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2025/2026  BA-BSEMO2591U  Sustainable Management of Culture and Tourism Services, 1st Year Project

English Title
Sustainable Management of Culture and Tourism Services, 1st Year Project

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Fourth Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Service and Markets
Course coordinator
  • Claudia Eger - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Service management
  • Cultural studies
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 26-06-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, the students should be able to:
  • Explore and analyze the relationship between sustainability and services through a relevant problem statement
  • Develop a research project that critically discusses the role and relevance of sustainability perspectives in service management
  • Explain and apply the concepts and theories on culture and tourism services presented in the course to understand the managerial issues related to sustainability
  • Analyze the challenges related to the sustainable management of culture and tourism services and make recommendations for improvement
Course prerequisites
English language skills equal to B2 level (CEFR) and math skills equal to Danish level B are recommended
Examination
Sustainable Management of Culture and Tourism Services, 1st Year Project:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-4
Size of written product Please see text below
The number of pages is determined by group size:
3 students: 20 pages
4 students: 25 pages
Assignment type Project
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Re-examination:
If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but didn't attend the oral exam, the re-examination is conducted on the basis of the group project that has already been handed in.
However, a copy of the project for the ordinary exam MUST be handed in for the re-exam within a specified time.

If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but not passed the oral exam, the re-exam is normally conducted on the basis of a revised version of the project that has already been handed in. However, the student may choose to hand in a new, individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.

NB! The student must clearly state at the frontpage of the project, if the project has been REVISED, or if the student has chosen to hand in a NEW PROJECT.

If the student has not participated in the written group project, the student may participate in the oral re-examination, if the student hands in an individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.

The student cannot claim supervision hours in connection with the retake/ reexam.
Description of the exam procedure

The final exam is a 1st year project group exam, based on a written group project and an individual oral exam. The project is based on theoretical perspectives, concepts, and methods covered in this course. You will work with a research question related to the sustainable management of culture and tourism services. The question should be derived from an organization or an organizational context in the culture or tourism industry. As a group, you are expected to select, refine, and define your research question. 

 

After submitting the written group project, each student will take an individual oral exam. The oral exam will focus on your group project and your ability to relate it to relevant theories and models from the course syllabus. Your final grade will be based on a combined assessment of the group project and your individual performance in the oral exam.

Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course aims to equip students with the tools, concepts, and theories needed to navigate the specific challenges that arise in the sustainable management of culture and tourism industries. Students will explore the evolving landscape of the tourism and creative industries and the management of cultural institutions, delving into the intricate demands and challenges associated with the sustainable planning, development, and delivery of tourism and cultural services. The course highlights the common challenges these sectors face, such as managing the creativity of specialized professionals and frontline employees and dealing with uncertain external environments shaped by shifting consumer tastes, new policies, and growing sustainability demands. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the managerial strategies needed to overcome the complexities of the culture and tourism sectors, ensuring they are well-prepared to address current industry trends and future sustainability challenges.

Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • Methodology
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Development of research questions
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Students conduct independent research-like activities under supervision
Description of the teaching methods
Teaching methods will combine class lectures and discussions for eliciting the concepts, theories and models. Students are expected to take an active part in the class discussions and exercises. Most exercises will be in small groups where preparation is essential. Group presentations and plenary discussions are vital to the success of the course. Lecture plans, cases and questions for preparation will be posted at CBS Canvas.
Feedback during the teaching period
Forms of continuous feedback are essential parts of the course and will be provided through interactive activities in class, student presentations and peer-to-peer feedback exercises allowing the students to practice and discuss cultural and tourism organization and theory-specific challenges. Moreover, students will receive feedback through project supervision in their groups.
Student workload
Classes 38 hours
Preparation of case presentations and supervision 20 hours
Preparation for classes 110 hours
Preparation for examination 30 hours
Expected literature

This is not a final list of literature and should be taken as a general orientation:
The course literature consists of a compendium of articles, book chapters and excerpts. The teacher will upload the final reading list to CBS Canvas two weeks before the course starts.

 

Valente, M. (2017). Corporate responsibility strategies for sustainability. Ch. 4 in: Rasche, A., Morsing, M. & Moon, J. (Eds.). Corporate social responsibility – Strategy, communication, governance (pp. 86-109). St Ives: Cambridge University. 


Baum, T., (2015). Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change? – A 2015 replay. Tourism Management, 50, 204-212.


Ioannides, D., Gyimóthy, S., & James, L. (2021). From Liminal Labor to Decent Work: A Human-Centered Perspective on Sustainable Tourism Employment. Sustainability, 13, 851.


Nohria, N., B Groysberg, B., & Lee, LE., (2008). Employee motivation: a powerful new model. Harvard business review, July-August 2008, 78-84.


Hughes, JC & Rog, E. (2008). Talent management: A strategy for improving employee recruitment, retention and engagement within hospitality organisations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20 (7), 743-757. 


Rathi, N. & Lee, K., (2016). Emotional exhaustion and work attitudes: Moderating effect of personality among frontline hospitality employees. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 15:3, 231-251.


Erhardt, N., Martin-Rios, C., & Heckscher, C. (2016). Am I doing the right thing? Unpacking workplace rituals as mechanisms for strong organizational culture. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 59, 31-41.


Gyimóthy, S., & Dredge, D. (2017). Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy. In: Collaborative economy and tourism (pp. 15-30). Springer, Cham.


Petruzzi, MA, Sheppard, V., & Marques, C. (2022). Positioning Airbnb and Fairbnb in the sharing-exchange continuum. Current issues in Tourism, 25(19), 3106-3109.


Bocken, NM, Short, SW, Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of cleaner production, 65, 42-56.

 

Agostino, D., Arnaboldi, M., & Lampis, A. (2020). Italian state museums during the COVID-19 crisis: from onsite closure to online openness. Museum Management and Curatorship, 35:4, 362-372.

 

Zhang, CX, Xiao, H., Morgan, N., & Ly, TP (2018). Politics of memories: Identity construction in museums. Annals of Tourism Research, 73, 116-130.

 

Samaroudi, M., Rodriguez Echavarria, K., & Perry. L. (2020). Heritage in lockdown: digital provision of memory institutions in the UK and US of America during the COVID-19 pandemic, Museum Management and Curatorship, 35:4, 337-361
 

Halkier, H. (2014). Innovation and Destination Governance in Denmark: Tourism, Policy Networks and Spatial Development. European Planning Studies, 22 (8), 1659-1670.


Clavé, SA & Wilson, J., (2017). The evolution of coastal tourism destinations: a path plasticity perspective on tourism urbanization. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25 (1), 96-112. 


Bosak, K., & McCool, SF (2019). Tourism and Sustainability: Transforming Global Value Chains to Networks. In: Sustainable Global Value Chains (pp. 585-595). Springer, Cham.


Fernandez-Stark, K. & Gereffi, G. (2019). Global value chain analysis: a primer (second edition). In: Handbook on global value chains (pp. 54-76). Edward Elgar Publishing. 


Manniche, J., Topsø Larsen, K., Brandt Broegaard, R., & Holland, E. (2019). Destination: A circular tourism economy: A handbook for transitioning towards a circular economy within the tourism and hospitality sectors in the South Baltic Region. 
 

 
Last updated on 26-06-2025