Suzhou
Tourism and
Finance Institute

Current Courses

Field of Study – First Year of Studies – Diploma of Hospitality Management

Currently, the BMHS – China Campuses deliver a two-year Diploma in Hospitality Management programme. This course is comprised of two six-month academic semesters and two six-month industry placement semesters. This course establishes skills and knowledge of operations in Food and Beverage and Rooms Division departments with a range of management and operational subjects. It also covers a core programme of introduction to hospitality and tourism industry, subjects in business and finance, marketing, communication, technology, professional and behavioural management.

 Field of Study – First Year of Studies – Diploma of Hospitality Management

Business Monitoring & Control introduces the students to the financial recording, accounting and audit function as practiced by businesses. Students will learn how to classify, record and summarise transactions to provide economic information to decision makers. Students will also learn basic auditing of business systems and procedures. Students will be exposed to the flow of information from the original source documents through to profit and loss determination and preparation of the statements of financial performance and financial position.

Communication and Information Technology provides the participants with the necessary personal and technical skills and knowledge to competently design and develop computer based documents, to utilise these skills in the presentation and communication of the appropriate information, in a variety of formats.

Food Service Theory & Operations enable the students to develop the basic skills, knowledge and professionalism for the effective operation of a food and beverage service department and commercial kitchen. The students will also learn to recognise legislative issues and promote hygiene and safety.

 Hospitality and Tourism Business Environment The aim of this unit is to deal with the skills and knowledge required to access, increase and update knowledge of the hospitality industry including different industry sectors and relevant industry legislation. This knowledge underpins effective performance in all sectors.

Hospitality and Tourism Consumer provides the participants with the skills and knowledge required to understand the role of the consumer, to promote products to consumers, including an introduction to the basic principles of marketing.

Industry Placement – Food and Beverage is comprised of six months traineeship in a hotel’s food and beverage department. Students may undertake positions as food and beverage attendant, bar attendant, room service staff, kitchen commis etc. This traineeship period builds upon the skills and knowledge that the students acquired at school. It exposes the student to one of the major operational departments of a hotel as well as real life opportunities for the students to practice their professional and social skills.

This internship period is also vital for students to learn about the workplace, social interaction with fellow work colleagues and professional interactions with guests. For many students, this industry placement will be the first time they are in the workforce. It is often also the first time that the students live away from home. Therefore this industry placement period is also a time when many students develop their own sense of independence and responsible life skills The students are required to prepare for a major assignment related to their learning experience during their traineeship period which will be presented in a seminar on their return to school at the end of their industry placement semester. The industry placement is an assessable component of their study programme.

Introduction to Gastronomy provides the students with the opportunity to develop a keen personal understanding of food, beverages and consumer perception. This course also provides a critical study of the theoretical and practical concepts of gastronomy, its origins, development and the cultural and artistic aspects of dining. It also enables the students to discover and appreciate the relationship between food and wine and a greater understanding of how and why people seek enjoyment and satisfaction from eating and drinking

 Introduction Hospitality Operations develops students' knowledge and understanding of the nature and characteristics and of the range of hospitality operations from a consumer’s perspective. It provides the student with the opportunity to discover and experience a variety of hospitality operations and to develop insight into consumer’s experiences and expectations.

Managing People and Organisations enables the development of fundamental interpersonal and communication skills required when dealing with both colleagues and customers in a range of situations and circumstances. These include practices which contribute to effective teamwork, dealing with conflict situations, on the job coaching and all aspects of working within a socially diverse environment.

Diploma
Second Year of Studies – Diploma of Hospitality Management

BBC201 – MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Financial analysis is an integral part of strategic management planning, an essential management tool when achieving organisational goals and objectives in order to maximise the operating efficiency of an organisation. This unit builds upon the foundational knowledge and skills gained in BBC101.- Accounting Fundamentals and develops further students’ skills and expertise when interpreting financial information. The overall aim of the unit is to provide students with the skills and knowledge relevant to planning, controlling and evaluating accounting information which will enable them to make sound, managerial decisions.

BBC203 – BUSINESS LAW
This unit has been designed to introduce students to the basic principles of business law and provide fundamental knowledge of the relevant State/Commonwealth Law relating to the tourism, hospitality and event management industries. Students will be introduced to both Common and Statute Law with specific emphasis on the areas of liability affecting the tourism, hospitality and event industries. Students will be provided with sufficient knowledge and understanding of Australian business law to recognise/resolve and/or avoid legal problems within their business environment.

HRM201 – OPERATIONS & ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT
The effective management of tourism and hospitality facilities is a key element in the successful provision of service quality, but with the growing awareness of environmental issues and challenges creating additional operational costs, the international tourism/hospitality manager needs to have a fundamental understanding of these issues and their impact. This unit aims to develop a student’s knowledge of the key elements of contemporary facilities and operational practices. Whilst investigating the broad range of critical design decisions available to ensure close alignment with sound environmental practices and long-term sustainability of tourism/hospitality properties.

HRM203 – SPECIALIST RESORT FACILITES MANAGEMENT (GOLF/SPA)
The growth of international tourism has created an increase in the number of specilised resort facilities, such as gold and spa, being developed. This unit provides students with the management skills and theoretical knowledge required for the effective operation and management of a specialist resort which specifically ahs spar and/or gold as its main recreational activity. The key concepts introduced will build on the following units from the Level 1 program. HRM101: Food & Beverage Operations Management, HRM102: Food & Beverage Management & Control and IP101: Industry Practicum 1.

 BBC202 – ECONOMICS
This unit introduces the core concepts and economic principles necessary to develop effective decision makers. Students will develop an understanding of how decision makers make choices utilizing available resources at a specific given time. These effective decision making principles will encourage the development of professionals able to respond to all stakeholders in all areas of efficient and productive management.

 THE201 – SERVICES MARKETING
The service sector is one of the fastest growing global industry sectors and accounts for a large proportion of GDP and employment. This unit will provide students with both practical and theoretical approaches of marketing and the management of service businesses. It expands on the previous knowledge gained in BBC104 - Marketing Fundamentals. It will explore the major differences between the marketing of services as distinct from the marketing of services as distinct from the marketing of tangible products; assessing and improving service delivery and provide students with the necessary skills to develop and implement marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality and other service industries.

BBC204 – HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
This unit provides an introductory overview of the field of human resource management and examines key HRM concepts, processes and practices, whilst building upon the knowledge gained in the unit IP101. It examines the increasingly strategic emphasis of HRM in Australia and globally. Students will explore ways in which the management style of an organisation influences the development of HRM philosophies and processes specifically with reference to tourism and hospitality enterprises.
HRM – ROOMS DIVISION MANAGEMENT
Rooms division is one of the key revenue generating areas within a hospitality operation. This unit therefore provides students with practical management skills together with the theoretical knowledge to operate accommodation services successfully. The overall aim of the unit is to ensure that the student has a sound knowledge of the financial responsibilities of running a room division department.

INDUSTRY PLACEMENT
The Industry Practicum 2 unit is a key component of the Associate Degree and Bachelor’s degree programs as it provides students with the opportunity to develop their career pathways, whilst expanding and enhancing the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful within the tourism industry. This unit provides students with opportunity to analyse and reflect upon the relationship between their academic studies and the workplace environment, whilst being employed at an appropriate level

Bachelor’s Degree
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS – Year Three Studies
The bachelor’s degree involves three years full time study delivered over ten terms. On the successful completion of the first two years of study in China, the graduate then transfer to the Blue Mountains Hotel School or the Australian International Hotel School to study the third year for their bachelor’s degree. The three-year program is comprised of one year of academic studies. This third year program covers the field of study delivered in the Associate Degree programme and expands learning to the global industry context with core units covering financial, operational and research aspects as well as specialist subjects.

Fields of Study
Applied Research and Project Delivery draws on knowledge, skills and experience gained earlier in the course for a “real life” hospitality or tourism research and project development and delivery program. Initial research is used to assess the marketing feasibility, sustainability and financial viability of a proposed project and all aspects are considered such as conceptual design and planning, staffing requirements, projected financial performance, internal reporting requirements, operational issues and sales and marketing strategies from pre-opening to completion.

Entrepreneurship in Hospitality and Tourism explores entrepreneurship in the global hospitality and tourism industries and the generation of new business opportunities within established enterprises in both large and small to medium sized firms with a focus on intangible services, requirements to launch and manage a new enterprise, and best practice in innovation in hospitality and tourism services, includes preparation of a business plan for a new enterprise.

Ethical and Legal Environment develops an appreciation and understanding of the ethical, social, moral and legal, regulatory and compliance issues related to the development and operation of hospitality and tourism enterprises including the context of multinational and developing countries.

Financial and Business Management provides students with the tools and skills to not only understand and interpret business information, but use this information to improve business performance in the long term.

Hospitality and Tourism Businessand Strategic Planning focuses on the detailed aspects of business and strategic planning in hospitality and tourism enterprises to produce a competitive rate of return, achieve a competitive advantage and strong market position. “Real world” planning and reporting requirements of international hotels, resorts and tourist attractions are used as a model for preparing a professional Business Plan.

Management of People and Organisations examines the forms and functions of organisations and how people work in various types of organisation, using a strong theoretical base and relevant practical examples from the hospitality and tourism industries. Examines various approaches to management and organisation for work including how best to manage people as individuals and in teams, the role, requirements and importance of leadership; change management and over coming resistance to change.

Services Marketing Management focuses on the key themes of the customer’s service encounter, service failure and recovery and the notion of the “servicescape” or physical environment of service delivery. Customer service issues, service quality and customer satisfaction, customer relationship management and yield management as a pricing tool are investigated and their use in the hospitality industry is demonstrated.

The Art of Gastronomy explores a deep passion for food and drink in contemporary society and develops understanding of the role of food in the cultural, religious and social behaviour of societies – the changing nature of food presentation, production and delivery, and the changing nature of the human diet.