MA Luxury Hospitality Management with Internship

Course detail
You will learn to:
learn new approaches where empathy, intuition and the art of anticipation are dominant approach business challenges from a global perspective
integrate academic and technical knowledge
assess situations from financial, commercial and cultural standpoints.
champion and protect the trusted reputation of brands
develop action plans based on rigorous theoretical frameworks
manage change and transfer competencies and know-how
work in teams to learn how to build commitment
develop the communication and organisational skills that secures team 'buy-in' and successful project management.
Modules
The Luxury Hospitality Business Environment
Designing the Customer Experience I
Designing the Customer Experience II
Business Performance Analysis
Brand Reputation Management
E-Strategies and Systems
Research Methods.
Internship route:
Organisational Behaviour in Theory and Practice
Management Consultancy
The Internship.
Module summaries
The Luxury Hospitality Business Environment
This module introduces you to the luxury hospitality business environment within an international context. You will be able to acquire a specialist knowledge and understanding of the subtleties that differentiate various businesses and services in the luxury hospitality sector and those elements that are relevant for managing these businesses in the global economy today.
You will develop a critical understanding of key operational, financial and cultural aspects of the luxury hospitality business environment and the impact of changes in that environment at national and international levels. The module includes field trips in luxury hotels, private clubs, Michelin–starred restaurants and corporate hospitality service centres as well as guest lectures from leading industry professionals.

Designing the Customer Experience I
This module addresses the unique opportunities and challenges that the luxury hospitality industry faces when designing a customer experience. It will be underpinned by the sociological, cultural and historical perspectives of international luxury lifestyles that determine patterns of consumption and usage.
It incorporates models and concepts drawn from new product and service development theories and innovation management forming a comprehensive understanding of 'experience centric' luxury production and consumption.
You will explore the entire product-development process, from identifying customer needs to generating concepts, to prototyping and design to product launch. You will learn best practices from the industry using case studies, and apply your knowledge in a team project.

Designing the Customer Experience II
Building on the previous module which focused on consumer needs and luxury product development, this module looks at the design and management of the service, i.e. the delivery process of the luxury experience and the value creation for the consumer. It will be underpinned by the leadership and cultural perspectives that determine the service-profit chain of human-centred service design which links external customer satisfaction with internal customer satisfaction.
You will explore the nature of 'service ecologies' comprising a set of actors (people, product and service tools) and the relationships among them. The module will enable you to map and analyse existing 'experience centric' services and design new ones using fundamental concepts for talent development, employee engagement and management of change.

Business Performance Analysis
In order to ensure that they are pursuing strategies and actions which will enable their business to achieve its goals, managers must be able to measure and analyse the financial, social and environmental performance of the business.
In this module you will learn how to evaluate information and data available in annual reports, financial analysts' reports and companies' websites using the Triple Bottom Line approach which combines three considerations: is the company financially, socially and environmentally sustainable? Using the principles and practices of analysis offered in this module you will be able to continuously optimise your business performance and enhance your contribution to the societies you operate in.

Brand Reputation Management
The key to the success of luxury hospitality brands is building, maintaining and enhancing 'trustworthy' and 'committed' relationships with customers and other stakeholders such as owners, investors and shareholders. These brands are chosen because people trust that they deliver quality, but also trust everything that they stand for.
This module will use elements of Social Evaluation Theory in order to gain comprehensive level of understanding of how opinions and perceptions on luxury hotel and resort brands are shaped. As reputation is a composite construct comprising legitimacy, status and high performance, the module will also explore marketing, risk management, corporate reputation management and Corporate Social Responsibility strategies and tactics that luxury hospitality brand managers can employ to champion and protect each one of these components in order to build a resilient brand. The module aims to develop students as more intellectually questioning, enquiring managers and leaders and to introduce contemporary and innovative perspectives on managing the reputation of luxury brands and achieving business resilience.

E-Strategies and Systems
This module explores the use of the internet and information technologies that change the business dynamics in all aspects of luxury hospitality: the design, production, distribution and delivery of products and services.
You will be able to evaluate the ways in which luxury hospitality brands can gain economies of scale, coordinate design, production and distribution of products and services, manage supply chains and customer relationships and change the competitive landscape by capturing the benefits of new technologies. You will also gain an understanding of how these 'disruptive technologies' enable business models that can change the cost and differentiation dynamics in the luxury hospitality sector.

Research Methods
This module prepares you to produce a research thesis. It covers a range of topics, including theories and approaches to management research, problem formulation, investigative methods of data collection and data analysis.

Organisational Behaviour in Theory and Practice
This module is designed to sit alongside the internship module in that it will provide the initial necessary conceptual, intellectual and practical underpinning knowledge for the student internship. The aim of this module is for you to evaluate the different organisational cultures and behavioural designs of tourism, hospitality and aviation companies or work organisations. You will be expected to examine human resource management (HRM) practices within these aforementioned companies and evaluate how they, as individuals, are best suited to or compliment these in practice.

Management Consultancy
This module enables you to step into the role of an organisational consultant and develop the problem solving skills and competencies required to intervene effectively in an actual organisation. You will explore, critically reflect and apply theory to practice, communicate in an oral and written format and develop research skills.

The Internship
The internship requires that you work for a minimum of 1,200 hours (equivalent to 30 weeks) with a hospitality employer. These positions can be in either paid or non-paid employment. The important thing is that the internship allows you to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired on your course to a practical work-based situation. The internship will allow you to improve and acquire new skills, explore various career opportunities, network and work with others a part of a team.

It will also enhance your understanding of the world of work and what constitutes professional practice in the workplace. In doing so the internship seeks to enhance your career prospects and allow you to become more focussed in determining a potential career pathway. Please note the University does not guarantee a work placement for your internship – the onus is with the student to pro-actively seek an internship, which requires working closely with the placements team.