This course synthesizes theories and concepts of globalization, multinational strategy and international business studies. The students will apply theories and concepts into the analysis of multinational hospitality companies. This course helps the students to better understand globalization in the hospitality and tourism industry.                   

Globalization is a major trend in the hospitality and tourism industry as hospitality and tourism companies are competing on an international scale with global clientele. National, international and multinational hospitality companies are using the latest information technology and management know-how through their management contracts and franchise systems and other competitive methods to expand their businesses all over the world. On the other hand, companies from emerging countries are utilizing their financial power to take over hospitality properties from developed countries through mergers and acquisitions.             

Any company utilizing international expansion or dealing with multicultural clientele needs to understand the global business environment, especially the host country’s environment, and to understand international visitors’ needs and demands in order to create the best products and services to meet and exceed their expectations. They need to re-organize their companies’ operational structure and allocate the best resources to support their competitive methods through their marketing, human resources, technology and development, operations, finance and administration departments.                   

In order to learn about the phenomenon, the students will read the recent research articles, industry reports, scan the on-line websites and have interactive discussions about the reading materials and latest industry practices so as to be able to analyze and present the competitive methods used by multinational hospitality companies in the global market place.                   

The course provides students an opportunity to develop their analytical and interpretive skills to evaluate what competitive methods these multinational hospitality companies are using into succeed in the global market place. The course will address specific topics throughout this semester including:             

1. Globalization/Internationalization

2. Merger and acquisition practices

3. Management contracts and franchise system

4. Global human resources practices and diversity 

5. New products and services development

6. Corporative social responsibility

7. Millennials and generational issues

The Pandemic
Over the past several months, the U.S. has experienced the emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, fear, stress, and pain for many members of our community, and will continue to impact each of us in various ways throughout this term. Under these circumstances, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed or anxious, and to have difficulty concentrating. I have designed this course with these challenges in mind, and am committed to continuing to work with all of you to create a positive and supportive learning environment throughout the term. If your health, well-being, or school work are being impacted by recent events, I encourage you to make use of the resources FIU provides, which I have included later in this syllabus.

Caregiver Responsibilities 
I have great respect for students who are balancing their pursuit of education with the responsibilities of caring for children or other family members. If you run into challenges that require you to miss a class, or if your caregiving responsibilities are interfering with your ability to engage in remote learning, please contact me. There may be some instances of flexibility we can offer to support your learning.  

School-Life Conflict
Many students face obstacles to their education as a result of work or family obligations or unforeseen personal difficulties. If you are experiencing challenges throughout the term that are impacting your ability to succeed in this course, or in your undergraduate career more broadly, please reach out to me immediately so that we can work together to form a plan for your academic success. If you are unable to attend my student drop-in hours, please email to set up a time that works for you or arrange a meeting by Zoom.

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses. For additional information, please visit FIU's Policy and Procedure Library.

 As a member of the FIU community you are expected to be knowledgeable about the behavioral expectations set forth in the FIU Student Conduct and Honor Code.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy, we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course, but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the What's Required webpage to find out more information on this subject.

Privacy Policy Statements for Partners and Vendors

• Canvas
• Microsoft
• Adobe
• Google
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• ProctorU
• HonorLock
• Turnitin
• OpenStax
• Zoom
• Respondus LockDown Browser

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190.

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

Web Accessibility Statements for Partners and Vendors 

• Canvas
• Microsoft
• Adobe
• Google
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• ProctorU
• HonorLock
• Turnitin
• OpenStax
• Zoom
• Respondus LockDown Browser

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for additional information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Conduct and Honor Code. Academic Misconduct includes:

Cheating

• The unauthorized use of any materials, information, study aids or assistance from another person on any academic assignment or exercise, unless explicitly authorized by the course Instructor; 
• Assisting another student in the unauthorized use of any materials, information, study aids, unless explicitly authorized by the Instructor; and 
• Having a substitute complete any academic assignment or completing an academic assignment for someone else, either paid or unpaid; and

Plagiarism

• The deliberate use and appropriation of another are work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the Student's own.
• Assisting another student in the deliberate use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. 

Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.

If you are looking for help for yourself or a fellow classmate, Panthers Care encourages you to express any concerns you may come across as it relates to any personal behavior concerns or worries you have, for the classmate’s well-being or yours; you are encouraged to share your concerns with FIU’s Panthers Care website.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential help for anxiety, depression, stress, and other concerns that life brings. Professional counselors are available for same-day appointments. Don’t wait to call (305) 348-2277 to set up a time to talk or visit the online self-help portal.

This course will serve to embrace the diversity and inclusivity found within Florida International University. We appreciate and respect diversity, equality, equity, cooperativeness, community, and sustainability within our online courses. We are committed to the ongoing education of our students and their participation within the course regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, geographical location, religion, and disability. We strive in encouraging collaboration by preparing our students to value the differences in others. At the core of our intentions is the encouragement of acceptance and appreciation of differences within our student population and community.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Please note that the information contained in this section applies only if your course requires a proctored exam.

Through a careful examination of this syllabus, it is the student’s responsibility to determine whether this online course requires proctored exams. Please visit our Student Proctored Exam Instructions. webpage for important information concerning proctored exams, proctoring centers, and important forms.

In recognition of the high cost of a college education, every effort has been made to provide no cost learning materials for this course. To that end, there is no text-book for the course. In its place, course materials will be provided in Canvas for your review.

This is an online course, which means all of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same for a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• review the getting started page located in the course modules;
• introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self-introduction in the appropriate discussion;
• interact online with instructor and peers;
• review and follow the course calendar and weekly outlines;
• log in to the course 5 times per week;
• respond to discussions by the due date specified. No late work will be accepted; 
• respond to emails within 2 business days; 
• submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

The instructor will:

• log in to the course 5 times per week;
• respond to discussion postings within 2 business days of the deadline; 
• respond to emails within 24 hours; 
• grade assignments within 5 business days of the assignment deadline.

Communication in this course will take place via the Canvas Inbox. Check out the Canvas Conversations Tutorial or Canvas Guide to learn how to communicate with your instructor and peers using Announcements, Discussions, and the Inbox. I will respond to all correspondences within 24 hours during the business week.

You are welcome to email me either through Canvas or directly to my FIU email at lcain@fiu.edu. You are also expected to write in a professional manner, meaning there should be a salutation, body, and signature. I will do my best to respond to emails on a weekday within 24 hours. I will return emails sent over the weekend on the next business day. If for some reason I have not responded to you within 2 business days, please send me a follow-up. I will appreciate the gentle reminder.

All assignments should be submitted in a professional format, free of misspellings and structured in a way that makes your paper clear (headings, subheadings, etc.).

INTRODUCTION VIDEO (BLOG)

Because this class is strictly online, the only way for us to get to know one another better is to introduce ourselves. Accordingly, you will need to record yourself and upload the file. This video is worth 100 points of your total grade. The following information should be included in your introductory video:

Your name (e.g., My name is Lisa Cain)

Where you are from (e.g., I was born and raised in Miami, Florida)

Your educational background (e.g., I got a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Smith College, a Master’s of Science in Hospitality Management from FIU and a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from UNLV)

What you want to do when you graduate (e.g., I want to teach at Florida International University because it has the best hospitality students in the country).

What interests you about this course? (e.g., global issues are pivotal to understand in our modern climate).

Anything else interesting that you would like to share (e.g., I have a son named Henry and a daughter named Juliet).

SUMMARIES OF ARTICLES

Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of ONE of the articles provided each week. Please include the reference at the top of the page of your article summary. Include one or more sentences for each of the following and separate your responses using the title headings listed below:

1. Title of the article (5%)

2. Purpose of the article (20%)

3. Important findings of the article (25%)

4. What you found most interesting (25%)

5. How you will use this information in the future (25%)

 ARTICLE SUMMARIES ARE DUE THE FRIDAY OF THE WEEK THEY ARE ASSIGNED.

Note: I will be checking for spelling, grammar, and syntax. If you need help with checking these, please consult a friend or the writing center. I WILL take off 5 points for mistakes in these.

DISCUSSION BOARD RESPONSES

Each week, I will pose a question on the topic of the week. You are expected to have a meaningful and informed dialogue with me and your peers regarding this topic. Each of you is expected to write at least three times per week. You may choose to agree with things that classmates have said or to disagree, but you must say why you agree or disagree. Your comments should be thoughtful, and may be critical, but may not be hurtful or derogatory in any way. I will also be writing responses to help prompt further discussion if and when I feel it is necessary. The responses to the initial prompts should be at least 150 words total. The responses to your two peers should be at least 25 words each in length. You must respond to at least 2 peers in order to earn full credit. 

***Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER

Instead of a final exam, you may choose to write a research paper on one of the topics we have discussed in this class, or on a topic approved by the professor. You may use one or more of the sources provided to you, but you are responsible for using at least 10 sources in your paper.

Your research paper must focus on a specific topic, highlight the relevant literature that exists on that topic, and examine the ways in which the hospitality and tourism industry could prepare for and respond to these situations. Your goal is to identify an issue or area of exploration that needs further explaining or study. You may choose to identify a problem that has arisen in the world (e.g. pandemics, csr/green initiatives, social media marketing issues, generational issues) and identify a way to probe the issue.

Each research paper is expected to include sections related to the following topics: 

a). Abstract/ key words

b). Introduction to the topic/ thesis statement

c). Literature review/ supporting paragraphs

d). Theoretical underpinning; 

e). Methods;

f). Anticipated results;

g). Conclusion

h). References

The research paper must be of maximum 1,000 words excluding figures, tables, annexes and references. The case studies will be evaluated against three criteria: content, theoretical underpinning, and presentation. Case studies must adhere and follow the submission guidelines of case study writing.

All research papers must be accompanied by a short abstract of not more than 100 words and a list of no more than six key words, which define the subject matter.

General Text Requirements for Research Papers.

All papers must be free of grammatical, spelling and/or punctuation errors. Please make sure your paper is thoroughly edited and proof read before submission.