Management Styles and Marketing Strategies

In her research, Associate Professor Dr. Milena Filipova attempts to examine some of the management techniques used in the hotel and tourism industry in Bulgaria. He understands that management is the bond between a manager and their staff. A manager can persuade staff members to give their best effort through management, assisting the organization in achieving its goal. The article’s main goal is to describe the many management practices used in the industry, but it also includes information on management concept. Hence, a summary of the article can be broken down as follows:

Management according to the author is a process through which a manager influences employees towards meeting a particular result and securing performance of either individual or group tasks bearing in mind the set goals. He goes to clarify that management also regards the employee cooperation built towards meeting the company’s goals. Cooperation entails motivation of employees and meeting their satisfaction within the place of work (Filipova, 2015).

The author continues to explain management by differentiating it from governance and reduce the common misconception of the two terms which are often regarded as synonyms to each other. Governance is acknowledged as part of management that demonstrates the peculiarities of a manager’s activities.

Many different management styles are presented as viable within the hospitality/tourism sector with each being critically assessed from employees roles, how directions are given, how employee behavior is influenced, coercion, manipulation, communication, and dictatorship. Some of the management styles covered includes:

Authoritarian style

Democratic style

Liberal style

Cooperative style

Autocratic style

Bureaucratic style

Charismatic style

Article B: Hotel Sales and Marketing: Trends 2016

Hotel and Sales Marketing Trends 2016 is an annual article compiled by experts and Deloitte to offer hotel managers some of the essential marketing trends in the market thus guiding further growth in revenues once implemented effectively. The author identifies multiple marketing opportunities and strategies which are useful in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the article provides a statistical data outline for accuracy and real life business scenarios that are success stories hence providing a credible breakdown. In summary, the report can be broken down into:

Marketing Opportunities

The article provides some of the opportunities through which strategic marketing can strive on especially hotels, restaurants, and lodgings. They include but are not limited to:

Expansion of Meta searches- Engines within this domain include Trivago, TripAdvisor, and Google which used to offer comparative information have an opportunity to grow into available sells channels thus marketing each hospitality franchise (Dragan, 2016).

Sharing economy boom – Connecting driver with passengers is an opening that needs to be taken advantage of, and the best decision is for the hospitality industry to link with a global phenomenon such as Uber which has become a revelation in the transport sector.

Reviews – The impact of opinions of customers regarding pricing, the level of hospitality, services offered has never been clear up until now. According to meta search engines such as Trivago, 80% of the user’s read approximately 6-13 comments before booking a hotel. The author was quick to show the opportunities available in reviewing of the sector.

Marketing Strategies Mix

Unlike opportunities which show some of the relevant domains which the industry has not tapped yet, the author also recognizes some marketing styles and strategies which are already in use but need to be utilized well. These include:

Social Media Marketing

Virtual reality incorporation for further advertisement

Use of customer data to enhance advertising and attract more customers

Customized over customer experience

Messaging as a new form of contact

Both articles offer a depiction of the hospitality industry, its utilization of different management styles and the application of various marketing strategies and opportunity to enhance the scope of its goals in the market.

Article Critique

With regards to management style, I agree with the author that the industry has an influx of different types of styles to achieve results. Management techniques are there to produce results and even though some might be viewed as worse than others’ all that matters are if results are achieved. It is evident that Bulgarian Hospitality/tourism industry uses quite a wide range of management styles. The author goes on to emphasize the importance of relationship building between the manager and employee. It is through a relationship with staff that managers can influence cooperation, motivation and ultimately enhance job satisfaction.

Marketing management styles and strategies have also, been well presented in the second article. It provides a clear guideline with specific real-life examples of success within different sectors related to the hospitality industry. However, it is important to point out some supportive strategies through which such marketing mix can help the industry growth in a sustainable manner. Transparency is useful in any form of marketing endeavor. Meta search engines are known for their over the top attractive advertising through pricing discounts, and visual advertising, however, tourists are often skeptical of such sites. Transparency can only be enhanced through communication and ratings from approved critics.

Although the article names fifteen different types of marketing mix styles and opportunities, no implementation program or guide has been provided. Identifying marketing opportunities that are relevant in today’s industry is only the first step towards a sustainable growth in the market. Implementation is the process through which franchises in the hospitality industry can merge organizational structure with relevant marketing mix strategies to the desired set of goals. Furthermore, through implementation managers can realize the shortcomings of each marketing strategy and vulnerable departments that might need restructuring.

On management style, the author does not offer a specific example or success story in the Bulgarian tourism industry through which a particular management style has been specifically used to provide a rationale for its application. The article is vague when giving a practical case study on the case thus failing in its attempt to convince the success rate of any management style. Although a statistical example has been offered over the period of 2008 and 2012, more on the challenges, vulnerabilities and real lie implementation would have sufficed in adding credibility to the study. Understanding the hospitality trend in the future requires gathering vital information regarding the industry at present. Both articles offer compelling arguments on these two linked strategies in the hospitality sector but fail to provide enough case studies to learn from. Information becomes impossible to process with limited data, and this is what the authors of these two articles have provided, great marketing opportunities and certain management styles but a lack of concrete rationalization of these two aspects.

References

Dragan, M. (2016). Hotel Sales and Marketing: Trends 2016 (1st ed.). Delloite. Retrieved from http://www.profitroom.pl/uploads/Trends_2016_EN.pdf

Filipova, M. (2015). Management Style in Toursim (1st ed.). Blagoevgrad: Southwest University. Retrieved from http://ftp://ftp.repec.org/opt/ReDIF/RePEc/rau/journl/WI13S/REBE-WI13S-A1.pdf