MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES IMC Plan for Venetian

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.1. 2. Aims and Objectives ........................................................................................................ 8

Background ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.1. 2.2. Background to the Venetian ......................................................................................... 10 Rationale behind the Research ....................................................................................... 11

3.

Literature Review.................................................................................................................. 12 3.1. 3.2. 3.3. 3.4. 3.5. Integrated Marketing Communication ........................................................................... 12 Organizational Behavior ................................................................................................ 17 Human Resources Management ..................................................................................... 21 The Achievement of Synergy......................................................................................... 27 Other Relevant Literature ............................................................................................... 31

4.

Research Methodology ......................................................................................................... 34 4.1. 4.2. Primary Research ........................................................................................................... 35 Secondary Research ....................................................................................................... 36

5.2. Secondary Research ........................................................................................................... 50 5.2.3. 5.2.4. Asian Hospitality Industry ...................................................................................... 50 Growth in Economy in Asia Pacific Region ........................................................... 51 2

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 5.2.5. 5.2.6. 5.2.7. 5.2.8. 5. 6. 7. Factors Influencing Growth in Chinas Hospitality Industry ................................. 53 The Hospitality Industry in China........................................................................... 54 Future Outlook of Hospitality Industry in China and Asia Pacific ......................... 59 Changing Attitude of Marketing Strategy in Hospitality Industry ......................... 60

Analysis and Discussion ....................................................................................................... 61 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 65 Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 71

References ..................................................................................................................................... 75 Annexure ....................................................................................................................................... 81 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................................ 81

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES

1. Introduction Marketing Mix is but a set of strategies that an organization plans to undertake in the context of marketing management i.e. the four Ps of marketing. The four Ps of marketing takes into its fold the organizations strategies for products, price, promotion and place. Apart from product and price; promotion too is an inevitable criterion that is instrumental in increasing the sales. Contemporary market demands a substantial expenditure for the promotional activities. Companies have realized that good products and attractive prices are not enough to generate sales. Profit maximization is the ultimate aim of all organizations and proper execution of promotional activities is the exclusive way through it. Promotional activities are crucial as they not only communicate but also make the target audience conscious of the existing products and services. Lancaster and Withey recognized marketing communication as an important tool of marketing (Lancaster & Withey, 2007). Integrated marketing communication deals with the promotional strategies of an organization. More specifically, it acts as a promotion mix. Integrated marketing communication is a major area of marketing that has experienced a significant revolution in the recent years. There are a number of tools that are used for promotional activities. Integrated marketing communication techniques help one to choose the most suited tool so as to reap the optimal promotional benefits. The primary objective of integrated marketing communication is to deliver a clearly defined message to an identified target audience in an effective manner (Brannan, 1995). To ensure sustainability, the companies aim to build a brand value in the market. The integrated marketing communications helps one to create a blend of strategies for relevant promotional tools like public relations, trade promotions, sales promotions, advertising and other marketing tactics that goes into creating a brand image

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES for the company. Generally, the promotion mix or integrated marketing communication encompasses general advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion and public relations (Jones and Schee, 2008). These four elements of integrated marketing communication are blended to suit the nature of products or services and the requirements of the market. The primary idea of each and every element is however to communicate the main idea and purpose of the products or services introduced by the company in the best possible way. Since the last two decades, the world hospitality industry has been experiencing a stupendous growth. A significant number of new hotel chains are coming up in most of the developed and developing counties like U.S.A, Australia, U.K., France, Hong Kong, Singapore etc. The hospitality industry includes hotels, resort, traveling destinations, clubs, bars, pubs and restaurants etc. According to a report, the UNWTO had predicted an annual growth of around 4% in the global tourism sectors (Deloitte, 2008). As more numbers of people are now travelling around the world, the profitability in the hospitality industry has gone up significantly. However, in 2009, there has been a decrease in the international tourist arrivals. Such a market scenario demands the organizations to implement such strategies that would attract the customers. The hotel and the resort chains play an important role in promoting tourist destinations. Therefore, promotional activities are crucial in this industry. The hospitality industry is a service providing industry and thus has to deal with the customers directly. In manufacturing industry, the company along with its intermediates plays an important role in promoting its products. However, in the hospitality industry, the organization alone has to take care of all the promotional activities like advertising, public relation to attract the customers. Hospitality industry is the largest service providing industry and the degree of competition in this industry is also high. Customers are considered as the engine of the hospitality industry. 5

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES Therefore, the foremost mission of this industry is to understand the requirements of the customers. However, the entire mission would lose its significance if the customers are not aware of the services provided by the service providers. The players in the hospitality industry should thereby develop two ways of communication with its targeted customers. On the flip side, customers of this industry do not easily shift their preference; hence brand loyalty is one important factor that the players should capitalize on. Building brand value is thus one of the crucial tasks in the hospitality industry. Recently, it has become increasingly difficult to develop the customer loyalty in the hospitality industry. The role of integrated marketing communication in the hospitality industry has become an inevitable part of the entire marketing strategy. The branding strategy requires an extensive use of brand development activities the purpose of which is to make the customers aware of the wide range of services provided by the hoteliers. These awareness programs are meant to develop proper communication with the customers. Different hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars have their own way of attracting customers. They develop certain unique themes in their service quality to do so. Integrated marketing communication is a promotion mix that helps to determine the various tools of promotions so as to attract different segments of customers. Integrated marketing communication focuses on four aspects of promotional activities i.e. general advertising, sales promotions, public relation and direct marketing. In hospitality industry, general advertising and public relation are two very prominent techniques to communicate with the customers. General advertisements are helpful in spreading the awareness across the targeted regions. The global hotel chains use it to attract the international customers. The electronic and online media are the most commonly used mediums for general advertisements. These mediums are helpful to send

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES massages to the international customers. Public relation is another tool that helps in maintaining a long lasting relationship with the customers in hospitality industry. The Venetian group is one the biggest players in the global hospitality industry. This group has hotels, resorts, and casinos in Macau and Las Vegas. It is rated as a five star hotel aiming to serve the high end and international customers. In 2007, it opened its new hotel and resort chain in Macau. It has been playing a crucial role in making Macau one of the Asias most exciting entertainment destinations and preeminent convention and exhibition venues (The Venetian Macau-website). The Venetian Macau offers a wide range of hospitality that includes entertainments, dining, and special suites for high end customers. The Venetian management organizes different types of events relating to sports, contests, parties, festivals etc. These events are an integral part of branding and promotional strategies of the company. The Venetian has been operating in Macau for the last two and a half years and the management is constantly trying to develop its brand image in the Asian hospitality industry. The hospitality industry in Macau is filled with big players offering five star services. Four Seasons Hotel Macau, Grand Hyatt Macau Hotel, Grand Lapa Hotel Macau, Hotel Grand Lisboa Macau, Lisboa Hotel Macau are some of the most competent rivals of The Venetian. The Venetian management is trying to overcome the fierce competition by building a brand image. In this context, the integrated marketing communication is a vital technique that The Venetian needs to include in its strategies. This research paper aims to promote the integrated marketing communication plans so as to generate synergy in the marketing department of The Venetian which will be instrumental in creating a brand image for the company. In order to achieve the goal, a detailed research and study will be conducted. Apart from the introduction, this research work will also contain seven 7

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES broad sections. These are background, literature reviews, research methodology, findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations. The background section will discuss the rationale for conducting this research. The literature review will discuss four major areas (integrated marketing communication, synergy, organizational behavior and human resources management model). The section devoted to research methodology will discuss about methods that will be used to collect the relevant data for this study. Data that is collected will be interpreted in the finding section. The primary and the secondary data will be elaborately analyzed in the analysis and discussion section. With the help the data, various ideas and findings will be inferred in the concluding section. At the end of the report, possible recommendations will be suggested.

1.1.

Aims and Objectives

In the context of the present business scenario it may be observed that marketing is going through a transitory phase wherein change is perhaps the only aspect that is constant. It is often believed that marketing has become more a requirement than a strategy and this premise is reinforced by Kotler, et al. (2001), who have defined marketing as a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others (Copley, 2004). In the light of the changing facets global environment that make marketing an indispensable business activity it is increasingly evident that marketing communications play a vital role in strategic marketing. This in turn leads to the recognition of integrated marketing communications (IMC) as a strategic tool that enhances organizational competitiveness. The American Association of Advertising Agencies (1993) had defined IMC as a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines and combines them to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communications impact through the seamless integration of discrete messages (Baker, 2003). Hence, it may be comprehended quite clearly that IMC is an indispensable tool that organizations use in order to optimize the efficiency of marketing process and to gain competitive advantage. Based upon the theories supporting the usefulness of IMC, this report will aim at evaluating how The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel (The Venetian) will be able to formulate an IMC plan. It will also analyze the steps that will be required to manifest a successful integration of the plan and achieve synergy from the same. Given the holistic nature of IMC the report will be constructed with due care in order to explain how conflicts will be minimized, and simultaneously attempts will be made to demonstrate how The Venetian will be able to enhance coordination as well as efficiency through the teams and departments that are either interlinked or cross functional. While giving form to this report, considerable research will be undertaken to analyze the background of The Venetian. This will be helpful in comprehending the necessity of IMC in the hospitality sector. Following this, substantial literature review will be made to augment the report with established views and ideas of prominent scholars. Owing to the nature of this particular research, both primary and secondary research methodologies will be resorted to, in order to gather authentic data pertaining to The Venetian as well as the sector within which it operates. The research findings will be analyzed and discussed for the purpose of arriving at conclusions. Finally, the report will be closed by providing a set of feasible recommendations that might be used not only by The Venetian but also any other similar organization.

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 2. Background

2.1.

Background to the Venetian

The management of The Venetian claims that this resort is the most exhilarating destination of Asia. It can be further comprehended that the primary aim of The Venetian is to escalate Macaos position to that of the most rewarding entertainment destination on Asias tourism map. The property epitomizes grandeur as well as finesse and sprawls over a vast area. The management further opines that the property is large enough to hold ninety Boeing 747 jumbo jets, nowhere else in Asia will you find such a rare combination of facilities, attractions and amenities than at this 3,000 suite flagship property (The Venetian-website). As Engelhart (2002) had pointed out, a particular issue for Macao is the preservation of its heritage and culture, with several sites in Macao having been nominated as UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition (Hsu, 2006). Owing to this fact the resorts and casinos that operate in this region have to play cautiously in order to receive positive response from the local residents. Under such circumstances The Venetian became the first international concession holder to open a casino complex with The Sands in March 2004 (Hsu, 2006). Although The Venetian has connections to the gaming paradise of Las Vegas and has faced limited competition in the liberalized business environment of Macao, it is a noteworthy fact that liberalization has subjected concession holders to uneven circumstances, owing to which The Venetian must adhere to Macaos as well as Nevadas gaming legislation (or risk measures being taken by the Nevada gaming authorities) (Hsu, 2006). The resort has incorporated the differentiation strategy into their business model and is trying to transform the tourism business prevalent in Macao. In order to match the aspects of this profitable genre of business in Macao with those that are in

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES practice in Las Vegas, The Venetian is developing facilities such as huge convention, hotel, retail, etc. and from such initiatives it may be anticipated that the development will be the sort of flight into fantasy the company is known for in Las Vegas (Henry, 2008).

2.2.

Rationale behind the Research

The Venetian is a multinational player whose domain is the highly competitive and lucrative hospitality sector. The two main factors that determine the success of this sector are leisure time and disposable income. The organizations that exist in this particular domain are no different than other corporate entities in that they too require combining various business functions such as general management, finance, marketing, logistics, operations, and last but not the least human resource. One of the most crucial variables that shape the business outcomes of this sector is the usage rate and hence the players continually strive to augment their marketing plans with the aim to maximize market penetration. Competent marketing strategies help in addressing to a larger target audience and in turn widen the customer base. Hence, marketing communications play a vital role in the manifestation of such strategies. This sector is characterized by strong entry barriers that enhance competition. In the corporate jungle the rule that prevails is survival of the fittest, and hence the players toil to augment their individual competitive advantages in order to outperform their rivals. These phenomena can be explicitly observed in the liberalized grounds of Macao, and hence The Venetian is necessitated to develop a sustainable IMC plan in order to fortify its marketing activities. However, as the name suggests, IMC is a holistic tool and hence the design as well as implementation of a supporting plan involves the coordination among different teams and departments present within an organization. The most common problem that ensues from the attempts to coordinate the

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES various business units and process partners is intergroup conflict that in turn impedes the achievement of synergy and subsequently results in the failure of an IMC plan. In the light of these observations, the current research will base itself on the need to analyze as well as evaluate how an effective IMC plan may be formulated and successfully implemented in order to achieve organizational synergy. Substantial efforts will be made to evaluate the extent to which marketing, organizational behavior and human resource influence the success of IMC, and simultaneously the financial angle will also be analyzed. The rationale of this research is largely to envision from the perspective of The Venetian, the holistic endeavors that may effectively lead to the formulation of a successful as well as sustainable IMC plan.

3. Literature Review

3.1.

Integrated Marketing Communication

James C. Reilly had opined that the practice of integrated marketing communications is emerging as one of the most valuable magic bullets companies can use to gain competitive advantage (Schultz, Tannenbaum & Lauterborn, 1993). The need that drives organizations towards the achievement of IMC may be comprehended from the fact that professionals associated with advertising, direct marketing, public relations and sales promotion are found to be searching for common ground in order face the significant challenge that necessitates them to sell to customers instead of markets. However, Reilly did also opine that smooth communications should arise from excellent marketing strategies and management thinking. He had argued that integration may turn out to be a restrictive concept if the primary focus remains on media choice as well as execution, as there is no point in speaking with one voice if the message makes no sense (Schultz, Tannenbaum & Lauterborn, 1993). 12

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES It has been observed that technology is one of the elements that have enhanced the demand for IMC, and consequently mass media has lost to a great extent its prowess to deliver attractive masses. As Schultz, Tannenbaum & Lauterborn (1994) has opined, technology has allowed media organizations to begin identifying, segmenting, selecting, and attracting smaller, more attentive and focused audiences for their audio, video, and print vehicles (Schultz, Tannenbaum & Lauterborn, 1994). So high are the prospects of IMCs success through technological interventions that marketing communications on a one-on-one basis have been made technically feasible. However, they are yet to gain popularity owing to prohibitive costs. The logic that underpins the discussion so far is that IMC, despite posing financial problems in certain cases, is a strategic tool that organizations can hardly afford to overlook in the backdrop of the present business environment wherein the most critical constraint is perhaps that of time. In order to achieve the most by deploying the least amount of time, organizations should recognize its far reaching potentials and implement it within their business frameworks. Prior to moving into further depths of this topic, it is necessary to understand the driving forces behind IMC. The various propellants are enumerated and explained below: 1) Media Explosion accompanied by Fragmentation. With the advent of modern business trends and globalization, the corporate world has witnessed the phenomenon of media explosion wherein there has been an incremental demand for enhancing media related activities in order to optimize sales promotion. This had in turn led to media fragmentation whereby the activities underwent categorization and specialization in order to address specific needs of the organizations.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 2) Market Demassification followed by Segmentation. Technological advancements have led to the demassification of the global markets and this had resulted in profound segmentation. Market segmentation had called for the development of alternate media activities that are helpful in targeting different customer segments and thus the need for IMC arose. It was also realized that niche as well as unitary markets can be optimally penetrated through this strategic tool. 3) Revolutionary advancements in the field of Information Technology (IT). The ongoing advancements that are taking place in the field of Information Technology (IT) have significantly redefined traditional business concepts. With the multitude of

modernizations that it has brought along with it have given rise to concepts such as eCommerce and simultaneously, the nature of marketing communications have also undergone changes. 4) Developments pertaining to Database Management Systems (DBMS). This is an area that is worth mentioning because the development of massive customer databases along with the enhanced ease in accessing as well as using them have subjected organizations to more acute competition. Consequently, all sorts of marketing communications have been necessitated to undergo relevant changes to cope up with the same. 5) Introduction of a vital business concept in the form of Relationship Marketing. Organizations have recognized that this particular marketing activity is of immense importance in augmenting customer loyalty, and hence marketing communications have to be modified in order to implement this as a regular process.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 6) The importance of Brand Equity. In the current business scenario, the customers have become increasingly aware of their specific needs and thus organizations cannot easily convince them with their products as long as they are satisfied. Owing to the social status that brands impart, brand image as well as brand equity is a vital element for the organizations that own them. Marketing communications play an indispensable role in enhancing brand equity based on brand image. 7) Developments in the area of Digital Technology. Again, this is an ongoing phenomenon. Digital technology is being developed as well as diffused throughout the global business environment through continual advancements in the fields of IT and IT enabled technologies. With these advancements, the concepts of marketing communications are undergoing a constant overhaul because of the enhanced interface shared by organizations with their customers. 8) The proliferation of Globalization. With the fast paced rush towards globalization, organizations across the world are becoming multinationals that play in the global village which hardly has any boundary per se. this rush is further boosted by transnational powers both political as well as economic. Quite obviously, this has added fuel to inter organizational competition and has sky-rocketed it to extreme heights. It goes beyond saying that the need of the moment is an effective IMC plan that will help organizations in reaping the maximum benefits under such circumstances (Kitchen & de Pelsmacker, 2004). This cross-functional concept was largely unrecognized and embryonic, apart from being emergent, before a couple of decades. This was largely due to the fact that many practitioners as 15

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES well as academicians preferred to treat each promotional tool as separate and distinct, managed differently, budgeted differently, certainly not integrated (Kitchen & de Pelsmacker, 2004). However, the 1990s witnessed a chain of studies centered on advertising agencies and these had exhibited certain features of IMC. It had been shown that this tool has an inherent capacity to enhance the impact of communications as well as the effectiveness of creative ideas. Moreover, the studies revealed that IMC provided greater consistency of the communication process thereby making it more sustainable. Finally, the proponents of these studies had opined that IMC would improve client return on communication investment (Kitchen & de Pelsmacker, 2004). With the passage of time, IMC has gained importance across all business sectors and has become an integral part of most organizations. While many scholars have contributed towards the development of theories that have further augmented IMC as a sustainable communications tool, Shimp (2000) had generalized its characteristics and had enumerated five elements associated with it. He had opined that the aim of IMC is to influence consumer behavior through targeted communication, and hence the process should begin with the consumer and/or prospect and subsequently work backwards in the direction of the communicator associated with the brand. He had further suggested that IMC should use all forms of communication and all sources of brand or company contacts as prospective message delivery channels (Kitchen & de Pelsmacker, 2004), while recognizing that synergy along with coordination is required to build sustainable brand images, and identifying the necessity to augment their brand relationships.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES

3.2.

Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior (OB) may be described as a field of study which focuses on the behaviors, attitudes, and performances of people within an organization that is at times cited as the micro level of analysis (Vasu, Stewart & Garson, 1998). Hellengal et al. (1986) have opined that OB is especially concerned with the influence of both the formal organization and the informal organization on employees, the effect of employees on the organization, and the work environments effect on both (Vasu, Stewart & Garson, 1998). OB has even been recognized as a strategic element of business communication in the context of the healthcare industry, and it has been reported that because of its dependence on behavior change, much of the work of healthcare communicators seems better described as marketing than public relations (Caywood, 2004). In this context, it has further been said that integrated communication techniques came to American healthcare long before the phrase integrated marketing communication was used, thereby reinforcing the fact that two essential characteristics of integrated marketing communications its customer orientation and its dependence upon relationship building have long been mainstays of effective healthcare communication (Caywood, 2004). From a more generalized perspective, it has been observed that the power of integrated marketing communications derives from its essential focus attempting to change behavior of target audiences; in order to manifest this organizational communicator(s) find various ways to engage target audience members with the organizations products and services, who in turn start accepting the information made available.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES It is pretty understandable that OB has a great role to play in these contexts by aligning the interlinked organizational departments through an effective communication process and help them develop successful communication strategies for advertising their products and/or services; furthermore, it ensures that relations between individuals or groups improve as both sides understand that adjustments are being made to accommodate one anothers values and needs (Caywood, 2004). It goes without saying that developing a successful IMC plan requires an organization-wide holistic approach and hence the object of integrated marketing communications is to identify and employ the variety of tools through which changed organizational behavior can be highlighted; perhaps this is the fundamental reason why IMC demands solid research to identify audiences and modify messages, and an obsession with ensuring that the organizations marketplace is spoken to as if in one voice (Caywood, 2004). Heider (1958) has put forward the balance theory in which he has argued that individuals strive for consistency and avoid perceived inconsistency in behavior and attitude; this boils down to the generalization that in sponsorship, the individual will seek a balanced relationship between the event and the sponsor (Keillor, 2007). IMC has been found to be an interesting domain that broadens the scope of marketing as well as marketing communications to an extent where the entire organization is harmonized in such a way that each functional unit (department) contributes towards the creation of a synergistic environment. Concepts flourish within such an organizational environment through the balancing act of OB, and this has been concisely explained by Noah Manduke (MD, Siegale & Gale) who said great companies and brands share an unwavering organizational commitment to a common purpose that creates uncommon value, these world-class organizations meticulously align their behavior and communications around more than just a promise (Duncan, 2006). He has 18

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES furthered his opinion by adding that these organizations follow an ideal and stating that the resulting brands dont just build a business; they create a cause with powerful emotional underpinnings (Duncan, 2006). Thus, it is evident that organizations should mandatorily possess the knowledge of OB in order to channelize their efforts towards aligning organizational resources and processes in the course of developing an efficient IMC plan. This domain is also necessary to comprehend the multifarious interdepartmental as well as interpersonal dynamics and reduce the chances of disturbances that may be potentially detrimental to the organizational objectives. Stacks and Salwen (2008) have also thrown sufficient light on the linkage between IMC and OB by categorizing the various ingredients of integrated communications as (1) strong emphasis on liberal arts; (2) training in verbal, written, and visual communications; (3) a solid understanding of business and organizational behavior; (4) an understanding and respect for other communication disciplines and specialties; and (5) mastery of basic research skills (Stacks & Salwen, 2008). Therefore, it may be inferred that IMC is a highly interesting and challenging domain that can be explored efficiently through the equally fascinating concepts of OB. While opining that the evolution of social media and communication channels for marketing uses depends on a set of underlying infrastructures: a core/technological infrastructure, a competitive/commercial infrastructure, a political/regulatory infrastructure, and a social infrastructure; Owen and Humphrey (n.d.) have stated that These act to enable or inhibit the diffusion of any new social media or marketing tactics (Owen & Humphrey, n.d.). They have also highlighted the importance of OB by adding that in order for a marketer to understand how these media or tactics might change, evolve, or become useful, concern for changes in these infrastructures is more important than simply looking at the media or tactics themselves (Owen & Humphrey, 19

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES n.d.). In a bid to associate the two concepts that are otherwise diverse, Robert Haas (n.d.) has commented that companies have to wake up to the fact that they are more than a product on a shelf; he has opined that theyre behavior as well (Serrat, 2010). Based on the observation that marketers have come to agree that the parties to a transaction are in fact exchanging one behavior with another as individuals or communities (Serrat, 2010), perhaps the most relevant suggestions that can be put forward to in this context are as the following: 1) Organizations should visualize marketing as change management, the success of which hinges on explicit consideration of relevant determinants of intra-organizational behaviors throughout marketing activities, institutions, and processes (Serrat, 2010); and 2) Furthermore, they should also accept that organizational behavior is central to marketing and branding: it is a management philosophy and infusing teams; a tactic with which to drive inputs; and a measurement of the relevance, efficiency, efficacy, sustainability, and impact of activities, outputs, and outcomes (Serrat, 2010). It has been observed that every organization can possess a behavior: that starts with action, not images or words, because clients, audiences, and partners judge organizations by what they do, not what they say; and from the viewpoint of marketing management, certain elements of OB are transparency, authenticity, interactivity, applicability, and sustainability (Serrat, 2010). It is a noteworthy fact that the attributes of well regarded brand-owning organizations are leadership, citizenship, pride, talent, innovation, transparency, and long-term view (Serrat, 2010). Prensky et al. (n.d.) have defined integrated communications as the process that refers to the actual coordination effort within a marketing firm or among the several marketing firms 20

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES involved in the coordination (Thorson & Moore, 1996). They have also elaborated that process addresses the organizational and managerial issues that will ultimately relate to likely success of the integrated communications effort, and categorically explained that process is not only the question of the organizational structure, but the issues of organizational culture, power, and managers decision processes (Thorson & Moore, 1996). These opinions are of commendable significance in the context of this research because it has been reported that in many instances, the characteristics of the firms organizational structure, culture, and politics dictate the content of the integrated communications that it produces, and as has been theorized by Prensky et al. (n.d.), against the backdrop of the firms own strategic goals, these organizational characteristics will have a significant impact on how the firms managers think about integrated marketing communications (Thorson & Moore, 1996).

3.3.

Human Resources Management

Varey (2002) has defined IMC as the strategic analysis, selection, execution, evaluation and control of all communicative actions that can effectively and efficiently enable and facilitate productive exchanges in the providers stakeholder relationship network (Archer, n.d.). This definition points at the fact that IMC requires an extensive interlinking across intraorganizational departments to evoke a synergistic environment. It goes without saying that such an activity calls for interventions from the perspective of human resource management (HRM). Chitty et al. (2005) have opined that current marketing philosophy views Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) as imperative for organizational success, and have augmented their opinion by saying that IMC is generally seen as requiring co-operation across all disciplines within the marketing field, including advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and publicity

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES (Archer, n.d.). Hence the message is quite clear: organizations should aim at developing a harmonized work environment wherein the different departments may contribute voluntarily towards the manifestation of resource sharing. An interesting argument has been put forward by Duncan and Moriarty (1997) who have opined that IMC is only the tip of the integration iceberg and what is needed is a total re-integration of marketing, and have commented that integrating the marketing communication function is futile if contrary, more powerful messages are being sent by other actions of a company (Archer, n.d.). The rationale that ensues from these scholarly parleys is that despite the difficulty that organizations may face while achieving this cross-functionality, the reality for most organizations is that integration does have to move beyond the confines of marketing to include other areas of organizational life in order for major corporate objectives to be achieved (Archer, n.d.). It has been observed that one area which has gained attention as a particularly challenging but necessary nexus for integration is using marketing techniques to attract potential staff, furthermore, it has been found that promoting the corporate brand to attract workers is seen as particularly important by managers, with the well-reported shortage of skilled workers (Archer, n.d.). Therefore, the first obstacle that the human resource department faces is in the form of recruitment. Taking into consideration the fact that there will certainly be a lack in supply of a suitable workforce, Hogan (2002) has observed that The need for companies to differentiate themselves in the employer marketplace is becoming critical (Archer, n.d.). However, it has to be mentioned in this context that the global hospitality sector is highly competitive and hence the bigger players engage in quintessential rivalry even while skimming the labor market in order to tap the best talents available therein. This leaves just a handful of candidates that the not-so-big players have to be satisfied with. The basic problem that arises 22

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES under such circumstances is that organizations cannot achieve a successful fit between a particular job and the candidate. Such a problem is more pronounced in the context of IMC due to its cross-functionality that obviously calls for enhanced knowledge, skills and attitudes/abilities (KSAs). It is evident that IMC poses a number of challenges to any organization that aim at implementing it, and these challenges are perceived mainly by the key staff involved with the process, particularly the human resources manager and marketing and public relations manager (Archer, n.d.). Interactions with these incumbents reveal that barriers to IMC existed because of misunderstandings between professional groups (Archer, n.d.). While the managers overseeing the functions of public relations and marketing are of the general opinion that organizations really aspire to be strategic and integrated, it has been observed that this is hindered to a large extent by the reality and frustrations of working across departments and the sheer size of the workload requirements (Archer, n.d.). They are also found to express their worries regarding spending time and money on corporate branding to recruit staff, using IMC (Archer, n.d.), as more often than not they are crippled by skills shortage. Much strikingly, it has also been found that these managers often complain about territorial feuds (Archer, n.d.) that they feel to be detrimental for the process. In recognition of the fact that some mainstream marketers have prescribed integrated marketing communication as the cure-all for common marketing challenges it may be said that integration must be attempted beyond the relatively narrow confines of marketing communication (Archer, n.d.). Corporate branding is undoubtedly a multidisciplinary activity and obviously requires IMC. In light of this fact marketers must interact not only with human resources departments but also with other professions and senior organizational directors in 23

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES order to rout the potential barriers that include sub-cultures within organizations, territorial feuds, a lack of time and resources and the discomfort with marketing felt by traditional professions (Archer, n.d.). Christensen et al. (2008) have thrown light upon the linkage between organizational structure and HRM and have opined that flexible integration may be more achievable within organizations than the traditional notion of controlled IMC, simply because of the disparate voices and divisions that exist within and between organizational departments (Archer, n.d.).
Figure 1: The IMC Landscape

(Source: Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006)

As has been illustrated through the figure appended above, the process of IMC consists of various activities that may be categorized as tactically oriented, image oriented, behavior oriented and strategically oriented. The underlying principle in the overall IMC landscape is that these groups of activities need to be efficiently coordinated. While the figure points at the necessity of organizations to undertake public relations, brand advertising, consumer sales promotion and direct response advertising during the process of successfully implementing IMC, it is clearly understood that such activities should go hand in hand, which in turn calls for 24

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES effective recruitment and selection, training and development (T&D), performance management systems (PMS) and conflict resolution. Kitchen et al. (2006) have provided commendable insight in terms of the role that HRM plays in the manifestation of an IMC plan, and the same is illustrated through the following figure.
Figure 2: Components of IMC

(Source: Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006)

The various organizational activities that are required to be diligently undertaken in order to develop and implement an IMC plan include (1) accounting and finance, (2) operations management, (3) supply chain management (SCM), (4) sales (followed by customer service), (5) human resource management (HRM), (6) research and development (R&D) management, and (7) managing the external partners. These components are aligned through organizational value processes in order to develop the IMC strategy and target the market with it in order to enhance customer value. In this context it may be said that the quality and skills of the people who deliver service and manage relationships with customers directly reflects HR strategy, and 25

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES Kitchen at al. (2006) have argued that HR managers are required to be party to marketing and sales strategy in order to be able to recruit and train people appropriately to implement the strategy (Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006). Correlating this argument with the cross-functionality of IMC, it may be said that the HR department has to be an integral process partner and should actually be a party to all the functional areas that contribute towards the development of IMC. IMC is an outcome of total integrated marketing, which according to Hulbert et al. (2005) depends on effective human resource management (Hulbert, Capon & Piercy, 2005). While arguing that human resource is central to the achievement of competitive success, they have also opined that knowledge as well as knowledge management (KM) will become increasingly essential for organizational prospects against the backdrop of the present information age and hence managing this intellectual capital is much more an issue of people management than it is of information technology (Hulbert, Capon & Piercy, 2005). It has been observed that General Electric (GE) which is in a very real sense, a source of good for many different stakeholders in many different parts of the world; furthermore it has been found that this belief is even reflected in the firms previously longrunning and still well known integrated marketing communications campaign theme (Sims, 2007). Irrespective of the sector(s) that they belong to, organizations should recognize the crossfunctionality of IMC and hence the important role that HRM plays in its context.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES

3.4.

The Achievement of Synergy

Figure 3: The Evolutionary Phases of IMC

(Source: Schultz & Schultz, 2004)

As has been illustrated through the figure appended above, the four phases that may be observed during the course of evolution of IMC consist of tactical coordination, redefining scope of marketing communication, application of Information Technology, and financial and strategic integration (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). Most of the organizations start their IMC activities with tactical coordination, and it has been observed that an IMC initiative is driven by the desire to achieve better coordination, consistency, and synergy between the various tactical, external communication activities (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). Embarking on their mission to implement an IMC plan organizations have been observed to focus primarily on using this tool in order to accomplish one sight, one sound, one voice (Schultz & Schultz, 2004) through its efforts in terms of outbound communications. At this stage the organizational objectives are (1) to more effectively orchestrate the delivery of messages into the marketplace and (2) to apply the strengths of each

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES communication discipline or technique so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and the optimal message impact is achieved (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). Organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of IMC and this has been revealed through the fact that most of them use some form of written policies, manuals, or procedural guidelines to achieve consistency and integration in their communication; furthermore, it has been found that while having such tools in place does not guarantee a successfully integrated outcome, it is considered by the best practice partners to be the minimum standard (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). The activities that are deemed vital for promoting IMC programs are meetings as well as other forms of direct, personal communication (Schultz & Schultz, 2004), and hence it may be understood that enhanced interpersonal interactions lead to the manifestation of knowledge sharing among the process partners, thereby helping them in achieving synergy. Best practices in the area of IMC also entail the usage of meetings productively and to communicate effectively with other areas of the organization, including research, sales, and customer service, and it has been observed that a further organizational characteristic is the extent to which best practice partners expect their agencies and other marketing service suppliers to attend these cross-functional planning meetings (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). Subsequently, it has been reported that organizations are taking charge of the integration process themselves rather than looking to ad agencies or other suppliers (Schultz & Schultz, 2004) this in turn throws light upon the fact that such an endeavor demands that the organizations should develop and integrate knowledge pertaining to IMC within their frameworks in order to be self sufficient. Interdepartmental knowledge sharing and enhanced interactions both formal as well as informal help to a great extent in the manifestation of a synergistic environment.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES Relevant information pertaining to the behavior as well as preferences of consumers constitutes the organizational knowledge in terms of IMC, and organizations gather such information using primary and secondary market research sources as well as actual customer behavioral data, and use that information in the planning, development, and evaluation of communication activities (Schultz & Schultz, 2004). Proponents of integrated marketing services, as observed by Belch, et al. (2010) argue that maintaining control of the entire promotional process achieves greater synergy among each of the communications program elements; furthermore, they call attention to the fact that it is more convenient for the client to coordinate all of its marketing efforts media advertising, direct mail, special events, sales promotions, and public relations through one agency (Belch, Belch & Purani, 2010). Although this discussion highlights the process of IMC as a service that organizations (clients) obtain from external agencies (service providers), it has to be noted that even within the agencies the set of activities that need to be undertaken in order to achieve it require a holistic as well as cross-functional integration that calls for interdepartmental synergy. Likewise, when organizations themselves aim at developing IMC as an in-house process, similar synergy should be realized through continuous cooperation among different process partners, as mentioned in the previous section. Though it is quite likely that organizations armed with integrated marketing capabilities can create a single image for the product or service and everyone, from wholesalers to consumers, with one voice, Belch et al. (2010) have further observed that the opponents hold a different view and say the providers become involved in political wrangling over budgets, do not communicate with each other as well and as often as they should, and do not achieve synergy and augment their opinion by saying that synergy and economies of scale, while nice in theory, have been difficult to achieve (Belch, Belch & Purani, 2010). Apart from these, 29

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES interdepartmental competition as well as conflict also poses a major threat to the development and implementation of a successful IMC plan. Harris (1993) has laid emphasis on the fact that synergy cannot be achieved if marketing and PR is seen as rivals rather than allies, albeit he has found it rather odd that many PR professionals and academics reject this view and see it as an attempt by marketers to hijack an important part of the PR function and place it under marketings control (Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006). However, in this context, Kitchen et al. (2006) have opined that there is evidence of a move towards closer integration of corporate and marketing messages, and hence the need for closer cooperation between marketing and PR practitioners (Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006), which in turn contradicts the argument of Harris. They have further elaborated the facet of synergy by recognizing marketing public relations (MPR) as a communications tool used to help change attitudes and beliefs or assist in creating sales and furthering their opinion by saying that MPR being maintained as detached and distinct from corporate communications, organizations should realize that they often require integration and synergy in order to contribute substantially to the success of an overall communication program (Kitchen, de Pelsmacker, Eagle & Schultz, 2006). Despite all the contradictions that have been presented so far in terms of theories pertaining to the linkage between IMC and the achievement of synergy, it is worthwhile to take note of the fact that IMC is a goal worth pursuing because using multiple communication tools in conjunction with one another can produce greater results than tools used individually and in an uncoordinated fashion (Shimp, 2009). Owing to the obvious fact that multiple methods combined can yield more positive communication results than do the same tools used

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES individually or in an uncoordinated manner, it can be comprehended that there is a synergistic effect of using multiple well-coordinated marcom tools (Shimp, 2009).

3.5.

Other Relevant Literature

Figure 4: Effect of Sales Revenue and Gross Profit on Marcom Costs

(Source: Yeshin, 1998)

From the figure appended above, it can be easily understood that organizational expenses in terms of marketing communications is a direct function of sales revenue and gross profit. It has been found that several attempts have been made to transfer the learning from the principles of economic theory to that of budget determination, and this boils down to the fact that the principles of marginal analysis suggest that a company should continue to increase its marketing communications expenditure until the point where the increase in expenditure matches, but does not exceed, the increase in income which those expenditures generate (Yeshin, 1998). It is quite obvious that budgets with respect to marketing communications are components of the marketing budget taken as a whole, and hence companies must consider the variety of demands for 31

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES expenditure from a wide range of different sources, and demands for expenditure on marketing communications must compete with all these other areas (Yeshin, 1998). IMC has the potential to wrap communications around customers and help them move through the various stages of their buying process (Smith & Taylor, 2004), as a result of which the organization gets the chance to simultaneously strengthen its image and build up a dialogue, while nurturing its association with the consumers. Thus, relationship marketing is an area that is exceptionally augmented by the implementation of IMC. In the long run this provides organizations with an invaluable benefit in the form of well-established customer relations that invigorate their position the market. Hence, successful IMC does not only escalate the image of the brand(s) but also create a superfluous reflection about the organization as a whole in the psyche of the consumers. Furthermore, it is also helpful in widening the customer base and hence the revenue earning potential of the organizations that have implemented IMC as an integral component of their marketing activities. IMC can also boost up sales by stretching messages across several communications tools to create more avenues for customers to become aware, aroused and, ultimately, make a purchase; in the light of this fact, it can be said that carefully linked messages also help buyers by giving timely reminders, updated information and special offers which, when presented in a planned sequence, help them move comfortably through the stages of their buying process and this reduces their misery of choice generated by the wide range of competitive offerings (Smith & Taylor, 2004). During the course of this research it has been found in certain instances that despite its seeming advantages integrated marketing communications (IMC) is not fully accepted in academia or fully adopted in the communications industry, largely because of its supposed difficulty to implement (Egan, 2007). 32

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES On a whole the literature review that has so far been undertaken as a vital component of the current research has been designed in such a way that it throws light upon the fundamental facets of IMC as well as the multiple roles that it plays within the framework of organizations. Owing to the fact that globalization is setting in and in turn redefining the context of modern business, competitiveness in all the economic sectors is at an all time high, and the same can be observed in the case of the hospitality sector which demands attention by virtue of being exceptionally lucrative.
Figure 5: Customer-Driven Marketplace

(Source: Iacobucci & Calder, 2007)

The importance of marketing channels as well as that of marketing media has been illustrated through the figure appended above. It goes without saying that marcom is indispensable for the success of any organization because it augments the marketing initiatives and hence helps in capturing more and more attention from the target audience. Being far more effective than the conventional communication practices, IMC has a far-reaching influence of the target audience

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES distributed over a larger target market. With proper interventions in terms of IT and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the process of IMC has more or less replaced the conventional communication tools and had redefined the way most of the organizations used to undertake their promotional activities.

4. Research Methodology Research not only implies gathering data and information but the actual purpose of it is to find the answers to the questions raised. It is a chronological set of efforts that helps to create better insight. It helps to find the reasons that lead to certain facts. Research helps to visualize all the facts through a detailed study of practical and present situations resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. Research can be conducted in any field of interest. In the field of marketing, the research is used as an important tool. Research conducted for marketing is known as marketing research. It is a process that helps one to gather and analyze data related to products and services. Generally, marketing research is helpful to analyze the potential market before launching new products or services. However, it is also very useful in identifying the reasons behind the decreasing sales or fading brand image. A successful marketing research helps an organization to decide the manner in which it will be able to achieve its goals by implementing proper strategies. It provides a company with valuable information regarding to the customers tastes and preferences. It also helps to determine the effective way of establishing communication and relations with the customers. The findings of this research are helpful for achieving synergy. This can be done by implementing the integrated marketing communication plans. This research has disclosed valuable information for drafting a proper marketing and promotional strategies. In order to 34

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES survive in the competitive market, this useful information should be evaluated and relevant recommendations that are suggested be followed.

4.1.

Primary Research

To meet the objectives of this project, primary and secondary researches have been conducted. The primary research helps one to find the original data pertaining to the topic. To obtain specific and relevant answers, a set of questionnaire has been designed that includes 30 questions. The 30 questions have been answered by six respondents and all of them are related to The Venetian and the hospitality industry. In order to get a better insight of the concerned topic, the respondents with high profile in the hospitability industry have been chosen. All of them are experienced top level managers having a profound knowledge of the current market scenario. These designed questions have been framed to explore the six major facts related to integrated marketing communication and The Venetian. Firstly, the set of questions have attempted to find out the current market scenario of the hospitality industry. The degree of the competition among the major rivals of The Venetian has also been evaluated. Secondly, the role of integrated marketing communication in avoiding the effects of competition has been attempted to figure out. It has pointed out the role of integrated marketing communication in the marketing activities. Thirdly, it attempts to find the manner in which integrated marketing communication has been interpreted to establish the prevailing organizational communication. Fourthly, the importance of human resource management in materializing the integrated marketing communication to achieve the desired synergy for the marketing department has been analyzed. Fifthly, the manner in which financial aspects should be restructured and handled to implement the integrated marketing communication has also been analyzed. The data have exposed the

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES measures by which the implementation can be made more cost effective. Lastly, the role of top managements in implementing the integrated marketing communication plans has been figured out. In order to meet the objectives of this research paper, the primary research has been chosen. The results of the primary research may be qualitative or quantitative but in the research paper, the primary research will disclose the qualitative data. The qualitative data will help to understand the role of decision makers and organization culture in developing and implementing the integrated marketing communication strategy. The qualitative data gathered through primary research will help in exploring the ways in which an organization will be able to implement the IMC to obtain its optimal benefits.

4.2.

Secondary Research

Secondary research is conducted on the basis of the previous research findings and other sources of data. The authentic sources of secondary data disclose valuable facts. It is not always possible for an individual or a small organization to collect all the data through primary sources. For example, data on huge economy, or global reports on certain fields. The given research topic demands an analysis of the secondary data. The data on the hospitality industry of the world along with that of Asia and China have been obtained through various secondary sources. The primary focus has been given to the current trend of hospitality industry and its future growth. The Venetian Macau is situated in China. Therefore, various factors driving the hospitality industry in China has also been analyzed. The secondary data have been collected from the various authentic sources like journals, periodical, annual reports etc. c 36

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES

Figure 6: No. of Visitors (Percentage)

According to Mr. Miu, on an average 25000 to 30000 visitors come to this place every day. The visitors are mostly from the Asian countries. Around 4 % of the visitors are from Thailand, 17 % people are the local Macau inhabitants, 49 % of the visitors are from Hong Kong and 26 % of the people come from Mainland China. It has been noticed that the maximum number of people come from the Hong Kong territory followed by Mainland China. A research has been conducted by the authorities of City of Dreams to check the satisfaction level of the visitors coming to this leisure destination. The research report reveals that around 80 % of the visitors are satisfied with the service and facilities they are availing in this region. Mr. Miu was also questioned on the status of their position in the industry. He did not seem to be very optimistic about their position in the industry. In the casinos of Macau, the utilization of the table space is decreasing. At the same time, the destination City of Dreams is aiming to cater to the mass and therefore has kept its minimum bet per game quite low. However, because of this, the revenue generation in the casino is also quite low. People are much aware of The Venetian in Cotai strip, but they are not much acquainted with City of Dreams. Exposure is high in the Hong Kong territory, but it is quite low in rest of the regions. The retail prospective reveals that the overall retail position of City of Dreams is not in tune with its mass profile. The shops in 37

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES the shopping areas of Boulevard where City of Dreams is located are all luxurious brands. However the lack of proper synchronization has resulted in disappointing sales figure in these shopping centers. The food and beverage prices are quite low, thus catering to the mass visitors and enjoying attractive revenue. Among the hotels, Hard Rock is mainly based on theme, while Hyatt focuses on luxury business travel and Crown caters to the premium class. Further growth in the leisure destination is not very likely due to certain pertinent reasons; the main reason being the lack of enough space. Some factors on the other hand, encourage City of Dreams (COD) to grow faster as compared to The Venetian. There are two upcoming projects for COD in the next two to three years; one being Wynn which comes next to Hyatt and the next project is Galaxy Mega resort. Both of the projects are going to be huge. Apart from all these, the leisure destination has no further space for development. In conclusion it can be said that, The

Venetian is not really a competitor of COD, it is but the corporate group Melco Crown Entertainment. The main competitor of this leisure destination is Lisboa situated in the Macau Island. Mr. Miu is thinking to apply the process of international marketing communication within his organization, although he is of the opinion that some other factors need to be strengthened first. The leisure destination is trying to enhance the service and distribution of greeting allocations. Internal situation needs to be altered and everybody needs to work for the development of Dream Service. Integration of the different divisional service is very significant in this case. The destination has a number of branded cars to cater to the needs of their clients; however they do not use them much for fear of dirt and the sun. As per Mr. Miu, the current situation of the organization is not as encouraging as the operating team is too defensive in propagating their interests and is not willing to sacrifice their interests. Mr. Miu has mentioned business unit cooperation to be the most influential method of implementing integrated

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES marketing communication. The IMC plan has been made sustainable by the successful campaign of Lucky Purple. The promotional process incurred them a cost of around USD 12 millions, although it did not add much to the business perspective. However, the operation departments have not been very much cooperative in this program as the program was not driving business to their stalls and outlets. Many divisions were not much interested in this campaign as it would demand a number of changes in their operational processes. Nobody even tried to fetch cooperation from the operation departments. However, he agreed that marketing department would have the maximum weight in the implementation of IMC, but one cannot ignore the significance of the operation department. Internal communication is necessary to enhance the processes and materialize the implementation process. As per the organizational hierarchy, the direction of the communication flow is quite clear which helps to maintain the consistent tone in the big campaigns. However COD has a number of brand managers and the communication with the operation managers are of varied intensity. Some have regular meetings, but in few cases lack of communication has been identified. Marketing and communication department are the significant components of the internal communication system. The marketing department does not interfere in between the operational activities. Middle management is responsible for the internal communication between cross functional departments. However it has been noticed that communication enhances revenue, which in turn would fetch revenue for the leisure destination. As the food and beverage segment has a better communication within the marketing and the operation department, it contributed to make the department the highest revenue contributor among all the divisions. On the other hand, a lot of communication gap has been noticed in the casino department which resulted in failure of the division. As per Mr. Miu, the communication flow must be initiated by the president and CEO of the organization. He is only able to bring

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES everyone together and attain the cooperation from the operational managers. In this way only, the synergy is only attainable. As the group is dealing in hospitality industry, there are certain teams which are really crucial for the internal marketing communication including operation departments, PR and sales procurement. Brand marketing departments are necessary but up to a certain extent. As per him, finance and HR has nothing to do with the cross functional teams and can be done without them. One main issue in this regard is that each of the departments thinks of their own objectives and responsibilities rather than aligning them with the company objectives. In City of Dreams, the human resource management team does not entertain and support the cross functional integration. However, training and development has been quite significant to train the employees to be in touch with the customers and to offer quality service to them. The industry is very much competitive and one cannot expect to fetch required man power from their rivals. Finance has little to do in IMC implementation. Budget monitoring is the job of the financial managers, but when they get special instructions from the top management, they just approve the same wherever it is asked. Mr. Miu has suggested some ways, through which the implementation can be of cost effective. For each of the marketing activities, key performance activities (KPI) needs to be set. The budget allocation must be done with proper planning and profitability measurements must be monitored periodically. When Mr. Miu was asked about the role of CRM in the enhancement of the benefits offered by the IMC plan, he said the CRM in COD is not up to date. Mr. Miu has made it clear that so far no such integrated marketing campaign has taken place in Macau and he would prefer to consult with the professional for proper justification of the plan. The group does not have enough knowledge, skills and abilities to justify the implementation process. In the implementation of IMC plan, Mr. Miu accepted the strength of better working relationships. Top management is supposed to have no contribution

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES towards the implementation of the IMC plan. However, he was unanswered while he was asked about the impact of IMC on their stakeholders and on their value chain. Mr. Brendon Elliott, the Vice President of sales of The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the leisure destination. He was asked the same question as Mr. Albert Miu. However, he did not avoid the question of income and specified that on an average their monthly income is around USD 5 Millions with an average occupancy rate 92.4 %. He is quite happy with the position of the hotel, hitting occupancy rates at the upwards direction. The sales team is giving its effort to attract the people with high disposable income. In The Venetian, the consumers are in the trade off of decision making whether to spend their income on tangible items or rather spend it in leisure and entertainment. Sales force influence the decision making process in favor of the intangible experience. Even they have strategy to make their guests spend more on stay. Brendon has identified Disney Land and Ocean Park to be the main rivals of The Venetian on the attractiveness and awareness of the leisure destinations, City of Dreams from the casino perspective. Mr. Brendon is more interested to make Macau as a travel destination rather than particularly focusing on Venetian only. Moreover Venetian has its own identity as an integrated resort, not only for gaming but also for leisure. Mr. Brendon is also giving a though to the IMC plan and have a midterm master plan in his mind. Focusing would be still on Venetian and Four Season. However he is very much optimistic to implement IMC plan as the new president feels strongly about the same. Apart from the marketing department, revenue management, sales, destination marketing can proved to be significant to implement the plan and sustain the same. They have a team named as Destination Marketing, which is responsible to find out the appropriate product to the consumers as per the consumer behavior. The sales team is responsible to attract the prospective customers to The Venetian. Mr. Elliott emphasizes on the 41

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES fact that international communication among the departments is very important to enhance the implementation process. The long term vision can be achieved and revenue can be generated if there is a proper communication ambience between the destination marketing team and casino marketing team. Mr. Elliott has segmented his team into different divisional sales teams to drive different factors to generate revenue. Figures reflect that in near future the main contributor to the revenue would no longer be the casino department. So, from the early stage, effort has been put to make The Venetian as an integrated region rather than only gaming destination. Cross functional teams are very much crucial in this industry to encourage the communication, which in turn would encourage the revenue generation. Among them the most essential teams are Destination Marketing, MICE marketing, C&E, Mall Management and transportation. The Venetian is here to emerge as overall travel and entertainment, so all the operation departments are crucial to the marketing team. Revenue management is looking at the pricing and the revenue point of view. Finance is said to be moderately significant, but procurement division seems to be insignificant for the industry. The inter-departmental dynamics is quite strong in this case and they act as a multi department team; this has only been possible for the new president Human resource management is not so important in the implementation of IMC; however the training and development of the employees to enhance their skills is significant. Financial division assists an organization to offer cost effective measurements for the group. Unlike City of Dreams they are much confident to be able to fetch manpower from their rivals. Mr. Elliott has suggested that cross charge for various responsibilities in the integration of the marketing and other teams can result in low cost. Sharing of resources and finance can incur less cost for the hotels and casinos in there. Some internal charges also can be removed to implement a cost effective plan. As per his opinion, sales function is important but internet can make considerable contribution to

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES enhance the same. Right now the group is not doing quite well on the implementation of CRM, but in near future they may think about it considerably. Networking is much of importance as this would help the team to know the much significant roles to enhance the process. The group would like to take the help of their in house professionals first and if needed would like to consider the outside consultants. The property has a skilled management team, but Mr. Elliott did not comment on their execution level. Mr. Elliott knows that if they implement this IMC plan successfully, competitors may copy the same. The Venetian must include some differentiation characteristics in the implementation to enhance it further. The next respondent is Jacqueline Wu, the Vice President of public relations of Venetian Macau Limited. Her department is in parallel but quite separate with the sales and marketing. She looks after the corporate communication and properties communication in the hotels and casinos like Sand China, Venetian and Four Seasons. The Venetian has positive figures on the market share. As per her opinion, among these companies, Sand China is supposed to have a good growth in near future. As per her the chief rival of the group is going to be Galaxy Mega Resort which is going to open in the near future. The group has positioned itself quite as similar as The Venetian with well developed facilities for casino and MICE. As per Ms. Wu, City of Dreams is not a much powerful competitor as they have few facilities to match up with The Venetian. Jacqueline shared an observation that gaming and hotel market can become quite confined in the future. That is why The Venetian has started expanding its market to other potential ones across the globe. Recently it has done a 13 cities road show in China, which has included all the second tier cities as well. The group has been making a good use of the integrated effort to attract more customers using the two way approach towards the travel agents and the prospective visitors. Venetian must establish itself as an integrated leisure destination including gaming, leisure and 43

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES business travels and MICE facilities. Ms. Wu said from her very experience in the Galaxy, an integrated approach towards the marketing and bring up a consistent tone within all channels can be fruitful in the implementation of IMC. To sustain the implementation of IMC, the integrated marketing communication must match with the operation and physical experiences in alignment with the corporate business strategy. Ms. Wu has justified some of the tactics for the IMC implementation and has included that operation and marketing departments must work in a consistent manner. If the communication is not in alignment within the departments, the corporate structure can be a big challenge for the IMC implementation. For the implementation process finance and PR departments in alignments with the legal departments is necessary. HR is also very much important as it is supposed to facilitate internal communication within the organization. The procurement department has nothing to do with the IMC implementation process. As per Ms. Wu, apart from the training g and development department, recruitment is much necessary to attract the qualified and skilled people. As per her, networking can have a significant role in the whole communication process. However, the top management must pay enough attention to align the corporate structure with its goal, so that everybody in there can understand the importance of integrated internal and external communication. However this always introduces pride issue among the departments as each of them wants to lead the process and gain the credit for the implementation process. In case a successful IMC plan is implemented one can expect the changes. The next respondent was Ms. Jennifer Chan, the Assistant Manager- Destination Marketing of The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. Ms. Chan has agreed that an average the hotel occupancy is quite good in this property. As per her, entertainment is going to be one of the significant developments in the region. Venetian is doing good as they have offered their gaming to the 44

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES mass market. A few hotels are doing well in this industry, but they need to attract more traffic in the coming future. Among all the business divisions, MICE business is doing quite well with the generation of considerable revenue. According to Ms. Chan, City of Dreams is the biggest rival of the property. Marketing activities include focusing on the prospective market to encourage revenue generation and sometimes even they can have the road shows to generate exposure to the new markets. To a surprise, Ms. Chan does not have any thought to implement the IMC as there is no instruction from the senior management. As per her, apart from the marketing department, the PR department is supposed to have the maximum weight as they are going to control the PR budget and encourage awareness to the mass media. Internal communication needs to be enhanced to materialize the implementation. To encourage the organizational communication, the roles and responsibilities need to be clearly defines so to avoid confusion. As per her, the organizational structure is very much complicated to encourage between the departments. The employees in The Venetian are mostly performance oriented and they are just bothered of their own performances rather than working towards the organizational goal. Apart from the marketing teams, PR, Hotel operation and other operation management teams are significant in the cross functional teams. Finance department is moderately significant in this perspective. The employees work together when they are told to work in a team. The inter-departmental dynamics are sufficient to bring in the synergy among the departments. In synchronization with the other people, she found the training and development program to be only useful HR function for the for the cross functional team activities. Finance department approves the budget whenever the budget is approved by the upper management. In some other question regarding CRM, cost effective measurements she was not able to give a proper reply as

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES she does not have much idea about the same. As per her, networking makes things mush simpler. However as per her, the IMC concept is not so strong within the industry. Mr. Julian Chow is working in The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel as the Vice President of Brand marketing. Among all the interviewees he is the only one who has been staying with the organization since pre-inception period and knows the company best. The last 12 months revenue has been amounted to USD 4 billion with an average occupancy rate of 90 %. Out of some 3000 rooms, around 700-800 rooms have been complimentary to the VIP guests of casino. Total casino utilization rate is around 57 % with around 60000 visits per day to Venetian. In terms of number of rooms, Venetian has 10 % of the market share and in terms of revenue the leisure destination has scored 15 %. Talking about their position in the industry, he said that for hotel the company rates can be assumed to be the positive indicator of their growth, while for gaming he has been quite apprehensive. Gaming industry is supposed to have less growth in future compared to the hotel industry; so future seems bright in the hotel industry rather than in the gaming sector. According to him, the main competitors would include City of Dreams and Galaxy Mega Resort. The company has been doing well still its inception; however, the company is still aggressive on new customers acquisition. To intensify this, the marketing spending is supposed to increase by 10 % in the next years. Venetian has taken a number of marketing activities to acquire new clients, encourage repetitive visits. The property has spent around USD 9 million on the media purchase. He has been thinking to give a thought to the IMC concept. The organization structure of The Venetian is segmented into different business functions and they have their own departmental goals to achieve in near future. So as per him, it is difficult to integrate all these divisions to successfully implement the IMC plan. The senior management is mostly from gaming industry and that is why they may not have much idea about IMC. So it 46

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES would be tough to get support from the senior management. As per him, the business function divisions are significant in the implementation of IMC plan. Sales team is supposed to take less interest in this process as they are mostly bothered with the revenue generation in the hotels. As per Mr. Chow, internal communication cannot be a huge obstacle in the implementation of the IMC process. However, internal communication is good among the cross functional departments and from top to down managements. As per him, the new president has a strong concept which makes it more probable that the IMC concept would be used in future. As per him finance department has be seen as the most important division in the cross functional team. Sales team and PR team are supposed to be moderately significant, although the sales team is not bothered about the total revenue. As per him, IT, procurement, HR teams are no so significant in this perspective. The employees in The Venetian work as a multi department team. Synergy among the cross functions is surely there but among the cross business units it seems tough to achieve the same. In near future Mr. Chow has estimated a growth of 20 % in the contribution of internet in the marketing mix. As per him, CRM play a significant part to enhance the benefits of the IMC plan and specifically the casino department pays much effort on CRM. He prefers to take the professional help to successfully implement the IMC plan. Hopefully top management would understand the significance of the IMC plan after the successfully implementation of the same. The next respondent was Ms. Fanny Chan, who is working in Disney Hong Kong as the Distribution manager. Revenue has been quite well for the leisure destination. The property does not think The Venetian as competitor as the organization is more focused on family. Disney Hong Kong is implementing IMC plan which is known as ICP (Integrated Communication Plan). The plan is conducted by the teams of consumer marketing, sales and distribution marketing with a clear objective of enhanced branding and revenue performance. Departments come up with 47

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES strategies and tactics in alignment with the organization goal. Bi-weekly meeting and continual review of the performance is done with an estimation of the forecast for the near future. The organization has a well defined and well maintained responsibility for each of the departments. Sales team offer updated marketing intelligence, revenue management provide forecast, and marketing departments present the current scenario and update the upcoming activities. All the departments maintain a consistent note approaching the business agents and mass visitors. The plan has been successful in the long run as the Vice President of Sales and Travel Trade Marketing, Ms. Alana Ho, had strong sense of integrated marketing effort. She is now concentrating to ensure alignment among the management level. The synergy among the execution level, department heads and management level is of much significance. According to Ms. Chan, Distribution Marketing, Consumer Marketing and Sales team are important to strategize tactically, generate exposure and awareness in the market and getting the business. As per her, internal communication is of utmost importance and can be enhanced to materialize the implementation. As per her experience, some undesirable incidents can happen if the proper communication is not there. IMC is important as it can leverage the marketing effort, synergize the efficiency and cost effective. The employees in the organization work as a multi department team. With its talented and skilled work force, the property aims to sustain its integrated marketing communication implementation with its in house facilities. Looking at the above discussion, almost all of the respondents have said either they are implementing the Integrated Marketing Communication in their group organization or they are thinking to implement the same. It seems that they are aware of the IMC concept and understands the importance of the same. The respondents understand the advantage of the concept as a cost effective measure which can bring in success through synergy in the 48

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES communication. However the hardest part seems to bring in synergy in the departments. All of the respondents have identified some departments which are significant for the cross functional teams in the implementation of integrated marketing communication. Apart from the marketing department, operational departments, sales departments, finance and some other departments under the marketing divisions are need to work in congruence to successfully implement the IMC plan. Procurement seems to be the lease required department in this perspective. Disney has already started implementing the same with its in house facilities. The rest has shown interest to take the help of consultant, if needed. The foremost requirement to implement this IMC plan is clear communication between the departments, synergy among the departmental activities and working together towards the achievement of common goal. However, it has been noticed that most of the time the departments think about their individual objectives rather than thinking about their organizational goal. City of Dreams has been experiencing the same in an intensive way. The Venetian, on the other hand, has experienced so in a few cases, but can come together if instructed by the senior management. The top down communication is well maintained in this organization. So, it seems that the senior management must initiate the process by bringing in the required departments together towards the achievement of one goal. The roles and responsibilities must be well defined without any confusion in between. Mr. Elliott has also mentioned the imbalanced coordination between the departments. The departments do not contribute properly to integrate the marketing plan across the globe. There can be pride issues within the departments. These issues and office politics within the organization always lead to the failure in integrated market research. A properly developed organizational structure with a planned strategy and skilled employees can assist in the successful implementation of the integrated marketing communication plan in The Venetian. 49

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5.2. Secondary Research

The aim of secondary research is to collect information for analyzing the trends of hospitality industry in the global market, more specifically in China. As discussed in the introduction, the hospitality sector is quite well developed in the Western nations whereas in the South Eastern and Asia Pacific region the hospitality industry is still at its developing stage. The hospitality region in Asia is thus said to have tremendous potential and in expected to flourish in the years to come. 5.2.3. Asian Hospitality Industry

Before the onset of recession, the hospitality industry in Asia was performing quite well. The economy in Asian nations was growing at a healthy rate and people had enough liquidity in their hands. However, as soon as the global economy entered the recessionary phase, the hospitality industry of Asia went haywire. People lost their jobs and the remaining few lowered their transportation cost as far as possible. Even the multinational companies took severe steps to cut down cost associated with employees travel (Vella, 2009).
Figure 7: Hotel Performance in Asia Pacific (2006 v/s 2007)

(Source: Deloitte, 2008)

For example the Abacus International, a well known name in Asias travel industry disclosed that the global economic recession of 2008-09 had led to the decline of profitability in the 50

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES hospitality industry. However, with the Asian region reviving at a moderate rate, the management of the company is optimistic that the industry will recuperate in the next few years. Robert Bailey, the CEO of Abacus International disclosed that in the month of October 2009, booking in hotels increased to a great extent. This trend is expected to continue with better results in 2010 also. This rush in travel booking can be attributed partially to the recovery process taking place in the economy of the western nations and partially to the high growth registered in Indo-China and Central Asia (Online Travel, 2010). 5.2.4. Growth in Economy in Asia Pacific Region

As per the report published by International Monitory Fund (IMF), the GDP growth rate in Asia is expected to be 5.7 percent in 2010 whereas the developing nations is predicted to grow at 6.3 percent in 2010-2011. It has also been predicted that worlds economy as a whole will revive and will grow by 2.4 percent in 2010-2011 (Lobe, 2010). In the report it was clearly stated that European Union will face a hard time due to the debt problem prevailing in Greece, hence in this region the economic growth in 2010 will not be more than 1 percent and in 2011 it will just reach 1.5 percent. Also mentioned in this report is that China with an economic growth rate of 10 percent and India with an economic growth rate 8.8 will be the centre of attraction for the entire world (Lobe, 2010).

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Figure 8: World Growth

(Source: International Monitory Policy, 2009)

The above given information clearly specifies that the Asian region will enjoy a healthy growth in the coming years which will assist the hospitality industry to revive at a faster rate. Data from the Asian region have also revealed that in the early 2008, a number of glittering casino hotels were growing like mushrooms. However, this growth came to a sudden halt due to lack of finance and poor demand. The global recession has resulted into numerous changes; however the recovery is taking place at a slow rate. In the year 2008, around 974 new hotels were constructed in the Asian region, whereas in the next two years only 1060 hotels is expected to be constructed, i.e. the rate of emergence of new hotel will be half as compared to what it was in 2008. According to the Vise-President of Lodging Econometrics, Bruce Ford, the hospitality industry has a sound prospect in Chain. Thus China will be the centre of hospitality industry in the next few years. President and chief executive officer of Asiawide Hospitality Solutions, Kevin Murphy said that the company will invest in the hospitality sector of China for building five star hotels. In China, along with international tourism, the domestic tourism is also very significant. Therefore apart 52

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES from the five star hotels, even low budget hotels are also growing in number (China Daily, 2010). 5.2.5. Factors Influencing Growth in Chinas Hospitality Industry

Many factors have contributed to make the hospitality industry of Chine so attractive. The rapidly growing hospitality sector in China is indebted to the stupendous economic growth that the country has been experiencing in the last few years. The rapid economic growth has allowed the people to enjoy high liquidity thus increasing their purchasing power. Change has also been noticed in the living standard of people in China and they are ready to shell out large amount for quality products and services. Even the rural people are getting attracted towards intentional brands. The government of China has now realized that in order to be the market leader, the country needs to change its attitude towards the outer world and should collaborate with other nations to gain synergy. Therefore, the Chinese government is introducing certain degree of flexibility in their rules and regulations that are to be followed by the industry players. According to market experts, the huge population of China which is approximately 1,330,141,295 (est. July 2010) having a population growth rate of 0.494 percent represents a potential market for the hospitality industry. At present 73.4 percent of the population is in the age group of 15-64 years and 17.9 percent belongs to the age group of 0-14 years (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d.). In terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) China occupies the 3rd rank just after the European Union and US. In terms of per capita income, China occupies 128th rank with PPP of $6,600. Thus the Chinese population is enjoying a strong purchasing power which makes it one of the most attractive destinations for the international companies.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 5.2.6. The Hospitality Industry in China

To understand the nature of Chinas hospitality industry, past data were taken into consideration. The record shows that the concept of hospitality is nothing new in China. From the days of Shang Dynasty (1,600 BC-1,046 BC), the concept of providing accommodation to travelers in return to a nominal fee had been prevalent. With passage of time this custom underwent several changes to emerge as fully fledged industry. In the year 1949, People's Republic of China did build a few guesthouses for the foreign delegates but was little concerned with the development of the hospitality industry. Later Beijing Friendship Hotel, a state owned building turned out as the most visited lodge for the foreign journalists and business people. The concept of star hotel was introduced quite late in the Chinas hospitality industry whereas in other developed nations, rating of hotels with the help of stars was an age old practice. In the year 1978, the government of China introduced the concept of opening-up policy for incorporating the practice of star hotel (Qingfen, 2008). This proved to be a major turning point in Chinas hospitality industry. The new administrator of China decided to develop eight Chinese - foreign joint venture hotels in three vital regions. This was done to meet the growing demand in the hospitality sector born out of the increasing number of business people and tourists visiting China. The Chinese government did take too long a time to enter the luxury hotel business. According to the data, in the year 1983, 843 rooms in White Swan were opened for the privet sector to be used as luxury hotel (Qingfen, 2008). Such a bold decision was taken by the government for reforming the nation. In the very first year this turned out to be a good profit making hotel and till date it remains as one of the high profit making resort in Guangzhou. The Beijing's Jian'guo, a 468 room hotel born out of a joint venture between the Chinese government and Slam Chen (American enterprise) is also considered as one of the oldest posh reform hotel in China. 54

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES The report released by The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) in the year 2007 testifies the development taking place in this fast growing sector. According to this report, the star grade hotels in China had been increasing at a fast rate and at the end of 2006, China already had 13378 star graded hotels. This stands in stark contrast with the data of 2005. The number of start graded hotels is growing almost at the rate of 11.26 percent. Majority of the star graded hotels have emerged in Guangdong and Zhejiang. However no star graded hotel was built in the regions like Qinghai, Tibet and Ningxia (China Hospitality News, 2007). At the same time growth was noticed in the budget hotels in order to fulfill the growing demand in domestic market. The growth phase continued till the first half of 2008, until recession engulfed almost the entire world. Many multinational companies underwent joint venture to enter the Chinese hospitality industry. This helped the domestic companies to get access to the international market for raising fund for the ongoing project. Europe's largest hotelier, Accor planned to develop 120 budget hotels in China by 2010, but the company failed to achieve the target due to onset of recession. As per the report published by Horwath HTL China Hotel Market Sentiment Survey, 52 percent of the hoteliers accepted their hotel business faced a decline of 5 percent in demand due to the economic slowdown in different parts of the world. 57 percent of the respondents expressed their uncertainty about the growth in the hospitality business in China in next year. Almost all the respondents replied that performance of their property declined in 2009. 32 percent of the respondents are optimistic about the performance of their hotels in the coming years, whereas 28 percent of the respondents are optimistic about the revenue and profitability of the company (Horwath HTL, 2009).

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Figure 9: Key Marketing Performance Updates (2008 v/s 2009)

(Source: Horwath HTL, 2009)

The above given chart explains the manner in which different regions of China have performed in the recessionary phase. The three variable expressed in the above chart are revenue, occupancy and ADR. This comparison reveals that in certain regions like Xian and Sanya the ADR turned negative.

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Figure 10: Statistic Data of China in 2009

(Source: Horwath HTL, 2009)

The data given above makes it quite clear that even in the phase of recession, domestic tourism in China showed a healthy growth of 9.40 percent but on the other hand international tourism in China declined by 7.15 percent. The industry thereby enjoyed a net growth because of strong demand in domestic market and robust economic performance. When the number of arrivals was compared on region wise basis, it was found the numbers of visitors declined in Hong Kong by 5.23 percent followed by Taiwan with 1.38 percent. On the other hand number of visitors increased in Macau by 2.35 percent. The global recession however led to the decline of 22.80 percent in the number of people visiting China. In the year 2009, the revenue from domestic tourist was 283,400,000, which is 12.90 percent higher than the last years performance. Due to reduced number of international tourists, the fall in foreign exchange receipt was 15.38 percent. With the revival of the economy, the performance of hospitality sector also improved. In February 2010, tourism in China grew by 78.7 percent (Singapore Government, 2010).

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES After considering the data, on existing room supply in China (2000-2008), it is found that the percentage of domestic sector is reducing. A decline has also been noticed in participation of international sector. However, a healthy growth has been registered in the budget hotels. Thus in the coming years, domestic demand is expected to remain strong in China. With the improvement in international economic state, Chinas hospitality industry is expected to emerge as one of the most attractive industry in the international market.
Figure 11: Visitor Arrivals (Top 15 Markets), February 2010

(Source: Singapore Government, 2010)

After considering the above given chart it appears that in the month of February, China enjoyed the highest growth in the numbers of visitors, with 79 percent followed by Malaysia. On the other hand in terms of numbers of visitors, China fetched the second position, just next to Indonesia.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 5.2.7. Future Outlook of Hospitality Industry in China and Asia Pacific

According to the data collected in the secondary research it appears that Asias Hospitality industry was performing quite well until onset of recession. However the growth phase came to a halt as soon as economic recession engulfed almost all the global markets. Due to recession, people were left with very little money in their hand so people tried hard to minimize the expenditure for travel and tourism. This directly affected the revenue of hospitality industry. As compared to developed nations like UK and US, condition was quite better in the developing nations of Asia Pacific region. In China the international tourism was severely affected but on the contrary domestic demand surged even in the phase of recession. As the global economic condition is reviving at a moderate rate, hence it can be concluded that in coming few years China will witness higher number of foreign visitors for developed as well as from developing nations. As per the market information, many multinational companies are trying hard to enter hospitality industry in China, so in nearby future there will be several mergers and acquisitions. Such joint ventures between Chinese and foreign companies will result in inflow of capital and advanced technology. This will not only attract the local visitors but also the international tourist will prefer China as their all time favorite destination. The large population and increased purchasing power of the local people in China resembles a strong potential customer base for hospitality sector. Even the government of China is introducing more flexible policies so that more international companies can enter in the hospitality sector. Therefore absence of strong entry barriers will attract more and more companies to enter in the hospitality sector and soon the degree of competency will increase.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES This will be good for the customers as they will get access to international level services at reasonable prices but the profit margin of the competing companies may decline. To retain the competitive position and to attract more number of customers, the companies have to introduce strong marketing strategies. Therefore many innovative and contemporary marketing concepts will be introduced. As the concept of IMC is quite new for Chinese companies but soon more and more companies will rely on this concept to gain competency as compared to the rivals. 5.2.8. Changing Attitude of Marketing Strategy in Hospitality Industry

It appears that the Chinese hospitality industry has fair chances to grow in coming years due to strong domestic demand as well as improved numbers of visitors from foreign nations. In region like Macao, a Portuguese colony, hotel industries is witnessing development of several casinos to attract the high end customers. In this region there are many star graded luxury hostels that provide high quality services to the clients, few of them are- Four Seasons Hotel Macau, Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, Hotel Grand Lisboa Macau, Grand Hyatt Macau Hotel, Grand Lapa Hotel and few more. Almost all of these hotels provide more or less same services but as some of them posses a casino so such hotels prefer to use more innovative and aggressive marketing strategies. The hotels in China can be segregated as budget hotels that offer services at economic rates and luxury hotels that try to attract high end customers with high affinity for pressure and entertainment. Therefore the segment of luxury hotel can be further divided as traditional service provider and the hotels that offer casinos as an attractive mode of entertainment. As compared to traditional luxury hotels, the hotels with casino maintain a high budget for marketing. These hotels try hard to differentiate he services offered by them with the help of 60

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES innovative and unique marketing strategy (Forsgren & Franchetti, 2004). These hotels try to develop a better customer base with the help of customer relation based marketing. These companies try to fulfill entertainment requirement of the target customers by organizing different events, so event marketing is also ground. With passage of time people are left with very little time to visit the travel agents for finalizing their tours, hence many company operating in the hospitality industry use internet based marketing concept to provide entire vacation experience just on the click of button. This is a great success among the customers who are in the age group of 25-45. These potential customers have enough money to spend for travel and entertainment but do not have the time to arrange the trip, thus they get easily attracted with such internet based services. In destination like Las Vegas where many luxury hotels operate casino try to differentiate their hotels with the help of above mentioned marketing strategies. These hotels are trying to integrate different marketing communication tools for effective communication, to gain competency and to convince the potential customers.

5. Analysis and Discussion The survey was conducted with an aim to collect information regarding the prevailing organizational culture, the degree of integrity shared by different departments, the prevailing HR policies and marketing practices followed by the companies in Chinas hospitality sector. Many of the questions in the questionnaire were used to find out whether management of The Venetian has any plan to implement integrated marketing communication (IMC) to gain synergy. This survey was used for conducting primary research by interviewing the management people in The Venetian and also the management of the rival companies operating in the same

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES industry. It was found that Crown Tower, Hard Rock and Grand Hotel Macau where the main competitors of the company. After analyzing the data is was concluded that majority of the visitors in these luxury hotels are from Hong Kong that accounts for approximately 49 percent. The visitors are from Mainland China are 26 percent and from Macau are 17 percent. Therefore participation of international visitors in Chinas hospitality industry is almost negligible. One of the important respondents of the interview was Mr. Albert Miu who is the Brand Manager of City of Dreams Brand Marketing Department. In past he was also a senior advertising manager in The Venetian, so he is well aware of the marketing strategies followed by The Venetian and City of Dream, one of the rivals of The Venetian. After analyzing the information provided by him, it appears that none of the rival company succeeded in implementing IMC in hospitality sector of Macau. The second vital interview was of Ms. Fanny Chan who is currently working in Disney Hong Kong as a Distribution Manager. She explained that her company do have a plan to implement integrate marketing communication soon for gaining a competitive position in the market. It was found that in Disney Hong Kong all the departments function in an integrated manner to achieve the organizational goal. The company succeeded in attaining a smooth communication channel where all departments share their views, opinions and problems with each other. Even the top management takes all possible attempts to involve different departments in the decision making process. The company is enjoying a healthy financial position, so it possesses the capital to integrate its marketing communication strategy. The HR department is more concern about training and development of the employees and the employees are motivated to participate 62

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES within inter-departmental activities. It appears that while implementing IMC, the company may not face much hindrance as the concept of integrated functioning in nothing new in it. The organizational culture motivates its employees to participate with one another while achieving common organizational goal. On the other hand it was found that things are quite different in City of Dream (COD). The company does have a desire to implement an integrated marketing communication plan but the level of integration among different departments is quite low. Employees in different department are less bothered about problems faced by other departments. They are mainly more concern about their own department and its problems. Therefore the employees seldom participate in problem solving practices or decision making activates at an inter-departmental level. As the degree of competition is increasing day to day hence profitability for casino revenue is shrinking. Thus the major question is whether to invest high capital in implementing the IMC plan because the present organizational culture is one the major barrier in the process of integrating interfunctional participation. The other respondents of the interview were management representatives of The Venetian. They provided some vital information about the organizational culture prevailing in the organization. After analyzing the data collected from the respondents, it appears that the company did have a hard time during the recession. However, with things looking brighter, the flow of visitors along with the rate of occupancy is improving considerably. As per the organizational culture, the employees in The Venetian are not much bothered with performance of the other departments. This has resulted in a clash of ideas among the heads of various departments regarding the implementation of IMC. For example, the marketing department desires to implement IMC to enhance the efficiency of marketing communication and on the 63

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES other hand finance department is not willing to make such huge investment. The finance department is apprehensive whether the company will be able to recover such huge investment in the near future. Economic uncertainty is still prevailing in the Europe Union, especially in Germany. This has made the operational department anxious because it fears that the implementation of IMC will result in further complication in its operating pattern. Implementation of IMC necessarily demands a change in the human resource policies. The HR department should develop new training and development programs to train the employees. With the implementation of IMC, job responsibility of the employees will also undergo a sea change which will necessitate the HR department to incorporate modifications in the prevailing HR policies. The results of the primary research finding reveal that IMC is relatively a new concept in the Chinese hospitality industry and likewise The Venetian will have to face its share of obstacles that accompanies any novel venture. The aim of the secondary analysis was to collect information pertaining to the hospitality industry of Asia as well as China. It was found that the recession did have an adverse effect on the hospitality industry as a whole. People lost their jobs and their purchasing power deteriorated. However, the situation was not that severe on China, as the Chinese economy managed to grow at a moderate rate in spite of the recession. After analyzing the data pertaining to the number of people visiting different hotels in China, it was found that there was a marginal growth in the number of domestic visitors but the number of international visitors had declined considerably. However the recent data (post recession phase) have shown signs of revival. The economic and demographic condition of China makes its hospitality industry an attractive sector for the foreign companies to venture in. In future, many new hotels are expected to roll out, as the collaboration between Chinese and international companies are evident. This will also result 64

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES in the competition to increase manifold. Thus the time is ripe for the companies to modify their operations and to keep themselves at par with the international players. To have a birds eye view of the Chinese hospitality industry, data were segregated on region wise basis. This was done to identify the inter-regional competition. The analysis reflected that number of visitors declined in both Taiwan and Hong Kong but Macau managed a healthy growth rate. In Macau, the hospitality industry is mainly driven by luxury hotels that offer casinos as one of the vital entertainment tool to the customers. It has been found that people belonging to the age group of 25-45 have ample money in their hands and they are willing to shell out a few extras for innovative entertainment opportunities. A luxury hotel with a casino is indeed very lucrative. This concept is not very popular in other Chinese regions, so the marketing strategy for such hotels should not be same as the one followed by the traditional luxury hotels. The prevailing hospitality industry in Macau bears a striking resemblance with the hospitality sector in Las Vegas. Hence, the hotels in Macau can emulate the marketing strategies used by hotels and casinos of Las Vegas. The concept of relation based marketing, event marketing, internet based marketing and integrated marketing are some of the marketing strategies that needs to be implemented in the hospitality sector of Macau.

6. Conclusion The report aims to get an insight into the international marketing communication scenario in the light of changing facets of marketing in the hospitality industry. This research has attempted to achieve cross-functional synergy for The Venetian Macau by implementing integrated marketing communication in its marketing strategy. The objective has been achieved looking 65

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES into the facts and figures in accordance with the theories. The primary and secondary research, followed by appropriate analysis has been the main bludgeon to accomplish the objective and fulfill the aims. The increased competition in the contemporary market has made integrated marketing communication a very popular and helpful technique. The present scenario market is characterized by fierce competition within the rivals. Different techniques are being used by the potent players to avoid the intense competition. The strategies that govern their functioning are also being made flexible to suit the demands of the market. Profit maximization is the primary objective of an organization, which is achieved only by increasing the sales revenue. In order to generate higher sale revenue, the companies will have to acquire customer in the best possible way. Most of the industries belong to perfect competitive market structure where large number of sellers and buyers are present in the industry. However, all the players have sufficient amount of market shares so that they are able to sustain in the industry. Efforts have been made to discuss the process of integrated marketing communication in the literature review section. Along with it, important driving forces have also been recognized. The modern business is experiencing media explosion and the demand for media extension has become more prominent than ever. Added to it, the revolution in the field of information technology has increased the demand for integration marketing communication. The use of information technology has changed the face of traditional business. Promotional activities have significantly increased in the modernized business world. The modern marketing strategies have been formulated and executed with help of modern technologies like the database management systems. These technologies help the organizations to survive in the fierce competition. The modern organizations have realized that mere customer acquisition cannot ensure a secured market share in the long run. In recent years, the need for developing customer loyalty has been 66

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES felt by most of the organizations. Brand equity is a vital element that enhances the customer loyalty and sales revenue. These marketing activities help to develop two ways of communication with customers and it plays an indispensable role in building the brand image. The effect of globalization is one of the most important factors that have made the concept of integrated marketing communication broader. The modern businesses have been globalized. The organizations are becoming multinational and they are expanding in the international markets to acquire more customers. In order to compete in the international market, integrated marketing communication has become an integral part of marketing strategy. It has become very popular as it is more effective in developing systematic ways of communication that helps to gain customer loyalty and brand equity. The introduction of the latest digital and information technologies in the field of business has enhanced the use of integrated marketing communication. Before implementing it, the company should necessarily maintain a proper coordination among all the departments. Organizational behavior plays an important role in this process. Both of them are intrinsically linked. Integrated marketing communication, demands the organizational behavior to emphasis on certain factors like liberal arts, elementary communication system, basic research skills etc. With the help of these concepts, the integrated marketing communication can be explored and implemented efficiently. Human resource is another important factor that decides the effective implementation of integrated marketing communication. Conflicts within the organization can lead to the failure of integrated marketing communication plan. The departments can fight over pride issues within themselves and they may deny to join together to successfully implement the IMC plan. Successful leadership is significant to coordinate among the departments and make the departments work together towards achievement of successful implementation of integrated marketing plan across the organization. Human resource

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES management should endeavor to develop harmonized work environment so that all the departments can act together for the successful implementation of integrated marketing communications plans. The primary aim of this research paper is to find the ways of achieving synergy for The Venetian Macau by implementing plans for integrated marketing communication. The Venetian is one of the global leaders in the hospitality industry. It has opened up a new luxury hotel and resort in Macau, China. In order to meet the objective of this research paper, primary and the secondary research has been conducted. The data gathered from both the methods disclose valuable information. The hospitality industry depends on the disposable income of people and their willingness to spend earnings on leisure and entertainment. The secondary data provides a clear picture of the current market scenario of the Asian and the Chinese hospitality industry. After the global meltdown, Asian economies were also affected along with the western countries. During that period, hospitality industry faced considerable crisis as people stopped spending on leisure and entertainment. However, with the recovery of economy, the hospitality industry is also reviving. The overall growth in the Asian counties in 2010-2011 will be prominent for this industry. The Venetian will have a good opportunity to serve the international customers in the coming year. The hospitality industry in China is primarily driven by economic growth. The Chinese economy is at a recovery stage and is being helped in all possible ways by the Chinese government. The Chinese hospitality industry has been benefited by the flexible rules and regulations that the government has recently passed. The huge population of China is a major advantage for this industry. Moreover the increased purchasing power of the people has attracted many international players to start their venture in this country. The Venetian is one of the 68

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES international players that have recently entered the Chinese hospitality industry. Many other international players have established a joint venture with domestic organizations to cater to the domestic needs of the Chinese market. The Chinese hospitality industry is filled with many big players among which most of them are international players. The industry is growing but with it the competition is also increasing. The numbers of star grade hotels have significantly increased. The recession did have an adverse effect on the hoteliers of China. But the Chinese economy is not the kind that can be easily subdued by these kinds of temporary financial disruptions. The Venetian in China situated at Macau is fast emerging as a favorite tourist destination. The rates of domestic and international visits to Macau have increased considerably when compared to other tourist destinations like Hong Kong. Along with The Venetian, other hotel and resort chains are trying to build Macau as one of the most exciting destinations of Asia. The companies are indeed capitalizing on the new found popularity of Macau to enhance their sales growth in the Chinese market. With the help of the data gathered from the primary research, valuable information on The Venetian in the context of the current market scenario has been derived. Six respondents belonging to the hospitality and the entertainment industry have been interviewed. Their comments have reflected the approach of the industry towards the concept of integrated marketing communications. The City of Dreams is one of the famous leisure destinations, enjoying high sales revenue. It has three well-known hotels called Crown Tower, Hard Rock and Grand Hyatt Macau. All of them have a high occupancy rates. The brand manager of the City of Dreams does not seem to be quite happy with the revenue generated from the casinos. Even, the hospitality industry of Macau including The Venetian has not achieved the expected sales revenue for the casinos. All of them have agreed to tune the retail position of the hospitality 69

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES industry with the needs of the customers. Proper synchronizations are necessary for revenue generation in this industry. Low and attractive prices on foods and beverages are one of the major attractions for the customers which have caused a significant increase in the sales revenue. The City of Dreams has higher sales revenue than The Venetian. Ironically, the brand manager of the City of Dreams does not consider The Venetian as its rivals. According to him, Melco Entertainment is the most crucial player in this industry and has posed a threat to all the major hotels. However, the top level managers of The Venetian have agreed that the impact of the sales revenue of City of Dreams is indeed very challenging for The Venetian. The importance of implementing the integrated marketing communication lies in the fact that it helps to boost the sales of an organization. All the respondents have agreed that better communication fetches high sales revenue. For example, the brand manager of City of Dreams has disclosed that better communication in the foods and beverages marketing segments have been instrumental in generating the sales revenue. According to them, the implementation process of effective integrated marketing communication requires efforts should from the crossfunctional teams. Most of them have emphasized on the importance of the sales and marketing team over the financial and human resource departments while executing the process. The sales team of The Venetian is responsible for attracting customers and therefore is the one that emphasizes on international communication among all the departments. Some of them however, have tried to focus on the human resource team, as manpower is essential for conducting internal communication. Few of them, on the other hand have opined that it is difficult to concentrate on a particular plan, as each department has its own area of operation. The networking and customers relationship managements are however the ones who have the resources to enhance the benefits of integrated marketing communication. The top level managers have found that 70

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES though the customer relationship management is one of the most vital elements in the hospitality industry yet it has not been integrated in their strategy level. Very few of them are of the opinion that the role of top level management is of utmost importance as they are able to influence all the departments. The data have disclosed the roles of various departments along with the top level managers in implementing the integrated marketing communication for The Venetian.

7. Recommendations The analysis of the primary and secondary data has resulted in a comprehensive idea about the integrated marketing communication and its role in achieving synergy for The Venetian. The secondary data has disclosed the current scenario of the hospitality industry in Asia and China. The hoteliers are also feeling the need to implement this program in the light of the present market conditions. The management of The Venetian Macau has successfully implemented the integrated marketing communication plans. The efforts of the top level managers should really be appreciated in this context. The implementation process however hasnt been very smooth as its cross-functional characteristic was difficult to handle. It became a major challenge for the management of The Venetian to maintain internal communication and proper coordination among all the departments. In order to implement the integrated marketing communication plan, The Venetian should at first guarantee internal coordination among the departments. The management should thereby try to develop the interpersonal interaction among the cross functional members through meeting, presentation etc. In this process, the role of the top level managements is very essential. The top level management should coordinate the entire process. 71

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES Limitations of this plan include the conflict that ensues between the marketing department and financial department over resource allocation. The financial department manages and controls the financial activities and the implementation of this policy will require significant amount of resource allocation. Therefore, the financial department should be among the most important process partners for this purpose. The top level management should explain the financial department about the long term benefits that the integrated marketing communication will bring in the form of enhanced sales revenue. The financial policy makers should be given the responsibility to prepare the projected budgets for this plan. The financial budgets drawn for this purpose will help the company to execute its plans more accurately. Except for the marketing department, the concept of the integrated marketing communication is not yet clear to other departments like human resource, finance, R&D, operations etc. The importance of integrated marketing communication should be explained to all the departments. The organization should try to vitalize its internal communication to establish harmonized business environment. The internal communication should be a two way process existing among all level of employees and employers. The strategy plan for the integrated marketing communication should be shared and communicated with all the levels of managements. Technologies like e-mails, video calls, voice mails intranets etc can be used for communication. Traditional methods like annual reports, staff-to-staff newsletters are also effective methods of communication. The concept of integrated marketing communication is relatively new to the business world. Though its implementation has bore fruit, it is yet to be popular with most of the organizations. For example, The Venetian is facing problems in formulating and implementing this plan due to the lack of skilled manpower. The formulation of this strategy requires considerable experience 72

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES and expert knowledge which is not readily available. The management of The Venetian is itself not very aware of this strategic communication plan. The onus therefore falls on the human resource department. It alone can upgrade The Venetian with its knowledge of employees and become an important process partner in implementing the IMC. This plan also demands the expertise of the marketing employees. The human resource department should thereby carry out proper training and development programs where the existing knowledge can be molded with the various aspects and subtle nuances of integrated marketing communication. Proper recruitment process should also be implemented to identify the best candidates suited for this purpose. Along with it, The Venetian should try to reduce the number of conflicts arising due to the implementation of the integrated marketing communication. The human resource department can play a significant role in this context. It should develop its grievances management policies to reduce the number of the conflicts. After the implementation of the integrated marketing communication plans, the management of The Venetian should develop a proper performance measurement appraisal system. An evaluation plan should thereby be drawn in favor of the above mentioned system. The planning procedure should be made flexible so that the company can adjust its strategies in alignment with the market trend. The implementation of this plan will result in huge expenditure for promotional activities. The amount that has been spent on this plan should be compared with the increase in the sale revenue. If the results reveal that IMC has been able to fetch significant amount of sales revenue, then the evaluation process can be discontinued and the organization can revert back to its existing strategy. Otherwise, The Venetian should identify and rectify the loopholes existing in the strategy.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES The Venetian, a major player in the Chinese hospitality industry is facing intense competition from other big players like the City of Dreams, Disneyland since the latter have a better market position. Establishing a strong communication system with the customers is imperative in the hospitality industry. The Venetian should thereby implement the integrated marketing communication to achieve synergy and increase its market share.

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References 1. Archer, C. No Date. Integrated Marketing Communication: What are the Barriers to Integration? [Pdf]. Available at:

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UnitedKingdom/Local%20Assets/Documents/UK_THL_HospitalityVisionGlobalPerfor manceReviewSpring2008%281%29!!1!!.pdf [Accessed on July 8, 2010]. 11. Duncan, T. 2006. Principles of Advertising & IMC. 2nd ed. Tata McGraw-Hill. 12. Egan, J. 2007. Marketing Communications. Cengage Learning EMEA. 13. Forsgren, S. & Franchetti, C. 2004. The Marketing Role of Unique Concepts for Hotels in Sweden. [Pdf]. Available at:

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 16. Hsu, C. H. C. 2006. Casino Industry in Asia Pacific: Development, Operation, and Impact. Routledge. 17. Hulbert, M. J., Capon, N. & Piercy, F. N. 2005. Total Integrated Marketing: Breaking the Bounds of the Function. Kogan Page Publishers. 18. Iacobucci, D. & Calder, B. (Eds.). 2007. Kellogg on Integrated Marketing. WileyIndia. 19. International Monitory Fund. October 2009. Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific; Building a Sustainable Recovery. [Pdf]. Available at:

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/apd/eng/areo1009.pdf [Accessed on July 8, 2010]. 20. Jones, S. K. & Schee, B. A. V. 2008. Creative Strategy in Direct and Interactive Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications Instruction. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.the-dma.org/dmef/researchsummit/CreativeStrategy.pdf. [Accessed on July 7, 2010]. 21. Keillor, D. B. 2007. Marketing in the 21st Century: Integrated Marketing Communication. Greenwood Publishing Group. 22. Kitchen, J. P. & de Pelsmacker, P. 2004. Integrated Marketing Communications: A Primer. Routledge. 23. Kitchen, J. P., de Pelsmacker, P., Eagle, L. & Schultz, S. D. (Eds.). 2006. A Reader in Marketing Communications. Taylor & Francis.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 24. Lancaster, G. & Withey, F. 2007. Marketing Fundamentals 2007-2008. ButterworthHeinemann. 25. Lobe, J. 2010. Developing Countries Leading Economic Rebound. IPS NEWS. [Online]. Available at: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51147 [Accessed on July 8, 2010]. 26. Online Travel. February 26, 2010. Asia Leads Travel Industrys Recovery. [Online]. Available at:

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05/19/content_6695367.htm [Accessed on July 8, 2010]. 29. Schultz, E. D. & Schultz, F. H. 2004. IMC, the Next Generation: Five Steps for Delivering Value and Measuring Returns Using Marketing Communication. McGrawHill Professional. 30. Schultz, E. D., Tannenbaum, I. S. & Lauterborn, F. R. 1993. Integrated Marketing Communications. McGraw-Hill Professional.

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 31. Schultz, E. D., Tannenbaum, I. S. & Lauterborn, F. R. 1994. The New Marketing Paradigm: Integrated Marketing Communications. McGraw-Hill Professional. 32. Serrat, O. January 2010. New-Age Branding and the Public Sector. Knowledge Solutions. Asian Development Bank. [Pdf]. Available at:

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 39. Thorson, E. & Moore, J. 1996. Integrated Communication: Synergy of Persuasive Voices. Routledge. 40. Vasu, L, M., Stewart, W. D. & Garson, D. G. 1998. Organizational Behavior and Public Management. 3rd ed. CRC Press. 41. Vella, N. October 12, 2009. The Hospitality Industry in Asia General Summary. [Online]. Available [Accessed at: on

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42. Yeshin, T. 1998. Integrated Marketing Communications: The Holistic Approach. Butterworth-Heinemann.

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Annexure

Questionnaire
1. What is your monthly average usage rate? 2. Given your position in the industry, do you feel this rate to be a positive indicator of your future growth? 3. Who do you feel are your chief rivals? What extent of rivalry does exist among Venetian Macau, Grand Hyatt Macau and City of Dreams? 4. To what extent, do you feel, your marketing activities should be enhanced in order to increase your usage rate? 5. Are you giving any thought to an IMC plan? a. Yes b. No Is it a long term or a short term goal? Do you have any plan to implement in the near future?

6. To what extent do you feel you can sustain an IMC plan? 7. Given the holistic nature of the plan, which department(s) apart from marketing do you feel should be assigned the maximum weights? 8. Do you feel internal communication should be enhanced to materialize the implementation? a. Yes

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES b. No

9. With reference to Question 8, can you justify your stand on the importance of internal communication? 10. What steps may be taken in order to incorporate changes in the prevailing organizational communication? 11. Synergy goes hand in hand with any holistic strategy. How does your organizational structure support this premise? 12. Given the type of industry you are in, what is the significance of cross functional teams? a. Highly significant (we need them) b. Moderately significant (we know we need them but to what extent?) c. Insignificant (we can do without them)

13. With reference to Question 7, what levels of inter departmental dynamics have been achieved through your organizational structure? a. We work as a multi department team b. We work together when we are told to c. We know the different departments but we hardly interact d. Each department thinks only about its specific responsibilities

14. Do you think the levels of inter departmental dynamics are sufficient to bring about synergy? 82

MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 15. To what extent does your human resource policy support a cross functional integration of this type? 16. Which aspect of human resource management is needed the most in materializing the plan? a. Recruitment b. Training & Development

17. If you feel goal specific recruitment is necessary, will you be able to procure required manpower from your top notch rivals? 18. Owing to the industrial exposure that your organization already has it is reasonable to assume that you have a significantly high experience curve. In light of this, dont you feel internal job posting will be a better alternative than external recruitment? 19. What are the financial implications of IMC implementation? 20. What are steps that should be taken towards making this implementation cost effective? 21. Are you planning to augment the role of the Internet in your marketing mix? 22. It is apparent that there is quite close competition among the top players. Even if IMC turns out to be fruitful, how will the organizational culture help in sustaining the benefits of it? 23. With reference to Question 22, I would like specifically ask you about the role of CRM. Does it play a significant part in enhancing the benefits of IMC?

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MBA TERM PAPERS CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING SERVICES 24. If IMC aims primarily at enhancing the usage rate of your property, what are the supporting organizational functions that may contribute towards the same goal? 25. How important is networking for the performance of your property? 26. Are you able to procure relevant data from your rivals who have already been successful in implementing IMC? How are you planning to incorporate such data in your strategy making process? 27. Will you develop the strategy in house or through external professional help? 28. Is your current KSA inventory capable enough to accept IMC as a developmental strategy? 29. What exactly is the role that the top management is likely to play in implementing this plan? 30. What will be the effect on your stakeholders both internal and external once the plan is implemented? What will be the impact on your value chain?

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