Ateneo - UPO

The course is composed of:
Part 1
IT Management of Tourist Services-Information and Communications Technology and Tourist Services (GIST-ICT) 5 CFU
Part 2
IT Management of Tourist Services-Organization and Human Resources of Tourist Services (GIST-RU) 3 CFU
The parts will take place in parallel due to the interdisciplinarity of the contents.
The DIR page of the course can be consulted at the following link: https://www.dir.uniupo.it/course/view.php?id=17422

GIST-ICT
The lessons will take place in the PC room and will deal with:
1) Business management and the information system of companies in the tourism sector
2) Management of business information with Excel in the tourism context
Lessons will allow to become familiar with the ICT tools, perceiving:
- the competitive advantage deriving from the use of individual productivity tools and management applications in tourist service companies;
- the opportunities that arise from an integrated management of information to support the typical processes of the tourism sector;
- the support of tools for effective customer relationship management and the strategic choices that characterize the tourism sector.

GIST-RU
- The organization of companies operating in tourist services
- The management of human resources in the tourism sector
- Human resource policies in tourism sector

GIST-ICT: Candiotto R., Sistemi informativi integrati per i servizi turistici, Giappichelli, Torino, 2023
[For further information: Candiotto R. – Gandini S., Business Information Management con Excel, Maggioli, 2018]

GIST-RU: Varra L. Elementi di progettazione, processi e modelli organizzativi nelle imprese turistiche”, FrancoAngeli, 2008

For both parties:
material uploaded to DIR and/or distributed in the classroom

The course aims at introducing the student to the general framework of the tourism organization. To achieve such goals, the teaching activity will be structured around three macro-areas. Firstly, the concept of tourism organization will be analysed, highlighting how the organization theory may support the analysis of the tourism activities. Secondly, the course will focus on the analysis of the relationships between information and communication technology and organization, in order to explain how the innovation in the ICT field impacts on the organization of tourism enterprises. The final section of the course will be devoted to human resource management in the tourism sector.

GIST-ICT
1. Knowledge and understanding.
At the end of the course, students will be able to: identify the characteristics of information systems supporting companies operating in the tourism sector; appreciate the benefits found in the use of ICT in the tourism sector; recognize the impact of technologies on corporate management aimed at creating value for the customer; evaluate the opportunities offered by technologies in management processes and in the performance evaluation that characterize the tourism sector; understand the potential of digital technologies.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding.
The assimilated knowledge will be essential to actually use information systems to carry out typical management activities in the tourism sector. This will also facilitate the acquisition of the ability to: manage corporate information according to a systemic approach; optimize the information flows that characterize the tourism sector; take advantage of digital technologies to increase the company's competitiveness.
3. Making judgments.
The course will allow students to: express autonomous and informed judgments on the conditions of efficiency and effectiveness of company information systems; guide the management of the tourism sector towards an effective and efficient use of the corporate information assets to improve performance. The use of individual productivity tools and ERP systems to carry out typical management activities will facilitate the development of critical analysis skills regarding the best ways to achieve company objectives.
4. Communication skills.
Students will acquire the technical language and skills necessary to promote and disseminate the use of individual productivity tools and integrated information systems within operating realities. Students will develop communication skills by carrying out projects and identifying solutions to business cases, captured by the daily work of management, in teams.
5. Learning ability.
Once the methodological bases and an adequate theoretical background have been acquired, students will be able to conveniently develop continuous self-learning. Furthermore, the teaching method will favor the critical analysis of the peculiarities that characterize the company information flows and the use of the most suitable interpretative tools for understanding and managing companies in the tourism sector.
GIST-RU
1. Knowledge and understanding.
At the end of the course, students will be able to: identify the characteristics of the organizational systems of companies operating in the tourism sector; appreciate the benefits found in a correct management of human resources in the tourism sector; recognize the new professional figures oriented towards creating value for the customer.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding.
The assimilated knowledge will be indispensable for concretely designing organizational structures typical of management in the tourism sector.
3. Making judgments.
The course will allow students to: express autonomous and informed judgments on the conditions of efficiency and effectiveness of corporate organizational systems; guide the management of the tourism sector towards an effective and efficient use of human resources for the improvement of performance.
4. Communication skills.
Learners will acquire the technical language and skills necessary to promote and disseminate the use of human resource management tools within operational realities. Learners will develop communication skills identifying business case solutions working in teams.
5. Learning ability
Once the methodological bases and an adequate theoretical background have been acquired, the students will be able to conveniently develop continuous self-learning. Furthermore, the teaching method will favor the critical analysis of the peculiarities that characterize the organization and management of human resources and the use of the most suitable interpretative tools for understanding and managing business realities in the tourism sector.

Students can effectively attend lessons with an appropriate knowledge of Business Administration principles.

Different teaching tools will be used:
a) traditional lessons in class;
b) case studies, where the theories are presented in real business situations;
c) guest speakers.
The course is interactive and may involve carrying out simulations, guest speakers, real case studies discussions and group assignments

GIST-ICT
The planned ongoing activities are broken down as follows:
1) Company management and information system
Participatory lessons and tutorials
2) The management of business information with Excel in the tourism context
Lectures and exercises in the PC room and tutorials with which:
- concrete problems of companies in the tourism sector are faced and solved with ICT tools
- familiarize with ICT tools for use in the tourism sector and develop skills that are particularly appreciated in the world of work

1. Acquisition of knowledge: the lessons will provide the theoretical basis (for the achievement of the necessary skills) to immediately develop real cases with individual productivity information systems and integrated information systems. 2. Acquisition of the ability to apply knowledge: the development of projects and cases concretely present in the business realities of the tourism sector will encourage teamwork and will be an opportunity for a comparison on the best resolution methods. 3. The acquisition of independent judgment will be favored by the discussion of concrete cases in the field of technologies to support company activities and by experimenting with the solutions identified through the use of the systems. 4. Acquisition of communication skills: the precise technical language used in the course will make it possible to acquire the conditions for developing specific communication skills; the technical background will be tested in the cases treated to enhance the skills necessary to manage and exploit the information assets effectively and efficiently. 5. Acquisition of learning skills: the methodological rigor and the theoretical heritage acquired will allow to conveniently develop continuous self-learning and the critical analysis of the most suitable tools for managing data production and processing processes and activity and information flows .

GIST-RU
The planned ongoing activities are broken down as follows:
1) Lessons and exercises
2) Testimonials from company managers

Course attendance is facultative.
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

GIST-ICT Students will demonstrate acquired knowledge and skills in a one-hour exam, structured as follows:
- Test 1: 12 multiple choice questions on chapters 1, 2, 3 e 4 of the recommended book
- Test 2 (if Test 1 has a positive result): 12 multiple choice questions 5, 6, 7, 8 of the recommended book.

GIST RU: The exam is a one-hour written test, with two open-ended questions (15 points each answer).

GIST-ICT
- Information in business management
- Management of business processes and integrated information systems
- Information systems for customer relationship management
- Information systems for strategic management
- Data representation and simple processing
- Data analysis and processing
- Profitability analysis and simulation models

GIST-RU
- Definition of tourism organization
- Industrial organization and market structure in tourism
- Tourism management
- Fundamentals of organization structure
- Organizations in tourism sector
- Human resource policies
- Human resource policies in tourism sector

GIST-ICT
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1) develop personal and interpersonal skills to improve individual performance in tourism realities;
2) evaluate the opportunities deriving from the use of Information Technology in the tourism sector and effectively manage individual productivity software applications and integrated information systems, to collect, organize and analyze data, consistently with business needs.

GIST-RU
At the end of the course, learners will be able to: 1) develop personal and interpersonal skills to improve individual performance in the context of tourism realities; 2) evaluate the opportunities deriving from the implementation of a correct organizational structure in the tourism sector.