INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN HOSPITALITY OPERATIONS - 2026/7

Module Overview

This module provides final year students with the opportunity to look in depth at the development of the hospitality industry drawing on current and historical operations and track their development from single unit to international chain. From a programme perspective it provides an opportunity to specialise in the consideration and appreciation of the complexity of hospitality operations.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

ASHTON Mark (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes:

Current trends and developments in the hospitality sector - business and customer perspectives

Technological advances in the sector

The Service Firm Life Cycle

Innovation

Multi-site rationalisation

Growth

Maturity

Decline

Operational consequences of the service firm life cycle model

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Not applicable.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy for this module is based on two assignments, each of which are equally weighted. Thus, the summative assessment for this module will consist of:

ASSIGNMENT 1

The first assignment is in the format of two blog posts. They should be short, sharp, relevant and interesting.

You should identify a topic that interests you from the lectures, external speakers, visits or trade press and write a blog of around 500 words exploring the topic. In addition you should write a separate commentary of around 200 words that reflects on the process of choosing the topic, the information gathering process, and the learning gained through the process.

You should present two blogs and commentaries on different topics i.e. 2 x 500 words and 2 x 200 words = 1,400 words.

ASSIGNMENT 2

For the second assignment, you should choose an established hospitality chain operation. You should then consider its development and current position against the theoretical framework of the service firm life cycle. You should identify any opportunities or issues that might face the business at this stage of its development.

Formative assessment and feedback

There will be the opportunity for questions and answer through SurreyLearn and through office hours. There will be formative feedback provided on the two initial blog posts.

Module aims

• provide opportunities to understand and experience contemporary trends in hospitality operations
• introduce students to theoretical frameworks that underpin the development of individual hospitality operations into multi-unit chains
• allow students to consider the managerial challenges evident at different stages in hospitality chain development

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to combine a theoretical understanding of the development and operation of hospitality operations with a practical exposure to a range of current operations through visits to exemplar operations and to a range of visiting speakers. This module strongly incorporates the programme objectives of developing a combination of theoretical underpinning and practical application ¿ the reflective practitioner.

The learning and teaching methods include:

The intention is for seminars to be scheduled on Wednesday mornings so facilitating visits to the London restaurant market for familiarisation visits, hands on experience as customers and talks / question and answer sessions with hospitality operators.

Sessions will be scheduled for three hours contact per week combining seminars, outside speakers, case studies and visits. In addition students will be encouraged to extend their knowledge of hospitality operations through online resources, trade press, personal experience and online discussion.

Indicated Seminar 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.

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: MAN3255

Other information

This is a final year module where students will be able to apply prior learning from a range of subjects to specialise in the consideration and appreciation of the complexity of hospitality operations. Students who have studied Food and Beverage Operations and Management in Level 4 and/or Gastronomy in Level 5 will specifically be able to apply and add depth to their existing knowledge in this module. 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 will consider the ongoing digitisation and automation of many food and beverage operations/functions. Students will use the virtual learning environment (VLE), SurreyLearn and video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to facilitate learning. These include accessing teaching and learning materials and engaging with their instructors, guest speakers and peers. Employability: The opportunity to research, listen to and interact with the guest speaker series is a key opportunity on this module that may lead to employability/access to guest speakers networks. Assessments in this module require students to prepare blogs on contemporary trends and the final report require they examine the lifecycle of a multi-site hospitality brand, both of which may be of direct use to future hospitality managers. Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students will be required to use a range of sources to identify current trends, conduct independent research, network with guest speakers and panelists and investigate the lifecycle of a hospitality group through multifaceted research. 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 2026/7 academic year.