Swiss Higher Diploma in Hospitality & Events Management

This module aims to provide students with an appreciation of the theory and practical implementation of concepts and developments in the field of management, with particular emphasis on management within the hospitality industry. Students will have the opportunity to develop research skills that are pertinent to service sector industries, particularly hospitality.

This module is designed to develop an appreciation of human resource management in general and in the specific context of the hospitality industry. The module emphasises the interaction of management and employees and encourages the critical appraisal of organisational and management processes and their influence on people within the hospitality industry.

This module will explore the phenomenal growth of consumption on a global context and the role of marketing, and specifically promotion, in relation to this. In so doing, the module will identify links between the strategic marketing process and marketing roles within global competitive business environments. This module aims to give students knowledge of the planning process that is specifically related to service industry marketing. The module aims to develop students' market research and analytic skills related to a practical marketing planning issue, through the use of 'real world' case studies and guest lectures. The module aims to deliver a balance of service marketing planning theory, practical problem-solving case assignments and current topical issues in service marketing.

The service economy relies on particular research methods techniques in order to cope with the intangibility of the products and an inherent customer focus. Understanding consumers' wants and needs as well as satisfaction levels is still an under-skilled and under-researched area. Graduates with research skills and the ability to investigate consumer preferences are in demand by the industry. This module aims to develop the research and reporting skills of students. The module will progress from basic skills including referencing and writing literature reviews to critically analysing a range of research methodologies used by the service sector.

The module focuses on the use of financial analysis and control techniques utilising relevant data, based on a variety of case studies. It also addresses investment in the hospitality industry, financial projections and portfolio management.

The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions markets (MICE) are diverse and dynamic. They encompass many specialised segments and each poses significant challenges to the management of facilities and services within the events industry. This module seeks to develop in students an awareness of the complexity of the market segments within the broader sphere of the events industry.  It aims to classify and analyse the distinct target markets within the sector and establishes a framework for the evaluation of the needs of these groups, enabling students to identify appropriate strategies for target selection. By developing an appreciation and evaluation of these sectors, students will be able to respond to the dynamic challenges in managing event's resources. The module seeks to encompass an understanding of the management of market groups needs, issues relating to demography and rotation, distribution and supply of events, within the MICE sector, segmentation and positioning. It develops and evaluation of the choice and selection criteria of MICE market decision- makers, and identifies appropriate strategies for enhanced event business performance.

This module will introduce the concept of logistics management within the event industry and will identify those techniques and tools available to the events manager. The fundamental building block for the event being the proposal linked to tendering and sub-contracting. The event can include construction, as well as servicing and has to be underpinned by financial planning and risk assessment. Logistics for the industry must include identification and information of the supply side and the potential for evaluation of other service providers, which is often linked to management information systems.

Planning is an essential part of events management and is a process, which needs careful consideration of spatial, temporal, internal and external factors, whilst at the same time allowing flexibility to adapt to different events and different sectors. This will incorporate not just the technical planning of the event, but will also assess the wider external variables, which must be considered at this stage of the project.

This module follows the event as it takes shape through the different operational stages. Integration of activity becomes crucial, as the staging of the event is imminent. This is when the production team pulls together the different operational and logistical strands of the event. It is also essential to understand that the process continues after the event, as the shutdown takes place and the monitoring and evaluation are undertaken.

The aim of this module is to enable students to explore the essential elements in the acquisition, maintenance, management quality systems and control of premises, plant and equipment used in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors. It is a broadly based module that covers the related understanding of maintenance, design and energy management and their application to current and future industry practice.

In order to prepare our students for the international environment of the hospitality industry, additional languages are taught at all levels of the SHMS Programmes.