Marketing Strategies for SMEs

This assignment delves into the marketing strategies utilized by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It examines the role of entrepreneurial sensemaking in shaping these strategies, focusing on areas like green marketing, corporate social responsibility, and design innovation. The assignment also investigates how SMEs can leverage their unique characteristics to create competitive advantage in today's dynamic market landscape.

Melbourne Marriot Marketing 1
MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR MELBOURNE MARRIOT HOTEL TO IMPROVE
BUSINESS STRUCTURE
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Contents
1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................2
1.1 Background of research.........................................................................................................2
1.2 Melbourne Marriot Hotel Services........................................................................................2
1.3 Research Problem..................................................................................................................3
1.4 General Objectives.................................................................................................................4
1.4.1 Specific Objectives.............................................................................................................4
1.5 Research Questions................................................................................................................4
1.6 Research Assumptions...........................................................................................................5
2.0 Literature Review..................................................................................................................5
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................5
2.2 The concept of a marketing strategy......................................................................................6
2.3 Summary................................................................................................................................7
3.0 Research Methodology..........................................................................................................7
3.1 Research Philosophy..............................................................................................................7
3.2 Research Approach................................................................................................................8
3.3 Study Population....................................................................................................................8
3.4 Research Design....................................................................................................................8
3.5 Data Collection......................................................................................................................8
3.6 Sampling................................................................................................................................9
3.7 Data Analysis.........................................................................................................................9
3.8 Timing....................................................................................................................................9
3.9 Cost........................................................................................................................................9
4.0 Findings and Discussions....................................................................................................10
4.1 Importance of marketing strategies in improving the business structure of Melbourne
Marriot Hotel.............................................................................................................................10
4.2 Impact of marketing strategy on the improvement of business structure of Melbourne
Marriot Hotel.............................................................................................................................11
5.0 Recommendations................................................................................................................11
6.0 Conclusions..........................................................................................................................12
Reference List............................................................................................................................13

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1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of research
A number of companies undertake marketing objective for purposes of improving the
performance of their businesses. This research is focused on identifying marketing strategies that
can be adopted by Melbourne Marriot Hotel for purposes of enhancing its business structure
(Bettiol, Di Maria & Finotto 2012). The Hotel is one of the leading in the industry in Australia.
For a long time Marriot hotels has managed to build a good reputation surrounding the
impeccable services that they offer. True to its reputation Marriot is recognized for its quality,
service delivery, innovation in the hotel industry and integrity. The Hotel boasts of a powerful
distribution system, innovative international sales and excellent marketing strategies. Marriot
creates value proposition for its customers by building confidence of their customers to trust the
brand.
1.2 Melbourne Marriot Hotel Services
Melbourne Marriot Hotel offers a wide range of services and amenities. The main
services and amenities offered include a non-smoking free zone in all public areas within the
premises, Beauty shop, buffet breakfast, an ATM machine, daily housekeeping services, laundry
services, limousine services, coffee or tea in rooms, newspaper delivery in rooms on request,
room services, continental breakfast, concierge lounge services, full American breakfast. Other
services that are offered in the premises include guest room information, dining room
information, fitness and recreating, local attraction, driving directions from the airport, business
services and accessibility.

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1.3 Research Problem
Without a reliable and effective marketing strategy, Melbourne Marriot Hotel’s
sustainability is threatened in terms of increasing its brand awareness for purposes of increasing
its market share, attracting new customers, boosting its profit margin and successfully reaching
out to their target market. Therefore, it is important for Melbourne Marriot Hotel to prepare a
marketing strategy that will not only increase its competitive advantage but make the business
sustainable in any industry (Mitchell & Grace 2012). For an effective marketing strategy,
Marriot Hotel will be aiming at assisting the business to recognize challenges before they arise.
Additionally, Melbourne Marriot Hotel should be able to identify marketing trends and changes
in consumer’s choice and preference with the aim of creating loyal customers to sustain the
Hotel. A good marketing strategy for Marriot Hotel is intended to accomplish certain objectives
for the firm (Madhani, 2016). One of the objectives of an effective marketing strategy is to
improve sales of a particular product or service. The marketing strategy should be able to focus
on past, current and future sales through analyzing business reports.
The strategy that will be proposed by Melbourne Marriot Hotel should be able to assess
past challenges and find out an effective strategy that will ensure the challenges are mitigated for
optimum performance of the Hotel. Another objective that a good marketing strategy will
achieve for the hotel is maximizing the profit of the company. This is because majority of
companies enter into business for purposes of making profits (Aziz & Fady, 2013). Therefore, it
is important to develop a marketing strategy that can improve profit margins so that Melbourne
Marriot Hotel can be operational and serve the needs of its customers. In its quest to improve its
business structure through marketing strategies, Melbourne Marriot Hotel applies promotional

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tools which develop a healthy and positive rapport with its customers in order to improve the
quality of services it offers.
1.4 General Objectives
The objective of this research is aimed at examining the marketing strategies that can be adopted
by Melbourne Marriot Hotel in Australia to improve its overall performance in the industry.
With effective marketing strategies, the company is able to be in a position to compete favorably
and have a competitive advantage over its competitors. Besides, effective marketing strategies
will be able to increase value proposition and attract new customers as well as maintain existing
ones. This will ensure the company’s sustainability and improved relationship with its customers.
1.4.1 Specific Objectives
The specific objectives for this research include:
 Understanding the importance of an efficient marketing strategies
 Examining the significance of marketing strategy as it relates to improving the hotel
business structure
 Examining the impact of proposed strategies towards the improvement of Marriot Hotel
 Provide recommendations and conclusion for effective adaptation of favorable marketing
strategies.
1.5 Research Questions
 What is the need to have a marketing strategy?
 What is the importance of having a marketing strategy to improve the business structure
for the Hotel?

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 What is the Impact of a marketing strategy to improve the business structure of
Melbourne Hotel?
 What are the recommendations that will enhance effective marketing strategy of
Melbourne Marriot Hotel?
1.6 Research Assumptions
Marketing strategies will continue to be a significant aspect for Melbourne Marriot Hotel
thus the need to study this topic to improve its marketing objective in the future.
There are different marketing objectives that are not effective thus making this study
relevant to ascertain those that are effective for Melbourne Marriot Hotel.
The interviews that will be conducted to collect primary data will be answered truthfully
since anonymity and confidentiality will be guaranteed.
A pilot study will be conducted and those who do not wish to interview may withdraw at
any time and the study will not include open ended questions.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
This section will discuss the concept of marketing as well as provide examples of
marketing strategies that are effective in improving the business structure of a company. Also,
this section will discuss the significance and importance of marketing strategies that can be
adopted by Melbourne Marriot Hotel towards improving its business structure.

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2.2 The concept of a marketing strategy
A marketing strategy is a plan drafted by a business, company or firm for purposes of
selling certain products and services. A marketing strategy is significant as it determines how
well a business can compete with other similar business in the same industry. Besides, a
marketing strategy plays an important role in increasing the market share through attracting more
customers to the business (Hult 2011). Marketing strategies which are developed to improve
business structure are pegged on several key elements. These components include the market,
competition and consumer.
Pricing is also a crucial factor when it comes to developing an effective marketing
strategy. A business has to consider the price it offers its product to the market as well as
competitors prices for purposes of determining the best price to sell products or services without
exploiting the consumer. A product or service plays a crucial role in determining a marketing
strategy that will be used to sell the products. A good and quality product has an added
advantage over inferior products and as a result easy to promote while at the same time
vulnerable to counterfeit products (Krush, Sohi & Saini 2015).
A marketing strategy will depend on market analysis. A business should be able to
conduct a marketing analysis to determine the trend of the industry. If the industry is reducing
regarding market capitalization, a business should come up with innovative market strategies that
will disrupt the market and grow the industry. On the other hand, if the business is on the rise, a
business should be able to adapt favorably to market forces and grow the business. A good
strategy should evaluate the competition in the industry and be able to differentiate itself from
other business to have a competitive advantage (Bashir, Yousaf & Wani, 2016).

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2.3 Summary
The literature review summarizes that marketing strategies play a significant role for
every company. Companies rely on marketing strategies that to increase their awareness and
visibility to prospective customers. Marketing strategies are also essential in attracting customers
to boost sales for the business to increase profit margin (Phongpetra & Johri 2011). Melbourne
Marriot Hotel requires effective marketing strategies to ensure it gains a competitive advantage
and market share in the hotel industry. Effective marketing strategies will ensure that Melbourne
Marriot Hotel improves its business structure for sustainability.
3.0 Research Methodology
The main purpose of this research process is to investigate the objectives set by this study
in order to validate the effectiveness of the marketing strategies that are aimed at improving the
business structure of Melbourne Marriot Hotel in Australia. This study ensures that proper
research process is followed to determine the effective strategies that will be used by the
management of Melbourne Marriot Hotel. The research methodology focuses on the research
design, the population under this study, the instruments used for the study among other things
such as the cost and timing of the study (Clarke, et al., 2013).
3.1 Research Philosophy
Based on the opinions drawn by this research process, there are four significant research
philosophies that relate to this study which include positivism, interpretivism, realism and
pragmatism (Flick, 2015). The most relevant philosophy that is relevant for this study is
positivism which emphasizes on the need to provide facts and logical explanations about the
observation and data that can be quantified for purposes of ensuring that the research objective is
attained.

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3.2 Research Approach
There are two types of research approaches that are used in scientific study. These
approaches include inductive and deductive approaches. The inductive approach is aimed at
determining the lacking variable in the research study while deductive approach is meant to solve
a specific issue in relation to the hypothesis of the study. For this study inductive approach is
used because it assists in examining the relationship between the variables under the study and
the research topic (Saunders, 2011). Inductive approach plays a critical role in determining the
progress and authenticity of the study.
3.3 Study Population
The population under this study will be employees and managers at the Melbourne
Marriot hotel in Australia.
3.4 Research Design
In a scientific research study, there are three designs that are commonly used which
include explanatory, descriptive and exploratory. An explanatory research design is significant as
it is self-explanatory with regards to the data collected. A descriptive research design offers
detailed information that informs the researcher based on previous research data (Fayolle &
Liñán, 2014). The exploratory research design explores primary data along with the existing
variables under the study. This research study uses a descriptive research design to explain the
findings of the study.
3.5 Data Collection
The method of collecting data for this research study will be from both primary and
secondary sources. Primary data collection will be collected through as survey that will interview

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the marketing department of Melbourne Marriot Hotel, employees and frequent customers of the
Hotel. On the other hand secondary data will be collected from existing literature on marketing,
business reports and peer-reviewed journals (Bello & Kostova, 2012).
3.6 Sampling
A simple random sampling is used in selection of employees and managers from
Melbourne Marriot Hotel for this study. Careful consideration is used to eliminate cases of
biasness and ensure reliable information is provided. The sampling size for the research is 53
respondents.
3.7 Data Analysis
The analysis of the data that will be collected will be based on the relevance of the
sources where the objective is to access all the data and make sure to use the ones that are related
to marketing strategies for improving the business structure.
3.8 Timing
The research process covers a period of seven weeks where the researcher will
familiarize with the research question, develop research objectives and questions, peruse
secondary sources from literature review, conduct the research, provide findings and give
recommendations.
3.9 Cost
A budget will be determined by the researcher based on the activities that are going to be
carried out. After, the cost for this study will be determined and calculated after the completion
of research study. Miscellaneous costs that may arise will also be factored into the final
calculation.

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4.0 Findings and Discussions
4.1 Importance of marketing strategies in improving the business structure of Melbourne
Marriot Hotel.
One of the main benefits of having an elaborate marketing strategy is to improve
communication among the employees which plays a significant role in Melbourne Hotel to
facilitate efficiency. To determine the importance of a market strategy, one has to consider the
market which the business intends to satisfy. Businesses that focus on domestic markets such as
Melbourne Marriot hotel in Australia often use certain marketing strategies to achieve their
goals. There are several classifications of marketing strategies that are based on various factors
such knowing when to market and knowing when not to market (Sinha, 2012).
According to this concept, there is always time for everything and business personnel
should not act on emotions but understanding of market forces that facilitate the decision-making
process. A person can plan effectively when he or she has an idea of the circumstances rather
than jumping into something without much information. A marketing manager should be able to
master the art of using intuition for purposes of determining the right time to seize an opportunity
(Alonso-Almeida, Bremser & Llach, 2015). Every marketing objective should not be challenged
by other aspects of the business. A marketing manager should be able to act decisively when the
right time for marketing the business presents itself which should be carefully analyzed through
available marketing tools.

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4.2 Impact of marketing strategy on the improvement of business structure of Melbourne
Marriot Hotel
The impacts of marketing strategies for Melbourne Marriot Hotel are based on the core
objective of providing better services and have a sustainable business structure. Effective
marketing strategies have the potential to scale the profitability of the Hotel. Besides, effective
strategies not only offer the company a chance to improve value proposition with customers but
also attract new customers as well as maintain the existing ones by making them loyal customers.
Focusing on the needs of the customers is crucial for the Hotel management to innovate new
marketing strategies that will give them a competitive advantage and earn them a sizable market
share among its competitors. The company has the potential to improve its brand and make it
identifiable through customer relations that promote the benefits of the company not only to
Australia but also across the world.
5.0 Recommendations
There are several marketing strategies which are classified based on the evaluation
process that Melbourne Marriot Hotel can incorporate to improve their business structure
(Madhani 2016). Several marketing strategies are fronted by researchers and categorized into six
areas which include the main marketing strategy, general competitive advantage in the
acquisition strategy, strategies to compete in certain markets, marketing, strategies of its intended
market, positioning market strategy and strategy of the complex marketing elements. Marriot
Hotel should aim at investigating more on these marketing strategies to give them a clear picture
on how they should carry their marketing efforts (Hsu 2011).

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6.0 Conclusions
Marketing strategies should focus on the local markets and extrapolate the results to a
national level and international. This is to have a clear picture of what efforts should be
encouraged to be able to compete favorably. For a business to determine its position in the
market, it should be able to identify primary competitors for purposes of evaluating the
performance of the business over time (Soteriades, 2012). For companies to achieve their
marketing objectives, their main goal should be focused on marketing elements, control and risk
management. Besides, the three aspects must have different marketing strategies that can be
combined to have a powerful marketing strategy that meets the objective of a business. Lack of
monitoring and evaluation of the marketing strategies does not guarantee the success of the
campaign since the marketing should be modified progressively to specifically target the right
consumer and create a loyal customer.

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Reference List
Alonso-Almeida, M., Bremser, K. & Llach, J. 2015, "Proactive and Reactive Strategies
Deployed by Restaurants in Times of Crisis", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 1641-1661.
Aziz, A.E. & Fady, R. 2013, "Business Improvement Using Organizational Goals, Riva
Technique and e-business Development Stages", Journal of Enterprise Information
Management, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 577-595.
Bashir, M., Yousaf, A. & Wani, A.A. 2016, "Green Marketing & CSR: A Proactive &
Innovative Tool to Gain Competitive Excellence", Journal of Supply Chain Management
Systems, vol. 5, no. 2.
Bettiol, M., Di Maria, E. & Finotto, V. 2012, "Marketing in SMEs: the Role of Entrepreneurial
Sensemaking", International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 223-
248.
Clarke, J., Tamaschke, R. & Liesch, P., 2013. “International Experience in International
Business Research”: A conceptualization and exploration of key themes. International Journal of
Management Reviews, 15(3), pp. 265-279.
Fayolle, A. & Liñán, F., 2014. “The Future of Research on Entrepreneurial Intentions”. Journal
of Business Research, 67(5), pp. 663-666.
Flick, U., 2015. “Introducing Research Methodology”: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. 1 ed. London: Sage.

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Hsu, Y. 2011, "Design Innovation and Marketing Strategy in Successful Product Competition",
The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 223-236.
Hult, G.T. 2011, "Toward a Theory of the Boundary-Spanning Marketing Organization and
Insights from 31 Organization Theories", Academy of Marketing Science. Journal, vol. 39, no. 4,
pp. 509-536.
Krush, M.T., Sohi, R.S. & Saini, A. 2015, "Dispersion of Marketing Capabilities: Impact on
Marketing's Influence and Business Unit Outcomes", Academy of Marketing Science. Journal,
vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 32-51.
Madhani, P.M. 2016, "Competitiveness and Sustaining Performance: Integrating Sales and
Marketing", SCMS Journal of Indian Management, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 19-36.
Mitchell, R. & Grace, D. 2012, "An Exploration and Extension of the Value Discipline Strategy
(VDS) Typology in Educational Institutions", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 30, no. 4,
pp. 402-417.
Phongpetra, V. & Johri, L.M. 2011, "Impact of Business Strategies of Automobile
Manufacturers in Thailand", International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 17-37.
Saunders, M., 2011. “Research Methods for Business Students”. United Kingdom: Pearson
Education.
Sinha, A.B. 2012, "Business Communication: The Mainstay of an Efficient Business", IUP
Journal of Soft Skills, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 7-15.

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Soteriades, M. 2012, "Tourism Destination Marketing: Approaches Improving Effectiveness and
Efficiency", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 107-120.