BSc (Hons) Business & Management with Leisure and Tourism course preparation
To help you feel prepared for BSc (Hons) Business & Management with Leisure and Tourism university studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Read on to find out more.
Suggested reading
You’ll be given far more information about which textbooks to read and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many ebooks we have for you to access when you begin your studies. And we don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But if you can pick up a second hand copy, borrow from a library, or access online, the following textbooks are recommended to help you to prepare for your course:
Boddy, D. 2020, Management: using practice and theory to develop skill, 8th edn, Pearson, Harlow, England.
Page, S. & Connell, J. 2020, Tourism: a modern synthesis, 5th edn, Routledge, London.
During your studies, detailed and updated reading lists are issued in the module handbooks, which are provided in the first session of each module.
You may also want to get a head start by reading up on general business and management subjects and ensuring that you are aware of the current local, regional, national and world developments taking place. Good quality daily newspapers business/management supplements, and magazines are an ideal starting ground for this knowledge.
Useful websites
To explore careers within the Leisure and Tourism sector visit theProspects website.
To organise your tasks and create a to-do list visit Trello.com
There are also many opportunities to take advantage of live and current research, especially in the field of business and management. Through research, you can expand your knowledge which will prove crucial throughout your degree, and maybe even at points within your future career. Below are some quick activities that could help you feel more prepared for your course.
What did the pandemic mean for business, leisure and tourism?
Research how global, national and small businesses have responded to the Coronavirus outbreak. Whilst you are reading consider the following questions:
Which types of businesses closed first?
What measures did businesses take to ensure the safety of staff and customers?
What does ‘lockdown’ mean for a) non-essential businesses, and b) essential businesses?
What good practice examples are there of government policy for leisure, travel and tourism?
Conduct some research using the sources provided and others of your choice to provide recommendations on how the sector can mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
Useful Podcasts (courtesy of Team Wanderlust 2021)
The Travel Diaries – Presenter Holly Rubenstein describes The Travel Diaries as the travel version of Desert Island Discs, where celebrity guests reveal the travel experiences that shaped them rather than songs. It’s the UK’s number one travel podcast and has featured guests such as Dev Patel, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Tony Wheeler, Simon Reeve, Michael Palin, and Wanderlust’s very own Lyn Hughes.
Armchair Explorer– Each episode of the Armchair Explorer podcast sees one of the world’s great adventurers or travellers tell their best story from the road. Hosted by award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar, every tale is inspiring, action-packed and thrilling. Aaron has a magical way of drawing the best out of his guests.
You Should Have Been There – Enjoy travellers tales, relaxed banter and opinion from Simon Calder, one of the most respected voices in travel, and author/former BBC producer Mick Webb. It’s essentially the equivalent of sitting in a bar with a couple of fun and slightly geeky travel chums. Perhaps the best-named travel podcast in the history of travel podcasts, too.
Travel Goals – British travel writer Pip Jones hosts a lively and informative podcast which covers a wide range of travel topics from breaking into travel writing and connecting with nature to whether you should quit your job to travel. Expect interesting experts, advice and lots of actionable tips.
The First Mile – A two-hander from adventurers Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart, Season 1 featured the likes of Levison Wood, Leon McCarron and Rhiane Fatinikun, the founder of Black Girls Hike, interspersed with dispatches from Ash’s travels, and a look at how to make travel a lifestyle. The two are warm and intelligent hosts who you want spend time with.
The Big Travel Podcast – The Big Travel Podcast features an eclectic mix of politicians, paralympians, philanthropists, famous faces from TV, radio, music, books, journalism, sports, stage and screen. Hosted by Lisa Francesca Nand, expect fascinating travel tales whatever the background or day job of the guest.
Travel Today with Peter Greenberg – Join one of America’s most esteemed travel journalists, Peter Greenberg, as he airs his weekend podcast from different locations around the world. Each episode reveals the fascinating history and scenery of the destination at hand, whether it’s learning the Napoleonic past on the remote island of St Helena, or on-board Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer train.
Where to Go – Created to help people who have had their travel plans scuppered by COVID-19 and are unsure of where to go next, Where to Go launched in 2020 from the team behind the DK Eyewitness travel guides. As well as speaking candidly about the impacts the pandemic has had on destinations around the world, the hosts ensure each episode is a real celebration of the destinations covered and what makes them so special.