Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE TTC3252

 
TITLE Blue Economy: Tourism Enterprise Management

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Tourism Management

 
DESCRIPTION The study-unit aims to provide students with the tools to be able to harness elements found in the marine sector and create new Blue Economy Touristic products through the combination with the investment, innovation, business administration & event the media industry skills and knowledge.
Learners using the online materials as part of the project will be presented with case studies of blue economy operators and stakeholders where the sustainability element in environmental, economics & tourism industries has been recognised as an important and vital aspect in the well-being of all those whose work engages with or revolves around sustainability, management, innovation, communications, tourism and travel. Particularly since the 1970s, the dynamic and mutual forms of interlacing interests in the environment and tourism, on the basis of a growing recognition of the value of sustainability and heritage, has been focused in both in the fields of theory and academia, as well as industry and practice.
These teaching materials will encourage learners to become more aware of the genesis of the current movement that appreciates the significance of human well-being within its local environments in relation to tangible and intangible manifestations of cultural expression in the fields of business, management & innovation that impacts on naturalistic surroundings particularly maritime ones.
Policy milestones over the past decades are addressed in the light of the realisation by the investment & innovation industry that the development of the blue economy sector is intimately intertwined with sustainability of human activity through various aspects of innovation, enterprise, tourism & cultural heritage on community life and its surroundings, be they natural or urban, with special attention given to the marine & maritime dimension.

Theoretical underpinnings will be supported and challenged through a hands-on approach based on the analysis of international case studies, situations that evoke good as well as bad practice, the development of novel approaches to these online training materials & models.

Study-Unit Aims:

The aim of this study-unit is to provide the basic skills a virtours and competitive blue entrepreneur should have, by providing knowledge and skills towards a 'blue-oriented' management system. Since this is an online course, interactive self-paced tools will be utilised using instructional,media, delivery and and evaluation clearly defined roadmap.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Identify different issues in blue economy management.
- Carry out research about the relationship between blue economy matters and economic, innovative & tourism industry issues from academic and industry sources.
- Critically evaluate and debate the genesis of the current movement that appreciates the significance of human well-being within its local environments in relation to tangible and intangible manifestations of culture, heritage & communication that impacts on naturalistic surroundings especially marine & maritime ones.
- Demonstrate effective reflective practice in relation to the analysis of international case studies, situations that evoke good as well as bad practice, the development of novel approaches to tourism models other current issues.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

Competences. At the end of having used the online teaching materials the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:

- Examine the impact of diverse contemporary issues on various facets of blue economy industry
- Conduct research to select relevant information relevant to the selected contemporary issues
- Debate in an active manner with peers and industry experts about different contemporary issues in perspectives in tourism and the blue economy industry
- Reflect on own positions developed in relation to various issues identified by self

Knowledge. At the end of the learning materials the learner will:

- Be familiar with the nature and impacts of sustainability & ecological perspectives on the blue economy
- Know that the economic & innovative industry is highly sensitive to sustainability & ecological matters
- Understand the issues at play at a particular juncture in time particularly within a European dimension
- Know different research sources that can be used to learn about different contemporary issues in the blue economy
- Understand the use of different academic and industry sources of information
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of various issues
- Understand the main points in relation to different contemporary issues in order to participate in future work opportunities, projects, debates etc pursued by the learner
- Be familiar with methods to undertake a reflective exercise on different contemporary issues in the blue economy
- Understand the importance of reflection as a source of recognising knowledge gaps and establishing actions for improvement & forward planning

Skills. At the end of the learning materials the learner will have mastered the following skills:

Applied Knowledge and Understanding

- Apply knowledge gained about different contemporary issues into own practice in current perspectives on blue economy management
- Compile a database with research material about different contemporary issues in ecological & economic/financial approaches towards the blue economy
- Use different academic and industry sources in own research
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills when participating in debates and discussions about contemporary issues in blue economy debates
- Use reflective practices to improve own knowledge about different issues related to the blue economy & related areas of investment & innovation

Communication Skills

- Present research and information to training material evaluators
- Record key information received and researched
- Discuss with peers & industry practitioners in professional field pursued or practised by the learner
- Illustrate and explain through summarisation main points developed
- Express outcomes and interact with peers in the blue economy or related industry as part of learner’s own practice and/or further studies/training

Judgmental Skills

- Evaluate the impact of different perspectives and practices in the blue economy
- Analyse contemporary issues in relation to theories from different fields that relate to the blue economy
- Identify good practices
- Recognise the different pressing issues & tensions arising from the field
- Select suitable sources to carry out research on current and forthcoming influences in the blue economy

Learning Skills

- Undertake independent study to keep abreast with various pressing issues in the area
- Evaluate own learning in blue economy theory & research

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Textbooks

- McKercher, B. and du Cross, H., 2015 Cultural Tourism, Routledge

Websites
-https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/4/970
-https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/2/167/htm
-https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449626.2015.1010099?tokenDomain=eprints&tokenAccess=8C6T36DJPbbUCMkG2fva&forwardService=showFullText&doi=10.1080%2F17449626.2015.1010099&doi=10.1080%2F17449626.2015.1010099&journalCode=rjge20
-https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2017.1280790

Other material

- World Bank Blogs
- EU Blue Economy Report 2020

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Independent Study and Online Learning

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Oral and Written Exercises SEM2 Yes 25%
Multiple Choice Questions Examination (1 Hour and 30 Minutes) SEM2 Yes 75%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit