Overview
· To develop knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of Tourism and Hospitality management relevant to tourism entrepreneurship and various careers in tourism and hospitality organisations world- wide.
· To prepare students for further studies and lifelong learning in tourism and hospitality management.
2. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS 2.1 Normal Entry To qualify for normal entry into the Bachelor of Commerce Tourism and Hospitality Management degree programme, a candidate, in addition to satisfying the minimum requirements as prescribed under the General Regulations and the Faculty Regulations for English and Mathematics at `O’ Level, must have obtained at least two passes at `A’ level from the following subjects: Mathematics, Accounting, Economics, Management of Business, Geography, Food Science and Computer Science 2.2 Visiting School/Harare Weekend School Programme To qualify for the visiting school programme, a candidate in addition to satisfying the minimum requirements as prescribed under the general and faculty regulations for English and Maths at `O’ Level, must have the following: Either: passes in at least 2 `A’ Level subjects in any commercial subjects and/or any related subjects in the Science or humanities Or: A National Diploma in Travelling and Tourism or equivalent relevant qualification And: Confirmation of employment in a Tourism or hospitality organisation 2.3 Special Entry Candidates who have successfully completed Higher National Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality or have obtained equivalent qualifications may apply for direct entry into Level 2 of the degree programme. Candidates admitted under regulation 3.2 above will normally be exempted from Level I on a module-by-module basis. No candidate may complete the degree in less than three academic levels. Successful completion of Work-Related Learning component at Level III is compulsory for all students.
2.4 Mature Entry Refer to faculty regulations. 3. PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS Areas of study: Tourism, Hospitality, Tour operations, Travel agency, Destination Marketing, Hotel Management, Rooms Management, Sustainable Tourism, Safari, Foreign languages., Food and Beverages, Food Preparation and Services, Service Quality, Hotel and Institutional Management Specialist focus: Tourism and hospitality management Orientation: Research and innovation-oriented Distinctive features: The degree programe is industry-driven and wide consultations are made to ensure programme relevance in the ever-changing and competitive business environment. The agritourism and sustainable tourism management degree programmes are the only learning options in the country including the uniquely entrepreneurial oriented Masters in Tourism degree programme. 4. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION The following are possible areas of employment for the Bachelor of Commerce Tourism and Hospitality Management graduates; Hotel Operations, Tour and Travel Agency, Lodge Management, Services Marketing, National Parks, Museums, Car Hire Companies, Airlines, Destination Marketing, Safari Operations, Conference Management, Civil Aviation, Environmental organisations and the academic world. Students can enrol for Master’s degree in Tourism and hospitality management and other related higher qualifications. In addition, with the emphasis today on small businesses, many graduates find great success in starting their own businesses. 5. PROGRAMME DELIVERY 5.1 Teaching and Learning methods: lectures, tutorials, group work, industrial visits, Work-Related learning, research project and innovation/ dissertation and individual independent study 5.2 Assessment methods: written, practical and oral examinations, in-class tests, assignments, presentations, Work-Related learning report, final year research project. 6. LEARNING OUTCOMES
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By the end of the program, a graduate will be able to: |
· Effectively manage and market hospitality and tourism products |
· Prepare and produce innovative recipes, indigenous cuisines and food products |
· Create new tourism and hospitality business ventures as well as efficiently run the existing ones |
· Develop new and sustainable tourism and hospitality management models and technologies |
· Apply research skills to develop and enhance tourism and hospitality market intelligence |
· Develop new hospitality and tourism product designs and concepts |
· Effectively manage costs in order to make the tourism product more competitive |
Programme Structure
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
CODE MODULE DESCRIPTION CREDITS
Level 1 Semester 1
THM 136 Introduction to the Tourism and Hospitality Industry 12
THM 137 Zimbabwe Tourism Geography 12
Level 1 Semester 2
THM 140 Rooms Division 12
THM138 Principles of Tourism Marketing 12
THM 139 Food Preparation 12
Level 2 Semester 1
THM 232 Food and Beverage Production 12
THM 233 Regional and International Tourism 12
THM 234 Digital Tourism and Hospitality Marketing 12
THM 231 Food and Beverage Management 12
Level 2 Semester 2
THM 235 Food and Beverage Service 12
THM 237 Hospitality and Tourism Law 12
THM 240 Tourism Operations 12
THM 239 Sustainable Tourism 12
THM 236 Tourism Research Methods 12
Level 3 Semester 1
THM 340 Work-Related Learning Preliminary Report 40
Level 3 Semester 2
THM 341 Work-Related learning continuous assessment 40
THM 342 Work-Related Learning Report 40
LEVEL 4 SEMESTER 1
THM 433 Human Resource Management 12
BM438 Strategic Management 12
THM 432 Event Management 12
THM 434 Hospitality and Tourism Innovation 12
THM 435 French 1 12
LEVEL 4 SEMESTER 2
THM 437 Tourism Transport Logistics 12
THM 438 French 2 (THM 435 pre-requisite) 12
THM 439 Research Project/ Dissertation (THM236 pre-requisite) 24
THM 436 Hotel Management 12
Module Synopses
- MODULE SYNOPSES
THM 136 Introduction to the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
An introductory module, which sets the foundation for the Tourism and Hospitality Management Degree Program. The module imparts an understanding of the nature, structure, historical development, and economic and social aspects of the tourism and hospitality Industry. The module also explores the key issues and trends affecting the tourism industry.
THM 137 Zimbabwe Tourism Geography
This module covers natural and man-made attractions in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe`s weather patterns and their impact on tourism, the physical and social impact of tourism, and people-parks conflict. The overall motive of the module is to give students an understanding of the key trends and issues affecting the country’s tourism industry.
THM 138 Principles of Tourism and Hospitality Marketing
The module introduces students to the marketing principles of tourism and hospitality products in a competitive marketplace. The module covers marketing functions, the broad marketing environment, marketing information systems and marketing research, the marketing mix, consumer behaviour, the social responsibility of marketing, internal marketing, relation marketing, e-marketing, segmentation, branding, a general survey of the major marketing methods, techniques, institutions and practices among many other related aspects. Learners are envisaged to develop competencies in marketing skills of tourism services.
THM 139 Food Preparation
The module focus on kitchen skills, different meat and vegetable products, menu setting, costing and gross profit margin various cooking methods, time management, nutritional value of foods, plate setting, hygiene and safety, food microbiology and taxonomy. In addition, learners are introduced to microbial growth in foods, influence of microbes in foods, spores and their significance, detection and enumeration of microbes in foods, control of micro-organisms in food, microbial food-borne diseases. Other aspects explored in the module encompasses fermentative organisms, spoilage organisms, beneficial use of micro-organisms in food, moulds, anti-microbial chemicals, biological based preservation and pro-biotic bacteria, physical methods of food preservation, industrial methods of food safety, spoilage, contamination and subsequent food poisoning; hazardous analysis critical control point (HACCP) for all larder commodities (dry, moist and frozen foods) and innovation in food preparation and microbiology.
THM 140 Rooms Division
This is a professionally oriented module, which introduces the student to the front-of-house as an integral part of the total operations. Emphasis will be placed on its traditional role as the nerve centre of the hotel as well as its principal operational functions. This module covers practical aspects of accommodation management such as personnel issues and operation structures, guest reception; manning the front desk and front office etiquette among others.
THM 231 Food and Beverage Management
A professionally oriented course that introduces students to the structure and organization of the functional areas of the food and beverage department of the hotel including other non-hotel based food and beverage segments. The module will focus on the basic principles of these operations. This module covers planning, organizing, leading and control of food service operations; marketing of food and beverages- marketing concepts, and hospitality marketing mix among others.
THM 232 Food and Beverage Production
The module contains both the practical and theoretical aspect of food and beverage production. Students are expected to have a deep appreciation of kitchen designs, food production organization, menu planning for table d’hôte, a’la carte, cocktail menu, and buffet menu for different events, menu and recipe costing and cost management, food production method and beverage production methods, mise-en-place on advanced food production, measuring and weighing techniques, recipe conversion, and flavour building. Students will also be expected to have a thorough understanding of food commodities and principles of cooking different types of food commodities, innovation in food and beverage production. Students are expected to apply knowledge gained from the (THM139) module to prepare the following advanced dishes; soups, sauces; hors d’oeuvres, egg and pasta dishes, fish and shellfish dishes, meat and game dishes, poultry dishes, vegetable and pulse dishes, potato dishes, international cuisine, indigenous dishes, vegetarian dishes, breakfast, mass food production, pastry and baking, production of larder kitchen items. Students also learn advanced modern food presentation, garnishing and display work for the dishes produced
THM 233 Regional and International Tourism
This module analyses key tourism trends and impacts at sub-regional, continental and global scale. It seeks to familiarize learners with southern Africa`s tourism product/resource base, and introduces concepts such as regional cooperation, integration and tourism development initiatives. In addition, the module proffers an understanding of the international dimension of tourism within the delimitation framework of the United Nations World Tourism Organization through a thorough examination of principal players in regional and international tourism systems, international tourist destinations/regions, global tourism trends, leading international tourist destinations, airline carriers, international tourism forecasts and future projections.
THM 234 Digital Tourism and Hospitality Marketing
This module focuses on digital marketing, digital marketing strategies, types of digital marketing tools and their effectiveness in marketing tourism products. It covers aspects such as mobile digital marketing, managing tourism and hospitality digital marketing tools, social media marketing, and digital marketing plan. In addition, the management of digital tourism and hospitality booking and reservations systems, display and interactive digital media, impact of digital marketing on tourism and hospitality marketing mix, impact of digital marketing in tourism and hospitality industry, digital marketing practices to B2C and B2B, evolution of Web1.0, Web2.0, Web3.0 and uses in Tourism and Hospitality Industry, risk management and cyber security in digital marketing, ethics in digital marketing, managing online reviews and service recovery, customer relationship management are other aspects explored in the module.
THM 235 Food and Beverage Service
This introductory module provides students with skills and competences in food and beverage service. It involves both practical and theoretical aspects of food and beverage service. The modules covers introduction to food and beverage service, current trends in food and beverage service, the food and beverage department and hierarchy, duties and responsibilities of food and beverage personnel, relationship of food and beverage department to other departments, job descriptions, grooming and etiquette of service personnel, uniform, types and characteristics of restaurants, type of customers, reasons for eating out, food and beverage equipment, safety handling and cleaning of equipment, service areas, menu and classes of menu among many other aspects.
THM 236 Tourism Research Methods
The module is designed to give students the necessary competencies that will allow them to undertake tourism research. In order to fulfil this objective, the module covers the formulation of a research project, literature review, tourism research methodologies, data analysis and presentation of results as well as research ethics.
THM 237 Hospitality and Tourism Law
The module is designed to introduce students to the basic functions of law and legislation relating to the operation of hospitality and tourism business. The legal requirements for the hospitality and tourism industry are explored in detail, in particular the rights and responsibilities that the law imposes upon an innkeeper, tourism operators and food service. It therefore allows learners to develop a full appreciation of the legal consequences of failure to oblige to these legal obligations. This module also applies those basic principles and concepts of law which affect day to day transactions that will be delivered with a local community and international focus. Students are expected to identify and examine the legal issues which govern the environment in which international tourism and hospitality services are provided. The other objective is to provide the students with a working knowledge of the legal environment in the international hospitality and tourism industry and the responsibilities in the implementation of law for guests and staff alike. The module covers the following aspects: tourism company registration and grading of hotels, Liquor Licensing, Entertainment Permissions Admission, Law governing Supply of Accommodation, liability for Personal Injury Law and governing Liability Law for theft of customer property.
ENT 131 Entreprenuership
In this module, students will use their creative and innovative skills to solve societal problems and develop higher-order thinking. Students will use these newly developed skills to develop solutions to problems by designing prototype event designs or technologies, working individually or in a team. This involves: identification of the problem guided by user needs, planning and managing the process, evaluating, alternatives and analysing the economic, sustainable performance of a prototype.
THM 239 Sustainable Tourism
Tourism relies on the quality of the environment so the careful management of businesses, people and places is a critical issue for the sector. This module offers critical insights into the evolution of sustainable tourism; the impact on tourism on a variety of environments; and the emergence of more sustainable forms of tourism like ecotourism, green tourism, and culinary tourism, among others. The module offers the student an opportunity to develop a detailed and critical awareness of the theoretical and practical issues that influence how the principles of sustainable development are applied in tourism. The module aims to develop an understanding of a range of strategies used to develop and monitor sustainable tourism in global, national and local contexts.
THM 240 Tourism Operations
The module unpacks the tour operators industry , including different types of operators, their products and services, the scale of the industry and how it has been affected by global trends and developments. Learners will explore the stages involved in creating a holiday and develop skills associated with determining a selling price for a holiday from given information. The role of brochures, new methods of promoting holidays and product distribution methods such as the internet are other key aspects covered by the module.
GSB211 Gender Studies for Business Sciences
This module seeks to provide students in the Faculty of Business an understanding of why gender equality matters in the issues of economic development and why it should be pursued. The module will endeavour to explore ways in which a gendered lens is fast becoming a necessity in the global economic development front. The module will assist students to be able to analyse the effects of gender gaps and reduction of gender inequalities have a positive impact on the sustainable economic growth of a country.
THM 331; 333; 334 Work-Related Learning
The purpose of the Work-Related learning is to expose students in 8 to 12 months to professional working life and give them adequate exposure to relate theory to real life situations in industry. The student is expected to rotate within the company in order to be exposed to all functions of that organisation. The student is also expected to produce report at the end of the Work-Related learning period that covers the organisation background, organisational structure, departments attached, work carried out during attachment, new issues learnt and any gap between information covered in the University. In addition, the employer is also required to assess the student at the workplace.
THM 432 Event Management
This module gives learners the opportunity to complete the full event management cycle from event planning, design and to the actual delivery and evaluation. Event management tests a wide range of different skills and abilities. A key element of the module is each student’s personal development through their interaction with the content, with other students and through the planning, delivery and evaluation of an event. Students will analyse and critically reflect upon their skill base and plan how best to improve identified skills. Students have the chance to participate in live projects and undertake work placements to gain practical hands-on event experience. The module enables students to physically schedule and plan for an event effectively, troubleshoot event plans to identify potential problem areas before they emerge. The module provides a complete framework of how popular world class events where planned and the possible post-mortem curve determined. The module covers the following areas: events budgeting, cost management, marketing media, media coverage and post event management.
THM 433 Human Resource Management
This module covers human resource management in the tourism context. The module explores best practices in human resources management in employee recruitment and retention as well as human resources challenges and trends shaping the industry. Other aspects explored in the module include employee training, development and performance evaluation; compensation and safety; and employee and labour relations.
THM 434 Hospitality and Tourism Innovation
This module examines the concepts and processes in evaluating and determining the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation within the Tourism & Hospitality Sector. This module gives Tourism and Hospitality students the opportunity to address the key issues of business start-up growth and long term survival, considering the concept of innovation and creativity in relation to the tourism industry. The module examines the internal and external factors influencing change in the tourism industry and how experience with the industry impacts demand and the need for New Product Development. The importance of innovation in tourism and hospitality industry as well as an assessment of new forms of tourism will also be explored. The module also aims to equip students with a wide range of processes in terms of ideas generation for products, modern services processes, both within existing organisations as an entrepreneur or an entrepreneur in the development of new business ventures.
THM 435 French 1
The module is for students who have no previous knowledge of French. The emphasis is on achieving a basic level of communication in all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) while developing confidence and a degree of accuracy when using the language in a limited range of situations. The module also aims to stimulate students’ interest in the francophone world and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the diversity of “la francophone” society and culture. Owing to the great diversity in the nature of the tourism and hospitality industry, it is imperative that tourism students be multi-lingual in order to cater for this diversity. The module will also enable students to work comfortably in French speaking countries.
THM 436 Hotel Management
The module outlines the structure, design and trends in the accommodation services sector. It enables the student to have a clear understanding of the management of hotels and other similar establishments such as lodges, guesthouses, hostels etc. Using a practical and case approach, the module covers the following areas: introduction to organisations and management, principles and theories of management, organisational designs, management tools and techniques in the hospitality industry and control systems in hospitality management. The course also covers profitability, efficiency and effectiveness in the hotel, organizational cultures and leadership in the hotel.
THM437 Tourism Transport Logistics
Transport forms a very important component and link in the tourism sector. This course provides students with knowledge about transport; modes, systems, organisation and planning in relation to tourism operations. It equips students with skills in how to manage transport systems to enhance tourism development. This module also covers the following themes: civil aviation, basics of the airline industry, car hire business, fleet management, tourist cargo movement, ground handling services, immigration and customs policies and practices.
THM438 French 2
Building on the concepts learnt in French 1, the module is intended to enable students to write and fluently speak French. Arising from the great diversity in the nature and origin of tourists, it is imperative that tourism students be multi-lingual in order to cater for this diversity.
THM 439 Research Project/ Dissertation (THM236 pre-requisite).
The module seeks to equip students with competencies in formulating and undertaking research. Key themes that are covered in the module include research proposals, literature review, identifying research problems, formulating a research design, data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, interpretation and report writing.