2016-2017

AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY

UNIT HANDBOOK
2016-2017

Course Title Course Code

Hospitality
Today

Credits 10 Level 4

Unit Leader & Name: Email: Office:

contact
Details Ioana Turcas Ioana.turcas@americanhotelacademy.ro

Programme BA (Hons) International Hotel Business Management

Title
Academic 2016-2017
Year
Start Date 3rd of October 2016 (Teaching Week 1)

End Date 09th of December 2015 (Teaching Week 10)

Number of 10 Weeks
Weeks /
course
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Contents

Unit Specification

Ethical Issues

Learning Outcomes

Week-by-week delivery

Attendance

Summative Assessment Elements

Assignment 1 (with marking and assessment matrix)

Assignment 2 (with making and assessment matrix)

Academic Misconduct / Penalties for Plagiarism

Learning Resources
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AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY

Unit Specification

The specification for this unit is available online within Online Campus

Ethical Issues

Within this unit, any issues relating to the American Hotel Academy ethical code of
practice will be addressed by tutors. If a student has ethical concerns regarding teaching
and learning, it is their responsibility and right to bring it to the attention of the Unit
Leader.

Learning Outcomes

1. To describe the size of travel and tourism industry, the changes that affect this industry and
explain the concept “service make a difference” within this sector.

2. To analyse the restaurant industry, the restaurant industry segments, eating and drinking places
and illustrate the major food and beverage markets that form hospitality industry.

3. To investigate the dynamic hotel industry, categorizing and management of hotels, while
identifying the most important hotel guests segments.

4. To describe other sectors of hospitality industry such as clubs, floating resorts, meetings and
conferences.

5. To explain the approach of all management schools and analyse what a franchise is and how it
can be categorized.
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Week-by-week delivery

Session Activity Topic

No.
Free conversation A brief History of Travel
1 “Bad service” – students will
be asked to think about an Service makes the difference
experience in hospitality where
they received bad service and
then, they will be asked to
comment on each other’s
experiences. Lecture’s role is
to facilitate the discussion.
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
prologue and chapter 1

2 Free conversation The Travel and Tourism Industry

Students will be asked why
people travel and all the
information will be written on
the flipchart and discussed
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
chapter 2
3 Free conversation Understanding the Restaurant
Students will be asked to Industry
identify the many segments of
the restaurant industry. Then,
the information will be written
on the board and discussed.
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
chapter 4
4 Free conversation Understanding the world of hotels
“Chain hotels vs independent
hotels” – the class will be
divided in 2 groups. One group
will represent chain hotels and
the other the independent
hotels. Each group will write
pros and cons of that type of
hotel from the employee
perspective. Information will
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AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY

be written on board and

discussed in class.
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
chapter 6

5 Free conversation Hotel organization and

Homework management
MINIMUM READING: How management companies
chapter 7 and 14 manage hotels
6 N/A Midterm examination

7 Free conversation Club Management

View the website of a variety
of city and country clubs An Introduction to Meeting
followed by class discussion Industry
on each properties amenities
and services.
Homework
MINIMNUM READING:
chapter 8 and 9

8 Free conversation Floating resorts

Lecturer will simulate a
booking for a cruise using the
official site of Carnival Cruise
Line for students to better
understand the cruise industry
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
chapter 10
9 Free conversation Managing and leading hospitality
Present a video to the class that enterprises.
reflects some aspects of the
management schools
Homework
MINIMUM READING:
chapter 12

10 Free conversation Franchise is big business

Homework
MINIMUM READING
chapter 15
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AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY

ATTENDANCE:

For the attendance the following penalties apply:

25% - 40% absences: 10 points deducted from the final grade

41% - 55% absences: 15 points deducted from the final grade

56% - 70% absences: 25 points deducted from the final grade

>70% absences: the student will be suspended from that class, and will have to retake
the entire course as if for the first time, the next time the course will be available,
paying it according to the number of credits that the course has.

Students are allow to have maximum 2 absences without affecting their final grade.

Summative Assessment Elements

No. Assessment Name Weight Factor Submission Date

(%)
1. Midterm examination 40% Week 07-11 of
Project presentation November
2. Final examination 60% Week 12-16
Written test
of December

In order to pass the course, students must receive a passing grade (40% or above) for
each element of assessment

If not passed, an element of assessment can be retaken during the resit period, with the
mark capped at 40%.

The order of the assessments below can be changed as per the course outline.
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Assessment 1 – Project
Unit Title Hospitality Today Unit Code
Assessment Name Project Weight Factor 40%
Learning outcomes LO 1: To describe the size of travel and tourism industry, the changes
to be assessed
that affect this industry and explain the concept “service make a
through this work
difference” within this sector.
LO 2. To analyse the restaurant industry, the restaurant industry
segments, eating and drinking places and illustrate the major food and
beverage markets that form hospitality industry.
LO 3. To investigate the dynamic hotel industry, categorizing and
management of hotels, while identifying the most important hotel guests
segments.
BA (Hons) International Hotel Business Management
Programme Title

Ioana Turcas
Tutors

Week 07-11 of November

Submission date

Feedback Policy The feedback will be given to students in face-to-face meetings.

Submission Assignment is a digital submission on the Online Campus

Location

Penalties for
exceeding word
count on written There is no penalty for exceeding specified assignment length
submissions

Support Students can always contact me via e-mail or meetings can be

Arrangements arranged whenever is possible both for students and lecturer.
Confirmation of Moderation Panel scrutinised this Assessment and it is
Moderation considered as appropriate for the level of study and credit value
of the unit.
Date of Panel
Meeting
Name of approved Krisztina Pinter / Ada Terea / Anne Taylor
internal moderator
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Students will be divided into groups. Each group of students will receive the same
topic for their project.
The project will be submitted on the online campus. The deadline is week 6.
The project should not exceed more than 2000 words, the font will be Times New
Roman 12, with 1.5 spacing.
Assessment Objective/Rationale:
Type of expected answers will be a description, explanation and summary of data
collection.
Assessment Task:
You will be divided into groups of maximum 5 pax. The topic will be the following:
You need to go to a 4* hotel, chosen by you and write a project about the hotel,
following the content.
1. The type of the hotel / Independently own or chain affiliated / hotel organization and
management / segment market
2. F&B outlets within the hotel
3. Restaurant concept / service style / its role in the restaurant industry

Assessment 2 – Written Examination

Unit Title Hospitality Today Unit Code
Assessment Name Written final Weight Factor 60%
examination
Learning outcomes LO 4. To describe other sectors of hospitality industry such as clubs,
to be assessed
floating resorts, meetings and conferences.
through this
examination
LO 5. To explain the approach of all management schools and analyse
what a franchise, how it can be categorized and how it can be
categorized.
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AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY

BA (Hons) International Hotel Business Management

Programme Title

Tutors Ioana Turcas

Main Exam Period will be from 12th December to 16th

Sitting Date December
Confirmation of Moderation Panel scrutinised this Assessment and it is
Moderation considered as appropriate for the level of study and credit value
of the unit.
Date of Panel
Meeting 30.09.2016
Name of approved Krisztina Pinter / Ada Terea / Anne Taylor
internal moderator

Examination rubric:
Duration of examination:
1 hour and a half

10 multiple choices questions

10 true or false questions
Number of questions to be answered:
5 short answer questions

Any additional information requirements:

Materials allowed in examination: Pen and paper

Students are not allowed to leave the examination room in the first 30 minutes of the
examination

Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is defined as any action or omission by a student that has the
potential to give the student an unfair advantage in any assessment.
All student created assignments, other than written examinations, may be checked
against plagiarism using an originality check software such as UNplag.

Tariff of penalties
For the BA studies:
Plagiarism
< 20%
> 20% First offence
> 20% Second offence
(any course within the
same program of study)
Further offences at the
same academic level
Learning Resources & Requirements
Essential texts:
Hospitality Today, An Introduction, Sixth Edition – course material ( available in pdf format on
online campus )
Rocco M. Angelo, CHA
Andrew N. Vladimir, CHE
Core texts:
Penalty
the assignment will be
marked and no cap will be
applied
- written warning
And
- a mark of 0 for the
element given
- written warning
And
- a mark of 0 for the entire
course will be given
- a mark of 0 for all the
courses taken so far in that
year
And
- marks capped at 40% for
all subsequent marks for
courses taken at that level
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AMERICAN HOTEL ACADEMY
Consequence
Type of engagement:
Developmental
Engagement
- Type of engagement:
Formal Meeting with Head
of Department
- Student will have to resit
the failed element of
assessment
- Type of engagement:
Formal Meeting with Head
of Department
- Student will have to resit
all elements of assessment
for the course
- Type of engagement:
Assessment Disciplinary
Committee
- Student will have to re
take the entire year with
marks capped at 40%.
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Pierre L.van den Berghe, “ Cultural Impact of Tourism”( New York. 1993 )
Deborah Silver, “ Site Seeing”. Restaurant & Institutions, January 15, 2000
Cruiser Segmentation Study, Cruise Lines International Association, 1995

Additional resources:

www. mandarin - oriental.com

www. ecotourism.org
www. carnival.com
www. rimag.com
www. ei-ahla.org