Deciding on Doing an Honours Thesis or Choosing Which Two-Credit Elective to Take

Starting next year, all of you in the BSc programmes are going to have the option of doing an Honours Thesis or taking two Level 4 electives. The Honours Thesis is a 5-credit requirement taken over two semesters. So, if you decide on the two electives, one will be a 2-credit subject and you will have three 2-credit subject options you can chose from to combine with a 3-credit subject of your choice. Since this puts you in a position to make choices, I want to be sure you consider all of the options carefully.

First, let’s consider the option to do an Honours Thesis. While I know many of you might first think you will gladly opt out of doing an Honours Thesis, there are some things you might consider before making that decision. If you have ambitions to pursue higher level degrees such a Masters or maybe even a Ph.D. or DHTM in your future, the Honours Thesis would be a highly recommend option to take as it will better prepare you for those studies. Another consideration might be if you have found a particular area of hotel or tourism management that hasn’t been covered in depth in your subjects and you’d like to explore on your own, then an Honours Thesis is a great way to do just that. I’d also add that if you like research and/or doing statistical analysis (something I learned I enjoyed only after I got to my Ph.D. level), then definitely chose the Honours Thesis option.

Okay, knowing most of you will opt for the electives, let me give you some further thoughts on the three different 2-credit subjects you can chose from. The subjects are finance, customer relationship management, and e-business. I realize that the first thing you’ll probably think about is which one will be easiest and choose that one, but before you do, stop and think about your future career and what the industry might expect from you.

For those of you in hotel management, I can assure you that knowledge of finance is critical to your success no matter what area of hotel management you plan to pursue. I was a sales and marketing person in the hotel business most of my career and believe me, I needed to understand financial considerations in every decision I had to make related to MICE industry business, as well as how to establish and manage marketing budgets. This is particularly true when we are in an economic downturn. The management of hotels today involves financial decisions and many of the owners of hotels are financial institutions, so if you are going to be a leader in the hotel industry some day, you are going to need to understand the principals of finance.

The other two subjects are customer relationship management and e-business. Should you decide that financial management isn’t the way you want to go, even after my advice above, then here are some things you might consider in choosing between the other two subjects. If you enjoyed the marketing subject you took and/or if you have a particular interest in the sales and marketing aspects of a hotel or promoting a destination, then customer relationship management would be a good choice between these two options. This subject is a good way to learn how to put marketing concepts you’ve learned into practice. It would be a particularly good recommendation for tourism students who like destination marketing or management. E-business is another choice. I don’t have to tell any of you how important e-business is today; you see it all around you everyday. This is a big factor in the travel industry and it is also an important subject for those who might want to own your own small business someday, the entrepreneurs amongst you ought to consider what you can learn about creating e-businesses related to hotel and tourism. Tourism students with interest in the travel industry or even aviation should consider this as a good subject for you in particular.

Regardless of what option you choose, be sure to consult Willie-Wilson Chan, your academic advisor about it. This is also a decision you should feel free to use the “Voluntary Faculty Advising” program for, as we’d all be happy to discuss our thoughts on the choice you have to make and give you advice on what might be best for you depending the area of the industry where you want to pursue your career. Willie can also help connect you with a faculty member.

Good luck with making you choice and have a great summer. See you again in the Fall!!