.

In this unit, students will gain an understanding of the vast range of food and beverage providers. The distinction between a hospitality provider and a convenience outlet will be evaluated as well as the different types of food service.

Focusing on the United Kingdom, the strict legislative framework in which catering outlets must operate will be examined and the processes evaluated, such as food hygiene systems.

Current and future trends will be explored, for example healthy eating and the growth of vegetarianism, and how this impact on the development and operation of the industry.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 8: Accommodation Management

Traditionally, the hotel industry was seen as the hospitality industry and this is still the opinion of many. Although the industry, by definition, now encompasses a far greater range of enterprises, the hotel sector still generates an income of 550 billion US dollars, making it a significant sector.

The management of hotel operations will be examined in depth and the role of the distinct departments within a hotel will be analysed.

In this unit, students will also examine how the accommodation sector has grown and diversified over the years. The role of branding and the dominance of the international brands will be analysed. In addition, how the independent establishments continue to thrive in spite of the major internationals will be discussed.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 9: Global Tourism and Hospitality

Tourism is one of the strongest drivers of world trade and prosperity. Globally, tourism contributes to 5% of GDP and it is estimated that 1 in 12 jobs worldwide is in the industry. Despite turbulent times for the world’s economy, these basic facts are unlikely to change.

This unit will examine how travel and tourism organisations operate globally and what global factors influence their operation. Students will understand the differences between travel and tourism. The specific sectors will be examined and the links between the two explored. The challenges to and responsibilities for their operations will be evaluated.

The impact on the industry of the economic and social policies of national governments and global policy making organisations will be evaluated and analysed. Both historical and current events will be examined to give the student a comprehensive understanding of the inter-relations between political decisions, general economic activity and the successful growth of tourism. The relationship between tourism development and the general hospitality industry will be evaluated.

Modern innovations and concerns such as new technologies and environmental protection will be assessed in terms of present and future local and global tourism. By means of case studies, a review of the impact of these current issues will be conducted and students will be expected to propose strategies to address issues that have been identified.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 10: Sport and Leisure Sector

The leisure sector is difficult to identify as it can be argued that all hospitality is based on leisure. In this unit, we will examine the scope and structure of the leisure industry and focus on the provision of sport within the industry.

Elite sport is now a multi-million-pound industry, in contrast grass route sport is mainly publicly funded and dependant on volunteers. The relationship between elite and general sport development will be analysed and how it impacts on the funding of both sectors. The social, cultural and economic importance of both elite and general sport provision will be discussed.

There will be an examination of how leisure and recreation enterprises cater for local needs and their importance to the local economy and culture.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 11: Arts, Culture and Heritage

Heritage and culture are pivotal to any nation, they inform our present and mould our future, it is therefore unsurprising that buildings, events and practices that give a greater understanding are consistently in demand.

In this unit, the appeal of cultural activities and sites will be discussed and analysed. Both from a hospitality and tourism perspective, the different types of cultural attraction will be explored. The particular issues relating to the conservation of our heritage and the creating of authentic cultural experiences will be evaluated, plus the concerns regarding the commercialisation of culture, known as ´trinketization´.

In addition, the special place of the arts in both heritage and culture will be explored. Diversification and the impact of modern technology on contemporary art performances and installations will be examined and the effect on the modern industry investigated.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 12: Communication in Business

Although some jobs in the hospitality industry can be insular, the clear majority of roles involve day to day dealings with a range of distinct stake holders. You could be interfacing with consumers, government agencies, a variety of officials and staff from a host of differing organisations and some or all of these could be from divergent cultures and speak different languages. Effective and precise communication is therefore of utmost importance if an organization is to run effectively and avoid confusion.

In this unit, the range of oral and written communication including the increasing use of technology will be examined. The potential hazards of communication will be explored and systems to avoid them will be explained and analysed in different contexts.

The differences between communication within, between and amongst stakeholders will be explained and theories of interpersonal communication applied.

Students will be required to audit their own interpersonal skills, reflect on what is learnt and produce a personal development plan to improve communication skills. A similar review of an organisation will complete this unit.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 13: Managing People in Organisations

Managing people in any context can be a difficult task. In the hospitality industry people management can become very complex as stakeholders can be diverse in terms of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. This unit will explore how organizational structures can aid and hinder effective people management and give an outline of motivational theories that can inform good practice.

In the first instance, students will be given an understanding of how organizational structure and culture impacts on people and how negative effects can be minimalised.

There will be an explanation and analysis of the predominant motivational theories of Taylor, Mayo, Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor. Students will evaluate how theory can improve good practice in an organization by the study of case studies and by reviewing their own experiences. The role of coaching, mentoring and personal development will be assessed.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 14: Sales Development and Merchandising

To increase profitability, many hospitality businesses have diversified and sell a range of products, usually branded. In this unit, the range of products available to meet the demand of target markets will be examined. The role of marketing will be analysed with a focus on branding.

Merchandising and personal selling skills will be discussed with the opportunity for students to evaluate their own skills and investigate how these skills can be improved.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 15: Contract and Events Management

With changes in working practices in the private and public sector, there is an increased use of contracted-out services. In this unit, the growth of contracted services will be examined and the implications to the hospitality industry, in particular the catering sector, will be evaluated.

Event management saw an explosion of growth from the late twentieth century and is still one of the fastest growing areas of contracted services. Event management encompasses events from small local conferences, exhibitions and fairs to major international events such as the World Cup, the Olympics and G7 conferences.

In this unit, the elements of good event management will be explored and the impact of events on both the local and international environment will be analysed.

Level 4+5 Accredited Hospitality Management Diploma Unit 16: Sustainable Development

A sustainable approach to tourism means that neither the natural environment nor the socio-cultural fabric of the host communities will be impaired by the arrival of tourists. On the contrary, the natural environment and the local communities should benefit from tourism, both economically and culturally.

In this unit, the principles of sustainable tourism will be explained and, by use of real situations, the difficulty of realizing these principles will be evaluated.

Different approaches to planning will be explored. How negative environmental and socio cultural impacts can be avoided and how positive effects can be maximized will be investigated and evaluated.

After studying present viewpoints of those involved in destination developments, students will make and justify recommendations to preserve the environmental and social fabric of a destination.