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

Module 2: Marketing (Prof. M. Giovanardi)

This module explores the main challenges that characterise the realm of city management and marketing, with the goal of empowering participants in the task to plan and design meaningful strategies for sustainable urban development. In particular, the modules contextualises the knowledge provided by module 1 by discussing the best practices of large- and medium-sized cities that standed out in terms of attraction and retention of visitors, businesses, citizens and 'talent' in general, with a particular focus on city brand management. Notably, this module assists participants in analysing the complexity inherent in city management, as well as in determining the right city marketing mix in relation to the specific goals and territorial caracteristics determined by place managers.

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.

For Module 2 - Marketing:

• Karavatzis, Giovanardi and Lichrou (Eds) (2018) Inclusive Place Branding: Critical Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Routledge.
• Hassen, I., & Giovanardi, M. (2018). The difference of ‘being diverse’: City branding and multiculturalism in the ‘Leicester Model’. Cities, 80, 45-52.
• Giovanardi, M., & Silvagni, M. G. (2021). Profiling ‘Red Bologna’: Between neoliberalisation tendencies and municipal socialist legacy. Cities, 110, 103059.
• Giovanardi, M. (2022). DESTINATIONS: Songs for place and tourism management. Mimesis.
  

Additional readings will be communicated by the lecturer in due course.

Teaching methods

Lectures, in-class exercises and group works.

The module of Destination Management will be delivered in blended learning mode. 

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 Judit Zoltan

See the website of Marcello M. Mariani