Welcome to Resort & Tourism Management! Syllabus Texas A&M University RPTS 423 Fall 2013 Class Meeting Time: T-Th 8:00 to 9:15am Instructor: Matthew Stone, MHM, CMP Office, Office Phone & Office Hours: 409G AGLS Building See elearning for details of office hours Email: matthew.stone@tamu.edu Reaching me: Please stop by my office hours at any time. You may contact me by email or leave a voice mail on my office phone. Be sure to speak clearly & let me know the best times to reach you. Please keep in mind that it may take up to a day to respond to student questions. I would really like to meet with you to help you to be successful in this course. Please contact me to set up an appointment if you are not available during my office hours. Course description: Managing tourism businesses; organization, complexity and scope of tourism systems; tourism issues related to distribution, operations and sustainability; managing tourism in different environments; roles of technology and information technology; future of tourism. Prerequisite: RPTS 202.* Course Objectives: At the end of this course, you should be able to: 1) Discuss the history, organization, complexity and scope of the travel and tourism system. 2) Describe what can be learned from aspects of tourism history. 3) Identify the economic, societal, cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism. 4) Discuss different types of sustainability in tourism. 5) Express a working knowledge of managing sustainability in tourism environments. 6) Apply the principles of human resources management. 7) Iterate the essentials of motivation and creating a motivational environment. 8) Use ethical principles to make decisions in travel & tourism. 9) Create goals and action plans in a tourism environment. 10) Discuss fundamentals of good leadership. 11) Describe revenue management concepts. Required Books: Maxwell, J.C. (2002) Leadership 101. Thomas Nelson, Inc.: Nashville. ISBN 0-7852-6419-1 Revels, T. J. (2011). Sunshine Paradise: A history of Florida tourism. University Press of Florida: Gainesville. ISBN 978-0-8130-3542-0 Throughout the semester supplementary readings & video assignments will be posted on the ELearning website for this class. You should check the Website at least every other day for class updates. These readings and videos are vital to your success in this class. You will be expected to read and comprehend the material, so that you may discuss it during the following class period. You may be quizzed and/or tested on the material in the readings. You will be held accountable in the same manner for all guest lectures and videos shown.
Classroom Policies: Use of cell phones, texting, or emailing is prohibited in class. Please do not eat in class. Class Schedule: The class will meet at the times listed below. If class is cancelled for any reason, there will be an alternate assignment posted on elearning. Attendance & Participation: It is expected that each student will be present at each class having completed the readings or assignments that prepare one for class discussion. It is highly advised that you come to class fully prepared to discuss the assigned readings. If you come late, do not come, or are not prepared, you will not be able to participate effectively and your grade will suffer accordingly. While there will not be any attendance points, you will be graded on quizzes and participation. Without regular attendance, you will lose points in each of these areas. The instructor may take attendance at the beginning of class, so tardiness may count as not present/unprepared. *If the instructor is late for class, it is expected that you will wait 10 minutes. An updated syllabus may be provided on elearning. Students should refer to this for updates.
Course Outline RPTS 423 Fall 2013: This outline is subject to change, so come to class & read the elearning website for any changes. TOPIC Introduction/Review - Tourism Concepts Economics of Tourism History of Tourism (Sunshine Paradise Chapters 1-3) History of Tourism (Sunshine Paradise Chapters 4-5) History of Tourism (Sunshine Paradise Chapters 6-8) Tourism Planning & Sustainable Development Social / Cultural Impacts of Travel Environmental Impacts of Travel Urban/Rural Tourism Government Impact on Travel Tourism Industry Exam 1 Organizational Structure Management / Human Resources Management / Decision Making Management / Motivation Ethics Leadership Accommodations Revenue Management Wrap-Up Future of Tourism Monday. Dec. 9: 1:00 to 3:00pm FINAL EXAM! Must be taken on this day & time Means of Assessment Student achievement of the stated objectives will be assessed based on the following activities: Total Points Exam 1 125 Exam 2 175 Quizzes 7 @ 10 70 Current Events Presentation in Class 20 INDIVIDUAL: Florida Paper 80 INDIVIDUAL or PAIR: Tourism Case Study 80 GROUP of 2 or 3: Problem Solving Report 100 TOTAL 650 Grades A 90-100% 585+ B 80-89% 520-584.9 C 70-79% 455-519.9 D 60-69% 390-454.9 F Below 60% <390
In order to be successful in this course, you should be in class. Assignments: All assignments will be posted on the class website. Assignments must be turned in using the appropriate technology or written format (see each assignment for specific details). Most assignments will be submitted online. Applying concepts to real-life situations (not just repeating facts from class) will be essential to getting excellent grades on written assignments. Projects/Cases handed in the day they are due (but after the time due) will be penalized 10%. For each day (including weekends) the paper is late, an additional 20% will be deducted. The syllabus on elearning will provide more details about assignments. Extra Credit: The instructor may offer optional extra credit opportunities at his discretion. These may be announced in class, on ELearning, or in both places. It is advised to attend class and read ELearning so that you do not miss any opportunities for extra credit. Exams: Exams will be a combination of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer/essay. There will also be take-home portions of the exam. The syllabus on elearning will provide more details about exams. Quizzes: Unannounced (or announced) quizzes will be given throughout the semester, either in class or online. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Missed quizzes cannot be made up or substituted. Please be aware that quizzes may be given at the beginning of class & will cover the readings due on that day. Diversity Statement: Texas A&M University, in accordance with applicable federal and state law, prohibits discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Aggie Code of Honor: An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do. Visit http://compliance.tamu.edu/codeconduct.aspx for more information. Code of Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty won t be tolerated. Any act of cheating will result in a grade of ZERO for that work. This includes: copying directly out of a book, class handout, off the internet, from other references (such as training materials or marketing plans), or from other students. This includes slightly rearranging the words so that they re a little different than the source. No papers turned in by separate students or separate groups should ever have the same content. For more information, please visit: http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/ Disability Support Services:
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