27348 Critical Issues in Global Tourism

Subject level: Undergraduate

Handbook description

This is a final year subject which allows students to apply the knowledge they have gained in the course to an understanding of contemporary, critical, global issues in tourism. Students examine the local and international relevance of the issues, the ethical implications and the ways in which they, as tourism professionals, might respond. Students also reflect and project on how such issues might affect the development of tourism. The subject assists students to relate critical tourism issues to a wider understanding of society.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. comprehend theories and principles of ethics and corporate social responsibility
2. demonstrate an awareness and understanding of selected, current, critical issues in tourism, appreciate the significance of such issues within their particular geographical contexts and within the wider global context
3. discuss the associated ethical considerations of the selected, critical issues
4. creatively consider and discuss the implications of selected critical issues affecting the future development of global tourism.

Contribution to graduate profile

Critical Issues in Global Tourism is a final year capstone subject in the Bachelor of Management in Tourism program, which requires students to reflect on previous subjects in the course and focus on a series of current critical issues associated with tourism at a global level. Students will examine the ethical aspects of a range of selected issues, as well as considering how a number of significant issues might affect the future development of tourism in Australia and international tourism settings.

Teaching and learning strategies

The lecture/workshop format will incorporate a range of teaching and experiential learning strategies including videos, debates and case studies. Guest lectures will be a component of the program. Content for this subject will be supported by UTSOnline.

Content

Each year, a series of critical issues that reflect contemporary concerns and affect global tourism will be selected for examination. The issues will be chosen to reflect concerns which are both global and those which are specific to particular regions of the globe. These issues include ethical issues in tourism and future issues/challenges.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: 2 Tutorial Papers (Individual)

Assessment item 2: Essay (Individual)

Assessment item 3: Final Examination (Individual)

Required text(s)

There is no one prescribed text in this subject. The prescribed readings for this subject will be posted on UTSOnline under each week's subject topic. For further reading see the list of references and Additional References on UTSOnline.

Indicative references

Aldo, M (ed) 1999, Human Rights Standards and the Responsibility of Transnational Corporations, Kluwer, Boston

Beirman, D, 2003, Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis, Allen and Unwin, Sydney

Faulkner, B, Moscardo, G and Laws, E, 2000, Tourism in the 21st Century, Continuum, London

Fennell, DA, 2006, Tourism Ethics, Channel View, Clevedon

Gössling, S and Hall, CM (eds) 2006, Tourism and global environmental change: Ecological, social, economic and political interrelationships, Routledge, London

Grace, D and Cohen, S, 1998, Business Ethics: Australian Problems and Cases, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Melbourne

Lea, J, 1993, 'Tourism development ethics in the Third World', Annals of Tourism Research, 20(4), 701-715

Palmer, C, 1999, Environmental Ethics, ABC-CL10, California

Ryan, C and Aicken, M (eds) 2005, Indigenous Tourism: The Commodification and Management of Culture, Elsevier, London

Shaw, G and Williams, AM, 2002, Critical Issues in Tourism: A Geographical Perspective, Blackwell, Oxford

Singer P (ed), 1993, A Companion to Ethics, Blackwell, Cambridge, MA

Smith, M and Duffy, R, 2003, The Ethics of Tourism Development, Routledge, London

Theobald, W (ed), 2005, Global Tourism, 3rd edn, Butterworth Heinemann, Burlington, MA

Journal of Business Ethics