PROFESSIONAL ETHICS - 2020/1

Module Overview

This module introduces students to the study of ethics and applies this to hospitality and tourism. Ethics in the hospitality and tourism industries has received significant attention over the last decade, with issues such as: corporate social responsibility, global reporting, ethical consumption, to name but a few, becoming increasingly central to business practice. This module will offer students the opportunity to reflect upon their own understanding of ethics, will introduce them to a range of theoretical approaches to understanding ethics and ethical responses to business situations, and will provide the opportunity for in-depth reflection and critique on ‘real life’ scenarios

Module provider

Hospitality, Tourism & Events Management

Module Leader

KIMBU Albert (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Tourism and ethics: tourism’s new moralities


• Human Nature (including: emotion, reason, self-interest, altruism, reciprocal altruism, theory of commitment)


• Philosophy and ethics


• Environmental ethics


• Politics and ethics


• Morals and moral reasoning


• Tourism and human rights


• Business Ethics in Hospitality and Tourism (including: sustainability, CSR, codes of ethics, ethical business responses, trust and culture, stewardship and ecological values, best practice and benchmarking)

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

In the event that a group project will not be suitable for re-assessment, an individual essay (2000 words) will be assigned.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to encourage students to acquire and apply knowledge and skills by examining a practical topic from a conceptual perspective. Assessments will evaluate students’ knowledge and critical understanding of how ethical theory can help resolve dilemmas in the tourism and hospitality industry. Furthermore, students’ ability to interpret academic and other secondary sources and report findings in a creative and business-like manner will be tested.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

1. 2000 word individual essay (based upon theoretical critique) submitted in week 6


2. 5000 word group project (critique of a case study scenario and industry response) submitted in week 11.

Formative assessment and feedback

Unmarked formative feedback will be provided to students through a range of approaches, including question and answer sessions, feed-forward sessions in class and discussions using Surrey Learn.

Module aims

• develop students' ethical framework within the context of the hospitality and tourism industries.
• introduce students to a range of theoretical approaches and supports students in critiquing the application of such theory to case examples.
• encourage students to consider and reflect upon the range of ethical conflicts and dilemmas that arise within the hospitality and tourism industries, and to critique a range of responses to such scenarios.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The key teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage active, problem-based learning.  By drawing reference to a range of case study examples (relating to topics such as: CSR, sex tourism, and human rights with industry partners such as TUI, ECPAT, Tourism Concern, ABTA, etc), the module will provide students with the opportunity to understand and critique theory through real world cases. Such an approach will encourage students to explore and critically evaluate theoretical perspectives.

The teaching and learning methods are based around classroom-based techniques including: lectures, seminar discussions and debates, presentations, case study analysis, and role play scenarios organised in 3 hour integrated lecture/seminar sessions per week X 11 weeks. These methods and sessions are designed explicitly to develop students’ critical ability and comprehension of the issues addressed through active, engaged learning.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2129

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.