Planning Tourism Service Concepts and BusinessLaajuus (10 cr)

Objective

Students can identify on the basis of the operating environment resources and competitive situation the business and concept ideas that meet the needs of domestic and international tourists.
Students understand the importance of the national and regional network brand to business planning.
They are able to produce and find the statistical and forecasting information required for planning. They are able to make use of the business, service design, experience-related, project, and innovation skills in business planning. They are able to purposefully network with cluster companies. They know how to make alternative profitability and investment calculations. They are able to design innovative, successful, responsible, and future-oriented small and medium tourism enterprises. They are able to document plans and transform them into duplicable concepts. Students are able to evaluate risks involved in business plans. They are aware of the most common sources of funding for businesses and of the business planning services offered by the society. They know how to improve their entrepreneurship.

Content

Contents:
• specific characteristics of the tourism business
•opportunities offered by international customer data and forecast information
•opportunities offered by the operating environment and other resources
• key business planning tools
• concept planning and corporate planning models
• investment calculations and financial planning
• financial, marketing and human resources planning
•purchasing, service and production planning
• experience-related operating environments
• high-growth entrepreneurship
• CSR
• country brand, tourism cluster and regional Master Plan
• corporate networks
• risk analyses
• support and financial services for tourism business

Qualifications

Students are aware of competitive and success factors and constraints of business activities in the tourism industry. Students understand the importance of responsible business from the perspective of tourism companies and Finland. They can handle project activities and use international and national data for development. They can handle company’s strategy processes.
They are able to lead operative business, service, and production processes of small and medium tourism enterprises in a competitive and profitable manner.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

1 (Adequate)
Students recognise the most conventional tourism business opportunities offered by the operating environment.
Students narrowly apply their business, service and production competences. Students use the general planning tools in a schematic manner, the perspective of planning is operational, and profitability is considered only for a short time period. Investment calculations are based on general average figures. Students are able to work with projects and document their work and results according to templates. The use of resources is inefficient, scheduling in unrealistic, and students cannot keep up with all objectives.
2 (Satisfactory)
Students recognise tourism-related business opportunities offered by the operating environment. They apply their acquired business, service and production competences. They use the knowledge acquired and general planning tools in the project. The perspective of planning is operative and profitability has been considered for a short time period. Investment calculations are based on general average figures. Students are capable of documentation conformable to templates. Students are not using the full potential of available resources, however, they stay on schedule and achieve the basic objectives of the project. However, the business plan is not fully feasible.
3 (Good)
Students recognise competitive tourism-related business opportunities offered by the operating environment and make use of the possibilities offered by the national and regional tourism brand. Students make use of the new international information sources. Students apply a wide range of business, service, production, innovation and experience-related competences to the design of concepts. They use the planning tools in a targeted manner. Students assess the cause-effect relationships at the strategic level from the perspective of profitability and value creation. Investment calculations are realistic. They analyse the competitiveness, sustainability and risks of business plans in a versatile manner.
Students appropriately document the activity and its results. They do not fully exploit the project resources, but the project remains on schedule and meets its objectives.
4 (Very good)
Students recognise innovative and competitive tourism-related business opportunities offered by the operating environment and make use of the possibilities offered by the Finnish national and regional tourism brand. Students make use of a wide range of new international information sources. Students creatively apply their service, production, business, innovation, and experience-related competences in to planning. They use a wide range of planning tools.
Students critically and analytically assess the cause-effect relationships at the strategic level from the perspective of profitability and value creation. Investment calculations are realistic. They apply risk tools purposefully. Students are able to lead projects and document the activities and results firmly and in a manner that sells. They exploit project resources optimally, the project remains well on schedule and meets its objectives.
5 (Excellent)
Students innovatively make use of the future-oriented tourism business opportunities offered by the operating environment, which will strengthen the national and regional tourism brand. Students innovatively apply what they have learned, as well as actively acquire new information. The business concept has clear objectives and the different aspects have been planned from the perspective of value creation, competitiveness, profitability and growth of the customers and network. They use the planning tools innovatively. Project phasing is based on predictive risk management.
Students are able to optimally use the project resources. They manage projects supportively by making use of the team’s creativity and competences. The final output has a realistic chance of success. Students are passionate about de