Sustainable tourism science

Gianluca Guillaro

The subject provides for the specific study of the foundations of the business economy and of the most significant types in the tourism sector, both in the supply and in the intermediation field. Particular attention will be paid to the most significant changes in the economic and legislative context and to the particular characteristics of the local and national territory. This training should allow students a correct knowledge of the working sector, allowing them to formulate independent judgments with an appropriate socio-economic and cultural contextualization. The student will be able, through the use of a suitable bibliography, to carry out research on the reality of tourism businesses by elaborating the relevant links related to the current development of the sector.

Knowledge and Understanding
Students acquire the theoretical foundations of economics and business management, with particular reference to the tourism sector. They understand the structure of the tourism supply chain, the mechanisms of value creation, cost logic, and the main competitive strategies.

Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
Students will be able to analyze the competitive structure of an industry, critically evaluate a business case, apply cost management tools, and assess the strategic choices of a tourism enterprise.

Independent Judgment
Students will develop the ability to critically interpret economic and managerial phenomena, recognizing the strategic implications of new trends in tourism and formulating independent assessments of real-world cases.

Communication skills
Students acquire the technical language of business economics and tourism management, learning to clearly present concepts, analyses, and arguments both orally and in writing.

Learning skills
Students develop conceptual and methodological tools useful for independently exploring topics in economics and business management, including in professional and applied research contexts.

To fully benefit from the course, it is recommended that students have a basic understanding of economics and law, which can be acquired through the propaedeutic courses included in the curriculum.

The Enterprise: Theory and Foundations. Nature of the Enterprise, Organization, Contracts, and Transaction Theory
The Tourism Enterprise and the Tourist: Structure of the Tourism Industry, Demand, Types of Tourists, and Characteristics of Services
Supply Chain and Inter-Agent Relationships: the tourism supply chain, agency relationships, information asymmetries, and distribution channels
Business Performance and Value: value added, profit, performance metrics, governance, and business objectives
Strategy and Competitive Advantage: strategy formulation, Porter’s model, analytical tools (BCG, value chain, SWOT), and core strategies in tourism businesses
Cost management and profitability: cost classification, contribution margins, break-even analysis, operating leverage, pricing, and marketing fundamentals
Business crisis management: causes and stages of a crisis, management tools, and reputation marketing
New tourism products and trends: experiential accommodation, cultural tourism, sports tourism, and film tourism
Food and wine and sustainability: food and wine tourism, food design, and new trends at the intersection of luxury and sustainability

Fraquelli G., Imprenditorialità e management dell'impresa turistica, CEDAM, 2017.

Brogna M., Cocco V., Turismo e sviluppo locale. Prospettive per la destinazione Italia, McGraw-Hill, 2020.

References to the Civil Code and the Tourism Code.

Lecturer’s slides and teaching materials provided to support the lectures.

Slides of corporate case studies.

The class is taught through lectures, supplemented by guest speakers from the business industry and group work.
At the end of each class, whenever possible, interactive quizzes will be provided. Participation in the quizzes contributes to the final exam score: points are awarded based on the ranking achieved. Students must participate using only their student ID number—those who use other nicknames will be automatically excluded from the scoring.
The course also includes exercises, questions, and group projects designed to encourage collaboration among students and deepen their understanding of the topics covered in class. These also contribute to the final grade.
The scores accumulated by each student are carried over for three consecutive exam sessions (June, July, and September).

Attendance is not required, and there are no differences in the course program between students who regularly attend and those who do not.

Students who participate in group work, exercises, and interactive quizzes earn bonus points that contribute to their final grade and are eligible to take the midterm test, if scheduled.

Oral Exam

To pass the exam, students are required to obtain a grade of at least 18 out of 30.

To earn a grade of 30 out of 30 with Lode, students must demonstrate an excellent mastery of all topics covered in the course and be able to connect them in a logical and coherent manner. Active participation in class will also be factored into the final evaluation.

What is a transaction?
What is a company?
What does a holiday package include?