Service Management Core Courses

Introduction to Management (3 credits)

Management is essentially a science and an art. This course is expected to enable students to have a full understanding of the importance of management in today’s increasingly competitive global environment. It provides students with basic managerial theories, concepts, and principles and emphasizes the four major functions of management, i.e., planning, organizing, leading and controlling. By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to understand basic theories about management and apply what they have learnt from this course into practices. This course aims to assist students to build up a scientific framework in analyzing business and management, equip them with a thorough knowledge base that will empower them for more advanced management-related courses at higher levels, and prepare them the essential managerial skills needed to take up managerial roles.

Operations Management (3 credits)

The subject covers both regular topics of production and services such as planning and design, operation and control, and updates and maintenance, and emerging topics such as the ethical issues of business operations, lean service operations, green operations, and other new contents based on the behavioral science management.

Business Statistics (3 credits)

This course introduces the basic concepts of probability and statistics and their applications in managerial decision-making. Topics include sampling and data collection, descriptive statistics, probability and probability distributions, sampling distribution, estimation, hypothesis test, and linear regression. The course emphasizes business application instead of mathematical derivations. Students are encouraged to apply mathematical thinking and statistical methods to observe, analyze and solve practical problems in business management.

Finance (3 credits)

The course gives an introduction to the basic knowledge and general principles of corporate finance, the basic conceptions and instruments for corporate financial decision making, and how such knowledge should be applied to real-life practices. In terms of contents, the course mainly covers financial statement analysis, calculation of cash flow, various financial rates, simple interest method and compound interest method, time value of money, discounted cash flow method, capital budgeting, bond valuation, stock valuation, Mean-Variance Model of risk and return, Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), and others.

Human Resources Management (3 credits)

This course aims to discuss how to combine employees’ professional competence with organizational HRM practices so as to better the organizational effectiveness. Besides the basic introduction of HR functions, this course also introduces actual HR practices and problem-solving methods in organizations, organizational behaviors and related management theories for employee management. The contents include organizational strategic goals with HR practices, related practices for organizational HR planning, the impact of industrial environment on HRM practices, job analysis, compensation and benefits, reward systems, performance management and international human resources management.

Customer Relationship Management (3 credits)

This course introduces the concepts, methods, typical cases and process of customer relationship management (CRM) in the modern global business administration. Topics include the nature of CRM, customer differences, information technology used to collect customer data, the CRM data warehouse, customer loyalty, customer retention strategies, win back and acquisition strategies, sales force automation and automated customer service centers, call center, data mining, on-line analytical processing, and information presentation, measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty etc. This course stresses the principles and practices in customer relationship management, and guides students to understand and discuss the key issues in customer relationship management through case studies.

Leadership and Organizational Behavior (3 credits)

By introducing the research findings of a series of psychological studies, the course presents an interpretation of the individual behaviors and group behaviors in an organization. The course aims to enable the students to achieve a better understanding of the causes of certain phenomena, the potential effects such phenomena could have on the organization, and in what way such phenomena could be used to help the organization achieve better work performances, so as to provide the students with management theories and practical skills for taking up employment in an organization in the future.

Consumer Behavior (3 credits)

Consumer Behavior is the study of people and products that help to shape their identities. Consumer behavior is more than buying things; it also embraces the study of how having (or not having) things affects our lives and how our possessions influence the way we feel about ourselves and about each other - our state of being. In many courses, students are merely passive observers. But we are all consumers. In this course, I will try to introduce you to the latest and best thinking by some very bright scientists who develop models and studies of consumer behavior. But that’s not enough. Consumer behavior is an applied science. That’s why you’ll find a lot of practical examples to back up these fancy theories. Students will learn these topics through readings, case studies, group projects, exercises, and written examination.

Brand Management (3 credits)

This course aims to introduce all brand related concepts, related brand management strategies, and how a firm should integrate resources to build and develop its brand. Upon completion of this course, students should have gained a good understanding of branding theories and some knowledge on how to provide brand-development strategies for brand managers.

Marketing (3 credits)

Marketing is the art and science of creating customer value and market exchanges that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. It is one of the cores of business operations, an organizational philosophy, and a set of guiding principles for interacting with customers, competitors, collaborators, and the environment. Marketing entails the planning and executing of the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of goods, services and ideas. It starts with identifying and measuring consumers’ needs and wants, assessing the competitive environment, selecting the most appropriate customer targets, and developing and implementing marketing strategies, so as to satisfy consumers’ needs in a way that’s more appealing than the competitors’.

The course is designed to serve as an introduction to the theory and practice of marketing and provide students with a full picture of marketing. With respect to teaching methodologies, the course will combine lectures, case discussions, individual assignments, group projects, and group presentations.

Intercultural Communication (3 credits)

Intercultural communication skills can be mastered through training and study. This course integrates an appreciation of different cultures and analysis of intercultural communication, demonstrates the cultural values and cultural preferences of cross-national enterprises, and how different cultures affect team work, legislation, and business negotiations.

Visitor Management and Interpretation (3 credits)

The course focuses on political and ethical issues relating to the interpretation, representation and display of culture in museums and heritage sites and the relationship between visitor management and interpretation. Students will be taught the wide variety of visitor management approaches and techniques, as well as learning and communication theories. Practical examples will be used to evaluate the role of visitor management and interpretation in enhancing the visitor’s experience.

Dining Room Service and Practice (3 credits)

The course examines the contemporary competitive restaurant environment and focuses on the kinds of service that set businesses apart.  It provides a guide to the ins and outs of front-of-house operations, including taking reservations, greeting guests, basics service, table service, beverage service and payment handling.

Hospitality Supervision (3 credits)

This course provides students with basic skills in how to meet the expectations of their customers, upper management, colleague and even government as being a supervisor. In this course, students will learn not only theories but also learn from the discussion of cases for their future career path.

International Etiquette (1 credits)

This course will provide students with the proper tools to create a foundation of good manners that will enhance and enrich their life and professional image. The course will consider etiquette from a cross cultural perspective. Through this course, students will build up their confidence in different ways.

Wine Appreciation (1 credits)

The course introduces the chemistry, botany, history and professional practice of viniculture and wine appreciation. It covers the major and many minor wine producing regions and explains their differences, and identifies contemporary and future trends in wine appreciation.

Negotiating Skills (1 credits)

This course will teach students how to using communication and negotiating skills by industrial cases study, discussions, practice and feedback from the instructors in order to get a win-win situation.

Food and Beverage Culture (3 credits)

The course introduces the main cuisines of the world paying close attention to the expression of core cultural values and underlying philosophies behind the provision of food and beverage. The course is also concerned with professionalization of food and beverage cultures and the associated key innovators and personalities, as well as drinking habits.

Resort Management (3 credits)

This course enables students to understand the different departments, structure and operations of an integrated resort. In addition, repairs and maintenance of the property and facilities of hotels and resorts will be explored. Furthermore, this course will also include the sanitation and safety precautions.  

Mice Operation and Planning (3 credits)

The main objective of this course is to teach the management of MICE event which include budgeting, obtaining sponsorship, risk evaluation, MICE planning and promotion.  Furthermore, coordination of the MICE event will also be discussed which involved equipment, on-site support and registration, etc.

Cultural Industries: Marketing and Development (3 credits)

This course focuses on the theory and implementation of marketing within the cultural industries (public, private and non-profit organizations). Comparisons in marketing approaches in these different types of organizations are investigated with the emergence of social and societal marketing concepts underpinning the philosophical focus of the course.

Cultural Heritage Management (3 credits)

This courses aims at providing students with the concepts and characteristics of cultural and heritage applications such as in cultural tourism, and the cultural heritage of various parts of the world. The exploit of cultural heritage, management and preservation of tourism destinations, and the mutual relations between tourists and tour guides will be discussed.

Museum, Exhibition and Collection Management (3 credits)

This course provides students with the most current and comprehensive coverage of the museum, exhibition and collection industry, with an in-depth look at museum and exhibition marketing, how to successfully sell to groups, and how to service their business after the sale.

This course also offers expanded coverage of key industry trends, including the greening of exhibition, new technology applications, social media, and the popularity of second-tier cities. Numerous useful charts, graphs, interviews, examples, and Internet exercises to give students insight into situations they will encounter on the job.

Planning and Management of Retail Services (3 credits)

This subject teaches students how to effectively manage retail outlets and motivate their personnel into providing and creating rapport with customers through personnel selling skills, EQ management, and understanding market trends.

Marketing in the Era of Smart-Tourism (3 credits)

This course aims to examine the use of intelligent technology in advertising, promotion, brand and overall strategy of the successful tourism products and the service marketing. It focuses on the data-driven of customer relationship management system and how to use intelligent tourism to attract and retain visitors as well. How to use the Internet / mobile Internet technology to provide tailor-made tourism products for tourists is also stressed.

Contemporary Issues in Service Industry (3 credits)

This course aims to give an introduction to the service industry management, service system planning, service marketing management, service operation management, service quality management, customer relationship management, service chain system, etc., and to apply special case studies to explore the service operations and management of SME.

Crisis and Conflict Management in the Service Industry (3 credits)

The course aims at increasing the students’ understanding of the different concepts of crisis management, conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict prevention in the Service Industry. The students will analyze and understand conflicts in these terms and the theoretical development of the concepts.

Communication Skills for Quality Service Provision (3 credits)

A course in the development of skills designed to give the student insights into written and oral communication for Quality Service Provision. Emphasis is upon the application of written and oral communications

Studies in Service Quality and Retailing Management (3 credits)

Students will undertake a project which examines the management of a particular service in terms of retail management and at least two of the following areas but not limited to Commercial Banking Services, Tourism-related Services, Hospitality Services, Social Warfare Services, Health Services, Emergency Services, Museum Services, Leisure and Recreation Services, Education Services, Legal Services, Transport Services, The Immigration Services, Management of Small Service Enterprises, etc.

Internship and Report (15 credits)

The Internship is to send students to take part in concreate tasks in the participating enterprises for about 800 hours. Through the tutors in the faculty and the mentors in the enterprises to enhance the competencies of the internship students in both theories and practices. Through the internship in the enterprises such as the hotel industry to acquire foundational skills such as customer services and let students to find out and to solve problems. The Graduation Project provides a summary of the studies by the students of the business management program, assisting them to connect theories with practice and apply the professional knowledge and skills they have learned to solve actual problems of business management. Students finish the graduation project; can gain real experience in business management.

English I (3 credits)

The course enables students with enhanced knowledge of language expressions and grammar points by means of readings of selected English essays and with expanded lexicon by means of drills of key English vocabulary. Through learning and practicing various reading skills, students can improve their reading efficiency and basic reading ability. Furthermore, the course exposes students to and takes them to appreciate writings of various types and topics and writing techniques and encourages students to express thoughts and ideas in English, thus laying a solid foundation of writing basics for their future studies and career.

English II (3 credits)

ENGLISH II aims to improve students’ listening and speaking abilities by means of practical exercises and drills in speaking and listening. Through a combination of carefully selected materials, specially designed curriculum and exhilarating class activities, the course helps to improve students’ English listening and speaking skills and lay a solid foundation for their future studies and career.

Chinese Reading and Writing (3 credits)

The course is a public compulsory basic course for students of all majors at Macau University of Science and Technology. It aims to implement the philosophy of general education (liberal arts education) and engage students to readings of great classics. By appreciating and analyzing exercises and writing drills, the course helps students to improve their reading abilities and writing skills in the area of Chinese literature and enrich their humanistic qualities.

Mathematics and Logic (3 credits)

This course provides students with essential basic concepts and calculation methods in analyzing math problems for further studies. Additionally, this course covers some informal logic and relevant parts of philosophy of logic. Students will learn to analyze and solve practical problems in their lives by mathematical method and logical method.

General Study of Chinese & Western Cultures (3 credits)

General Introduction to Chinese and Western Cultures is a compulsory general education course open to all programs at the University. As its name suggests, the course comprises two parts, a Chinese Culture section and a Western Cultures section. The Chinese Culture section teaches mainly historical knowledge and culture, ancient literature and culture, artistic theories and culture, and history and culture relating to Chinese science and technology. By way of a series of systematic lectures, the course aims to enable undergraduates of all majors at the University to grasp the basic historical thread of occurrence, development and evolution of traditional Chinese culture, familiarize with the major events and figures in the course of development of the traditional Chinese culture, appreciate the spirits and cultural essences of various times, and build up knowledge on the dynamic relations, respective characteristics and interconnections of the main development stages of traditional Chinese culture. This in turn provides the students with a solid knowledge base, which they may need in their future studies of various sub-sections of Chinese culture from different professional perspectives.

The Western Cultures section tackles mainly topics such as ancient Greek culture, ancient Romanic culture, mid-century Christianity culture and western contemporary cultures. By way of a series of systematic lectures, the course aims to enable undergraduates of all majors at the University to grasp the basic historical thread of occurrence, development and evolution of western cultures, familiarize with the major events and figures in the course of development of the western cultures, appreciate the spirits and cultural essences of various times, and build up knowledge on the dynamic relations, respective characteristics and interconnections of the main development stages of western cultures. This in turn provides the students with a solid knowledge base, which they may need in their future studies of various sub-sections of western cultures from different professional perspectives.

Information Technology (2 credits)

By way of lectures, the course aims to introduce the latest development in information science and technology and their applications in daily life. Specific topics include the Internet, Internet of things, big data, computer visuals, artificial intelligence, image processing, computer graphs, mobile applications, data analysis methodologies, etc.

Introduction to Constitutional and Basic Law (1 credit)

The course is a compulsory general education course open to non-law-major undergraduates. It lectures on the basic theories of the Constitution, and the corresponding sections in the Constitution regarding the state structure, governmental departmental system, basic rights and obligations of the citizens, election system, and party system. It also lectures on the formulation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and the Macao S.A.R. Basic Law, and the corresponding sections in the Basic Law regarding the relation of the Central People’s Government and the Macao S.A.R. Government, the basic rights of Macao citizens, and the political system of Macao.

Sociology (2 credits)

This is a 30-hour course that addresses the fundamental principles of sociology, the viewpoints of sociology, and the basic research methodologies of studying sociology, familiarizes the students with the 14 basic theoretical categories of sociology, and applies the principles of sociology in analysis of social phenomena.

Introduction to Psychology (2 credits)

Introduction to Psychology is a general education course that addresses the basic conception, theories, and the relevant knowledge of psychology. It aims to enable students to master the basic knowledge and fundamental theories of psychology, to understand the most fundamental psychological process, and achieve a scientific understanding of the nature, production, development, and evolution of human psychological phenomena and the relevant general principles, and, on top of understanding and mastering such knowledge, apply the knowledge in analyzing and predicting the psychological phenomena in real life, foster and improve the students’ ability in correctly analyzing and resolving practical problems, improve the students’ overall psychological qualities, and help them achieve their goals of better self-recognition, self-adjustment, and adaptation to the society. The course will adopt several special topics as its main lines, for example, career planning, interpersonal communication, pressure resilience, self-discovery, and leadership, addressing contents that will not only facilitate the students’ mastery of basic theories but also a better integration of the theories with the daily life.

Physical Education and Sports (2 credit)

Physical Education and Sports include general physical education and competitive events, and the latter also includes eSports.

The instruction of sports consists of basketball, volleyball, international standard dance, martial arts, Taijiquan, fencing, karate, track and field, etc.

The course objectives of competitive events, eSports included, are as follows. First of all, they will provide an alternative to general education and enhance students’ confidence in eSports. Secondly, these subjects help students develop general skills and knowledge in eSports, including teamwork, tactical analysis and interpersonal skills, and students can build a solid foundation in these areas. Thirdly, they motivate students to work harder and cultivate their self-learning abilities, with which they can continue further study independently. Students may choose any of these subjects according to their interests. In the future, the University may offer a wider range of choices in sports and competitive subjects if such demands rise.

Special Topic in Science and Technology (2 credits)

This course adopts a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, practice, talks, tutoring, and others, offers special-topic lectures related to science and technology, and therefore provides opportunities for students to discuss and investigate on the relevant matters and broaden their knowledge span on science and technology.

Special Topic in Social Science (2 credits)

The course adopts a variety of teaching approaches such as lectures, practices, talks and tutoring, offers special-topic projects related to social sciences for students to engage in discussions and research, in the hope of broadening the students’ knowledge spans in the relevant professional areas.

GSA-01 - Special Topic in Humanities and Arts (2 credit)

The course will adopt an integrated approach combing lectures, practices, talks and guided tutorials to address special topics in relation to humanities and arts. By engaging students in discussions and research, the course helps students to stimulate students’ interest in learning, and broaden their knowledge spans in the relevant fields.