Innovative Hospitality Management

Advertisement

The Master of Science (MSc) program in Innovative Hospitality Management is the result of an international collaboration between TSI-Tourism Sant Ignasi affiliated to the ESADE Foundation and a member of Ramon Llull University (Barcelona, Spain) and the Hotel Management School Maastricht (HMSM) of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Maastricht, the Netherlands).

This one-year master in hospitality program, held in association with the Oxford Brookes University Business School (Oxford, UK), is directed at graduates with a particular interest in the creative and multicultural aspects of the hospitality industry.

The three pillars of this masters in hospitality (Innovative Hospitality Management MSc) program are:

Innovation
The successful implementation of new ideas and business concepts: the main driver for the creation of wealth and an essential tool in a culturally diverse, knowledge-based society.

Hospitality
The quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests in a warm, friendly, generous and professional way.

Management
The creative and systematic pursuit of organizational goals, by planning, organizing, leading and controlling the available resources in a concerted and sustainable way.

With an annual growth forecast of 5 percent for this decade, the Travel and Tourism sector is one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries. Its importance should not be underestimated. For example, it represents more than 50% of direct investments to developing countries. Emerging markets in general, and China in particular, are mainly responsible for the growth of the travel and tourism industry. Tourism has also become one of the main sources of international contact and cultural exchange.

STUDY PLAN
The MSc Innovative Hospitality Management is a one-year full time master course. The first academic block takes place in Barcelona, Spain, followed by the second academic block in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The In-Company Research Project (internship) could take you anywhere worldwide (visa permitting).

Leadership Competencies (held in Barcelona and Maastricht): The people working in hospitality are the ones in charge of making it an interesting field for personal and professional growth. (Barcelona and Maastricht)

* Personal Development Program (4 ECTS): Students are guided in developing the basic competencies for professional life, with a special focus on the requirements of working as Hospitality Managers.
* Communication Skills (3 ECTS): Principle and practices of management, communication and consulting will be introduced and practiced. These skills will be applied in a short but realistic management project.
* Communication Skills Barcelona Block
* Communication Skills Maastricht Block
* Cross Cultural Management Skills (3 ECTS): Assesment and advice in how to release higher potential in individuals enabling sustainable success by making the most of alternative cultural perspectives.
* Cross Cultural Management Skills Barcelona Block
* Cros Cultural Management Skills Maastricht Block

Innovation in Hospitality (Barcelona Block): New trends in the hospitality field are changing the scenario of jobs in the future. The program prepares students to provide a more creative and efficient approach to the profession. Real life case studies complement the academic inputs.

* Redefining the Hospitality Experience (5 ECTS): It focuses on concept and idea generation frameswork for indentifying and creating hospitality business oportunities through the enhancement of the guest experience. Cool Hunting, Design Thinking processes and Imagineering and Co-creation are specific topics covered within the module. Selected tools, techniques and examples of good innovation management will be covered.
* Innovation Management in Hospitality (5 ECTS): This module reviews relevant innovation concepts in tourism and hospitality, with a specific focus on the main factors and drivers in innovation in relation to hospitality organizations.
* Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship (5 ECTS): This module focuses on the challenges of turning ideas and innovations into profitable and sustainable business, either by creating a new company or entrepreneuring inside an existing one.

Hospitality Management (Maastricht Block): Students become acquainted with a creative and systematic pursuit of organizational goals within the hospitality industry, by planning, organizing, leading and controlling the available resources in a concerted and sustainable way.

* International Strategic Management (5 ECTS): Starting from the mission and vision and given the objectives of a company, a strategic analysis of a real company in the hospitality industry will be submitted. After completing the strategic analysis students will make an implementation plan, including risk management. Competitive and internationalization strategies will be evaluated among others and a choice will be made for the company.
* International Marketing Management (5 ECTS): Keywords are: relationship management approach, customer value and growth strategies. A marketing plan for an existing company will be developed, in wich all important marketing decisions are featured, such as international service and brand management, international price, communication and distribution management.
* International Financial Management(5 ECTS): This module provides essential financial skills necessary in order to analyze different business scenarios. Financial competencies are directly related to top performance careers within the industry. The components towards succesfully applying revenue management will be introduced and discussed step by step. * Hospitality Research, held in association with Oxford School of Hospitality Management (20 ECTS): Research Skills in the hospitality field are a critical factor for anticipating future scenarios and for transferring academic knowlegde needed to face challenges in the industry.



* Research Skills: The aim of Research Skills is to reinforce your expertice in research. This academic block involves: problem solving; research design; information management and research; anaylsis and synthesis of data; writing research reports.
* Professional Placement: The universities collaborate in finding an international internship in a hotel, tourist organization, consultancy or tourism related company (visa regulations permitting), of a minimum duration of 18 weeks. In many cases, students are offered positions within de company upon the graduation.
* In-Company Project: A research assignment will be carried out during the professional placement. A clearly-defined area will be determined, to wich this practice-oriented research project will make a significant contribution. The research projects are a win-win situation both for hospitality companies and for students. Projects may range from feasibility studies, clarifying a policy problem, indentifying bottlenecks, making recommendations for improving an existing situation or evaluating processes.

The master program 'Innovative Hospitality Management' is a pre-experience program. It is advisable for people with a bachelors degree in hospitality management or a related field of expertise (for example a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA). Specific requirements for admission are as follows: * A minimum of a three year university degree on a bachelor level. A Hospitality or Management related background is advisable. * As the program is delivered in English, proficiency in English is required certified by an IELTS 6.0 or Toefl 550, Toefl 213 Computer-based, 79-80 iBT or Cambridge Advance exam or an alternative certifcate of C1 level issued by the Universitys academic secretary. * A certificate from the university which states that the applicant has completed a Bachelor Degree program, of at least 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), and allows him/her to enrol in a Masters Program. * Two reference letters and one motivation letter. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6 TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 79

Financial Assistance:
If you need financial assistance to study the master, we strongly recommend that you contact international agencies in advance of your study program at HMSM. A number of nongovernmental donor organizations in the Netherlands, Spain and abroad may supply funds for this purpose. Individuals looking for this type of assistance are advised to apply to the nearest office of these organizations.

Scholarships may also be granted by the Dutch government to foreign students through NUFFIC, within the framework of cultural agreements concluded between the Netherlands and other countries. Information on how to apply for these scholarships is available at your nearest Dutch Embassy or Consulate.

** A Dean Fellowship Fee can be obtained by meeting the following criteria:

* The transcript of your records shows an average grade of 8 (E.U.) / A (U.S.).
* Your degree is from an internationally recognized university.
* You provide the Dean with 2 references of an outstanding nature.
* A strong motivation letter accompanies your application.

Note: only 2 Deans Fellowship Fees a year are awarded.

*** A Partner Fellowship Fee can be obtained when you have a Bachelor degree from one of our following academic partners:

* Penn State University, U.S.A.
* Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
* Johnson & Wales University, U.S.A.

Note: Partner Fellowship Fees are limited to a maximum of 2 per institution.