The Importance of Destination Networks in The Tourism Industry

Organizational cooperation has obvious benefits in the tourism industry since the supply is fragmented and the consumption of tourism products are often bundled. In tourism networks, the interactions go beyond organizational boundaries and the boundaries of these strategic networks are simultaneously open and closed. This paper consists of a literature review and one case example from Swedish Lapland. The tourism offering (the”product”) is a combination of outputs from many tourism firms (service providers) which demands coordination of activities in time and among the actors. The coordination in the case of Swedish Lapland involves actors from different organizations within and outside the formal network (national organizations, regional and local organizations as well as the activity based SMEs, providing the tourism experience). The process of arranging activities and connecting actor resources in this tourism business network was a challenge taken by the regional Tourism Board – Swedish Lapland Tourism. The main success activities were the new brand and the partnership for export. The economic support from regional actors was a significant factor for network formation and development. Keywords: Destination network, network, tourism, cooperation, Swedish Laplan

Assessment of the Effects of Moderating Factors of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Performance of SMEs in Tanzania

This conceptual study was conducted in order to assess the effects of the Moderating Factors of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) on the performance of SMEs in Tanzania. According to the literature EO refers to the strategy making process that provides organizations with the basis for entrepreneurial decisions and actions. The dimensions of EO are innovativeness, proactiveness, risk taking, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy. The need for firms to exercise EO has been widely recognized. In less developed countries like Tanzania where the growth rate of SMEs is very limited, the subject matter has not been fully exploited for firms to cope and understand the effects of EO on firm performance especially the SMEs. To the authors’ best knowledge there exists only a few studies in Tanzania on EO especially those looking at the  oderating factors and linking them to SMEs performance. According to the literature several moderating factors such as cultural orientation and organizational structure (internal factors), social economic factors and political and legal factors (external factors) have a contribution on the applicability of EO hence performance of SMEs. The study found out that the moderating factors have an effect on performance of SMEs. However there is a need for research to test the applicability of moderating factors of EO and firm performance in a Tanzanian context

Market orientation in service companies : a study of insurance companies

The background to this thesis is found in the growing importance of the marketing concept. The concept has been used frequently in articles in the past few years, in spite of lack of consensus about what it is. To make a contribution to the theoretical field the theories about service marketing and market orientation had to be examined and the relevant factors drawn out to construct a model for describing market orientation in service companies. The theoretical examination resulted in the follo­wing three components that together constitutes the foundation of the marketing concept in service companies: market information, the support system and the customer meeting. The main purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze the marke­ting concept in service companies. Within this purpose the study also will identify which driving forces and obstacles affects market orientation. To a certain extent the process towards market orientation also is examined. The first analyses of the two insurance companies showed that the de­gree of activity in working with the factors that constituted the marketing concept varied. In general they had worked with approximately the same factors almost in the same way. In so doing they had worked more with some of the conceptual and behavioral factors than with the others. The cases differed from the theoretical frame of reference, as expected. However, the differences were impossible to explain with the component model. New analyses of the empirical data showed other factors that had influenced the market orientation process in the companies. The new factors could be divided into four groups depending on whether they were considered as internal or external factors and whether they were driving forces or obstacles for the process. One original component that proved to be of great importance in the market orientation process was market information. Neither of the insu­rance companies had worked with that component in a systematic way to find out, for example, the customers needs and wants. The study resulted in a more dynamic model of the market orientation process - the cycle model. It visualize the relation between the compo­nents and it also adds on a time perspective to market orientation, since it is supposed to continue over time.digitalisering@um

Till invånarnas tjänst : om marknadsorientering i kommuner

digitalisering@um

Small firms' internationalization for development in Tanzania: Exploring the network phenomenon

The paper attempts to explore the role of networks in small firms' internationalization in Tanzania. It notes that while firm internationalization has been studied extensively, inquiry into how small firms enter foreign markets and the strategies they use has not received much attention. The study is further motivated by the fact that export performance of developing countries is alarmingly low, and hence there is need for African governments to create an environment that will stimulate small firms’ competitiveness in the current globalized export markets if the millennium development goals are to be attained. This requires capacity building of the actors in order to take advantage of the benefits of the market access strategies under the global partnership for development. One such approach is to promote partnering and networks. The Tanzanian exploratory study has revealed that networks eliminate small firms ownership disadvantages and their perceived psychic distance, thereby facilitating their entry into foreign markets.Development, Export markets, International business, Network operating systems, Small enterprises, Tanzania

Influence of marketing innovation on the performance of coffee cooperatives in Kenya

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of marketing innovation on the performance of coffee cooperatives in Kenya. A descriptive research design was applied. The target population of this study was 525 coffee cooperative societies in Kenya registered with the Commissioner for Cooperatives and licensed by AFFA (Coffee Directorate) as of 30th of October 2016. The sample size was 227 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the selected respondents. The results revealed that marketing innovation and performance are positive and significantly related (?=0.674, p=0.001). This implied that significant changes in product design and packaging led to a positive change in the performance of coffee cooperatives. The study affirms that to improve performance by targeting the customers, constant improvements in how the company promotes its new products to capture the attention of new customers is a key aspect to be considered. The study recommends the management employ skills in developing clear operating procedures to run the business successfully, coordinate different areas of the business to achieve results and the ability and design jobs to suit staff capabilities and interests