A written statement (1 page) presenting a strong argument for substituting a graduate level core course.

Summer 1, 2015

TCA 380: Hospitality Marketing

Instructor: Lisa Cain

Class times & room: M/T/W/Th/F- 11:00am -1:40 pm; BEH-216

Office location: Beam Hall (BEH) 355

Office hours: M/T/W/Th 10:00am-11:00am, or by appointment

Email: [email protected]

Prerequisite: HMD101

Course Description

Marketing requires separate work, and a distinct set of activities. But, it is a central dimension of the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of its final result, that is, from the customer's point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must permeate all areas of the enterprise."

-Peter Drucker, Management

This course concentrates on general principles, techniques, and concepts of hospitality marketing and its role in developing customer and service oriented managerial approach in a hospitality organization. It is designed to provide the student a working knowledge of marketing process in the hospitality industry and the interrelationships between marketing decisions, marketing research, buyer behavior, product strategy, channels of distribution, promotional activities, and pricing decisions. The primary goal is to enable students to evaluate, describe, and design marketing activities with practical insights into the real world.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, one should reasonably expect to be able to:

1. Develop a working knowledge of marketing principles, terms, and concepts related to hospitality industry. 


2. Understand and apply marketing concepts to real life situations from customer and managerial perspectives. 


3. Understand current marketing practices in hospitality industry. 


4. Use marketing concepts in formal and informal business conversations in 
a confident and intelligent manner. 


5. Explain the process involved in developing effective promotion and 
differentiate between effective and ineffective hospitality promotion 
campaigns. 


6. Gain an understanding of marketing’s leadership role in determining and 
improving service quality to enhance customer value, satisfaction, and 
loyalty. 


7. Explain basic marketing principles in order to incorporate them into a 
marketing plan. 


8. Analyze the competitive environment and customer segments in order to 
select target markets. 


9. Build and maintain lasting relationships with customers and other 
stakeholders to cultivate loyalty. 


10. Develop effective marketing strategies to meet changing customer needs and expectations.

11. Design sustainable marketing mix activities to maximize marketing goals.

Required Text and Readings

Kotler, Bowen, and Makens, Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, 6th Ed., Prentice Hall, 2014. ISBN: 0-13-278402-5

Supplementary material provided by the instructor.

About the Class

This class is devoted to teaching students marketing through a hospitality lens. In this class, the focus will be on usable skills that students can apply immediately in their current jobs or upon graduation. This is not a theory class. I believe that learning can and should be fun. This can only be achieved with high levels of student participation. Therefore, participation equals 250 points.

I will not follow the lecture-note-test approach. This class will involve a collaborative learning process in which we will have a short introductory discussion followed by in-class experiential activities and post-activity debriefings. There may be quizzes, but they too will be modified from traditional tests you have taken in the past and they will be given as part of participation. Additionally, there will be presentations and projects to help me assess what you have learned. I teach this marketing class experientially because I agree with Benjamin Franklin who said:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

A Normal Class Process

The format of this course is composed of lectures and discussions after a short pre-assessment. To provide a real-world educational experience, lecture information will be integrated with a discussion of hospitality marketing cases. Come to class prepared. You are expected to read book chapters by the day they are listed on the assignment schedule. You are also expected to be actively involved and participate and are encouraged to volunteer examples, questions, and comments.

The course website for this class is located on Webcampus. Check the website during the first week of course to make sure you can access the information for this course. I will post announcements and handouts regarding class on this site. You are responsible for keeping yourself up-to-date using Webcampus. It is also the site used to post handouts, quiz and assignment grades.

The following are examples of what a typical class may entail:

1. Discussion of theory behind what we are doing. While I do not believe that this should be a theory class, knowing why things are the way they are helps many students understand what we are doing. Therefore, a few minutes will be devoted to discussing the theories associated with activities for each class.

2. Conceptual learning. These are readings designed to provide a conceptual understanding of the skill. Students are encouraged to do outside reading on the subjects and such reading will likely enhance their knowledge. Outside readings can be found, you just have to look. I suggest searching the Internet. This will be important for your

3. Modeling/Practice. Demonstration of competent skill use, usually with volunteers from class, participation in a marketing skill-building exercise, discussions or other means.

4. Life application. Students are then given assignments that encourage skill application outside the classroom in settings naturally occurring in students' lives. This will not occur every day. Sometimes students can complete this portion of their work through talking to friends and colleagues. At other times students may be required to interact in other ways.

5. Skill Assessment. The final step is assessment of what has been learned. This will be done via presentations rather than exams, as I believe this is a better way for me to assess your ability to understand, explain, synthesize, and evaluate what you have learned.

Assessment (Or, How to Get an A in this Class)

Grades are calculated based on the following:

Participation 250 points

Hot Topics 250 points

Case Study 500 points

Promotion Assignment and Presentation 500 points

Marketing Audit Project 500 points

TOTAL: 2000 points

Final course grades (A through F) will be assigned as follows for the following points earned:

Grade Percentage

Grades are based on the following scale:

Course Assessments by Category

Hot Topic

Each week we will be discussing a current marketing issue(s) or marketing practice(s) that are of importance and interest to hospitality and tourism marketing practitioners and scholars. The topic should be most recent and cover the following major points: (1) Highlights of the topic; (2) Role in marketing; (3) Benefits to consumers and organizations; (4) Potential applications if it is a new development; and (5) Your own thoughts. Submit two page (typed and single spaced) summary of your findings that includes the above four areas of concern. Attach the original evidence to your summary. This component is worth 250 points of your total grade.

Case Study

There are case studies related to the hospitality and tourism industry that have either demonstrated their effective implementation of marketing strategies or called for a need of appropriate marketing strategies. You will be working in a team to present a chosen case study in a PowerPoint presentation and submit a written report on the case by answering the following questions: (1) What is the case study all about? Provide a case study summary; (2) What issues are at stake? List or identify major problems that need to be solved; (3) What are all the possible options? What are the pros/cons of each option? and (4) What would be your solutions: short-term and long-term? The case analysis is worth 500 points. The grading scheme is as follows:

Preparedness 100 points

Quality of leading discussions 200 points

Quality of written answers 200 points

Marketing Audit

A marketing audit is a comprehensive, systematic, independent, and periodic examination of a company’s environment, objectives, strategies, and activities to determine problem areas and opportunities and to recommend a plan of action to improve the company’s marketing performance” (Kotler and Armstrong, 2011).

Working in a team of 4-6 people, you will have an opportunity to conduct a marketing audit for a particular hospitality/tourism business of your choice. You are to analyze a hospitality company’s environment, mission statement and objectives, grand and overall strategies, competition, and marketing action strategies and tactics (marketing mix variables) to make specific recommendations for suitable marketing strategies and tactics (short-run and long-run) to improve the company’s marketing performance.

For this marketing project, you must have a chance to communicate with marketing people or senior executives of a hospitality/tourism business. You can also search from published materials such as in the library or on the Internet. This is a team effort and only those who contribute to the project will receive credit. The majority of the team members can vote out a team member who may have been unreliable and may not have contributed to the project. Then the person needs to find another team or chooses to do the project solely on his or her own. You need to keep the instructor informed of any team changes. This project is worth 500 points toward your total grade (300 points for the written project, 200 points for the presentation).

Presentations will take about 15-20 minutes and should be engaging, convincing, and use effective visual aids. Imagine you are presenting in front of a board of directors who can put money into your ideas. The format for this assignment and more details are provided on WebCampus.

Promotion Assignment and Presentation

Each group should find one good or bad hospitality ad in print media (newspaper and magazine) or TV commercial. Submit a 700-900 word write-up discussing why you think it is good or bad advertising and how it can be improved. Provide a copy of the ad or the recording.

Using the textbook and guidelines provided by the instructor, evaluate each ad's effectiveness and discuss what you would change to further improve it. The format for this assignment and more details are provided on WebCampus.

For your presentation, bring a digital copy of the ads or the recording if it is a TV commercial. Be prepared to discuss each ad's components and your opinion of its effectiveness. The presentation is worth 500 points. The presentations will start on the due date. The presentation time will be approximately 15 minutes.

Alternatively, in place of print or broadcast media ads, you can evaluate the Web site of your company according to the principles in Chapter 16 and “7 Cs” of effective Web site design guidelines provided by the instructor. You are welcome to use additional guidelines in the literature.

Participation

Participation is very important in this class. Grading is simple here: if you are an active and regular participant in class discussions, you will score well. If you don’t, you won’t. Of course, participation includes respectful interactions with your peers and your instructor (including respectful cell phone etiquette!), but it ESPECIALLY includes respectful interactions with those who are kind enough to guest lecture. In order to participate, you must be present. Therefore, half of the participation grade will consist of attendance. You will receive points each day just for being in class—on time! That totals 125 points. The other half of participation consists of what you add to the class and to your teams. Additionally, you will need to provide me with one sentence before the start of each new chapter that demonstrates that you read the chapter. That will also be 125 points per class. In total, your participation will equal 250 points.

** Starting the second day, please sit in the same seat daily. This allows your professor and your classmates to get to know you. **

Attendance

Attendance is part of participation. If you are not present, you cannot learn. Students are allowed to miss 2 classes. After that your grade will be reduced by ½ letter grade for each class missed. To insure that this system is applied fairly students MUST EMAIL the professor prior to or immediately after the class they miss. Use ONLY the following message in your email:

Name: (your name)

Student ID number: (your number)

Date missed: (the date you missed)

Reason: (optional information). If you choose to give me an excuse, please make it up and make it interesting.

A record of emails will be kept until the end of the semester and referred to during grading. I consider this to be a lenient policy. I am allowing you to miss 10% of the planned classes without excuse. This is considerably more than you are or will be allowed to miss at work. ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN DAILY. As stated above, you will be given a total of 250 points of your grade for the term.

Having problems with WebCampus?

For assistance with any WebCampus issues, please call the Student Computing Support Center at (702) 895-0761 or visit https://d2.parature.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4314 for support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I wish I could help you, but for technical problems, I am useless!  If, however, you cannot find information on the WebCampus course site, please e-mail me or call me for assistance. Everything you need for this course is found on the main page of the WebCampus course site. Look for the appropriate folder to find what you need: syllabus, readings, and assignment information.

Expectations of Course Participants

This class is designed to operate predominantly in a reading, reflection, and discussion mode. Thus, to meet this end, you are required to have read, taken notes, and thought about the readings before coming to class and engaging in discussions. I expect you to take responsibility for your learning, with helpful, caring assistance/guidance provided by your colleagues and me.

Religious Holidays Policy

Any student missing class quizzes, examinations, or any other class or lab work because of observance of religious holidays shall be given an opportunity during that semester to make up missed work. The make-up will apply to the religious holiday absence only. It shall be the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor no later than the last day of late registration of his or her intention to participate in religious holidays which do not fall on state holidays or periods of class recess. This policy shall not apply in the event that administering the test or examination at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the instructor or the university which could have been avoided. For additional information, please visit: http://catalog.unlv.edu/content.php?catoid=4&navoid=164.

Academic Misconduct

Academic integrity is a legitimate concern for every member of the campus community; all share in upholding the fundamental values of honesty, trust, respect, fairness, responsibility and professionalism. By choosing to join the UNLV community, students accept the expectations of the Academic Misconduct Policy and are encouraged when faced with choices to always take the ethical path. Students enrolling in UNLV assume the obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLV’s function as an educational institution.

An example of academic misconduct is plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of another, from the Internet or any source, without proper citation of the sources. See the Student Academic Misconduct Policy (approved December 9, 2005) located at: http://studentconduct.unlv.edu/misconduct/policy.html.

Copyright

The University requires all members of the University Community to familiarize themselves and to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The university will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under University policies. Additional information can be found at: http://provost.unlv.edu/copyright/statements.html.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) determines accommodations that are “reasonable” in promoting the equal access of a student reporting a disability to the general UNLV learning experience. In so doing, the DRC also balances instructor and departmental interests in maintaining curricular standards so as to best achieve a fair evaluation standard amongst students being assisted. In order for the DRC to be effective it must be considered in the dialog between the faculty and the student who is requesting accommodations. For this reason faculty should only provide students course adjustment after having received this “Academic Accommodation Plan.” If faculty members have any questions regarding the DRC, they should call a DRC counselor.

UNLV complies with the provisions set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC-A), Room 143, phone (702) 895-0866, fax (702) 895-0651. For additional information, please visit: http://drc.unlv.edu/.

Incomplete Grades

The grade of I – Incomplete – can be granted when a student has satisfactorily completed all course work up to the withdrawal date of that semester/session but for reason(s) beyond the student’s control, and acceptable to the instructor, cannot complete the last part of the course, and the instructor believes that the student can finish the course without repeating it. A student who receives an I is responsible for making up whatever work was lacking at the end of the semester. If course requirements are not completed within the time indicated, a grade of F will be recorded and the GPA will be adjusted accordingly. Students who are fulfilling an Incomplete do not register for the course but make individual arrangements with the instructor who assigned the I grade.

Tutoring

The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides tutoring and academic assistance for all UNLV students taking UNLV courses. Students are encouraged to stop by the ASC to learn more about subjects offered, tutoring times and other academic resources. The ASC is located across from the Student Services Complex, #22 on the current UNLV map. Students may learn more about tutoring services by calling (702) 895-3177 or visiting the tutoring web site at: http://academicsuccess.unlv.edu/tutoring/.

UNLV Writing Center

One-on-one or small group assistance with writing is available free of charge to UNLV students at the Writing Center, located in CDC-3-301. Although walk-in consultations are sometimes available, students with appointments will receive priority assistance. Appointments may be made in person or by calling 895-3908. The student’s Rebel ID Card, a copy of the assignment (if possible), and two copies of any writing to be reviewed are requested for the consultation. More information can be found at: http://writingcenter.unlv.edu/

Rebelmail and Hotel College Listserv

By policy, faculty and staff should e-mail students’ Rebelmail accounts only. Rebelmail is UNLV’s Official e-mail system for students. It is one of the primary ways students receive official university communication such as information about deadlines, major campus events, and announcements. All UNLV students receive a Rebelmail account after they have been admitted to the university. Students’ e-mail prefixes are listed on class rosters. The suffix is always @unlv.nevada.edu.

Subscribe to the Hotel College Student email listserv for information on internships, jobs, scholarships, club activities and important college information. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unlvhotelcollege

Academic Advising

Academic advising is available through our Office for Student Advising (OSA), which is located in BEH 543. You should make an appointment to meet with an advisor each semester to discuss your degree requirements, your progress and future course selections to ensure that you remain on track for graduation.

OSA Hours:

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday

Contact Information:

Location: BEH 543

Phone: 702-895-3616

FAX: 702-895-3127

Email: [email protected] (quick questions only)

Note: For questions relating to our gaming program, the email is [email protected]

Making an Appointment: The OSA experiences a high volume of traffic once the class schedule is published prior to registration for each semester (April and November). This means that the wait for an appointment is longer. Be proactive and make an appointment early in the current semester to beat the rush. Your advisor can help you prepare for the next registration cycle so you are ready to register when it is your turn to do so.

Appointment Etiquette: Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your appointment time. It is important to be on time for your appointment as a late arrival may require you to reschedule your appointment for a future date. If it is necessary to cancel your appointment and it is foreseeable, we ask that you do so by calling our office at least 48 hours in advance to make it possible for us to offer your appointment time slot to another student needing our assistance. If you are a “No Call/No Show” for your appointment, it may mean that you will not be accommodated for a future appointment request during high traffic times.

Bob Boughner Career Services Center

Need help with your resume? Would you like to jump-start your job search process? The dedicated staff at the Bob Boughner Career Services Center is here to guide you with any career-related issues. Stop by the Center located on the first floor of Beam Hall (BEH 126) to receive hospitality-specific career counseling and information on upcoming recruitment events.

Final Examination Information

The University requires that final exams given at the end of a course occur at the time and on the day specified in the final exam schedule. See the schedule at: http://www.unlv.edu/registrar/calendars

Academic Integrity

Students are forewarned that all opportunities for violations will be closely scrutinized and that violators will be subject to appropriate sanctions. Per the University’s Undergraduate Catalog, the University is dedicated to learning by all members of its community. In responding to this dedication, the University demands a high level of scholarly behavior and academic honesty on the part of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. No form of academic dishonesty is acceptable. While maintenance of an atmosphere of academic integrity is the responsibility of all, the faculty is principally responsible for enforcement of these principles. Academic dishonesty includes any act that violates the academic process of the university. These acts include, but are not limited to, cheating on an examination, stealing examination questions, substituting one person for another at an examination, violating the procedures of a national or state examination, falsifying data, destroying or tampering with or stealing a computer program or file, and, turning in the work of someone and claiming it as your own. If you are caught with any of the above violations, you will receive an F grade in this class. The instructor is responsible for recording the circumstances and for giving the student the opportunity to reply. Appeals go to the dean of the college offering the course, the Academic Standards Committee, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. On the back of this syllabus is a sheet of paper stating that you understand all parts of this academic integrity statement and are willing to abide by it. You must sign this and return it to the instructor by the second day of class. Failure to sign this form will result in being dropped from this class. Remember, ignorance of these rules is no excuse. If you do not understand this section, please come see me.

Diversity Statement

It has been and will continue to be the policy of UNLV, to be an equal opportunity institution. All decisions of admissions and employment are based on objective standards that will further the goals of equal opportunity. The university is committed to assuring that all programs and activities are readily accessible to all eligible persons without regard to race, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, Vietnam-Era and/or disabled veteran status, any protected class under relevant state and federal laws, and, in accordance with the University policy, sexual orientation.

Professionalism

I expect students to demonstrate restraint and professionalism at all times. Failure to demonstrate common courtesy and respect toward others will result in your removal from the class. I do not care if you bring a drink to class, but you will not be able to bring meals into the classroom.

Technology in the Classroom

The use of computers is allowed provided it does not distract other students. The use of cell phones is NOT permitted due to the nature of the class. If I see your phone out, it will affect your grade. Cell phones are not permitted in the workplace and this class is meant to prepare you for future work.

Course Outline

Dates Topics Readings

Day 1 – 5/18 Introduction to the course

Introduction: Marketing for Hospitality & Tourism Ch. 1

Day 2 – 5/19 Service Characteristics of Hospitality & Tourism Marketing Ch. 2

Day 3 – 5/20 The Role of Marketing in Strategic Planning Ch. 3

Marketing Information Systems & Research Ch. 5

Day 4 – 5/21 Consumer Markets & Buying Behaviors Ch. 6

Day 5 – 5/22 Case Study Presentations/Projects Due

Hot Topic presentations

Day 6 – 5/25 Memorial Day Recess

Day 7 – 5/26 Communication & Promotion Policy & Advertising 
 Ch. 13

Public Relations & Sales Promotion Ch. 14

Hot Topic Presentations

Day 8 – 5/27 Designing and Managing Products
 Ch. 9

Hot Topic Presentations

Day 9 – 5/28 Pricing Products: Considerations, Approaches, & Strategy Ch. 11

Hot Topic Presentations

Day 10 – 5/29 Promotion Assignment Presentations

Hot Topic Presentations

Day 11 – 6/1 Market Segmentation, Target Marketing, and Positioning Ch. 8

Day 12 – 6/2 Direct & Online Marketing: Building Customer Relationships Ch. 16

Day 13 – 6/3 Distribution Chanels Ch. 12

Day 14 – 6/4 Destination Marketing Ch. 17

Day 15 – 6/5 Marketing Audit Projects Due

Marketing Audit Presentations

ACCEPTANCE OF CLASS TERMS

I have read all of the previous nine (9) pages of the attached material and have been given the opportunity to ask questions for clarification, if necessary. I further understand that all of the enclosed statements will apply equally to all students in this class, including myself.

I also agree to submit ONLY my own work for this class. I will not cheat, copy from others, receive assistance from others or help others. Students must do their own work. I agree to accept a grade of F for any assignment from which I receive help from others or help others.

NAME _______________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE__________________________________________________________

STUDENT NUMBER _______________________

DATE _____________________________

Print name, sign, date, and turn this page into the instructor on the first day of class.

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