Impacts of Electronic Marketing on the Service Industry in Tallinn City - Research Paper Example

Impacts of electronic marketing on the service industry in Tallinn Literature review Marketing is a way of promoting the sale of a product. Marketing process has been defined by many different authors. According to Fatayerji “it is the procedure by which salespersons look for purchasers, and it is the process by which products and services are being exchanged between the producers and the individual”(16). Electronic marketing on the other hand has been described as doing advertising using the internet (Fatayerji 30) Electronic marketing has many elements. These include email marketing, search engine optimization, pay per click, social media, blogging, online advertising and affiliated marketing (Krishnamurthy, and OConnor 113) Research questions 1) What are the impacts of electronic marketing in the service industry in Tallinn City? 2) Which are the different types of electronic marketing systems used in service industry in Tallinn city? 3) How has the electronic marketing impacted on the operations of hospitality industry in Tallinn city? Research hypothesis The following are the type of hypothesis that will guide the analysis of data in this research. 1) Electronic marketing has increased the sales of goods and services in the service industry in Tallinn city. 2) Electronic marketing has reduced the cost of marketing of goods and services in the service industry in Tallinn city. 3) Lack of enough qualified staff has negatively impacted on the performance of the electronic marketing in the service industry in Tallinn city. Methodology This section is going to present how the research was carried out. It will give the approaches taken in the research and the philosophical assumption of the approach. Research approaches are plans and steps that explain how the research will be undertaken and the procedures and methods for data collection, analysis, and presentation (Karin 16). This study adopted a qualitative approach of research which involves studying and exploring new phenomena and problems with a certain group of people. It is a method best used in the social sciences and also in market research to explore the behavior of people or groups of people towards certain products (Karin 12). This approach best suited this study since the study wanted to explore the impacts that electronic marketing has on the service industry in Tallinn City. This study intended to gather in-depth understanding of the behavior of users of electronic marketing facilities and qualitative approach is the best to use on this kind of study. Furthermore, a small selected sample was used to facilitate the research and it is one of the features of qualitative approach of study (Karin, 12). The philosophical assumption behind this qualitative approach of research is constructivism. According to Karin, it is an assumption that mostly focuses on the interaction of human being with one another on their world (21). The study of impacts of electronic marketing in the service industry in Tallinn City is a study on the interaction of people as they shop for goods and services purchased and receive cash for the service rendered. The constructivism philosophical assumption has it that human beings develop meaning from their interaction in the world they live in, (Karin, 21). Research Design The aim of the research design is to provide a way of answering the research questions (Damon, Pedersen and McEvoy, 132). It is to provide the outline of the course of action to be undertaken during the collection and presentation of data. Creswell (2009) further explains that research design is the outline that points out how the researcher is going to develop accurate and presentable information during the course of the research. This study aimed at investigating on the impacts of electronic marketing on service industry in Tallinn City. Case study is the research design that will be used. According to Damon et al, investigators can use the case study to verify a theory in the real world. (132) Area of study The area of the study should be convenient and make it easy for the researcher to obtain the necessary data that he requires (Karin 28). This study was carried out in Tallinn City. Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia and has some of the best service industry in the region. Some of these hotels and airlines have embraced technology and have put electronic marketing systems in use. The city is also a major tourist center, attracting both domestic and international tourists which means that the hotel staffs have interacted in the course of their duties with different kinds of tourists. It is because of this that Tallinn City was chosen as the best selection for this study. Population The study population will be composed of 4heads of marketing departments and 6 line staffs in the marketing department from two major service industries which are hotels and airline in Tallinn city. Both groups of staffs are crucial in the study because in one way or the other they come across guests and they know how the marketing systems of their establishments work. However, the line staffs who are always in direct contact with guests are the most critical members of a hotel and airline set up. In addition to being in direct contact with guests, the line staffs are the ones who use the facilities and systems for marketing in their process of finding customers for their establishments. The same line staffs usually know the advantages of these electronic marketing systems and their loop holes too. The heads of departments are above the line staffs and will want to ensure streamlined service in their departments. They are the one who deals with any complain and comments arising from the use of these systems. They also may deal with guests directly in the course of working. Sample and sampling technique The study adopted a non-probability sampling technique. This technique helped in the answering of the research questions and meeting the objectives of my study. This kind of sampling focuses on a small group of case selected for that particular purpose. In this non-probability, I used the purposive, judgmental and selective sampling, which provided an information-rich case study to explore the research questions and gain theoretical insights. I also adapted this kind of sampling because of the limited resources which could not allow adapting a large sample size. Therefore, from a range of about 30 senior management staffs only 4 were interviewed. Out of about 150 line staffs, a sample of 6 was interviewed. Data collection Data collection is a systematic way of gathering information which is relevant for the research purpose (Karin 29). Data was collected using face-to-face open ended interviews. The interviews were organized in an unstructured way. Tape recording and audio recording were used to record the responses from the interviewed staffs. The data were then transcribed to make them easy for analysis. Data analysis Data analysis is “the systematic organization and synthesis of the research data and the testing of research hypotheses, using those data”, (Karin 35). Data analysis as Frost also explained, involves categorizing, organizing and summarizing of the collected data and making them to have meaning (92). Framework analysis was used in the analysis of the data. This is because the research was trying to explore the impacts of the electronic marketing systems from the experiences that people have with them. Interview transcript Interviewer: What are the types of electronic marketing systems used in this establishment? Interviewee: Well, we have many electronic marketing systems, but in our establishment, we majorly focus on email marketing, pay per click, social media, blogging, online advertising, affiliated marketing and search engine optimization. Interviewer: Has your establishment fully implemented these electronic marketing systems? Interviewee: Mmmh, I can say yes. We have fully implemented them though this dynamic world keep changing day in day out. Interviewer: What is the initial installation costs of that you incurred as a result of installing the electronic marketing systems in your establishment? Interviewee: Aah, well I think at this point I cannot really estimate the exact. Mmh yeah. Interviewer:What stuff changes were made as a result of the electronic marketing system being put to use? Interviewee: Year of cause we did. First remember that you know with the digital world, there are some people who are not compatible with it. Two we..we...it displaced some people so we had to train other staff members to come and help us in working using the electronic systems. Interviewer: Compare this modern electronic marketing systems with your initial traditional mode of marketing; Interviewer: Is it better than the traditional mode? Interviewee: Actually the former one is better, not the traditional one. That one was a little bit cumbersome and expensive but we prefer the modern electronic marketing systems. Interviewer: Does your guests prefer this method to the traditional one? Interviewee: Yeah, most guests do prefer this because, number it is faster, then the privacy is also high as compared to the other traditional one. Interviewer: Which system is faster than the other? Interviewee: Off course that one is eeh, the electronic system is much faster. We cannot compare it to the traditional one. Results and Discussions Advantages Inter_1 Inter_2 Inter_3 Inter_4 Inter_5 Cost effective Fast Increased sales Large market The major types of electronic marketing systems include the email marketing, search engine optimization, pay per click, social media, blogging, online advertising and affiliated marketing. The electronic marketing systems have increased the number of sales of goods and services in the service industry. The electronic marketing systems have many advantages. First, they are cost effective because it is cheaper to use these systems. Second, these systems are fast. The systems have resulted in increased sales. The last main advantage is that the systems expose the business to a large worldwide large market. Conclusion Electronic marketing is the major marketing technique used by many business organizations. This is because the world has been digitalized and everyone and everyone are going online. Electronic marking is also a cheaper marketing way and reduces the marketing costs on businesses. Therefore, any business that wishes to remain competitive in this world must adapt to the electronic marketing ways. Works Cited Andrew, Damon P. S, Paul M. Pedersen, and Chad D. McEvoy. Research Methods and Design in Sport Management. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2011. Print. Fatayerji, Najib C. Electronic Marketing: Advantages and Disadvantages. Boca Raton, Fla: Dissertation.com, 2004. Print. Frost, Nollaig. Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology: Combining Core Approaches. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press/McGraw Hill, 2011. Print. Klenke, Karin. Qualitative Research in the Study of Leadership. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Pub, 2008. Print. Krishnamurthy, Sandeep, and Peter OConnor. Contemporary Research in E-Marketing: Volume 2. Hershey (Pa: Idea Group Pub, 2006. Print. Read More