Incorporating Internet based marketing information systems to improve marketing intelligence The case of tourism and hospitality SMEs in Jordan

Abstract

This study investigates the nature of marketing information systems (MklS) within tourism and hospitality small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan and focuses on the importance of external information and marketing intelligence. The sources of marketing intelligence are investigated with particular emphasis on understanding the usefulness of the Internet as an enabling technology for external information gathering. The empirical research to support the study uses survey methods to investigate marketing information systems, marketing intelligence and Internet within accommodation and attractions subsetors in Jordan. Out of a total of three hundered and fifty questionnaires posted to the selected sample of SMEs in these two subsectors, ninety-six usable responses were received (27%). Only independently run businesses were surveyed. The objective was to screen out those who may have access to the marketing information system of a larger organisation. The response rate obtained is typical of similar postal surveys within this field.

A number of hypotheses were formulated to realize the objectives of this study. The aims of this study were to: (1) identify the current form of MklS used within tourism and hospitality SMEs in Jordan and to measure the awareness within this sector of the information available via the Internet; (2) determine if and how these firms use the Internet for obtaining marketing intelligence; and (3) gather the opinions of information users within the group on the usefulness of the Internet for marketing intelligence gathering and to discover what problems have been encountered or are anticipated with Internet use for marketing intelligence.

The findings indicate that SMEs in this sector of the economy of Jordan make use of informal marketing information systems which mainly concentrate on internal and immediate operating environmental data. Important wider marketing intelligence isunderutilized owing mainly to the resource constraints of these smaller businesses. The Internet has not yet been recognized as an important source for marketing intelligence despite having the benefits of providing much of the necessary data more quickly and at a lower cost than many other sources. The findings of research suggest that there is a need within smaller organisations in the tourism and hospitality sector in Jordan for a MklS which incorporates both internal and external data from various sources and which is not resource intensive. The study concludes by developing a ' best practice ' model for incorporating Internet usage into the MklS of tourism and hospitality SMEs in Jordan.