<p><span class="p-body">Professor Jukka Laitamaki, PhD is a Clinical Professor at the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. His expertise lies in strategy, marketing, branding, sustainability, and entrepreneurship with a special focus on international hospitality, tourism and service industries. And he teaches the Global Strategies Across Cultures course as part of the MS in Global Hospitality Management program.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">This course analyzes global strategies across cultures with a focus on the hospitality, travel, and tourism industries. It covers key globalization drivers including the political, economic, legal, and technological forces. &nbsp;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">&quot;The cultural context of global strategies is addressed by highlighting cultural differences and similarities across countries and regions as well as through cross-cultural communications and negotiations practices,&quot; shared Laitamaki. &quot;The formulation and implementation of global strategies will cover the planning process, selection of organizational structures, and human resources management.&quot;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">According to Laitamaki, the hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors are truly global and cover every culture and country in the world. Understanding the global strategies of major hospitality, travel, and tourism companies and the cross-cultural environment they operate is important for every future hospitality leader.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">&quot;The course has several interesting case studies and guest speakers highlighting their personal experiences and insights into managing global organizations in various cross-cultural environments,&quot; he shared. &quot;The cases include McDonald's in China, Vietnam, Russia, and Iceland; KFC in China; Starbucks in China, Vietnam, and India; Cirque de Soleil's Global Strategy as well as global strategies of IHG, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Accor, and Rosewood Hotels.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">&quot;Furthermore, guest speakers in the course boast global and cross-cultural experience with organizations such as Turkish Airlines, U.S. Peace Corps, IBM Global Airline Practice, Colgate-Palmolive, Schenker International, Mondalez, Hyatt, and Starwood Hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America, and North America. <br> </span></p> <p><span class="p-body">&nbsp;</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Laitamaki hopes to provide students with an understanding of global strategies applied by leading hospitality, travel, and tourism companies as well as practical cross-cultural management and leadership skills. &quot;My goal is to evoke my students' curiosity towards various cultures and countries where these companies operate.&quot;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Earning an <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-global-hospitality-management.html" title="MS in Global Hospitality Management">MS in Global Hospitality Management</a> at NYU SPS can open doors that you may have never imagined were possible. See where you can start the next chapter of your career with a degree from the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality.</span></p>