235 courses with the subject HADM, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
HADM 1102Entrepreneurship and Concept Development in the Food and Beverage Industry3
As a participant in this course, you will engage in a structured, experiential exploration of food and beverage concept development with a strong emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking and strategic decision-making. Through a blend of active learning sessions, collaborative group work, lectures, research, and presentations, the course focuses on understanding markets, identifying customers, testing assumptions, and shaping viable food and beverage concepts. Central to the course is the use of the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas as tools to guide the development, refinement, and communication of new concepts. You will learn how to articulate customer needs, define a compelling value proposition, evaluate competitive positioning, and align key elements of a business model to support your concept’s success. Guest speakers and industry examples will introduce you to major industry segments, key players, and the market forces and challenges shaping today’s food and beverage landscape. Throughout the semester, you will iteratively develop and test your concept, culminating in the preparation and delivery of a professional-quality pitch. The course prioritizes strategic clarity, evidence-based reasoning, and persuasive communication over detailed operational execution. While foundational exposure to operational considerations remains, the primary focus is on concept viability, business logic, and the ability to clearly and convincingly present an integrated food and beverage business idea to relevant stakeholders.
HADM 1150Organizational Behavior and Leadership Skills3
This course provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to become effective leaders of themselves and others at all organizational levels. With a particular emphasis on the hospitality industry, students develop an understanding and appreciation of the complexities of leading and managing individuals, teams and organizations, and acquire practical tools for accomplishing personal leadership and organizational goals within a service-based framework. Topics include individual differences, persuasion, principles of motivation, managing conflict, team-based problem-solving, power and status dynamics, coaching and leadership, group process, justice, and ethics. The course emphasizes practical application of all concepts to students' personal and professional lives and goals, with particular emphasis on work-life in hospitality contexts. Students learn and apply course knowledge through the use of case studies, self-assessments, experiential exercises, readings, discussions, presentations, papers, and group activities.
HADM 1199Hotelie LaunchPad: Maximizing and Leveraging the Cornell Experience1
Hospitality is about engaging people through warm and genuine experiences with the goal of building loyal relationships. No longer just about lodging and foodservice, hospitality is now being recognized as a key aspect of many other kinds of business and service ventures. This course is designed to help you get a clearer idea of who you are, where your passions might lie within the very broad scope of hospitality, and how you can craft a successful Cornell Nolan Hotel School experience that helps launch you in the direction (or directions!) you want to go. Also, this course will prepare you for the inevitable challenges you will confront as a student at a world-class institution - managing your time, mastering content, dealing with pressure, and making connections.
An introduction to financial accounting that studies transaction analysis, the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, and the statement of stockholder's equity. Accounting for investments, receivables, inventories, tangible and intangible assets, liabilities, long term bonds and capital stock transactions are studied. Basic financial ratios are introduced and interpreted. Ethical issues related to financial reporting are also discussed. Students who complete this course will have the pre-requisite knowledge to take HADM 2210 Managerial Accounting and HADM 2220 Finance.
This course will cover two broad topics: I) an overview of the hotel industry, and II) the operations of the Rooms Division of a hotel. It will also serve as a 'survey course' by introducing a wide range of topics that students will study in more depth in future courses. I) An overview of the hotel industry Set the context of the Hotel Industry: history, global economy. Study the major types of 'players' in the industry, especially owners, operators, and brand companies, and independents as well as the various types of business arrangements between parties. Examine several ways to classify both hotels and hotel customers, and then review hotel brands, and loyalty programs. Take a deeper dive into the revenue performance of a hotel, and look at some key metrics, as well as competitors and relative positioning. Prepare for and take a certification training program called 'Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics.' II) The operations of the Rooms Division of a hotel Examine the roles of a General Manager and several Division Directors, and discuss the nature of a Hotel Executive Committee. Look at hotel roles in terms of 'Front of the House' vs. 'Back of the House', and analyze how individual performance is evaluated. Take a much deeper dive into the Rooms Division - we will cover several areas, but much of our focus will be the front desk and housekeeping (note that these two areas are also the focus of the Hotel Practicum, details of which are below). Study overbooking (why and how), as well as an extensive look at the intersection of operations and analytics. Examine several revenue and cost line items on a Profit & Loss (P&L) statement, as well as the drivers of those line items, and look at various scenarios of hotel performance to see how those are reflected on a P&L. At the end of the course we will look at some current issues facing the industry, with an eye to the future; we'll learn about the role of technology, the rise of GenAI, the importance of distribution channels and ‘customer acquisition costs’, and the impact of ESG.
HADM 1361Principles of Food and Beverage Operations Management4
In this course students are introduced to the principles of food and beverage operations management. Attention is focused on market segments and industry structure with an emphasis on product and systems differentiation. Course goals include a conceptual understanding of, and the practical application of (e.g., lab activities), the components of foodservice systems: menu and product development and management, production, service, controls, financial analysis, food safety, ethics, and quality assurance.
Introduces students to microeconomic principles and theories in the context of applications and solutions associated with the service industry with a focus on hospitality and travel. Topics include principles of production, supply and demand, firm behavior, costs, pricing, and topics specifically associated with the travel and hospitality industry. Course work includes readings, lectures, discussions, problem sets, and guest speakers.
HADM 1650Business Writing for Hospitality Professionals3
Introduces the role and importance of effective communication in managerial work, especially in the hospitality industry. Students develop abilities in analytical thinking and clear expression. With an emphasis on business writing, this course builds foundational skills for creating professional-level communications. Students plan, develop, and produce increasingly complex written communications and deliver oral presentations.
This course covers how to use the Microsoft Office productivity suite to analyze and solve business problems, answer business questions and promote effective personal and professional brand management. The overall objective of the course is to illustrate how to use software to promote competitive advantage in three ways: (1) Students will use Word to learn how to efficiently create professional documents that are both appealing and standardized in order to build brand recognition. (2) Students will learn how to use Power Point to visually convey complex information to stakeholders in a manner that promotes shared understanding. (3) Students will use Excel to organize data, transform data into information, and model a complex business problem.
This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and topics associated with managing and leading organizations, groups, and individuals. The traditional functions of management (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) are discussed, with special attention paid to current workplace issues and developments, such as corporate social responsibility, ethics, and diversity.
HADM 1910Distinguished Lectures in Hospitality Management1
The Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series is a long-standing School tradition that provides a unique opportunity for successful industry leaders to share their experiences with Cornell students. In its 92-year history, the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series has hosted the most influential and accomplished leaders from every segment of the hospitality industry. Speakers share their views about successful management styles, possible career paths, critical industry-related issues, and qualities conducive to successful business leadership. Students have an unparalleled opportunity to learn and question how hospitality leaders view the current and future status of the industry.
This introductory statistics course is taught from the perspective of solving problems and making decisions within the hospitality industry. Students learn introductory probability, as well as how to gather data, evaluate the quality of data, graphically represent data, and apply some fundamental statistical methodologies. Statistical methods covered include: estimation and hypothesis testing relating to one- and two-sample problems of means, simple linear regression, and multiple regression. Excel is used as the statistical computing software and the class uses a very hands-on approach.
HADM 2021Critical Thinking and Mathematical Modeling in Operations3
Operations management is the study of how things work. In this class, we will discuss how operations management can be used to help a hospitality company compete. After completing this course, you will: (1) understand core concepts, models and managerial issues in service operations management, (2) critically assess the performance of service delivery processes, (3) learn how to manage supply and demand, (4) learn how to manage quality, (5) develop proficiency in a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques necessary for hospitality service organizations, (6) learn how to manage a project, and (7) apply the concepts and techniques learned in class to the analysis of real-world service delivery processes.
This course focuses on the use of accounting information for management decision making and control in hospitality settings. Topics include costing objects, budgeting, financial decision making, cost behavior, and management control systems. There will be one common final exam at the end of the semester.
This course provides an introduction to core ideas in finance as well as a foundation for further study. Upon completion of this course students should be able to (1) perform basic valuation of cash flows from projects, bonds, and stocks; (2) demonstrate basic understanding of capital budgeting decisions through the use of concepts including the time value of money and discounted cash flow analysis; (3) assess the relation between risk and return and integrate that knowledge in determining corporate cost of capital; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the role of debt and equity in corporate capital structure.
This course emphasizes practical valuation and decision-making skills. You will receive an introduction to the business of hospitality and commercial real estate, including content on the major roles, activities and players, terminology, and how the relevant financial tools, institutional concepts, and economic models are used for sound investment decision-making.
This introduction to financial accounting covers the preparation of financial statements, from transactional analysis through journal entries to financial statement presentation. We will do in-depth analysis of receivables and payables, revenue and expenses, and major balance sheet items, such as inventory, investments, long term bonds, capital stock, and tangible and intangible assets. We will study preparation of the statement of cash flows using both the direct and indirect methods. Along the way we will introduce some of the concepts of financial statement analysis. We will also discuss ethics in accounting and business. After successful completion of this course you will be prepared to take an intermediate accounting course.
This course provides an introduction to core ideas in finance as well as a foundation for further study. Upon completion of this course students should be able to (1) perform basic valuation of cash flows from projects, bonds, and stocks; (2) demonstrate basic understanding of capital budgeting decisions through the use of concepts including the time value of money and discounted cash flow analysis; (3) assess the relation between risk and return and integrate that knowledge in determining corporate cost of capital; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the role of debt and equity in corporate capital structure.
This course covers concepts, issues, and business principles relevant to the restaurant industry, including market analysis, menu and service systems, and financial and operational management and applies them in a real-life restaurant setting. Students conceptualize and manage the operations of an in-person restaurant open to the Cornell community and evaluate the process and outcomes. Successful completion of the course requires students to complete TiPS and ServSafe certifications shortly after the start of the semester. Students should not enroll in any section of the course that they cannot attend. By enrolling in a specific section of the course, you are indicating you do not have any conflicts and/or are waiving any accommodations that might normally prevent you from attending at this time.
This course in an introduction to the principles of foodservice operations management, beginning with an overview of the foodservice industry at large. We first focus on major industry segments, business practices, and trends. More consideration is subsequently given to the components of the foodservice system: creating useful financial statements, elements/use of a business plan, marketing, menu design/planning, facilities/production, human resource issues, purchasing/controls, and quality assurance. This fundamental understanding of operations and basic managerial responsibilities will set the stage for further exploration of these issues in subsequent Nolan courses.
Provides a broad introduction to the fundamentals of marketing. Explores the components of an organization’s strategic marketing program, including targeting and positioning, and how to price, promote, and distribute goods and services. Marketing applications from various companies are presented and analyzed via multiple case discussions and field projects.
Students develop an understanding of marketing management for hospitality and related service organizations: the process through which organizations analyze, plan, implement, and control programs to develop and maintain beneficial exchanges with target buyers. Students learn about marketing management through a mix of readings, lectures, class discussions, individual and group exercises, industry guest speakers, and exams.
HADM 2560Fundamentals of Hospitality Development and Management3
This course provides an overview of the operation of hospitality facilities, including operating costs for various types of facilities, types and characteristics of major building systems, sustainable aspects of building equipment and management, and the responsibilities of the engineering maintenance department. The renovation needs and key managerial aspects of hospitality facility renovation projects are examined. Students are introduced to the issues and opportunities inherent in the development and planning of hospitality facilities, specifically hotels and restaurants. Course components include the project development sequence, conceptual and space planning, architectural design criteria, construction management, and the interpretation of architectural design and consultant drawings. There is an emphasis on setting appropriate facilities requirements, understanding industry practice, and implementing properties decisions within a balanced design, operations, and financial framework.
This course covers how to use the Microsoft Office productivity suite to analyze and solve business problems, answer business questions and promote effective personal and professional brand management. The overall objective of the course is to illustrate how to use software to promote competitive advantage in three ways: (1) Students will use Word to learn how to efficiently create professional documents that are both appealing and standardized in order to build brand recognition. (2) Students will learn how to use Power Point to visually convey complex information to stakeholders in a manner that promotes shared understanding. (3) Students will use Excel to organize data, transform data into information, and model a complex business problem.
Facilitates an understanding of the policies, procedures, and systems required to attract, select, develop, and retain quality employees. Students learn about the major environmental factors that affect the HR function, including legislation, economics, and demographics. The course emphasizes HR issues and challenges that are particularly relevant to the hospitality industry. Instruction is based on lecture, discussion, and experiential activities, as well as case analysis and project work.
HADM 3055Hospitality, Health and Design Industry Immersion Seminar1
This course provides students the opportunity to learn directly from invited industry speakers with expertise in a spectrum of industries that link health, wellness, senior living with hospitality and design. The speakers share their views on business, managerial, career, and other critical industry-related issues.
In this interactive course, students will learn the different types and ways to network, how to create their own personal branding statement, best practices on how to reach out to someone you have not met before, ways to master the basics of video communications, and how to share and utilize their networks. This course expands student life and networking skills to add value and grow their knowledge, interpersonal/people skills, and experience to succeed in business and life.
This course will guide students to answer the fundamental question: Why Entrepreneurialism? Is it the right path for me?. Many people say they want to start a business but don't expect and desire the authority and responsibility that comes with it. The objective of this course is to both broaden students' thinking about what constitutes the field of entrepreneurial endeavor - and to sharpen their focus on the unique attributes they bring to the table in considering launching entrepreneurial ventures of their own in the future.
This course is designed to deepen your understanding of hotel operations while you are engaging in real-world supervisory responsibilities within the Statler Hotel. As part of the Hospitality Leadership Development Program (HLDP), this course provides context for the hands-on experience in navigating the complexities of a dynamic hotel environment, including overseeing peers and long-tenured staff. Through interactive discussions, case-based learning, and practical application, you will refine the skills needed to coordinate teams, solve operational challenges, and ensure seamless guest experiences.
This course discusses a wide range of investments-related topics. Our approach emphasizes both conceptual foundations and practical implementation. The course includes an extensive module on strategic asset allocation that includes a discussion of alternative investments. We cover various topics in active portfolio management, and in particular study factor investing and the performance evaluation of active managers. The course highlights trends in the investment management industry and introduces terminology and tools familiar to investment professionals. The course makes use of Generate AI (Large Language Models) to help carry out quantitative analysis that supports investment decision making.
This course covers capital budgeting, firm valuation, real options, cost of capital, capital structure, financing decisions, payout policies, M&A, and risk management by combining finance theory with real-life problems faced by the hospitality industry. We will (1) study fundamental finance concepts and theories; (2) analyze financial statements and develop pro formas; (3) understand how investment and financing decisions affect firm value; and (4) examine selected advanced topics in corporate finance.
HADM 3275Introduction to Machine Learning in Business3
This course aims to provide business majors with essential machine learning concepts and practical skills. Through a blend of theory and hands-on experiences, you'll learn how to utilize data-driven insights in the business world. The focus is on analyzing data effectively, improving prediction performance, and extracting valuable information for managerial decision-making. We'll apply machine learning to diverse business contexts, including predicting customer behavior, forecasting prices, and natural language processing. Each application involves specific machine learning tasks like classification, numeric prediction, and clustering. We'll tackle these tasks using various models, such as logistic regressions, support vector machines, decision-trees, ensemble learning (e.g., random forests and boosting), and neural networks. Throughout the course, we'll emphasize hands-on implementation using Python-based machine learning packages like scikit-learn, and make the advanced machine learning tools (e.g., XGBoost) accessible to business students.
HADM 3310Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy in the Food and Beverage Industry3
Through carefully selected readings, insightful case studies, and engaging discussions with industry experts, this course delves into the strategic challenges faced by food and beverage firms within the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. Through critical analysis of real-world cases, students gain a deeper understanding of leadership and development strategies relevant to the food and beverage industry and its role in shaping a sustainable global food system, with a strong focus on integrating ESG principles.
This course provides an introduction to franchising in the hospitality industry, including the advantages and disadvantages of franchising, the complexities of operating a franchise business, and key franchising policies. This course will help students develop the knowledge necessary to succeed as a franchisee, franchisor, or franchise executive.
HADM 3360Tactics and Strategies for Restaurant Management3
This course examines the key success factors behind foodservice management connecting the interrelated elements of marketing, operations, and finance with a shared emphasis on tactical and strategic issues and problem solving. Students learn by engaging in a series of team-based managerial and operational decisions through the highly animated Cornell Restaurant Administration Simulation Exercise (CRASE).
Over the past 50 years, the business of sports has grown into a major global industry, shaped by virtually every business discipline, including finance, accounting, analytics, law, marketing, and leadership. The sports and hospitality industries have also become increasingly interconnected, with both relying on experience design, demand creation, revenue management, and customer engagement. This course introduces students to the business of sports through the lenses of markets, strategy, revenue generation, and analytics. Students examine how teams, leagues, media companies, sponsors, venues, and athletic departments create and capture value. Topics include league economics, labor markets, ticket pricing and revenue management, media rights, sponsorship, sports analytics, and the changing structure of college athletics. It is designed for students from a wide range of majors and requires no prior background in sports business.
This course helps students become better consumers of marketing research. Topics include issues involved in designing, conducting, and interpreting focus groups, depth interviews, surveys, and experiments. Special emphasis is placed on what each method should and should not be used for and why.
Helps students become better at understanding, predicting, and influencing consumer behavior. Topics include motivation, perception, learning, decision making, attitudes, persuasion, compliance, geodemographics, and psychographics. The practical implications of psychological principles are emphasized. Specific applications involve such areas as guest frequency programs, menu design, promotional strategy, personal selling, sales and marketing planning, and marketing research. Class time is used for discussions and application exercises as well as for the presentation of relevant information.
This intensive studio course provides the graphic skills necessary for design and experience in applying these skills in hospitality planning and design. Using digital drafting skills with SketchUp software learned in class, students prepare design projects including design of guest rooms, guest room floors and public space and back-of-house functions. In addition to studio critiques, the course includes in-class discussions of site analysis, target markets, architectural choices and the use of inspirational precedents.This intensive studio course provides the graphic skills necessary for design and experience in applying these skills in hospitality planning and design. Using hand drafting skills learned in class, students prepare design projects including design of guest rooms, guest room floors and public space and back-of-house functions. In addition to studio critiques, the course includes in-class discussions of site analysis, target markets, architectural choices and the use of inspirational precedents.
Communication skills are essential for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs face unique communication challenges when communicating with initial investors, business partners, founding employees, first customers, and the media. Students will apply course concepts to their own ideas while developing communication competencies in a variety of entrepreneurial communication contexts.
How you communicate as a leader will determine your ability to convey ideas, manage teams, win support, and get promoted within an organization. This course analyzes how companies handle crisis communication, work with the media, manage change, and inspire employees. With an emphasis on current events, we'll study both traditional communication methods and communication technologies. Expect written assignments and highly interactive presentations to build your communication skills.
HADM 3650Persuasive Business Communication for Hospitality Leaders3
Develops the knowledge and skills that hospitality managers need to face an array of persuasive communication challenges. This course builds on the principles of effective managerial communication (HADM 1650) and organizational behavior and interpersonal skills (HADM 1150). The course introduces the theory and principles of persuasion and focuses on their application in a range of management and leadership contexts, with students practicing persuasive strategies through both written and oral formats.
This course will help you to develop the knowledge and skill as a future organizational leader to address persuasive and real ethical communication challenges. It focuses on the art of applying persuasion theory and principles to a range of diverse leadership and communication contexts.
Introduction to programming in Python with an emphasis on Hospitality applications. No previous programming experience is required. Topics covered include programming basics, file input and output, Excel integration, database integration, and data analysis.
HADM 3740Fundamentals of Database Management and Data Analysis3
Prepares students to create and manage information in a knowledge-based organization. Students learn to design and use database tools to perform analyses and to make decisions in today's information-rich business environment. The course provides both theoretical and practical perspectives of database design and administration, with a focus on application. To manage this balance, students first gain a foundation of database concepts from lecture and course readings, and subsequently apply these fundamentals through various projects and assignments. Topics include information and information management in organizations; fundamentals of relational database design and implementation; writing and running SQL queries; working in database design teams and as individual research analysts; database design and management using Microsoft Access; database normalization; data-driven decision making; conversion of data into information and knowledge that can be leveraged to achieve business objectives; the role of data and information management in contemporary society; and data management opportunities in the hospitality industry.
Provides students with an integrated presentation of employment discrimination, tort, and contract concepts as they apply to the legal aspects of hospitality management. Students examine relevant federal and state cases and statutes. The overall objective is to enable students to recognize, analyze, and evaluate legal issues for the purpose of making and articulating appropriate decisions in the workplace.
Students interested in hotel operations, asset management, or real estate should take this course because it will examine three critical areas of the law as it relates to hotel owners and operators, including hotel management agreement disputes, franchise law, and managing legal risk to third parties.
HADM 3960Seminar in Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion3
Diversity and inclusion is on everyone's mind. We all know that together, we have to do a better job providing tools and resources to leaders to improve their ability create, sustain, and institutionalize diversity and inclusion (D&I) behavior in their organizations. To truly realize the benefits from D&I activities, initiatives and programs, leaders must be prepared to address the challenges we face in the broadly diverse hospitality industry. For our students, this course is designed to build both a theoretical and practical understanding of how to manage the ever-evolving needs for D&I programs in the global hospitality industry.
The global wellness economy is a $6.8 trillion dollar economy comprised of industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities and lifestyles into their daily lives. (Global Wellness Institute, 2025). Aspects of the wellness concept are firmly rooted in several intellectual, religious, and medical movements in the United States and Europe in the 19th century. The tenets of wellness can also be traced to the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Asia, whose historical traditions have indelibly influenced the modern wellness movement. “Wellness and Spas” is designed to educate students about wellness through the framework of health, hospitality, and design, with the hope that they will adopt healthier wellness habits as a result. This course will take a historical look at the evolution of wellness and compare with the current health and well-being in global communities and society. From wellness tourism, healthy eating, physical activity, mental health, workplace wellness, spas and springs, this course will examine new wellness-oriented business ventures, investments, and partnerships beyond the menu of products and services traditionally offered.
HADM 4032Special Topics in Services Management: What to Do About Other People1.5
This course invites you to go beyond the academic understanding of the hospitality industry into the personal realm. It will challenge you by studying one of the hardest parts of life: dealing with others. This course examines the origins of hospitality, hospitality as a competitive business advantage, and hospitality as a function of character over circumstance. The goal is to explore the power and range of hospitality as a basis for leadership. To do so, we will practice the art of turning toward others. We will test two hypotheses: That making money and caring for humans are not at odds with one another; and that you are not as different as you may hope, or alone as you may fear.
Revenue Management (RM), sometimes referred to as Dynamic Pricing, are methods for profitably managing hotel capacity. The intent of this course is to teach you how to effectively implement RM techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the integration among techniques, information technology, and to expose you to RM the travel market. While the course focuses on implementation of hotel RM, other application areas in travel and retail will be discussed. In addition, you will be expected to express technical revenue management terms in clear, managerial language.
This course focuses on advanced, operations-related, analytical tools that can be applied in hospitality operations. These tools are best suited to either people working as internal consultants (i.e., analysts) or external consultants (for consulting firms). There are two main focuses: (1) benchmarking and best practice analysis; and (2) service processes. This course also examines the practices of firms offering hospitality operations consulting.
Introduction to Casino Operations focuses primarily on the operation and ownership of US commercial casinos, and the hotels attached to them and Native American gambling. We will look at the historical development of gaming in America to understand how the industry has evolved to its present form. By the end of the course, students will understand the organizational structure of a casino hotel, how it operates and how it makes money. Students will also gain an understanding of the different companies involved in owning casino hotels and the current issues facing these companies. We will look at casino marketing strategies and player rating systems. We will examine the social and economic impact of gaming and the various regulatory environments within which casinos operate. We will learn how common casino games are played as well as understand the mathematics of the various games. Students will build on their food and beverage and hotel knowledge to better understand the specific challenges facing casino hotel operators.
HADM 4100 complements HADM 1910 by providing students with an extraordinary opportunity to interact with leaders in the hospitality industry in a limited-enrollment seminar. Students and guest speakers participate in roundtable discussions to gain a better understanding of industry trends, challenges, and opportunities.
HADM 4110Negotiations in the Hospitality Industry3
Negotiation is a critical factor in business success. This course provides hands-on experience in negotiation in the hospitality context. Through the use of role-play exercises, discussions, and writing exercises, students develop into tough negotiators with whom people will want to continue doing business. Students become more comfortable with negotiations and develop their own personal negotiating style. Students also learn how to adjust their negotiating style to respond appropriately to others' different personalities and negotiation tactics.
Through lecture, experiential exercises, videos, and readings, students will prepare to be effective hospitality leaders by a) learning how to effectively build and maintain high quality relationships, b) developing an awareness of and strategies for managing relational challenges, and c) deriving a framework for building relational capability in an organization.
Turn big ideas into thriving ventures in Entrepreneurial Management. This course equips aspiring entrepreneurs and future leaders with the frameworks and skills to build and scale successful organizations that make a positive impact. Learn how to identify real opportunities using GenAI, craft powerful visions, design scalable structures, and foster a winning culture. Gain practical tools to secure resources, manage risk, and drive growth. From navigating uncertainty to leading with purpose, this course prepares you to build ventures that create lasting value for both business and society. Ideal for any student starting or planning to start a business.
Innovation is a top priority for CEOs worldwide and organizations are actively seeking leaders who can drive it from within. Innovation & Corporate Renewal prepares you to be that leader. Discover how global companies launch new ventures, develop breakthrough products, and transform themselves to stay competitive. Through real-world cases, actionable frameworks, and the application of GenAI, you’ll learn to lead bold initiatives, tackle complex challenges, and spark change. Whether you pursue corporate leadership, consulting, or entrepreneurship, this course will give you the skills and mindset to stand out and make an impact in today’s innovation-driven world.
Success in both your career and personal life depends on how you think, adapt, and solve problems. Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset teaches you to think creatively, act decisively, and make smart decisions even with limited information. Through real-world examples and proven strategies, you’ll build resilience, adaptability, initiative, communication, and problem-solving skills — traits top recruiters seek and tools you can apply daily. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to achieve both professional and personal goals, helping you turn ideas into action and create meaningful impact in every part of your life.
The movement towards a service-based economy has coincided with a fundamental shift in technology and manufacturing ventures to a business model and plan in which the value proposition and customer experience has become central. As a result, the service component of products, based on the value they provide to consumers, has become dominant. Additionally, business modeling for service-based businesses is inherently different from for product or technology ventures. Students interested in starting service-based companies as well as those interested in developing service-based business models for technology and new product startups will find this course relevant and useful. This is an experientially based course. Students will be engaged in the process of business model and business plan development throughout the semester.
HADM 4190Key Drivers for Making Innovation Happen1
Innovation and entrepreneurship are not just about creating new things. True innovation and entrepreneurship are about creating new value. The goal of this course is to set students up for success in adding new value to organizations, whether the organizations are established ones or new ones. There are plenty of books and articles about innovation and entrepreneurship that contain a variety of frameworks and concepts. This course goes a step beyond that and highlights select key drivers for making innovation happen. It's a one-weekend course specifically focused on having and using (1) a perspectives mindset and (2) a process to identify and choose unconventional solutions. Additional shorter discussions will touch on being able to go from concept to creation (to value) and enrolling others in your innovation. This interactive course includes the following elements: ? A mix of reading, cases, examples, exercises ? Actual tools that will be used in class and in real life ? Opportunities to engage in real-world situations ? Hands-on experience that you can apply to any situation to innovate and grow
This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the tech VC ecosystem in NYC from the perspective of actual venture capital investors. We will cover, at a high level, various aspects of how venture capitalists perform their multifaceted industry functions (for example, startup founder evaluation and relationships, due diligence, internal deal approval and selling process, and post investment portfolio company support). Students will have the ongoing opportunity to ask our various VC guest panelists questions about their profession. Students will also hear startup pitches and roll play as VCs, but these pitches will also include actual VCs to provide real time input and startup evaluation.
This introduction to real estate finance and investment emphasizes developing valuation and decision-making skills. It introduces students to the business of real estate, including major roles, activities and players, terminology, and how the relevant financial tools, institutional concepts, and economic models are used in for sound investment decision-making in real estate.
This course covers the basic financial models and frameworks used throughout the real estate industry today. In this introductory course, students will focus exclusively on a rigorous cash flow construction and scenario analysis to include the impact of deterministic inputs in ex-ante decision making. The course covers extensively the modeling of simple lease structures (for different property types), conventional and exotic debt instruments and simple equity waterfalls.
This course provides an introduction to the financial management of sports organizations. Students will examine the sources of value creation unique to sports entities and learn how these distinct drivers are reflected in the financial statements and the valuation of such organizations. The course will also develop students’ ability to read and interpret the financial statements of sports organizations, with particular attention to how they differ from those of other types of businesses. These differences will be analyzed in light of the idiosyncratic characteristics of the sports industry and its underlying sources of value. Building on this foundation, students will explore how industry dynamics and value drivers inform budgeting and forecasting processes within sports organizations. The course will further demonstrate how variations in revenue streams and value creation mechanisms translate into differences in financial modeling and valuation approaches specific to the sports context.
Focuses on real estate financing for hospitality-oriented projects. Lectures address the following topics: methods of measuring rates of return; feasibility and appraisal processes; equity and debt financing vehicles to include joint ventures, limited partnerships, construction mortgages, and participating, convertible, and seller-financed mortgages; forms of operating agreements to include management contracts, leases, and franchises; and trends in international hotel franchising. Presentations by hospitality industry real estate practitioners tie course material to current industry practices.
The traditional framework for thinking about financial markets assumes that all market participants are fully rational. Over the past four decades, behavioral finance has emerged as one of the most important paradigm shifts in financial economics, arguing that many market phenomena result from less-than-fully rational thinking among investors, managers, and households. This course provides an in-depth discussion of the field. We first revisit topics in finance from a behavioral finance perspective: markets (stock market fluctuations, popular investment strategies, bubbles); investor behavior (poor investment decisions by households); and corporate finance (security issuance, investments, mergers and acquisitions). We then discuss recent developments in the field, for example, information processing and memory, housing and credit cycles, ESG investing, entrepreneurial decision-making, and the emerging intersection of AI and human bias in financial contexts. A running theme in the course is that knowledge of behavioral finance is essential for anyone who seeks a full understanding of modern financial markets. Over the course, we will draw intuitions from dozens of academic papers.
HADM 4235Cornell Real Estate Case Competition Course1.5
Each year, Cornell organizes in November the Cornell International Real Estate Case Competition (CIRECC). The top 20 undergraduate academic real estate programs in the world enter teams of six real estate students to compete in this exciting and enriching academic event. Students in this class learn how to effectively pitch a commercial real estate transaction to a panel of senior real estate professionals. A team of six is then sent to the actual competition to represent Cornell. During the competition, teams will be judged not only on their investment recommendations, their approach to the problem, and their presentation skills, but also on their ability to answer and response to direct and probing questions posed by the judges. Students should be advised that the workload will be extensive and will involve working on numerous practice cases as a team and developing individual presentation skills.
HADM 4250Securitization and Structured Financial Products3
Deals with the structure and analysis of securitized financial products with an emphasis on residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The course is intended for those who wish to acquire a working knowledge of the analysis of such securities (e.g., collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial MBS, auto loans, and credit card-backed securities) and an understanding of the securitization process. The course's subject matter necessitates a highly analytic and quantitative approach, and students are required to have a strong background in finance and economics.
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts and paradigms that are most often encountered in real estate development. The course is designed to provide an overview of the real estate development process with an emphasis on analysis, risk management, and decision-making relative to changing economic, environmental, institutional, regulatory, and social contexts. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, market analysis, site acquisition, due diligence, zoning entitlements, approvals, site planning, building design, construction, financing, leasing, ongoing management, and disposition.
The focus of this course is the application of corporate finance theory to real-life corporations. This will be accomplished through discussions of the theoretical and empirical work as well as hands-on analysis of real-life cases regarding corporate finance issues that face managers. The primary topics covered are: payout policy, capital structure and related financing choices, the role of venture capital financing, the decision to go-public, the impact of agency problems between firm management and security holders and between different classes of security holders on corporate governance and different ways of solving such agency problems, as well as mergers/takeovers and other restructuring decisions. One of the aims of the course is to develop students' ability to make judgments in a realistic setting. In addition, students are expected to develop their capacity to articulate judgments both orally and in writing.
HADM 4265Mastering Strategy Execution: Control Systems to Win3
This course gives you the tools to execute a winning strategy. Once strategy is defined, managers must allocate scarce resources among units and hold people accountable for those resources. Managers must use performance measurement and control systems to direct and motivate desired behaviors and monitor progress against the previously defined strategy.
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts that are most often encountered in the market for fixed income securities. The goals of the course are threefold: (1) to develop the set of tools required to evaluate virtually any fixed income instrument; (2) to illustrate the mechanics and intuition of hedging and other trading and portfolio strategies; and (3) to explore the key features of both traditional and derivative fixed income instruments. The course focuses on topics that are most likely to have practical relevance for students, while helping students develop a theoretical and mathematical approach to valuation and risk management that will be useful in a wide range of financial applications.
HADM 4271Investment in Real Estate Securities and Funds3
This course focuses on equity investment in commercial real estate through indirect vehicles. The course builds on standard investment and corporate finance concepts. The high-level learning objectives are to familiarize students with indirect real estate investment and to introduce the analytical tools required to value the firms in that sector.
HADM 4272Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity3
This course studies entrepreneurial finance and, more broadly, private equity finance. Private equity (PE) includes primarily venture capital (VC), growth equity, and buyouts. The course is motivated by a substantial increase in supply and demand for private equity. The course's primary objective is to provide an understanding of the concepts and institutions involved in entrepreneurial finance and PE markets. We will explore these two markets: Venture Capital and Buyout (narrow definition of Private Equity) from the perspective of three players: 1) Entrepreneurs and startup employees, buyout-backed company's management and employees; 2) Venture capital and buyout fund managers (i.e., General Partners or GPs); 3) Investors in venture capital and buyout funds (i.e., Limited Partners or LPs).
This course promotes sound real estate investment and finance decision making through the use of advanced theory and techniques in financial economics. Real estate investment decisions are made from applications of an extended version of the after-tax discounted cash flow model and other valuation models, including option pricing and regression models. Financing decisions are made using the techniques of modern financial analysis. A wide array of equity and debt financing options are considered including partnership agreements and commercial mortgages. Securitization of equity and debt claims to real estate also are covered. All types of income-producing residential and nonresidential real estate are analyzed, including hospitality properties.
HADM 4285Derivatives: Forwards, Futures, Swaps, and Options3
The market for financial instruments called derivatives has experienced dramatic growth over the years. Market participants use derivatives (commonly various types of forwards, futures, swaps, and options) to transfer and manage risks regarding practically anything (e.g., from common ones, including financial assets such as stocks and indices, or commodities such as oil, corn, and wheat, to more niche ones such as weather), as well as express views on market outcomes about them and trade to make profit. My goal is to help students develop strong intuition and build the skills necessary to understand, value, and use derivatives. In order to provide a useful treatment of the topics suitable for a rapidly changing environment, I will stress fundamental concepts and emphasize important applications throughout the course.
Students will be introduced to the major wine-producing regions of the world. The course focuses on understanding the terms on a wine label, discussing aromas and flavors and connecting flavors to the growing and productions factors that influence them. Food and wine pairing, wine etiquette and responsible consumption are also topics. This forms the basis for what a consumer needs to know to confidently navigate a wine list and to make sound purchase decisions in retail wine shops or online.
HADM 4310Wine and Food Pairing Principles and Promotion3
Focuses on the pairing and creative marketing of wine and food. Students develop an understanding of regional and varietal wine styles, how food flavors can change a wine's flavor, and the promotion of wine and food. Topics include wine and food pairing principles, cuisines and their flavor components, food trends in restaurants and in the home, special event planning, and wine-list development. Students design and present wine and food tastings to industry guests.
HADM 4315Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice3
This course will provide an overview of nonprofit social enterprise and food justice through service-learning, with a focus on food systems, social ventures and economic policies. Key objectives include identifying management best practices for leading nonprofit food service organizations, including strategy, managing employees/volunteers, fundraising, grant proposal writing, board governance, and marketing and social media. Through lectures, class discussions, case study analysis, research, community service practicums, and a service learning final project working with a partner organization, students will explore the economic, social, and political issues of combating poverty and hunger in the United States. The focus of the course will be on nonprofit food service organizations designed to combat hunger in our communities such as food banks, soup kitchens and shelters, community outreach organizations, school feeding programs, and social change through advocacy. Contingent university travel guidelines in the fall, a field trip may be required.
This course intends to build awareness among the public regarding nutrition, food ethics, policy, insecurity, and sustainability. Sophisticated consumers and business operators are increasing the embrace of environmental health, customer health, and food sourcing. Students will explore the everchanging landscape of the food and beverage industry as seen through this societal lens. Discussion and lab topics include sustainable farming and consumer health needs, the power of food marketing, merchandising, and the selling of healthy menus in restaurants.
The catering and special events industries are among the fastest-growing segments within the hospitality industry. This course focuses on off-premise and on-premise catering for social and business functions and the management of large-scale independent events, such as sporting events, artistic performances, and product launches. Topics include organizational structure, legal aspects of catering and special events management, product and service development, marketing and sales, catered function and special event planning and execution, staff recruitment and training, post-event analysis, and financial success of catering.
HADM 4350Selection, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management3
This course deals with contemporary management issues related to procurement activities within the hospitality industry. Focus is on both the food distribution industry and the hospitality industry so that students understand the role the distributor plays in the movement of food and supplies from the producer to the hospitality operator and how the creation of distribution partnerships serves to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Topics include distribution channels and intermediaries in the supply chain, food distributor financial statement analysis, evaluation and selection of suppliers, development of buying strategies, influence of economic and environmental factors on supply, purchase timing and inventory management, the emerging role of the Internet, and e-procurement service providers.
Designed for students who intend to pursue a career in food and beverage management. Course work deals specifically with the management of beverage operations. Topics for discussion include tracking beverage trends; risk-liability management; staff training and responsible customer service; wine and spirits list development; beverage pricing; food and wine pairings; the beverage industry structure and beverage alcohol regulations; purchasing, storage, and service; major beverage categories; cost controls and loss prevention; and creative beverage merchandising.
HADM 4375Introduction to Fermented Grains, Hard Ciders, and Sake3
The course will introduce students to fermented grain beverages and ciders from around the world. The class will explore basic production methods of the products. Demonstration of the proper way to examine the different products will be done through lecture and tastings.
This course will provide an overview of the factors that contribute to the development and evolution of food culture and behavior around the world. The class will use an inter-disciplinary approach using in-class discussion informed by readings and research across anthropology, geography, history, sociology, and psychology to examine how factors combine to create a food culture, its cuisine, and how both impact the human experience.
This course offers an immersive introduction to managed foodservice operations across non-commercial and contract dining environments, including corporate, healthcare, educational, and leisure sectors. Students will engage with industry experts through a series of guest speakers who provide real-world insights and discuss current trends, challenges, and innovations in the field. Students will gain a practical understanding of effective foodservice management, preparing them for leadership roles in a dynamic and specialized area of the hospitality industry. The course also includes a field trip to various foodservice operations, allowing students to observe and analyze diverse on-site management practices and operational strategies firsthand.
Strategic management integrates all of student's previous courses, including marketing, finance, accounting, operations, etc., and introduces them to new strategic management concepts. The course examines the total enterprise, the industry, and the competitive environment in which it operates. The goal is to develop a mastery of the analytical tools to perform analyses of the industry and competitors. The course focuses on how firms formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies. Using a case-based approach, the course emphasizes critical thinking and decision making to maintain competitive advantage in a hypercompetitive and maturing industry.
HADM 4425Introduction to the Global Leisure Cruise Industry3
This course introduces students to the global leisure cruise industry—the economics, markets, and organizations that comprise the fastest-growing sector of the travel and hospitality industry. Topics feature a conceptual grounding in cruise service management, including finance, strategic planning, demand and revenue management, branding, marketing communications, distribution, hotel and F&B operations, marine operations, human resource management, environmental compliance, and destination management, coupled with real-world application provided by executives from a leading company in the industry: Royal Caribbean Group. Students conduct integrative analyses that examine opportunities and challenges across the cruise industry.
This course will introduce students to the fundamental strategies for innovation, entrepreneurship, and change. Through workshop activities, readings, lectures, and case discussions, we will take the perspective of entrepreneurial individuals, who generate and evaluate innovative ideas, formulate entrepreneurial strategies to capture value from those ideas, and effect positive changes in life and work.
In this course, we frame the issue of channel distribution, and look at recent trends. Costs and benefits of each distribution channel are evaluated, and channels are studied in the context of the segments and types of customers they deliver to hotels. We use a 'channel x segment' framework to study the impact of distribution approaches, and we consider source markets as well. We examine 'preference' and the associated payments to achieve that. Metrics and analysis approaches play a significant role in distribution, and that is reflected throughout this course. Issues such as the Billboard Effect and Onward Distribution are examined. We will study 'bias-direct' strategies that hotels have implemented, and take a 'Game Theory' approach to analyzing such decisions. Group and individual projects give the opportunity to apply what we learn to real-world scenarios.
Brands have become the central organizing principle of most hospitality organizations, guiding many decision and actions. This elective course addresses important brand management decisions faced by hospitality firms. Combining the latest in thought leadership on this topic with practical exercises and research presentations, you will learn how to manage a brand for increased customer engagement, market advantage and profitability. We will cover key elements of brand management via presentations on key concepts as well as reading and presenting brand management research to give you the skills to incorporate both industry practices and insight from empirical articles into your brand management toolkit.
HADM 4490Integrated Marketing Communication and Digital Media3
This course delves into the dynamic field of marketing promotion with a focus on the hospitality and service industries. Building on theories and research from brand management, communications, consumer learning and information processing, and persuasion and attitude change, students will examine traditional promotions tools such as broadcast advertising, public relations, and direct marketing, as well as digital media tools such as search and website marketing, content marketing, social media, influencer marketing, experiential marketing, digital-direct, and programmatic advertising. The main course project is the development of an integrated marketing communications plan for a service organization. Students will also demonstrate their emerging knowledge through presentations on industry practices and essay exams focusing on the theories that guide marketing-communications strategy.
An advanced, experiential learning course in which students are primarily tasked to work directly with hospitality companies to solve real sustainability-related issues in the marketplace. Projects are related to the greening of current operations (operational), the refurbishment of existing assets and properties (brownfield), and the establishment of new businesses (Greenfield). The goal is to help students develop and refine critical analysis and decision-making skills related to hospitality management and sustainability through hands-on learning experiences. Short weekend practicum trip required.
Students are exposed to the process, challenges, and rewards of developing a restaurant concept from the idea to the construction of the first unit. The course includes readings, discussions with industry leaders, and cases. It culminates with students formulating a detailed restaurant concept and development plan.
HADM 4515Hospitality Visioning and Concept Design3
This course is an interdisciplinary course where one can apply what they have learned in hospitality development & design, marketing, real estate and operations, to envision a hotel concept, or brand story, and fully develop it with a team to understand how this concept informs site selection, program, design, and operational procedures.
This course introduces the basic concepts of foodservice facilities design and planning with an emphasis on restaurant kitchens. This course emphasizes general practices among foodservice facilities designers, including program development, product and workflow, equipment selection, architectural and engineering considerations, and project management. A brief introduction to computer-aided design software will be provided. Students will learn to conceptualize, plan, and create a design for a medium-size restaurant kitchen and front-of-house service areas.
This course will examine the fundamental principles that are the building blocks of sustainability's Triple Bottom Line. We'll explore environmental preservation, concepts in sustainable food, and community engagement, in detail and consider how they may apply to relevant stakeholders. The benefits and challenges of implementing a triple bottom line approach of various organizations will be evaluated.
HADM 4570Project Management for Hospitality Real Estate Development3
This course presents a framework for managing the real estate development process offering project management skills applicable for all development projects including project planning, budgeting, scheduling and impact management as well as leadership, communications, team formulation, procurement and management ethics. The course also presents a range of case studies addressing the contingencies any project must inevitably endure. In-class exercises, case studies, class discussions are required course activities.
HADM 4620Intercultural Communication in Global Business3
Designed to help managers develop proficiency when communicating among and between people who do not share similar cultural assumptions. Students can expect to learn communication variables that differ among cultural groups, including the use of eye contact, body language, personal space, hierarchy, and time. Additional topics include persuasion and negotiation across cultures and the ethics of communication in international business. Students learn through a blend of theory and practice. Activities include lectures, guided discussions, group projects, student and guest speaker presentations, and analysis of specific cross-cultural managerial challenges, with an emphasis on the service industry.
HADM 4650Impactful Unscripted Communication Practicum3
The course teaches advanced business public speaking skills for business and hospitality contexts. It includes a series of workshops, individual and small group coaching, and ongoing instructor and peer critiques. The course materials and projects build on the speaking skills introduced in HADM 1650 and help students further master audience awareness, flexibility, and adaptability to various media and emerging contexts such as video interviews and virtual meetings.
HADM 4750Machine Learning for Business and Hospitality Applications1.5
The world is becoming increasingly data driven. In this context, the ability to leverage machine learning techniques to extract value from data is vital across many businesses, including the hospitality industry. This course is designed to meet the emerging need of this sector. This course aims to convey core principles of machine learning and hands-on applications of on solving real business problems. This course emphasizes on how to draw managerial insights and support business decisions from data. The methods that would be covered include linear regression, logistic regression, classification trees, clustering, and neural networks. This course also explains concepts including bias-variance trade-off, model interpretability, cross-validation, prescriptive analytics, and ethical concerns of machine learning.
HADM 4760Visual Basic for Applications: End-User Programming3
This is an introductory programming course for end-users (e.g., business managers and consultants). Students develop fluency in the popular Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language. Using VBA, students learn how to customize and extend the Microsoft Office Suite, with an emphasis on Excel. They also develop custom information systems using Microsoft Office applications as programmable building blocks. Secondary objectives of the course are to cover fundamental design and programming principles. The course is entirely lab-based.
This course is taught in a 'flipped' environment. It focuses on organizational systems, planning, and the decision process and how information is used for decision support in organizations. Students are provided with practical skills in developing spreadsheet computer models using Microsoft Excel. Topics include business planning and forecasting, numerical methods, advanced formulas and functions, user-interface design, data protection and validation, importing external data, and output presentation.
An analysis of key legal issues that a startup or growing business must address, including: (i) choosing type of business entity, (ii) proper establishment and utilization of corporate boards of directors, (iii) sources of capital and understanding capitalization structures (common stock, preferred stock, warrants, etc.) (iv) use of stock options as employee incentives, (v) protecting confidential information and inventions, (vi) fundamental employment practices, (vii) negotiating relationships with landlords, distributors, resellers and customers; and (viii) secured transactions and basic debtor-creditor law.Three to four young, successful entrepreneurs will give lectures about specific legal issues they have confronted in their business start-ups. In addition, use of video conferencing technology will allow another 3-4 entrepreneurs into the classroom for similar Q & A exchanges.
Platforms have become central to many of society's most important functions. You use them to find information (Google, Bing, etc.), communicate with friends (iOS, WhatsApp), find a date (Tinder, Bumble), book a flight (Google Flights), make hotel (Kayak) or restaurant reservations (OpenTable). There is a good chance you are reading this course description on a digital platform (OS X, Linux, or Windows). This seminar provides a multidisciplinary lens by which to study these organizations as the intersection of markets, technology, and institutions. The sessions will discuss how platforms have transformed labor, democracy, economics, law, and other aspects of social life. In doing so, this seminar will allow students to engage in discussions about surveillance, capitalism, inequality, power, and cooperation.
This course provides students with an understanding of the legal issues surrounding the ownership, transfer, and use and development of real estate. Students will learn to recognize and evaluate legal issues in order to inform the decision-making process with respect to real estate, whether as a business executive, an entrepreneur, or in personal life.
The computer industry and the Internet have fundamentally changed the world in swift, dramatic fashion. The emergence of global digital networks and digital technologies offer to nearly anyone the ability to access, store, mine, manipulate, and transmit vast amounts of information. At the same time, this revolution in the use of information raises new and often complex legal disputes in areas such as copyright, trademark, privacy, speech, contract formation, jurisdiction, information security, etc. Moreover, the rapidly growing maze of laws directed at the Internet is another thorny obstacle for persons and companies doing business on the web. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the legal topics and principles applicable to the Internet, and to help students identify and understand the rapid developments of the law of the Internet by exploring specific problems.
For 100 years, Hotel Ezra Cornell has been an essential part of the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, allowing students the opportunity to put theory into practice while taking on the leadership responsibility for this student-run hospitality showcase. Through participation on the Board of Directors, students practice the complexities of leading and managing individuals, teams and the organization as well as growing their leadership skills through experiential learning. Critical course outcomes include applying fundamental business principles to plan, organize, staff, direct, and financially control the weekend-long HEC conference; leading a diverse team of students and volunteers through understanding individual differences, leveraging conflict management and applying team-based problem-solving techniques; preparing and presenting professional-quality written and oral communications; and critically assessing personal strengths and development needs through the experiential learning process. Board members receive credit for their participation in HEC: Students earn 3 credits toward HADM electives. Any additional credits will be applied to free electives. Students interested in running for board positions in the spring must be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Eligibility requirements for specific board positions can be obtained from the HEC Office (G75 Statler Hall) and will be distributed to the student body after the previous years' conference. Students interested in a board position are encouraged to discuss their intentions with the HEC course instructor
The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition is an annual entrepreneurship event that begins at the start of the academic year when students form teams and develop business idea pitches, that are judged based upon the clarity, substantiation, and marketability of their business idea. Up to ten (10) teams will be selected to compete as semi-finalists based on the quality of the pitch and will move forward to the next round, which involves the creation of a complete business plan. Those teams selected will be offered permission codes for enrollment.
Students have the option of conducting a special studies project in any academic area of the School of Hotel Administration. Projects are conducted under the direction of a SHA faculty member, and regular, frequent consultations are mandatory.
Students have the option of conducting a special studies project in any academic area of the School of Hotel Administration. Projects are conducted under the direction of a SHA faculty member, and regular, frequent consultations are mandatory.
In this interactive course, students will learn the different types and ways to network, how to create their own personal branding statement, best practices on how to reach out to someone you have not met before, ways to master the basics of video communications, and how to share and utilize their networks. This course expands student life and networking skills to add value and grow their knowledge, interpersonal/people skills, and experience to succeed in business and life.
HADM 5275Introduction to Machine Learning in Business3
This course aims to provide business majors with essential machine learning concepts and practical skills. Through a blend of theory and hands-on experiences, you'll learn how to utilize data-driven insights in the business world. The focus is on analyzing data effectively, improving prediction performance, and extracting valuable information for managerial decision-making. We'll apply machine learning to diverse business contexts, including predicting customer behavior, forecasting prices, and natural language processing. Each application involves specific machine learning tasks like classification, numeric prediction, and clustering. We'll tackle these tasks using various models, such as logistic regressions, support vector machines, decision-trees, ensemble learning (e.g., random forests and boosting), and neural networks. Throughout the course, we'll emphasize hands-on implementation using Python-based machine learning packages like scikit-learn, and make the advanced machine learning tools (e.g., XGBoost) accessible to business students.
Designed for students who intend to pursue a career in food and beverage management. Course work deals specifically with the management of beverage operations. Topics for discussion include tracking beverage trends; risk-liability management; staff training and responsible customer service; wine and spirits list development; beverage pricing; food and wine pairings; the beverage industry structure and beverage alcohol regulations; purchasing, storage, and service; major beverage categories; cost controls and loss prevention; and creative beverage merchandising.
This course in an introduction to the principles of foodservice operations management, beginning with an overview of the foodservice industry at large. We first focus on major industry segments, business practices, and trends. More consideration is subsequently given to the components of the foodservice system: creating useful financial statements, elements/use of a business plan, marketing, menu design/planning, facilities/production, human resource issues, purchasing/controls, and quality assurance. This fundamental understanding of operations and basic managerial responsibilities will set the stage for further exploration of these issues in subsequent Nolan courses.
This course offers an immersive introduction to managed foodservice operations across non-commercial and contract dining environments, including corporate, healthcare, educational, and leisure sectors. Students will engage with industry experts through a series of guest speakers who provide real-world insights and discuss current trends, challenges, and innovations in the field. Students will gain a practical understanding of effective foodservice management, preparing them for leadership roles in a dynamic and specialized area of the hospitality industry. The course also includes a field trip to various foodservice operations, allowing students to observe and analyze diverse on-site management practices and operational strategies firsthand.
Over the past 50 years, the business of sports has grown into a major global industry, shaped by virtually every business discipline, including finance, accounting, analytics, law, marketing, and leadership. The sports and hospitality industries have also become increasingly interconnected, with both relying on experience design, demand creation, revenue management, and customer engagement. This course introduces students to the business of sports through the lenses of markets, strategy, revenue generation, and analytics. Students examine how teams, leagues, media companies, sponsors, venues, and athletic departments create and capture value. Topics include league economics, labor markets, ticket pricing and revenue management, media rights, sponsorship, sports analytics, and the changing structure of college athletics. It is designed for students from a wide range of majors and requires no prior background in sports business.
Students are exposed to the process, challenges, and rewards of developing a restaurant concept from the idea to the construction of the first unit. The course includes readings, discussions with industry leaders, and cases. It culminates with students formulating a detailed restaurant concept and development plan.
HADM 5760Visual Basic for Applications: End-User Programming3
This is an introductory programming course for end-users (e.g., business managers and consultants). Students develop fluency in the popular Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language. Using VBA, students learn how to customize and extend the Microsoft Office Suite, with an emphasis on Excel. They also develop custom information systems using Microsoft Office applications as programmable building blocks. Secondary objectives of the course are to cover fundamental design and programming principles. The course is entirely lab-based.
The computer industry and the Internet have fundamentally changed the world in swift, dramatic fashion. The emergence of global digital networks and digital technologies offer to nearly anyone the ability to access, store, mine, manipulate, and transmit vast amounts of information. At the same time, this revolution in the use of information raises new and often complex legal disputes in areas such as copyright, trademark, privacy, speech, contract formation, jurisdiction, information security, etc. Moreover, the rapidly growing maze of laws directed at the Internet is another thorny obstacle for persons and companies doing business on the web. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the legal topics and principles applicable to the Internet, and to help students identify and understand the rapid developments of the law of the Internet by exploring specific problems.
The practice of business is changing. Due to increasing desktop computing power and companies amassing large amounts of data, business decisions are becoming more and more data based. This holds in many sectors such as in internet marketing and online retailing where the only interaction with the customer is in digital form. This course aims at conveying some core principles of data driven decision making. This course is very hands-on and emphasis will be placed on solving real business cases, using real data via advanced spreadsheet enabled models and visulaizations.
The global wellness economy is a $6.8 trillion dollar economy comprised of industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities and lifestyles into their daily lives. (Global Wellness Institute, 2025). Aspects of the wellness concept are firmly rooted in several intellectual, religious, and medical movements in the United States and Europe in the 19th century. The tenets of wellness can also be traced to the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Asia, whose historical traditions have indelibly influenced the modern wellness movement. “Wellness and Spas” is designed to educate students about wellness through the framework of health, hospitality, and design, with the hope that they will adopt healthier wellness habits as a result. This course will take a historical look at the evolution of wellness and compare with the current health and well-being in global communities and society. From wellness tourism, healthy eating, physical activity, mental health, workplace wellness, spas and springs, this course will examine new wellness-oriented business ventures, investments, and partnerships beyond the menu of products and services traditionally offered.
HADM 6032Special Topics in Services Management: What to Do About Other People1.5
This course invites you to go beyond the academic understanding of the hospitality industry into the personal realm. It will challenge you by studying one of the hardest parts of life: dealing with others. This course examines the origins of hospitality, hospitality as a competitive business advantage, and hospitality as a function of character over circumstance. The goal is to explore the power and range of hospitality as a basis for leadership. To do so, we will practice the art of turning toward others. We will test two hypotheses: That making money and caring for humans are not at odds with one another; and that you are not as different as you may hope, or alone as you may fear.
HADM 6033Introduction to Senior Living and Related Programs2
With the aging population, longer life expectancies and the population bulge of the baby boomers, serving both the hospitality and housing/care needs of seniors will be a tremendous growth area. The facilities and programs to serve these populations have certain specialized aspects related to healthcare, but they also share a number of the operating characteristics of many hospitality and real estate operations and design.This course will provide students with a basic introduction to some of the concepts, approaches and related terminology regarding the planning, development, and operations of the growing sector of senior living and assisted living plus to a lesser degree, the area of continuous care retirement communities (CCRCs). We also expect to touch on some related programs such as home health, and PACE programs, hospice etc. We will discuss some associated entrepreneurial opportunities and potential relationships to develop affiliations and new ventures with hospitals as acute care providers look to more closely coordinate care across post-acute providers to manage readmissions and look towards various government and insurance initiatives to manage care, and in some cases risk across the continuum of care. (MHA-EL)
Revenue Management (RM), sometimes referred to as Dynamic Pricing, are methods for profitably managing hotel capacity. The intent of this course is to teach you how to effectively implement RM techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the integration among techniques, information technology, and to expose you to RM the travel market. While the course focuses on implementation of hotel RM, other application areas in travel and retail will be discussed. In addition, you will be expected to express technical revenue management terms in clear, managerial language.
Revenue Management (RM), sometimes referred to as Dynamic Pricing, are methods for profitably managing hotel capacity. The intent of this course is to teach you how to effectively implement RM techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the integration among techniques, information technology, and to expose you to RM the travel market. While the course focuses on implementation of hotel RM, other application areas in travel and retail will be discussed. In addition, you will be expected to express technical revenue management terms in clear, managerial language.
HADM 6055Hospitality, Health and Design Industry Immersion Seminar1
This course provides students the opportunity to learn directly from invited industry speakers with expertise in a spectrum of industries that link health, wellness, senior living with hospitality and design. The speakers share their views on business, managerial, career, and other critical industry-related issues. (MHA-EL)
This set of two, two-day immersion seminars is co-taught by industry leaders and Cornell faculty in New York City. Participants will participate in this during their New York residency in year one and two. Students will solve problems based on real-life scenarios and present their solutions to industry leaders and the Hotel School faculty members who accompany them. Students will have readings and case materials assigned from business periodicals, the hospitality industry press, and selected textbooks to read to prepare for the site visits and the coursework. Students will be directly exposed to industry-specific operational and strategic elements through site visits, presentations from company executives and directed case study. Leadership Immersion I and Leadership Immersion II will cover different topics, use different companies and different industry leaders each year.
This set of two, two-day immersion seminars is co-taught by industry leaders and Cornell faculty in New York City. Participants will participate in this during their New York residency in year one and two. Students will solve problems based on real-life scenarios and present their solutions to industry leaders and the Hotel School faculty members who accompany them. Students will have readings and case materials assigned from business periodicals, the hospitality industry press, and selected textbooks to read to prepare for the site visits and the coursework. Students will be directly exposed to industry-specific operational and strategic elements through site visits, presentations from company executives and directed case study. Leadership Immersion I and Leadership Immersion II will cover different topics, use different companies and different industry leaders each year.
This course focuses on advanced, operations-related, analytical tools that can be applied in hospitality operations. These tools are best suited to either people working as internal consultants (i.e., analysts) or external consultants (for consulting firms). There are two main focuses: (1) benchmarking and best practice analysis; and (2) service processes. This course also examines the practices of firms offering hospitality operations consulting.
HADM 6071Automation, AI and Machine Learning in Hospitality1.5
The business of hospitality is becoming increasingly data rich, but at the same time this data comes from a variety of sources which need to be updated and cleaned on a regular (often daily) basis prior to analysis and model building. In addition, archival data exists on 3rd party platforms and transactional systems often behind user logins. This course focusses on automating data-driven decision making as it provides an overview of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and automation – through this overview key differences are highlighted with a focus of use cases. The course uses a series of established Microsoft tools (e.g. PowerBI, Power Automate and AI Builder) to provide a hands-on overview of how to automate the ingestion, cleaning and presentation of data for hospitality decision making and reporting. The course culminates with students building their own chat-bot based on the automated extraction of customer level information and feedback.
Introduction to Casino Operations focuses primarily on the operation and ownership of US commercial casinos, and the hotels attached to them and Native American gambling. We will look at the historical development of gaming in America to understand how the industry has evolved to its present form. By the end of the course, students will understand the organizational structure of a casino hotel, how it operates and how it makes money. Students will also gain an understanding of the different companies involved in owning casino hotels and the current issues facing these companies. We will look at casino marketing strategies and player rating systems. We will examine the social and economic impact of gaming and the various regulatory environments within which casinos operate. We will learn how common casino games are played as well as understand the mathematics of the various games. Students will build on their food and beverage and hotel knowledge to better understand the specific challenges facing casino hotel operators.
HADM 6100 is a required master's-level course that provides a unique opportunity for successful industry leaders to share their experiences with M.M.H. students in a small group setting. Speakers will share their views about the successful skill sets, temperaments, and leadership styles needed to be an effective and valuable executive. They will also focus on critical industry-related issues. The speakers are chosen for their knowledge, experience, and proven success in the hospitality industry. Students in HADM 6100 have an unparalleled opportunity to learn how hospitality executives view the current and future status of the industry.
HADM 6101The Economics of Urban Real Estate Markets and the Built Environment3
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the economics of urban real estate markets and the built environment. This will include links between market drivers of property use and value, durability of buildings and infrastructure, finance, and social policy. The course begins with analysis of the 2007 housing market crash and the financial crisis it precipitated. Spatial patterns of development and real estate values are then considered, including patterns extending out from city centers, moving up high in tall commercial buildings, and differences across metropolitan areas. The course concludes with assessment of how new strategies to facilitate urban transportation along with work-from-home have potential to threaten central city office markets and affect patterns of development in cities.
HADM 6110Negotiations in the Hospitality Industry3
Negotiation is a critical factor in business success. This course provides hands-on experience in negotiation in the hospitality context. Through the use of role-play exercises, discussions, and writing exercises, students develop into tough negotiators with whom people will want to continue doing business. Students become more comfortable with negotiations and develop their own personal negotiating style. Students also learn how to adjust their negotiating style to respond appropriately to others' different personalities and negotiation tactics.
This course is designed to enhance your ability to negotiate effectively in a wide variety of settings. The course is relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems that are faced by hospitality managers and professionals. Thus, the content applies for students interested in general management, department management, corporate management, marketing, finance, real estate, consulting, and mergers and acquisitions. Each week students will be expected to negotiate a case via zoom with one of their classmates, and class sessions will focus on debriefing negotiated deals and drawing lessons from them. Topics include: Haggling Terminology and Tactics, Integrative Bargaining & Problem-solving, Balancing Integrative Bargaining with Distributive Bargaining, Additional Modes of Integration, Planning & Documentation and Negotiation Ethics.
HADM 6112Leadership and Corporate Accountability1.5
This course focuses on leader development. Through the lens of positive organizational scholarship and by engaging with case studies, group activities, self-reflection, and peer discussion, students will a) deepen self-awareness about their leadership style and strengths, b) learn how to unlock critical intrapersonal and interpersonal resources, and c) develop positive leadership skills and practices. Regarding accountability, students will leverage the Giving Voice to Values framework to learn about how to align their professional lives with their principles and practice effectively standing up for their values.
Through lecture, experiential exercises, videos, and readings, students will prepare to be effective hospitality leaders by a) learning how to effectively build and maintain high quality relationships, b) developing an awareness of and strategies for managing relational challenges, and c) deriving a framework for building relational capability in an organization.
Turn big ideas into thriving ventures in Entrepreneurial Management. This course equips aspiring entrepreneurs and future leaders with the frameworks and skills to build and scale successful organizations that make a positive impact. Learn how to identify real opportunities using GenAI, craft powerful visions, design scalable structures, and foster a winning culture. Gain practical tools to secure resources, manage risk, and drive growth. From navigating uncertainty to leading with purpose, this course prepares you to build ventures that create lasting value for both business and society. Ideal for any student starting or planning to start a business.
This course will guide students to answer the fundamental question: Why Entrepreneurialism? Is it the right path for me?. Many people say they want to start a business but don't expect and desire the authority and responsibility that comes with it. The objective of this course is to both broaden students' thinking about what constitutes the field of entrepreneurial endeavor - and to sharpen their focus on the unique attributes they bring to the table in considering launching entrepreneurial ventures of their own in the future.
Innovation is a top priority for CEOs worldwide and organizations are actively seeking leaders who can drive it from within. Innovation & Corporate Renewal prepares you to be that leader. Discover how global companies launch new ventures, develop breakthrough products, and transform themselves to stay competitive. Through real-world cases, actionable frameworks, and the application of GenAI, you’ll learn to lead bold initiatives, tackle complex challenges, and spark change. Whether you pursue corporate leadership, consulting, or entrepreneurship, this course will give you the skills and mindset to stand out and make an impact in today’s innovation-driven world.
Success in both your career and personal life depends on how you think, adapt, and solve problems. Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset teaches you to think creatively, act decisively, and make smart decisions even with limited information. Through real-world examples and proven strategies, you?ll build resilience, adaptability, initiative, communication, and problem-solving skills ? traits top recruiters seek and tools you can apply daily. Most importantly, you?ll learn how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to achieve both professional and personal goals, helping you turn ideas into action and create meaningful impact in every part of your life. (MHA-EL)
The movement towards a service-based economy has coincided with a fundamental shift in technology and manufacturing ventures to a business model and plan in which the value proposition and customer experience has become central. As a result, the service component of products, based on the value they provide to consumers, has become dominant. Additionally, business modeling for service-based businesses is inherently different from for product or technology ventures. Students interested in starting service-based companies as well as those interested in developing service-based business models for technology and new product startups will find this course relevant and useful. This is an experientially based course. Students will be engaged in the process of business model and business plan development throughout the semester.
HADM 6190Key Drivers for Making Innovation Happen1
Innovation and entrepreneurship are not just about creating new things. True innovation and entrepreneurship are about creating new value. The goal of this course is to set students up for success in adding new value to organizations, whether the organizations are established ones or new ones. There are plenty of books and articles about innovation and entrepreneurship that contain a variety of frameworks and concepts. This course goes a step beyond that and highlights select key drivers for making innovation happen. It's a one-weekend course specifically focused on having and using (1) a perspectives mindset and (2) a process to identify and choose unconventional solutions. Additional shorter discussions will touch on being able to go from concept to creation (to value) and enrolling others in your innovation. This interactive course includes the following elements: ? A mix of reading, cases, examples, exercises ? Actual tools that will be used in class and in real life ? Opportunities to engage in real-world situations ? Hands-on experience that you can apply to any situation to innovate and grow (MHA-EL)
This introduction to real estate finance and investment emphasizes developing valuation and decision-making skills. It introduces students to the business of real estate, both residential and commercial real estate, including roles, activities and players, terminology, and how the tools, concepts, and models in real estate are used in decision making. The objectives of this course are twofold: (1) to help students develop an understanding of real estate fundamentals; and (2) to introduce students to the quantitative aspects of real estate-investment decision making, valuation under uncertainty, and mortgage financing. (MHA-EL)
This course covers the basic financial models and frameworks used throughout the real estate industry today. In this introductory course, students will focus exclusively on a rigorous cash flow construction and scenario analysis to include the impact of deterministic inputs in ex-ante decision making. The course covers extensively the modeling of simple lease structures (for different property types), conventional and exotic debt instruments and simple equity waterfalls.
This course covers the basic financial models and frameworks used throughout the real estate industry today. In this introductory course, students will focus exclusively on a rigorous cash flow construction and scenario analysis to include the impact of deterministic inputs in ex-ante decision making. The course covers extensively the modeling of simple lease structures (for different property types), conventional and exotic debt instruments and simple equity waterfalls.
Focuses on real estate financing for hospitality-oriented projects. The following topics are addressed: methods of measuring rates of return; feasibility and appraisal processes; equity and debt financing vehicles to include joint ventures, limited partnerships, construction mortgages, participating, convertible and seller-financed mortgages; forms of operating agreements to include management contracts, leases, and franchises; and trends in international hotel franchising. Presentation of hospitality industry real estate practitioners will tie course material to current industry practices.
This course provides an introduction to the financial management of sports organizations. Students will examine the sources of value creation unique to sports entities and learn how these distinct drivers are reflected in the financial statements and the valuation of such organizations. The course will also develop students’ ability to read and interpret the financial statements of sports organizations, with particular attention to how they differ from those of other types of businesses. These differences will be analyzed in light of the idiosyncratic characteristics of the sports industry and its underlying sources of value. Building on this foundation, students will explore how industry dynamics and value drivers inform budgeting and forecasting processes within sports organizations. The course will further demonstrate how variations in revenue streams and value creation mechanisms translate into differences in financial modeling and valuation approaches specific to the sports context.
The course will establish the links between corporate strategy, competitive position, and the firm's financial decisions using current and recent financial events occurring in the hospitality industry. These links will be examined through financial decisions such as, capital budgeting, capital structure, M&A, and dividend/share repurchase decisions. The course will employ traditional tools such as NPV, EVA, and real options to assess the links described above. The pedagogy of the course will engage high level executives from across the various segments of the hospitality industry to provide the class with a real world context of the complexities faced when deciding upon and executing these financial strategies.
HADM 6231Urban Theory and Real Estate Market Analysis1.5
This course educates about urban theory from an economic point of view and develops tools for the analysis of real estate markets. Areas examined include economic aspects of urbanization processes and policies, determinants of urban growth and decline, urban land and real estate markets, urban transportation, and urban public services. This course applies the latest economic thinking and research to the tasks of analyzing real estate market fundamentals, forecasting supply and demand, and choosing locations.
The traditional framework for thinking about financial markets assumes that all market participants are fully rational. Over the past four decades, behavioral finance has emerged as one of the most important paradigm shifts in financial economics, arguing that many market phenomena result from less-than-fully rational thinking among investors, managers, and households. This course provides an in-depth discussion of the field. We first revisit topics in finance from a behavioral finance perspective: markets (stock market fluctuations, popular investment strategies, bubbles); investor behavior (poor investment decisions by households); and corporate finance (security issuance, investments, mergers and acquisitions). We then discuss recent developments in the field, for example, information processing and memory, housing and credit cycles, ESG investing, entrepreneurial decision-making, and the emerging intersection of AI and human bias in financial contexts. A running theme in the course is that knowledge of behavioral finance is essential for anyone who seeks a full understanding of modern financial markets. Over the course, we will draw intuitions from dozens of academic papers.
This course covers capital budgeting, firm valuation, capital structure and payout policies by focusing on real-life problems faced by the hospitality industry. We will (1) evaluate projects; (2) analyze financial statements and develop pro-formas; (3) understand how investment and financing decisions impact firm value; (4) develop complex spreadsheet models.
This course is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the financial statements and related disclosures to interpret and assess a company's performance. The course will focus on analyzing companies in the hospitality industry to gain a deeper understanding of the industry from a financial perspective, and to develop the ability to interpret financial data to make informed credit and investment decisions. This will include a review of the recognition and measurement concepts, the choices managers make among alternative accounting methods, and the use of estimates in preparing the financial statements. Cases will be the primary focus of class discussion and the work in this course.
HADM 6250Securitization and Structured Financial Products3
Deals with the structure and analysis of securitized financial products with an emphasis on residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The course is intended for those who wish to acquire a working knowledge of the analysis of such securities (e.g., collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial MBS, auto loans, and credit card-backed securities) and an understanding of the securitization process. The course's subject matter necessitates a highly analytic and quantitative approach, and students are required to have a strong background in finance and economics. Students who have questions about preparation or background should see the instructor.
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts and paradigms that are most often encountered in real estate development. The course is designed to provide an overview of the real estate development process with an emphasis on analysis, risk management, and decision-making relative to changing economic, environmental, institutional, regulatory, and social contexts. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, market analysis, site acquisition, due diligence, zoning entitlements, approvals, site planning, building design, construction, financing, leasing, ongoing management, and disposition.
HADM 6265Mastering Strategy Execution: Control Systems to Win3
This course gives you the tools to execute a winning strategy. Once strategy is defined, managers must allocate scarce resources among units and hold people accountable for those resources. Managers must use performance measurement and control systems to direct and motivate desired behaviors and monitor progress against the previously defined strategy.
This course provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts that are most often encountered in the market for fixed income securities. The goals of the course are threefold: (1) to develop the set of tools required to evaluate virtually any fixed income instrument; (2) to illustrate the mechanics and intuition of hedging and other trading and portfolio strategies; and (3) to explore the key features of both traditional and derivative fixed income instruments. The course focuses on topics that are most likely to have practical relevance for students, while helping students develop a theoretical and mathematical approach to valuation and risk management that will be useful in a wide range of financial applications.
HADM 6271Investment in Real Estate Securities and Funds3
This course focuses on equity investment in commercial real estate through indirect vehicles. The course builds on standard investment and corporate finance concepts. The high-level learning objectives are to familiarize students with indirect real estate investment and to introduce the analytical tools required to value the firms in that sector.
This course promotes sound real estate investment and finance decision making through the use of advanced theory and techniques in financial economics. Real estate investment decisions are made from applications of an extended version of the after-tax discounted cash flow model and other valuation models, including option pricing and regression models. Financing decisions are made using the techniques of modern financial analysis. A wide array of equity and debt financing options are considered including partnership agreements and commercial mortgages. Securitization of equity and debt claims to real estate also are covered. All types of income-producing residential and nonresidential real estate are analyzed, including hospitality properties. (MHA-EL)
HADM 6285Derivatives: Forwards, Futures, Swaps, and Options3
The market for financial instruments called derivatives has experienced dramatic growth over the years. Market participants use derivatives (commonly various types of forwards, futures, swaps, and options) to transfer and manage risks regarding practically anything (e.g., from common ones, including financial assets such as stocks and indices, or commodities such as oil, corn, and wheat, to more niche ones such as weather), as well as express views on market outcomes about them and trade to make profit. My goal is to help students develop strong intuition and build the skills necessary to understand, value, and use derivatives. In order to provide a useful treatment of the topics suitable for a rapidly changing environment, I will stress fundamental concepts and emphasize important applications throughout the course.
HADM 6310Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy in the Food and Beverage Industry3
Through carefully selected readings, insightful case studies, and engaging discussions with industry experts, this course delves into the strategic challenges faced by food and beverage firms within the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. Through critical analysis of real-world cases, students gain a deeper understanding of leadership and development strategies relevant to the food and beverage industry and its role in shaping a sustainable global food system, with a strong focus on integrating ESG principles.
Similar to lodging in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, restaurants today are experiencing rapid changes in how customers interact with them - either for placing orders, delivery or simply checking hours and menus. The distributional changes impacting restaurants were accelerated by the pandemic - and as a result, changes which happened over years in lodging have happened in months for restaurants. This course provides an overview of how restaurants can both adjust and ensure profitability in an ever-evolving restaurant distribution landscape.
This course intends to build awareness among the public regarding nutrition, food ethics, policy, insecurity, and sustainability. Sophisticated consumers and business operators are increasing the embrace of environmental health, customer health, and food sourcing. Students will explore the everchanging landscape of the food and beverage industry as seen through this societal lens. Discussion and lab topics include sustainable farming and consumer health needs, the power of food marketing, merchandising, and the selling of healthy menus in restaurants.
HADM 6350Selection, Procurement and Supply Chain Management3
This course deals with contemporary management issues related to procurement activities within the hospitality industry. Focus is on both the food distribution industry and the hospitality industry so that students understand the role the distributor plays in the movement of food and supplies from the producer to the hospitality operator and how the creation of distribution partnerships serves to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Topics include distribution channels and intermediaries in the supply chain, food distributor financial statement analysis, evaluation and selection of suppliers, development of buying strategies, influence of economic and environmental factors on supply, purchase timing and inventory management, the emerging role of the Internet, and e-procurement service providers.
HADM 6360Tactics and Strategies for Restaurant Management3
This course examines the key success factors behind foodservice management connecting the interrelated elements of marketing, operations, and finance with a shared emphasis on tactical and strategic issues and problem solving. Students learn by engaging in a series of team-based managerial and operational decisions through the highly animated Cornell Restaurant Administration Simulation Exercise (CRASE).
HADM 6375Introduction to Fermented Grains, Hard Ciders, and Sake3
The course will introduce students to fermented grain beverages and ciders from around the world. The class will explore basic production methods of the products. Demonstration of the proper way to examine the different products will be done through lecture and tastings.
This course will provide an overview of the factors that contribute to the development and evolution of food culture and behavior around the world. The class will use an inter-disciplinary approach using in-class discussion informed by readings and research across anthropology, geography, history, sociology, and psychology to examine how factors combine to create a food culture, its cuisine, and how both impact the human experience.
HADM 6390Operational Analysis for Foodservice Management3
This course requires that students analyze and interpret financial statements such as income statements, balance sheets, and statements of cash flow and use their analyses to solve problems presented in case studies. Additional analyses involve the examination and interpretation of guest satisfaction data, employee performance data, pricing strategies, and margin analysis.
HADM 6425The Global Leisure Cruise Industry and Economics of Marine Tourism3
This course introduces students to the global leisure cruise industry—the economics, markets, and organizations that comprise the fastest-growing sector of the travel and hospitality industry. Topics feature a conceptual grounding in cruise service management, including finance, strategic planning, demand and revenue management, branding, marketing communications, distribution, hotel and F&B operations, marine operations, human resource management, environmental compliance, and destination management, coupled with real-world application provided by executives from a leading company in the industry: Royal Caribbean Group. Students conduct integrative analyses that examine opportunities and challenges across the cruise industry.
This course will introduce students to the fundamental strategies for innovation, entrepreneurship, and change. Through workshop activities, readings, lectures, and case discussions, we will take the perspective of entrepreneurial individuals, who generate and evaluate innovative ideas, formulate entrepreneurial strategies to capture value from those ideas, and effect positive changes in life and work.
HADM 6440Lodging Industry Strategy and Innovation1.5
The course focuses on the practical application of strategy and innovation in the global lodging industry utilizing case studies, guest lectures and analysis of current industry events, leveraging the Professor's 37-year career at Marriott.
Helps students become better at understanding, predicting, and influencing consumer behavior. Topics include motivation, perception, learning, decision making, attitudes, persuasion, compliance, geodemographics, and psychographics. The practical implications of psychological principles are emphasized. Specific applications involve such areas as guest frequency programs, menu design, promotional strategy, personal selling, sales and marketing planning, and marketing research. Class time is used for discussions and application exercises as well as for the presentation of relevant information. (MHA-EL)
Brands have become the central organizing principle of most hospitality organizations, guiding many decision and actions. This elective course addresses important brand management decisions faced by hospitality firms. Combining the latest in thought leadership on this topic with practical exercises and research presentations, you will learn how to manage a brand for increased customer engagement, market advantage and profitability. We will cover key elements of brand management via presentations on key concepts as well as reading and presenting brand management research to give you the skills to incorporate both industry practices and insight from empirical articles into your brand management toolkit.
Brands have become the central organizing principle of most hospitality organizations, guiding every decision and every action. This course addresses important brand management decisions faced by hospitality firms. Combining the latest in thought leadership on this topic with practical exercises, case studies, and guest speakers you will learn how to manage a brand for increased customer engagement, market advantage and profitability. We will cover key elements of brand management via presentations on key concepts, reading and discussing seminal brand management research, insights from guest speakers, and discussing hospitality brand case studies. Learning is assessed via in-class contributions, analysis of cases, and a final research paper.
HADM 6490Integrated Marketing Communication and Digital Media3
This course delves into the dynamic field of marketing promotion with a focus on the hospitality and service industries. Building on theories and research from brand management, communications, consumer learning and information processing, and persuasion and attitude change, students will examine traditional promotions tools such as broadcast advertising, public relations, and direct marketing, as well as digital media tools such as search and website marketing, content marketing, social media, influencer marketing, experiential marketing, digital-direct, and programmatic advertising. The main course project is the development of an integrated marketing communications plan for a service organization. Students will also demonstrate their emerging knowledge through presentations on industry practices and essay exams focusing on the theories that guide marketing-communications strategy.
HADM 6491Integrated Marketing Communications for the Hospitality Industry1.5
This course delves into the dynamic field of marketing promotion in the hospitality industry. Building on theories and research from brand management, communications, consumer learning and information processing, and persuasion and attitude change, students will examine traditional promotions tools such as broadcast advertising, public relations, and direct marketing, as well as new digital media tools such as search and website marketing, content marketing, social media, influencer marketing, experiential marketing, digital-direct, and programmatic advertising. Students will demonstrate their emerging knowledge through quizzes and learning activities focused on the theories that guide marketing-communications strategy and practice, as well as the development of an integrated marketing communications plan for a hypothetical hotel company.
An advanced, experiential learning course in which students are primarily tasked to work directly with hospitality companies to solve real sustainability-related issues in the marketplace. Projects are related to the greening of current operations (operational), the refurbishment of existing assets and properties (brownfield), and the establishment of new businesses (Greenfield). The goal is to help students develop and refine critical analysis and decision-making skills related to hospitality management and sustainability through hands-on learning experiences. Short weekend practicum trip required.
This intensive studio course provides the graphic skills necessary for design and experience in applying these skills in hospitality planning and design. Using hand drafting skills learned in class, students prepare design projects including design of guest rooms, guest room floors and public space and back-of-house functions. In addition to studio critiques, the course includes in-class discussions of site analysis, target markets, architectural choices and the use of inspirational precedents.
HADM 6511Fundamentals of Hospitality Real Estate Development1.5
Real estate development projects have many moving pieces - millions of dollars, groups of stakeholders, and teams of individuals working together to bring the projects to success, often over the course of several years. Throughout this course, you will focus on how to effectively manage these commercial development projects to maximize value. Utilizing specific case studies, you will determine a project's feasibility, develop project management skills, and systematically compare competing commercial development sites to ensure your selection aligns with your project goals. You will then create, cultivate, and communicate the project's vision, scope, and feasibility in a development package to share with key stakeholders to gain support for your project. This package will prepare you to create a Basis of Design document which will become the foundation for the project team's choices, rationale, and decision making throughout the process. To highlight the project's benefits and opportunities to the broader community, you'll also develop a financial pitch designed to realistically promote the project. As the final piece, you'll have the opportunity to develop plans to overcome any unexpected project challenges elegantly and efficiently. Upon completion of the course, you will have the skills and practical knowledge to take a commercial development project from conception to launch. Executive MMH elective course.
HADM 6515Hospitality Visioning and Concept Design3
This course is an interdisciplinary course where one can apply what they have learned in hospitality development & design, marketing, real estate and operations, to envision a hotel concept, or brand story, and fully develop it with a team to understand how this concept informs site selection, program, design, and operational procedures.
Hotel asset managers act on behalf of investors to meet the specific objectives of real estate ownership. Specifically in this course, the focus is on hotel and resort real estate assets. This course provides an overview of the strategies and tactics of real estate asset management and provides insights into the current market and operational challenges. Students will walk through the components of the asset management strategic plan to understand how different analyses influence the sell/hold, brand and operational decisions. Other topics include hotel management agreements, the capital investment decision, and the asset manager's interaction with portfolio managers.
HADM 6521Hospitality Asset Management I: Strategic and Tactical Processes1.5
Real estate asset managers act on behalf of the owners of real estate investments to meet the owners' specific objectives. We analyze the asset manager's role in building value at both the portfolio and property levels. Lectures, assignments, cases, and guest speakers introduce the latest techniques in asset management and provide insights into current market and operational challenges. Topics include real estate portfolio management, the asset management strategic process, hotel management contracts, and owner vs. manager dynamics.
HADM 6522Hospitality Asset Management II: Financial Management and Capital Investment Strategies1.5
Real estate asset managers are charged with maximizing the value of each asset they manage on behalf of the real estate owner. In this course, lectures, assignments, cases, and guest speakers introduce the latest tools, trends, and strategies in managing and monitoring the asset during the hold period. The goals of these strategies are to enhance value for ownership through utilizing financial management tools and employing strategic allocation of capital within the asset. Topics include sell vs. hold decisions, benchmarking property performance, variance analyses, physical asset preservation, and the capital investment decision.
This course introduces the basic concepts of foodservice facilities design and planning with an emphasis on restaurant kitchens. This course emphasizes general practices among foodservice facilities designers, including program development, product and workflow, equipment selection, architectural and engineering considerations, and project management. A brief introduction to computer-aided design software will be provided. Students will learn to conceptualize, plan, and create a design for a medium-size restaurant kitchen and front-of-house service areas.
This course will examine the fundamental principles that are the building blocks of sustainability's Triple Bottom Line. We'll explore environmental preservation, concepts in sustainable food, and community engagement, in detail and consider how they may apply to relevant stakeholders. The benefits and challenges of implementing a triple bottom line approach of various organizations will be evaluated.
HADM 6570Project Management for Hospitality Real Estate Development3
This course presents a framework for managing the real estate development process offering project management skills applicable for all development projects including project planning, budgeting and scheduling as well as leadership, communications, team formulation, procurement and management ethics. The course also presents a range of case studies addressing the contingencies any project must inevitably endure. In-class exercises, case studies, class discussions are required course activities.
Communication skills are essential for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs face unique communication challenges when communicating with initial investors, business partners, founding employees, first customers, and the media. Students will apply course concepts to their own ideas while developing communication competencies in a variety of entrepreneurial communication contexts.
This course provides students with a foundation on how improving everyday communication can make speaking skills more impactful. Students will explore how to set up their message while considering its purpose, its context, and its audience. Keep in mind that this is not about speechwriting but about crafting an unscripted message. Students will then practice these skills in front of real people to test their ability to deliver their message in applicable environments. Students will explore what it's like to adapt that message to different surroundings and challenges. They will also develop emotional intelligence skills as you navigate how to better gauge your audience's reaction. Professor Wolfe will demonstrate how applying these concepts will make your messages resonate, from a routine low-stakes situation to a formal pitch that affects their career goals.In this course, students will examine and critique the differences between virtual and in-person communication. They will prepare, plan, and practice for virtual communication, familiarizing themselves with their virtual platform and practicing techniques to build trust with an audience. Students will also set up their room, including background and lighting, and practice proper body language and voice intonation.
HADM 6620Intercultural Communication in Global Business3
Designed to help managers develop proficiency when communicating among and between people who do not share similar cultural assumptions. Students can expect to learn communication variables that differ among cultural groups, including the use of eye contact, body language, personal space, hierarchy, and time. Additional topics include persuasion and negotiation across cultures and the ethics of communication in international business. Students learn through a blend of theory and practice. Activities include lectures, guided discussions, group projects, student and guest speaker presentations, and analysis of specific cross-cultural managerial challenges, with an emphasis on the service industry.
Storytelling for Leaders is designed to enhance your ability to craft and deliver impactful workplace stories. You will learn to apply a storytelling framework to create clear and engaging narratives. Throughout the course, you will develop and practice various story types designed to inspire, inform, and connect with diverse audiences.
HADM 6650Impactful Unscripted Communication Practicum3
The course teaches advanced business public speaking skills for business and hospitality contexts. It includes a series of workshops, individual and small group coaching, and ongoing instructor and peer critiques. The course materials and projects build on the speaking skills introduced in HADM 7610 and help students further master audience awareness, flexibility, and adaptability to various media and emerging contexts such as video interviews and virtual meetings.
This course will help you to develop the knowledge and skill as a future organizational leader to address persuasive and real ethical communication challenges. It focuses on the art of applying persuasion theory and principles to a range of diverse leadership and communication contexts.
Introduction to programming in Python with an emphasis on Hospitality applications. No previous programming experience is required. Topics covered include programming basics, file input and output, Excel integration, database integration, and data analysis. (MHA-EL)
HADM 6740Fundamentals of Database Management and Data Analysis3
Prepares students to create and manage information in a knowledge-based organization. Students learn to design and use database tools to perform analyses and to make decisions in today's information-rich business environment. The course provides both theoretical and practical perspectives of database design and administration, with a focus on application. To manage this balance, students first gain a foundation of database concepts from lecture and course readings, and subsequently apply these fundamentals through various projects and assignments. Topics include information and information management in organizations; fundamentals of relational database design and implementation; writing and running SQL queries; working in database design teams and as individual research analysts; database design and management using Microsoft Access; database normalization; data-driven decision making; conversion of data into information and knowledge that can be leveraged to achieve business objectives; the role of data and information management in contemporary society; and data management opportunities in the hospitality industry. (MHA-EL)
This class is taught in a 'flipped' environment. It focuses on organizational systems, planning, and the decision process and how information is used for decision support in organizations. Students are provided with practical skills in developing spreadsheet computer models using Microsoft Excel. Topics include: business planning and forecasting, numerical methods, advanced formulas and functions, user-interface design, data protection and validation, importing external data, and output presentation.
An analysis of key legal issues that a startup or growing business must address, including: (i) choosing type of business entity, (ii) proper establishment and utilization of corporate boards of directors, (iii) sources of capital and understanding capitalization structures (common stock, preferred stock, warrants, etc.) (iv) use of stock options as employee incentives, (v) protecting confidential information and inventions, (vi) fundamental employment practices, (vii) negotiating relationships with landlords, distributors, resellers and customers; and (viii) secured transactions and basic debtor-creditor law.Three to four young, successful entrepreneurs will give lectures about specific legal issues they have confronted in their business start-ups. In addition, use of video conferencing technology will allow another 3-4 entrepreneurs into the classroom for similar Q & A exchanges.
The hospitality industry is the most labor intensive industry in the world. In the United States, there is a large union presence in the major cities. In union and non-union environments, owners and operators must consider the discrimination laws when making any employment decision. This course provides a broad overview into the theory and practice of labor and employment law for owners and operators. In addition, because numerous employers have begun to implement DE&I programs, this class provides a framework for understanding how to create such programs that do not violate the law. This class begins by setting forth the protected classes established in 1964, 1967, and 1990. We then examine the process for proving discrimination, the development of sexual harassment, disability & religious accommodations, retaliation, and alternative dispute resolution, all of which will affect DE& I programs. We then move on to examine wage and hour law, which in the hospitality industry can be quite complex, as well as union/management relations. Students will be able to spot legal issues, identify the relevant rule of law, and apply facts to law. They will understand union organizing and collective bargaining.
Platforms have become central to many of society's most important functions. You use them to find information (Google, Bing, etc.), communicate with friends (iOS, WhatsApp), find a date (Tinder, Bumble), book a flight (Google Flights), make hotel (Kayak) or restaurant reservations (OpenTable). There is a good chance you are reading this course description on a digital platform (OS X, Linux, or Windows). This seminar provides a multidisciplinary lens by which to study these organizations as the intersection of markets, technology, and institutions. The sessions will discuss how platforms have transformed labor, democracy, economics, law, and other aspects of social life. In doing so, this seminar will allow students to engage in discussions about surveillance, capitalism, inequality, power, and cooperation.
This course provides students with an understanding of the legal issues surrounding the ownership, transfer, and use and development of real estate. Students will learn to recognize and evaluate legal issues in order to inform the decision-making process with respect to real estate, whether as a business executive, an entrepreneur, or in personal life.
This course provides students with an understanding of the legal issues surrounding the ownership, transfer, and use and development of real estate. Students will learn to recognize and evaluate legal issues in order to inform the decision-making process with respect to real estate, whether as a business executive, an entrepreneur, or in personal life.
The course will provide students with a broad understanding of managerial finance. The overall objective is to develop skills in using accounting and cash flow information for financial planning, capital budgeting evaluation, long-term financial decision-making, and capital structure decisions. Topics will include valuation of investments, capital budgeting decisions, capital structure, long-term financing, cost of capital, debt capacity, and raising capital in the public markets.
This second hospitality immersion provides an opportunity for students to connect with industry leaders with a focus upon innovation. The course connects students with leaders that are driving change and innovation within hospitality and prepares them with innovation focussed content that allows students to connect their coursework to challeging issues facing their comapnies and the industry as a whole.
The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition is an annual entrepreneurship event that begins at the start of the academic year when students form teams and develop business idea pitches, that are judged based upon the clarity, substantiation, and marketability of their business idea. Up to ten (10) teams will be selected to compete as semi-finalists based on the quality of the pitch and will move forward to the next round, which involves the creation of a complete business plan. Those teams selected will be offered permission codes for enrollment.
Each student must have in mind a project and obtain agreement from an individual faculty member to oversee and direct the study. Written permission is required before course enrollment. Permission forms are available in the Office of Student Services, 180 Statler Hall.
Each student must have in mind a project and obtain agreement from an individual faculty member to oversee and direct the study. Written permission is required before course enrollment. Permission forms are available in the Office of Student Services, 180 Statler Hall.
The purpose of this course is to introduce world-class service operations management concepts and approaches for the hospitality industry. This core course focuses on understanding levers for structuring, managing, and improving a firm's recurring business processes to achieve a competitive advantage in customer responsiveness, price, quality, and variety of products and services in the hospitality industry. Processes within firms, as well as between firms, i.e. supply chains, are explored. The fundamental principles underlying state-of-the-art practices are explored so that students learn to critically evaluate these and other operational improvement programs, as well as develop their own operational improvements. Students learn how to manage and improve the operations of a firm, and how operational issues affect and are affected by the many business decisions they will be called upon to make or recommend in their careers. As such, this course is essential to the participants working/aspiring to work in hospitality consulting, entrepreneurs, or general managers. Working knowledge of operations is also indispensable to those working/aspiring to work in marketing, finance, and accounting, where the interface between these functions and operations is critical. Finally, an understanding of how firms become market leaders through operations is important in investment careers.
This course explores the hospitality industry through the hotel sector, highlighting key management challenges in the service industry. Through the perspectives of operators, managers, consumers, travelers, owner-investors, and policymakers, students will examine the strategic, operational, financial, and human resource dimensions that drive hospitality management. By integrating real-world insights and industry best practices, the course fosters a deep understanding of service excellence, market dynamics, and innovation within a competitive global landscape. Designed for executives and professionals, this course equips participants with the analytical tools and leadership skills necessary to navigate complexities and drive success in the evolving hospitality sector.
HADM 7120Leading and Transforming Hospitality Organizations1.5
Students will examine how to leverage their team and their people to take advantage of opportunities in the market and adapt their enterprise accordingly. This course combines components of strategy and leadership. Agility requires stability. How do you build a stable workplace for your people while adding flexibility and agility to change? If you have to use resource reallocation dynamically you have to find ways to manage conflicts between resource allocation and pivoting.
HADM 7144Competitive Strategies for the Hospitality Industry3
Examines competitive strategies, cooperative strategies, and growth strategies within the hospitality industries and beyond. The goal is to develop a mastery of the strategic issues facing hospitality as well as important new qualitative tools to perform analyses. Using a case-based approach, the course focuses not only on hospitality but on other industries as well, allowing for thinking outside the box and development of novel solutions not possible by studying only hospitality. The course integrates knowledge from all previous M.M.H. courses including marketing, finance, organizational behavior, and human resources.
The course will provide students with a broad understanding of managerial finance. The overall objective is to develop skills in using accounting and cash flow information for financial planning, capital budgeting evaluation, long-term financial decision-making, and capital structure decisions. Topics will include valuation of investments, capital budgeting decisions, capital structure, long-term financing, cost of capital, debt capacity, and raising capital in the public markets.
This course moves on from traditional GAAP to using accounting standards for hospitality. The Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) is the standard for hotel accounting practices. USALI is not taught in many schools as it is specific to hotels/lodging industry. This course allows for significant benchmarking between hotels/lodging units to understand how your hotel is performing against competition. All cases and examples are from the lodging industry. Students in this course will not perform the role of accountants; they will use sample data routinely provided by accountants to hotel owners, operators, and general managers so that they can practice making sound business decisions based on the information in the financial documents.
This course is designed to offer descriptive and prescriptive knowledge about management, leadership, and ethics in organizations. Selected issues, themes, cases, readings, and exercises will be relevant and applicable to working in the hospitality industry. Together, both courses will give students more insight into the following:Psychological biases and cognitive traps that can undermine ethical decision-making and rational choices at workIndividual differences (e.g., traits, tendencies) and greater understanding of your personal strengths (to help you become the best version of yourself as a manager and leader)Practical advice to form and sustain high-quality connections at work (and strategies to encourage other employees to do the same) leading people to thrive and organizations to flourishKnowledge about how to design and implement human resource practices that will increase employee engagement by way of employee empowermentCreation and maintenance of an organizational culture that will benefit multiple stakeholders (employees, suppliers, customers, shareholders, surrounding communities)
This course provides an opportunity for students to connect content across other courses (marketing, operations, finance, accounting, etc...) through a lens of innovation as students focus on outlining solutions to key challenges either within organizations where they currently work, or develop new concepts for firms to tackle key issues facing consumers today.
Marketing links the company to its customers. Marketing listens to the voice of the customer to guide product innovation, pricing strategies, and distribution approaches. Marketing communicates the company's value offer and shapes consumer attitudes toward the brand. Marketing facilitates the consumer purchase process, monitors satisfaction, and helps to ensure a stream of customers and profits. Thus, even if you don't pursue a career in marketing, it is important for you to understand how marketing works to integrate the activities of the firm. Services dominate the world economy. Services are different from manufactured goods in terms of how each is produced, purchased, and perceived. As such, services require a distinctive approach to marketing, both in creation and execution. Most business school marketing courses focus on the manufacturing sector. In this class, you will be exposed to a way of thinking about marketing that is grounded by a service-dominant paradigm. You will learn analytical approaches and gain insights needed to develop and implement service strategies. You will learn how to study consumer behavior for services and examine frameworks for service experience design and management. You will learn to create and map service processes, assess and deliver service quality, and diagnose and enhance service branding and marketing-communications strategies.
This course serves as an overview of hospitality project development and planning from the perspective of an owner and manager. Students learn about the role of the development team, feasibility studies, space programming, construction and renovation management, and functional and design criteria for hotels and restaurants. Teams will prepare program documentation for a new lodging property or concept. (MHA-EL)
Organizational leaders in the hospitality industry depend on written, visual, and oral messages to solve problems and to accomplish professional goals within the workplace. Students learn to think critically, ethically, and strategically about communication in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes, for example, proposing an idea and addressing real ethical challenges that may occur in a crisis situation. Students will practice communication principles, such as developing and supporting an argument and crafting clear, concise messages.
Management Communication is designed to improve your speaking and decking skills in hospitality industry contexts and practices. You will learn to think critically and strategically about communication, to produce messages that are clear and concise. You will have several opportunities to practice effective communication elements, ranging from persuasive presentations to reading deck reports.
This graduate-level course covers the strategies that enable companies to attract, develop, and retain high-quality employees, which include selection, compensation, performance appraisal, and career management. In each of these areas, the focus is on the return on the human-resource investment.
Hospitality is a people-first industry. To remain competitive, service firms need to understand how their employees influence the firm's performance and create long-term competitive advantages. Therefore, companies need to find, develop, and retain talented and skilled people who are dedicated to providing a consistent, brand-focused, customer experience across all functions of the organization. Successful service firms understand that their HR function plays a key role in their overall success. In this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the policies, procedures, and systems required to attract, select, develop, and retain quality employees in today's hospitality industry. To achieve this objective, you will analyze the major environmental factors that affect employees' lives, the firm's HR function, and the company's day-to-day and operations. You will conduct a labor market analysis and identify an HR function's competitive position and priorities. You will then apply these concepts to design a strong, sustainable talent attraction and selection system that focuses on job needs, brand consistency, and promoting brand culture.
The MMH Master Class is a multi-day immersion seminar held at the site of a leading hospitality firm, such as a hotel, resort, or cruise line. Students solve problems based on real-life scenarios facing the host organization and present their solutions to industry leaders and the Hotel School faculty member(s) who accompany them.
HADM 7960Seminar in Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion3
Diversity and inclusion is on everyone's mind. We all know that together, we have to do a better job providing tools and resources to leaders to improve their ability create, sustain, and institutionalize diversity and inclusion (D&I) behavior in their organizations. To truly realize the benefits from D&I activities, initiatives and programs, leaders must be prepared to address the challenges we face in the broadly diverse hospitality industry. For our students, this course is designed to build both a theoretical and practical understanding of how to manage the ever-evolving needs for D&I programs in the global hospitality industry.
This course will focus on research that is being conducted within the growing domain of service operations. This includes, but is not limited to, the hospitality industry, healthcare, non-routine (e.g., white collar) services, transparency, collaboration, queuing management, workforce scheduling, and more. The course will use a combination of research papers and textbook chapters to cover some of the key results in the area of service operations and examine some of the recent research taking place in the field. Methodologies considered might include empirical data analysis, field and laboratory experiments, and analytical modeling.
HADM 9320Foundations of Operations Management II: Operations Strategy and Supply Chain Management1.5
This course will cover contemporary foundational research in the area of operations management. The focus will be on issues related to coordination, contracting, information flow and variability propagation in global supply chains. Later sessions will cover more contemporary issues around food supply chains, the carbon footprint of supply chains, the configuration of supply chain networks, issues of food waste, etc. Participants must have an advanced knowledge of static and dynamic game theory to follow the papers studied.
This course will focus on algorithmic approaches to setting prices for perishable products such as hotel rooms, airline seats, taxi-rides available in a neighborhood, seasonal products, etc. Topics covered will include revenue management for single resource, for networks of resources, overbooking, choice modeling, revenue management for differentiated products, assortment planning, online learning and pricing, and competitive assortment and price optimization. We will also see recent advances in the field, such as using game theory to model strategic consumer behavior in revenue management settings, applying revenue management techniques to platform settings, and empirical studies in revenue management.
HADM 9980Operations of Digital Business Models and Marketplaces1.5
Operating digital marketplaces (aka platforms, intermediaries) is the primary business of most technology companies. Ad-supported tech companies (Facebook, Google) design and operate markets that consumers of digital content with advertisers; digital transportation network companies (Uber, Lyft) operate marketplaces that connect riders with drivers; Labor marketplaces (Upwork) connect freelancers with jobs. This course will cover the latest research on operational issues in these marketplaces, including algorithms and approaches for matching supply with demand, strategies for scaling marketplaces, methods for price discovery, etc. The course will also cover other new digital business models such as those associated with bike-sharing systems, e-commerce and digital retail, social-media enabled selling, etc.
HADM 9981Seminar in Service Management Research1.5
This seminar course is designed for PhD and M.S. graduate research students with an interest in service and hospitality research. Topics will cover a range of domains relevant to hospitality scholarship, including service operations, revenue management, human resources management, services marketing, consumer behavior, communication, and real estate. We will also explore the research process and research methodologies, especially as these relate to applied scholarship. A highlight of the course is the participation of Graduate Faculty from the Hotel School who will share their research and stimulate your thinking about research questions of importance to the discipline of hospitality.
