Florida International University - School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Courses Offered and Course Description

HFT 3000
Introduction To Hospitality Management
Course Outline: The student should be able to know and understand all the various facets of the hospitality industry inclusive of the tourism entity. Its history, problems and a general overview of the operations of several sectors of the industry including cruise ships, travel agency, resorts and hotels, clubs and restaurants. Is should enable the student to identify possible career opportunities and tracts that should be perused to be successful in attaining desired jobs upon graduation.

FSS 4106
Purchasing and Menu Planning
Course Outline: Students should be able to design a menu for a banquet party or the entire menu for an individual restaurant outlet in a hotel, club or resort property. They should also become familiar and understand the grading procedure of a variety of produce, vegetables and meats products. A working knowledge of how to set purchasing specifications to get products at peak perfection for consumption. They will also be made aware of factors involved in costing and setting the selling price of products to yield the best profits for their operation. Covered will be the bid process and administration of purchasing contracts. They will also learn about the variety of beverages and when used plus the variety and styles of food service.

HFT 3313
Hospitality Property Management
Course Outline: The major course objective shall be to get the student to understand all the ramifications involved in being a Property Manager. The student will be exposed to the various facets of the management areas of responsibility under this department's purview. They will be made aware of the severe health and safety hazards and the important law suits that could evolve, should they be neglected, in the normal performance of their respective duties within the operation. Identification of the other distinct costs and management concerns, which are considered paramount and necessary in attaining maximum customer acceptance, while avoiding legal liabilities will be covered.

The student shall be aware of the current codes, laws and regulations that are in effect regarding all forms of Hotel, hospital and resort operations - in order not to be a recipient of fines and other citations from state and municipal service inspectors. The course will try to identify the types of human relations and management control that should result in most cases, should proper and effective rules, policies and methods be utilized. Identification of a system that would still allow the operation to maintain the highest quality standard of appearance. Mindful that it must deliver the quality of services and product that would cause that property to stand out, with the full cooperation of the trained staff under their jurisdiction.

Emphasis will be placed on the forms of inspection required. The type of chemicals needed to maintain the highest sanitary standards. The type of amenities, furnishings, floor care, pest control, wall coverings, interior decorating ideas and linens that would be best acceptable for high public satisfaction. In addition discussions will center around the best corrective action needed when problems arise and how to minimize the costs, while still maximizing services within the frame-work of using the available low skilled personnel presently in the job market.

HFT 4240
Managing Service Organizations
This course is intended to be the capstone course of the undergraduate curriculum, intended for graduating seniors only. Since nearly ¾ of the US labour force is involved in some form of the “Service” business, and is the acknowledged key to most organization’s success.
This course will examine the issues and core values found in a variety of successful companies that helped guarantee that success. It will also try to introduce the student to the management issues relating to the delivery of quality service and the assessment vehicles available to evaluate and identify when such service is not being given. In addition it will investigate specifically all the customary trends and internationally accepted measuring tools associated with the delivery of quality service and assurance in the global tourism and hospitality industry. This includes evaluations done through using ISO 9,000 ISO 14,000, Malcolm Baldrige Awards, J.D. Power’s Awards and Six Sigma Standards and certifications.

It includes an in-depth examination by the student of a variety of concepts that might be used in service to link the most important functional areas, including that of the tourism segments of the hospitality industry. It introduces the student to the concept that without the attention being paid to the delivery of quality service, most businesses would not be successful and profitable. The topics covered will cite examples to help reinforce methods that might be used in the implementation of quality service. It will certainly examine the factors that typically make customers dissatisfied in the hospitality industry.

Students will become familiar with the Malcom Baldrige Quality Management Standard Criteria. They will be familiar with the typical procedures required to serve the public including being rated by J.D. Powers and Six Sigma organizations.

Students will learn how to do an audit procedure throughout the entire service operation that would rate it to those accepted by the typical ISO 9000 Quality Product and Service Quality Standards and ISO 14000 Environmental Quality Standards.

HFT 4413
Lodging Systems and Procedures
Course Outline: The major course objective shall be to get the student to understand all the ramifications involved in being a Front Office Manager and in addition to explore the position of Rooms Division Management. The student will be exposed to the various facets of the management areas of responsibility under the Rooms Division purview. They will be made aware of the severe communicative skills, acumen and management knowledge required for successful operations. In addition the health and safety hazards and the important law suits that could evolve, should they be neglected, in the normal performance of their respective duties within the operation. Identification and the control of the other distinct costs that concern management will be considered paramount and necessary while attaining maximum customer satisfaction and acceptance of the service quality offered. Bearing in mind that a lot of what is being offered is an inanimate title termed "CUSTOMER SERVICE".

The student shall be aware of the current codes, laws and regulations that are in effect regarding all forms of Hotel Room Operations - in order to win acclaim from the evaluating public or other censoring bodies like Tripple A of Mobil.

The course will try to identify the types of human relations, guest courtesy management and supervisory controls that should result, should proper and effective rules, policies and methods be adopted. Identification of a systems that would allow the operation to maintain the highest record keeping [state-of-the-art ] quality standard will be introduced. Yield management using the latest computerized front office systems will be practiced in laboratory setting.

Emphasis will be placed on the types of forms, machinery, systems and personnel required for a Hotel's Front Office to function satisfactorily in the Public's image. Guest Relations - Discerning Truth From Fiction - Interviewing and Handling Guests complaints. Key distribution and safety issues will be covered.

Reservations - Types available and Variations, Over booking. Selling rooms, Group sales, - Supervisory Management styles for this area, Pre-Arrival - Follow-up correspondence, Collection of Deposits and the issuance of receipts, where applicable. Refunds and cancellations, Room Rates Formulas, Night Audit and luggage handling will all be taught.

HFT 4476
Resort Development
Course Outline: Purpose of the course is to provide the student with information that could be found useful in developing a small to medium sized resort hotel for themselves or for potential investors. The problems of financing MEGA-Resorts will also be covered, but because their structures are so complex, they will not be covered in any great detail. The student will work in groups and go through all the processes required for establishing a RESORT hotel in the Miami area.

The material covered will offer the student a work-flow process from conceptualization, investment, through to the actual Resort opening and continue to the opening and ensuing operational problems that they should be ready for. Students will be enlightened as to what initial operational problems might be expected and encountered should they invest in a small property. Site conditions - including availability of various forms of Utilities, present zoning, acceptable egress, signs or architectural limitations, Deeds, Variances and other real estate clauses will be discussed.

HFT 4770
Resort Development
Course Outline: Purpose of the course is to provide the student with information that could be found useful in developing a small to medium sized resort hotel for themselves or for potential investors. The problems of financing MEGA-Resorts will also be covered, but because their structures are so complex, they will not be covered in any great detail. The student will work in groups and go through all the processes required for establishing a RESORT hotel in the Miami area.

The material covered will offer the student a work-flow process from conceptualization, investment, through to the actual Resort opening and continue to the opening and ensuing operational problems that they should be ready for. Students will be enlightened as to what initial operational problems might be expected and encountered should they invest in a small property. Site conditions - including availability of various forms of Utilities, present zoning, acceptable egress, signs or architectural limitations, Deeds, Variances and other real estate clauses will be discussed.

More than likely, since the project size has to be manageable for class discussion, practical application and gives the student “Hands-On” design exercise, we will try to go through all the processes required for establishing a RESORT hotel preferable right in our own “back-yard”. We will go through the exercise in class so they will encounter the problem with getting site approval from all the planning and zoning agencies based on State or local Government approvals.

This will be done through doing an exploratory miniature feasibility study. The overall purpose of the course is to provide the student with information that could be found useful in developing a small to medium sized resort hotel for themselves or for potential investors.

The students will be required to produce a resort design, using a graphic drawing program, and be required to produce a spreadsheet to show operational costs that would suggest to a proposed lender that their project has investment merit.

Biography

Professor Darby is a tenured Assistant Professor in Hotel and Resort Management. His expertise and teaching curriculum encompass all areas of International Hotel Operations; Safety and Risk Management, Quality Property Inspections, Operations Systems and Control, Delivery of Services through Time & Motion Management; Resort Feasibility, Development and Management. Of secondary emphasis, have lectured on Employee Productivity, Property Management and Food Service Sanitation; Beverage management; Employee & Guest Theft Prevention and Control. He is responsible for teaching various hotel and restaurant management certified courses for the American Hotel, Motel Association (AHMA) and the International Executive Housekeeper's Association, (IEHA) plus the National Institute for the Food Service Industry (NIFI), National Restaurant Association's (ServSafe) Sanitation Certification. Additional courses taught in Food & Beverage Service & Management; Purchasing & Menu Planning; Hotel Layout and Engineering, Personnel and Human Resources Management; Front Office Guest Services & Yield Management.

Numerous hotel general manager's positions held - most of which were setting up the opening team at a variety of locations around the world including People's Republic Of China, Jamaica, Walt Disney World, Orlando and St. Croix [US Virgin Islands]. He has worked in transportation, sales and marketing, personnel manager, cook, baker and even as a chief accountant.

SENIOR LECTURER at the Hong Kong Polytechnic. On a 2 year Sabbatical from FIU. Teaching responsibility there included the full gamut of Accommodations Management courses in, Hotel Front Office, Accounting, Risk Management, Housekeeping & Laundry along with a varied array of Food and Beverage Management courses.

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