STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF INT'NL HOTEL COMPANIES - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module equips students to develop a strategic approach to the management of international hotel companies. International hotel businesses are complex entities that operate across borders with multiple dynamic opportunities, challenges and contexts. The management of organisations with changing landscapes across regions are further challenged by fast paced innovations in technology and increasing concerns of social and environmental sustainability. Effective management of these global organisations require dynamic strategic thinking, global cultural awareness and innovative management approaches. The module aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to become future leaders and managers of international hotel companies. The strategy theory covered in this module will also have relevance to management of other parts of the hospitality sector.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

RAMAKRISHNAN Sumeetra (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes: Context relating to international hotel companies 

• Strategic position
• Strategic choices
• Strategy in action
• Responsible management and organisational culture
• Managing strategies in contemporary hotel ecosystems 
• Creating transformational strategies for the hotel sector
• Managing organisations of the future

 Embedded within the content will be coverage of characteristics relating specifically to international hotel companies such as types of business formats, competitive and business landscape, considerations of technology and sustainability, affiliation choices, ownership options, multi-brands and locations.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual presentation instead of Group Presentation.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• An ability to effectively apply relevant theories of strategy to practice in international hotel companies
•  Techniques of critical analyses, evaluation and application of knowledge to successfully manage international hotel companies.
• An appreciation of strategic thinking in analysing existing strategies of international hotel companies and providing useful innovative recommendations
• An awareness of developments in key areas of interest strategic management like advances in technology, sustainability, pioneering business practices, geo political challenges among others
• Effective team coordination, resilience and leadership skills through achieving desired assessment objectives
• Resourcefulness, professionalism and creativity in presenting knowledge and analyses 

There are two summative assignments for this module.1.Group Presentation Students in groups of 4-6 should evaluate an international hotel company of their choice and provide recommendations for its strategic growth. Based on the organisation¿s purpose and analyses of the external, internal and competitive environments, students should suggest strategic growth options for the business moving forward. The presentation is based on the first 5 weeks of the module.  2. Individual Assignment Students are required to choose 4 out of 8 topics and write up to 500 words for each of the topics to create a 2000-word assignment. The assessment is designed to allow students to present a coherent argument on their chosen topics using sound theoretical underpinning, evidence from industry and logical analysis. The topics will test students knowledge and understanding of the subject areas as well as their ability to critically apply theory to practice.  Formative AssessmentFeedback on student performance during the module includes:

• Use of review questions and case studies
• Review of mini-presentations on the group assignment
• Verbal feedback in workshops

Scheduled series of assessment preparation clinics prior to the end of semester

Module aims

• Critically evaluate strategic management theories and concepts relevant to managing international hotel companies
• Apply theoretical frameworks and current research to analyse the strategies of global hotel companies
• Advance strategic thinking in managing international hotel businesses across cultures through experience of current research, practice and innovation
• Develop an appreciation of internationally relevant innovations in technology, their potential and challenges towards creating agile and competitive hotel businesses
• Cultivate awareness of current global thinking across policy makers, industry and societies on environmental and social sustainability attitudes and practices to create culturally cognisant management strategies
• Engage with a multitude of viewpoints and to develop strategic solutions that appreciate the world around them and create strategically competitive hotel organisations of the future

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

• Independent Learning Hours


• Seminar Hours


• Lectures


• Guided Learning


• Captured Content

 

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage students to think critically about the strategic management of international hotel companies. The principal teaching and learning method include weekly lectures,  seminars and independent plus guided learning. These workshops will generally comprise:

 Online and classroom based lectures delivered by the module tutors designed to develop an understanding of the underpinning theory. 

A series of student activities and discussions working in groups to explore and apply the lecture materials. 

 

 

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: MANM042

Other information

This module adopts the University curriculum framework, which aims to develop learners with strong capabilities in Digital Capabilities, Employability, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to the development of the following capabilities: 

Digital Capabilities: This module aims to enhance students’ capabilities in evaluating and critiquing data and capturing business insights to develop strategic thinking and management practices. Students will become familiar with comparing organisational level data using descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics and data visualisation. Students will use the virtual learning environment (VLE), SurreyLearn, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to facilitate learning. Module assessments require students to work in groups to evaluate the strategic performance of a hotel company with regards to their finances, strategy, growth, historic performance to provide viable recommendations to potential investors.   

Employability: The assessments are designed to develop key professional leadership skills desired by the sector. Students are required to individually apply strategic thinking skills, whilst recognising the challenges of a dynamic environmental context to critique theories of strategy and evaluate their application across international hotel companies. The group assessment intends students to work with their peers to develop a consultant’s mindset of evaluating organisations across a range of ever-changing factors to consider their long term viability and success.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: The module has a global outlook both in terms of the international nature of hotel companies, as well as the diversity across ethnicities within organisations. Students will look at a range of international hotel companies with headquarters across continents. Strategic management will be discussed through examples across gender, ethnicity, age and other aspects of inclusion, and how national and organisational cultures intertwine to influence strategic thinking.  Students will learn how to compare organisational performance between global hotel corporations by extracting, comparing, and contrasting individual and group behaviours, as well as sectoral, national, and regional differences.

Sustainability: Students will learn how CSR and Ethics influence international hotel businesses, and the different approaches to sustainability practices within the sector. They will become familiar with the practical challenges to achieve long term sustainability when managing the needs of diverse stakeholders, role of key supra national organisations like the UNWTO and evaluate innovative sustainability approaches adopted by hotel companies across the world.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students will be required to use a range of sources to identify relevant datasets, conduct independent research, network with relevant companies/organisations, and work collaboratively with peers to extract patterns and critical insights from datasets. Finding solutions through unstructured problems is the key learning aspect of this module that will develop students’ resourcefulness and resilience.   

 

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 2025/6 academic year.