Khatem Al Shaklah - Location Audit - Case Study Example

? Khatem Al Shaklah Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Location Audit 3 SWOT Analysis 4 Stakeholder Analysis 4 Stakeholder Mapping 5 Strategic Plan 6Vision 6 Mission Statement 6 Product Development 7 Communication 7 Sustainability – Impact Analysis 8 Conclusion 8 References 10 Appendix 11 Introduction The report titled “Khatem Al Shaklah” is about business analysis and planning of a heritage village at a location of the same name. The report focuses on UAE tourism and offers an analysis of the tourism market of the area. Strength, weakness, opportunity and threats in terms of the location are analysed and proper strategy has been made for the launch of the business. The report discusses in detail about the assessment of the location and the stakeholders associated with the project. A strategic plan has been formulated with vision, mission and product development, and communication and media strategies are being established. At the end, an impact analysis has been done to review the sustainability of the project in the long run. Location Audit Khatem al Shaklah is an upcoming area located in the city of Al Ain. Al Ain is one of the developed cities in the state of UAE. It is also the second largest city in Emirates. The place is located near the border of Oman and connected by highways to big cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The rainfall is average in the place and humidity is low, which makes it a favourite destination for holidays, especially during the summers. The place also boasts presence of many green forests and gardens, because of which the city is often termed as Garden city. Khatem al Shaklah is located on the central part of the city and is properly connected to the rest of the city with well built highways. The city of Al Ain is a popular destination for tourist attraction. As most of the other cities in UAE are located in the coastal areas, the humidity is high. Dry weather of the Al Ain city makes it a favourable place for outing and spending holidays. Al Ain has become a major destination for commerce and service industry. This rise of tourists and people settling here from other countries makes it a favourable market for services industry. The city has currently three established malls and shopping centres (Atiyyah, 1997). Apart from the weather, the place is also famous for its historical legacy. The rich culture of Arab has been preserved in many historical and archaeological sites in the city (Nikam, et al, 2004). All the above features make the place an attractive destination for setting up a new heritage site. SWOT Analysis To find out the opportunities and areas of concern, a SWOT analysis has been done for the chosen place. The goal of SWOT analysis is to find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with the chosen location and strategies to overcome the weaknesses and threats (Piercy and Giles, 1989). Strengths- The major strengths associated with the location are the weather and the historic legacy associated with it (Carlsen and Andersson, 2011). With a normal temperature and rainfall and a lower humidity especially during the summers, the area becomes a major destination place for tourists. The place has also many gardens and green spots which further attract tourists in the desert area. Another strength of the location is the infrastructure, the place is in the central part of the state and is connected with major cities such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai through highways as well as air transport. This makes it easy for the tourists and travellers and ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience for them. Weakness - The weakness of the location can be associated with the political, geographical and variable weather conditions. Even though the place is better than most of the cities of the Emirates in terms of weather, the climate is constantly changing. Sudden sand storms and cold nights are the major issues which tourists face. Also the area is not well promoted as a holiday destination which can be a hindering factor for any new projects in this area. Opportunity- Many new facilities from the services industry such as malls, coffee shops and shopping centres are being established in the city. Thus, there is an opportunity for new holiday and destination projects as more number or tourists and travellers will flow in. Threats – The current historical sites as well as the businesses providing leisure activities are a major threat to the current project. This will reduce the market share of people travelling as tourists and will also lead to highest spend in the advertising campaigns, in order to promote in heritage village in the growing competitive environment. Stakeholder Analysis A stakeholder can be an individual, group or institution who has invested in an organisation and has vested interest in it (Clulow, 2005). A stakeholder is anyone who is affected by the changes in the conditions of an organisation. In an organisation, stakeholders can be beneficiaries, opponents, supporters, resource providers and other vulnerable groups. It is very important to analyse the stakeholders and maintain good relationship with them. This helps in smoother flow of the projects in the organisation. The key stakeholders identified for the current projects can be; 1. Customers 2. Investors 3. Company employees 4. Government 5. Suppliers 6. Owners 7. Community 8. Competitors 9. Creditors Stakeholder Mapping To find out the power and influence of stakeholders in an organisation, stakeholder mapping is done (Bourne and Walker, 2005). From the above stakeholder mapping, it is clear that the organisation needs to monitor each category of stakeholders. For the proper management of the stakeholders, different strategies should be used for each category. The stakeholders having high influence and high stake on the organisation were identified as the government, customers and the community. To satisfy these stakeholders, the company need to collaborate its objective with the objective of the stakeholder. To maintain a good relationship, the organisation will have to make sure that the investments made by the stakeholders are not wasted and misused. The tourism authority and the related government officials should be kept in loop when any action is taken in terms of the legal obligations. Strategic Plan Vision The vision statement for an organisation or company focuses on the company’s future or what they want to achieve in future. The vision for the heritage village will be to provide their customers with the best holiday destination experience from beginning to end, with attractive sites and engaging activities. At heritage village, quality and fun of life go side by side. The environment will be warm, active and friendly and tourist will be exposed to a wide range of destinations including historical sites, games parlour, car showrooms, sports and leisure activities etc. For the new generations there will be water parks, adventure parks and events where kinds as well as adults can participate. All this will be available at a cost, which is affordable. Mission Statement The purpose of the heritage village will be to provide an everlasting experience for the visitors of the village by exposing them with unique historic sites, latest adventure sports and activities, leisure areas, top class restaurants and nice places to hangout. The heritage site will be serving all demographic categories starting from kids, teenagers, youngsters as well as adults, professionals, middle aged and senior citizens. There will not be any gender bias and equal opportunities will be provided to men as well as women in terms of activities and events. The heritage village will be established keeping in mind the environment and local surroundings. The village will use latest technologies to keep the pollution and wastages at least and will make sure that least amount of wastes are dispersed in the surroundings. The mission statement for the organisation will be “There’s no place like Heritage Village”. Product Development The cultural heritage village will be developed keeping in mind the strengths and opportunities of the location. The product is located in a strategic place in the city of Al Ain. The strength of the city is that it has connection with the major cities of the country. The weather of the location is pleasant and better than other cities. The heritage site can utilise this opportunity by constructing open air theatres hangout places. The site can also develop water parts and sports activities to engage the young enthusiastic target market. The tourism service is on the rise and new projects are being developed. This has increased the inflow of tourists and travellers. The heritage site can utilise this opportunity by introducing variety of restaurants and places to eat, serving the local as well as international customers. The infrastructure will be world- class using latest technological advancements such as security services, computer operated restaurants and sites, booking through websites and e-business opportunities (Yasin and Yavas, 2007). Use of technology will provide a competitive advantage to the heritage village (Rosson and Martin, 1985). Tourists will be provided with facilities such as hotels and car services, transport facilities within the heritage village and tour guides. The hotels will be equipped with latest technology to provide best services to the customers. Communication The heritage village aims to provide the customer with an everlasting emotional experience. This emotional experience will make the customers a regular visitor and loyal customer of the heritage site. For example, if a family come for holiday, the strategy will be such that every member of the family is equally engaged in the activities and sites available in the village. The services of the sites are especially designed to suit the personal requirements of each target group. Once customers enter the heritage village, the communication strategy will be to provide them with a memorable experience with the help of various media options. Specialised tour guides will be provided to each group visiting the sites. The sites will be properly labelled with both written and sign instructions. Each customer will be provided with a leaflet containing the places of attraction and navigation paths to reach them. Every notice board and instruction manual will be available in major languages, apart from the local language. Station announcements will be given during lunch time and closing time, so that no one is left out. For the proper functioning of the heritage site, it is very essential that the employees working there are properly trained and experiences. Formal training will be provided to all staff at different levels. Sustainability – Impact Analysis To review the sustainability of the project, impact analysis has been done; Environmental - Maintaining a balance in the environment will be one of the major factors taken into consideration while planning any project. The project will ensure that least amount of carbon emission and other harmful gases are released into the environment (Hindy and Baghdady, 1998). Latest use of technology and advance mechanics will ensure least amount of wastage. Also, ample care will be taken of the natural resources which come under the supervision of the heritage village. Socio- cultural – The environment of the heritage site will provide ample opportunities for the development of social environment. The aim of the heritage site is to promote the rich culture of the state to the world. The site also aims to preserve the historical attractions and archaeological sites. This aim will help the heritage site to sustain in the long term environment. Apart from this, the growth of tourism will lead to a better understanding of different cultures and social environment and will promote cultural globalisation. Economic- With the increase in the number of tourists, the revenues generated by the tourism will increase and this in turn will increase the overall revenue gained by the economy. Thus the heritage site also helps in growth of economy and other industries such as transport, food, retail and other allied sectors (Balakrishnan et al, 2011). Conclusion Developing a new project is a tough task. There are many factors such as economic, political, social and technical which needs to be monitored and fixed, in order to start a new business. In the present development, various factors were taken into consideration. With the help of SWOT analysis the relevant opportunities and threats were identified and proper strategies were made to utilise the opportunities and minimise the threats. With the help of a strategic vision plan, the heritage site will be established. The vision and mission of the organisation is strong and will help in the sustainable growth and development of the heritage village. References Atiyyah, H.S., (1997). Culture, Management and Organisations in Arab Countries: A Review of Research Findings. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 4(2):13 – 20 Balakrishnan, M.S., Jayashree, P. and Michael, I., (2011). Etihad: contributing to the UAE vision through Emiratisation. Emerging Markets Case Studies Collection, Emerald. Bourne, L. and Walker, D.H.K., (2005). Visualising and mapping stakeholder influence. Management Decision, 43(5):649 – 660 Carlsen, J. and Andersson, T.D., (2011). Strategic SWOT analysis of public, private and not-for-profit festival organisations. Emerald 2 Clulow, V., (2005). Futures dilemmas for marketers: can stakeholder analysis add value? European Journal of Marketing, 39(9/10):978 – 997 Hindy, K.T. and Baghdady, A.R., (1998). A study of airborne minerals and associated organic species in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Environmental Management and Health, 9(4):160 – 164 Nikam, K., Ganesh, A.C. and Tamizhchelvan, M., (2004). The changing face of India (2): knowledge management for digital preservation. Library Review, 53(6):309 - 312 Piercy, N. and Giles, W., (1989). Making SWOT Analysis Work. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 7(5/6):5 – 7 Rosson, P.J. and Martin, M.J.C., (1985). The Management of Technological Innovation and New Product Development. Managerial Finance, 11(1):5 – 15 Yasin, M.M. and Yavas, U., (2007). An analysis of E-business practices in the Arab culture: Current inhibitors and future strategies. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 14(1):68 – 73 Appendix Questionnaire; Name; Occupation; 1. How will you rate the proposed development plan? a. Excellent, b. Very Good, c. Average, d. Poor 2. Of the following sites, which one you prefer visiting? a. Historical Sites b. Games park, c. Retail showrooms, d. Restaurants and food courts 3. In your opinion how much impact the new project will have on the following environmental factors? Click wherever applicable High Impact Average Low impact Can’t say Social Cultural Political Environmental 4. Write a brief summary of the changes you expect/want in the proposed development of the project. (100 words). Read More