Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Tourism
Credit: ECTS Points: 7.5
Aims
To enable the participant to identify objectives that can be worked on under different
scenarios, detect, generate and implement innovations and obtain these elements with a
"multi-country" approach.
Learning Outcomes
We have defined as competencies the skills that participants should have learned to a
lesser or greater degree by the time they finish this module. This enables us to identify
objectives that can be worked on under different scenarios, objectives that they will have
to take on in order to get the most from this course.
On completion of this module, participants will:

Understand the basic concepts related to Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Be able to
differentiate key concepts such as innovation, creativity, research, development,
project, types of innovation, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, new product
development, and so on. Understand innovation as a systematic process.
 Know the phases and activities of the Innovation Management process and be able to
manage the necessary resources in order to implement it.
 Be capable of Intuitive Innovation and be able to identify others who are capable of it.
 Be able to initiate a cultural change within an organisation towards Innovation.
 Be able to think in terms of new product development and specific niche products.
Another general objective of this module is to promote the exchange of knowledge
among course participants. We believe it is important for hotel managers and destination
promoters, for example, from a participating country to understand and critically assess
(in a positive sense) initiatives from other countries. This helps in identifying and
implementing better practices in different countries, as well as creating enduring
relationships that contribute to this "multi-country benchmarking" approach that we will
be using from now onwards.
Course Content and Structure
Section One: Understanding the Fundamentals
 Topic 1: Definitions and Key Success Factors in Innovation
 Topic 2: Types of Innovation
 Topic 3: Innovation Management and Intuitive Innovation
 Topic 4: Technology, Technology, Technology!
 Topic 5: The Entrepreneur and the Origin of Companies
Section Two: Innovation Management
 Topic 1: Systematic Approach to Innovation
 Topic 2: Analysing the Initial Situation
 Topic 3: Identifying and Prioritising Innovations
 Topic 4: Defining Innovations
 Topic 5: Financing Innovations
 Topic 6: Implementing Innovations
 Topic 7: Gathering and Sharing Knowledge
 Topic 8: Organisations with Innovation Capability
Section Three: Leading with Intuitive Innovation
 Topic 1: Sixth Sense when Dealing with People
 Topic 2: The Phases of the Intuitive Innovation Process
 Topic 3: Developing Intuition as Part of Intuitive Innovation
 Topic 4: I need an Organisation with Intuitive Innovation Capability
Section Four: Strategic Implementation
 Topic 1: Trends in Creating New Tourism Products


Topic 2: Special Interest Tourism (SIT) or Alternative Tourism
Topic 3: Dynamic Packaging or Product Customisation
Course Assessment
The evaluation is based on five tests that are corrected and marked by the tutor. They
consist of:
 A set of individual student research activities.
 A contribution to the course blog, as well as commenting on the results of two other
contributions made to the blog, so that the students share the knowledge they have of
each country.
The tutor will put forward a proposed solution and/or will publish a particularly significant
test done by one of the students, with marks and general comments on the test.
Study Time Required
This module is designed to provide 7.5 credits in the European Credit Transfer System equivalent to around 180 hours of work. The module is focused in such a way that the
majority of the work must be done the students devoting a minimum amount of time to
studying the material presented (no more than 30% of the total time that you devote to
the module) as well as a significant part to research and participative activities in
creating knowledge across the network.
Core Reading and Other Texts
The course is based on general business material from leading writers on the subject,
together with material from writers who have related this body of work to the tourism
industry and uses relevant case study material which illustrates the application of
established strategic thinking to the tourism and leisure sector. Although there is a
suggested core text, participants are encouraged to browse among the many strategy
and business management texts which exist.
Core text: Drucker, P. (2007) Innovation and Entrepreneurship. ButterworthHeinemann, Burlington , MA.
Other texts referred to in this course: Douglas, N. Douglas, N. and Derrett, R.
(2001) Special interest tourism: context and cases; John Wiley & Sons Australia;
Brisbane. Skarzynski, P. et Gibson, R. (2008): "Innovation to the Core – A blueprint for
transforming the way your company innovates", Harvard Business Press Sundbo, J.
Orfila-Sintes, F. Sørensen, F. (2007) The innovative behaviour of tourism firms—
Comparative studies of Denmark and Spain; Research Policy; Vol. 36, N. 1, p. 88-106.