Students enrolled in the course will develop an understanding of the process of conducting social science research, especially as it pertains to the hospitality industry. This course will introduce students to the scientific method of inquiry and explain important considerations pertaining to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches. Students will develop skills in conducting literature searches, reading empirical research studies, and applying these methods. Students leave the course better able to understand and critically examine published research findings as well as generate their own research questions and design robust research interventions to provide answers to these inquiries.

General linear models including multiple regression and logistic regression; multilevel models; survival analysis; interaction effects.

This course investigates the distinctive operational characteristics, operational mechanics, technology, and management practices of hotels and restaurants. Through this course, students gain advanced technical knowledge to analyze and improve the operational capabilities of a hospitality organization. The first half of the course focuses on theoretical principles and operational tactics of lodging operations. Students explore the managerial aspects of hotel reservations, the front office, housekeeping, engineering, and security. The second half of the course focuses on principal operating problems in the restaurant industry, addressing topics such as concept development, pricing strategies, and restaurant revenue management, menu performance analysis, cost control, labor management, and customer service processes.

Financial and accounting skills are fundamental competencies for practitioners of business. A central aspect of accounting is the composition of financial statements that depict the underlying economic reality of the firm being operated. This course is intended to introduce fundamental elements that are used to compose these financial reports. Specifically, the course content includes an examination and quantitative analysis of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows from both a conceptual and pragmatic perspective. Through this course, students learn how these statements are both composed and relate to business planning, control, and decision making in hospitality enterprises.

This course offers innovative and practical approaches for addressing strategic marketing challenges to improve revenue, profit, and customer loyalty. Using case studies from hotels, restaurants, and hospitality firms worldwide, and referencing cutting-edge research, students learn the latest applications of strategic thinking and analysis to marketing challenges facing the hospitality industry. This course also helps students master digital marketing on a strategic and tactical level. Students can explore the design and implementation of marketing programs and activities to build, measure, and manage brand equity for a sustainable competitive advantage. Ultimately, students acquire strategic-marketing concepts and principles to apply the ideas, concepts, and principles to innovative and profitable strategies.

This course focuses on leadership and management for the hospitality industry. Using a leadership continuum as a framework, it explores several different levels of leadership, from a traditional leadership role as the head of a major corporation, team leadership, to the personal aspect of self-leadership. The course introduces key aspects of human resources functions such as employment law, employee recruitment & selection, compensation and benefits, labor relations, diversity, and managing hospitality human resources in a global environment. Students learn how to create an organizational culture and manage changes effectively through human resource strategies.

Collaboration with a faculty member on funded or unfunded research. Focus will depend on the stage of design or implementation of the particular study, and may include formulation and refinement or research questions, design of the methodological plan, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and report of findings.  Students will work one-on-one with a faculty member who will have direct oversight and provide structure and guidance to prepare the student to work independently over the summer in HF840.

Communication Research Methods is an introduction to the social scientific method of inquiry and the fundamental concepts and processes of social scientific methods that are used in media science, advertising, and public relations. Assorted research methods are covered, including both quantitative and qualitative. Also included are literature review, research design, research execution, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and reporting of findings.

Mixed-Methods Design for Urban Research is intended to develop skills in the evaluation and utilization of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to scholarship in social-science research. The course will explore survey, experimental, observational, interview, ethnographic, and case-study research methods in depth, and students will learn how to collect, organize, and evaluate data in various forms. Students will create a fully developed research proposal drawing upon mixed-methods techniques to investigate a topic of interest.

Designed to introduce students to social science research methods including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches to education inquiry. Students will develop skills in conducting literature searches, reading empirical research studies and applying these methods. Students leave the course better able to critically examine research presented in the mass media, critically engage with research in the workplace, and participate in research- based efforts to improve education. 

The philosophical and theoretical underpinnings and the techniques for conducting qualitative research. Students are introduced to different kinds of qualitative research, consideration of ethical issues, and criteria for rigorous qualitative research studies. Students critique published research and engage in planning a study, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up a report.

Conceptualization of quantitative research problems. Study descriptive and inferential statistics most commonly used for analyzing data in educational research including t-tests, ANOVAs, multiple comparisons, correlation, regression, and chi square. Emphasis placed on interpretation. Research project requires identifying a problem, gathering and analyzing data, and writing the results in APA format.

Statistical analysis with latent variables including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation models, latent growth models, psychometrics.

This course provides students with fundamental knowledge of business analytics and information visualization. It also offers extensive opportunities for developing hands-on skills for applying hospitality business analytics to managerial decision-making. Students gain a solid understanding of fundamental mathematical and statistical concepts, as well as statistical modeling techniques to solve operational, financial, and marketing issues that hospitality organizations face today. Students also learn how to leverage Microsoft Excel to build out data-driven insights and craft storytelling visualization.

A new course offered, Financial Reporting and Analysis builds upon the concepts introduced in Hospitality Financial Management (HF711) with the goal of teaching students to examine a company’s revenue performance and provide recommendations in relation to industry and economic trends. Students learn to analyze financial statements, interpret financial disclosures, and evaluate a company’s performance to make projections and decrease potential risks.

In this course, students will learn about the importance of having clearly stated values that serve as pillars against which organizations are held accountable regarding their implementation of various policies, practices, and procedures that can impact worker well-being and other performance-related outcomes of interest to the hospitality industry such as customer service behaviors and customer satisfaction. This course teaches students how, through the measurement of employee perceptions, organizations can take a data-driven approach to create better alignment between their stated values and workers’ perceptions of what their organizations value. Additionally, this course covers how organizations in the hospitality industry can extend a service-focused mindset to serving the needs of their employees through the enactment of various policies and initiatives.

Each student enrolled in this course, after consulting with a faculty advisor, will work independently on an approved research project for the Master’s thesis. The student and the faculty advisor will create a plan of study that details specific research objectives to be completed by the student within a particular timeframe. Such objectives include but are not limited to conducting a literature search and/or review, research design, institutional review board approval, data collection, data analysis, data reporting, and research dissemination.

Collaboration with a faculty member on funded or unfunded research. Focus will depend on the stage of design or implementation of the particular study, and may include formulation and refinement or research questions, design of the methodological plan, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and report of findings.  Students will work one-on-one with a faculty member who will have direct oversight and provide structure and guidance to prepare the student to work independently over the summer in HF840.

Communication Research Methods is an introduction to the social scientific method of inquiry and the fundamental concepts and processes of social scientific methods that are used in media science, advertising, and public relations. Assorted research methods are covered, including both quantitative and qualitative. Also included are literature review, research design, research execution, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and reporting of findings.

Mixed-Methods Design for Urban Research is intended to develop skills in the evaluation and utilization of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to scholarship in social-science research. The course will explore survey, experimental, observational, interview, ethnographic, and case-study research methods in depth, and students will learn how to collect, organize, and evaluate data in various forms. Students will create a fully developed research proposal drawing upon mixed-methods techniques to investigate a topic of interest.

Designed to introduce students to social science research methods including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches to education inquiry. Students will develop skills in conducting literature searches, reading empirical research studies and applying these methods. Students leave the course better able to critically examine research presented in the mass media, critically engage with research in the workplace, and participate in research- based efforts to improve education. 

The philosophical and theoretical underpinnings and the techniques for conducting qualitative research. Students are introduced to different kinds of qualitative research, consideration of ethical issues, and criteria for rigorous qualitative research studies. Students critique published research and engage in planning a study, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up a report.

Conceptualization of quantitative research problems. Study descriptive and inferential statistics most commonly used for analyzing data in educational research including t-tests, ANOVAs, multiple comparisons, correlation, regression, and chi square. Emphasis placed on interpretation. Research project requires identifying a problem, gathering and analyzing data, and writing the results in APA format.

Statistical analysis with latent variables including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation models, latent growth models, psychometrics.

Under the close supervision of a faculty member, students pursuing a Master of Science degree will complete an original research project that meaningfully contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of hospitality. The student and faculty member will determine a set of deliverables that should be completed by the end of the semester to ensure the timely completion of the student’s thesis project.

Communication Research Methods is an introduction to the social scientific method of inquiry and the fundamental concepts and processes of social scientific methods that are used in media science, advertising, and public relations. Assorted research methods are covered, including both quantitative and qualitative. Also included are literature review, research design, research execution, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and reporting of findings.

Mixed-Methods Design for Urban Research is intended to develop skills in the evaluation and utilization of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to scholarship in social-science research. The course will explore survey, experimental, observational, interview, ethnographic, and case-study research methods in depth, and students will learn how to collect, organize, and evaluate data in various forms. Students will create a fully developed research proposal drawing upon mixed-methods techniques to investigate a topic of interest.

Designed to introduce students to social science research methods including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches to education inquiry. Students will develop skills in conducting literature searches, reading empirical research studies and applying these methods. Students leave the course better able to critically examine research presented in the mass media, critically engage with research in the workplace, and participate in research- based efforts to improve education. 

The philosophical and theoretical underpinnings and the techniques for conducting qualitative research. Students are introduced to different kinds of qualitative research, consideration of ethical issues, and criteria for rigorous qualitative research studies. Students critique published research and engage in planning a study, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up a report.

Conceptualization of quantitative research problems. Study descriptive and inferential statistics most commonly used for analyzing data in educational research including t-tests, ANOVAs, multiple comparisons, correlation, regression, and chi square. Emphasis placed on interpretation. Research project requires identifying a problem, gathering and analyzing data, and writing the results in APA format.

Statistical analysis with latent variables including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation models, latent growth models, psychometrics.