EHL Course Catalogue 2011-2012 - Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne

MODULE: INTRODUCTORY DECISION-MAKING TOOLS
After successfully passing this module, students will have acquired the basic competencies
necessary to make managerial decisions. The module has two main parts: analysis of the macroeconomic
and legal environment (course units on macroeconomics and law), and mastery of
accounting rules and IT spreadsheets (general accounting and spreadsheets). Students will acquire
the basic tools needed to obtain relevant information on the impact of the environment on the
company. The module also introduces the bases for business decisions and essential accounting
technique. Students will be able to analyse and evaluate internal and external factors in management
decisions.
8111BC – General accounting
40 hours of contact – 4 US quarter credits – 4 ECTS credits
� Summary
During this course, the student will be able to understand accounting information, its limitations and
its relevance to the decision-making process. The student will apply the fundamental principles and
concepts related to the preparation of financial statements, internal and external. Particular
attention will be given to the preparation of balance sheets, Income statements and cash flow.
� Objective
On completion of this unit, students will be able to prepare the major financial statements (Balance
Sheet, Income Statements and Statement of Cash Flow), for internal and external readers, and use
them for decision-making.
8112BR – Introduction to law
40 hours of contact – 4 US quarter credits – 4 ECTS credits
� Summary
Practically all decisions taken by managers in the hospitality industry have a legal dimension and
involve therefore some legal risk. In this unit, students will be made aware of the omnipresence of
legal risks and learn the vocabulary, the principles and the reasoning that should enable them to
identify, evaluate and manage the basic legal risks that they will encounter in their career, wherever
their business is situated and thus whatever the legal system they will find themselves in.
� Objective
After familiarising themselves with how legal systems operate through different national examples,
students will concentrate on the basic legal risks pertaining to the relationships between the
hospitality industry and their customers.