B5126 - BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the dominant theories in business strategy and marketing. Successful students are expected to become familiar with the main concepts of strategy and marketing, recognize them in real-life situations, and engage in critical reflection on how companies and enterprises conduct their business operations and define and pursue their goals. Additionally, the course will introduce students to the principles and practices involved in effectively managing tourist destinations. They will acquire the skills to assess and analyze the unique challenges faced by destinations, spanning from strategic planning and sustainable development to marketing and stakeholder engagement. Students will be able to apply destination management strategies to enhance the overall visitor experience while considering economic, social, and environmental factors.

Course contents

The course consists of two modules. In module 1 (taught by Dr. Judit Zoltan), the students will gain basic knowledge of the dominant theories in business strategy and marketing.

Module 2 is separated for the two tracks of the study program.

- TRACK TOURISM AND LEISURE INDUSTRIES: Destination management, taught by Prof Marcello Mariani.

- TRACK SMART CITIES AND URBAN ECONOMY: Marketing, taught by Prof. Massimo Giovanard.

Module 1 Business Strategy (Dr. J. Zoltan)

1) Introduction to strategy

2) Strategic analysis

3) Strategic direction and methods

5) Marketing strategies

Module 2 Destination Mangement (Prof. M. Mariani)

1) Tourism destinations and markets: facts, figures, relevant phenomena and ongoing trends

2) Concepts and definitions of destination management and marketing

3) Destination Management Organizations (DMOs)

4) Destination competitiveness

5) Destination planning and destination marketing planning

6) Destination Management research

7) Destination Product Development and staging tourism experiences

8) Destination branding

9) Destination Integrated Marketing Communications

10) Destination Information and Communication Technologies

Readings/Bibliography

For Module 1 - Business Strategy:

Tribe, J. (2016). Strategy for Tourism (2nd ed.). Goodfellow Publishers Ltd.

Daum, C. (2020). Business strategy essentials you always wanted to know. Vibrant Publishers.

References to journal articles will be provided with the lecture notes.

For Module 2 - Destination Management:

• Crouch, G. I., & Ritchie, J. B. (1999). Tourism, competitiveness, and societal prosperity. Journal of Business Research, 44(3), 137-152.
• Mariani, M. M., Buhalis, D., Longhi, C., & Vitouladiti, O. (2014). Managing change in tourism destinations: Key issues and current trends. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 2(4), 269-272.
• Mariani, M. M., Di Felice, M., & Mura, M. (2016). Facebook as a destination marketing tool: Evidence from Italian regional Destination Management Organizations. Tourism Management, 54, 321-343.
• Morrison, A. (2013) Marketing and Managing Tourism Destinations. London: Routledge.
• Pine, J. & Gilmore, J.H. (1998). Welcome to the Experience Economy. Harvard Business Review, July-August 1998.

Teaching methods

Lectures, in-class exercises and group works.

The module of Destination Management will be delivered online.

Assessment methods

The final mark is based on a written exam for each Module.

The final mark is the average of the mark for Module 1 and the mark for Module 2.

Teaching tools

All materials can be found on https://virtuale.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Marcello M. Mariani

See the website of Judit Zoltan