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Business, Enterprise & Management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/5

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Author: search.filters.author.Seaman, ClaireSubject: search.filters.subject.Marketing

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    Business internet use in small, family owned and managed hotels in Scotland
    (Inderscience, 2020-02-05) Fyfe, Jo; Seaman, Claire; Bent, Richard
    Tourism and thus hospitality is a key strategic priority for the Scottish Government which in many communities is still highly dependent on small, family owned and managed hotels. This exploratory study is designed to initiate dialogue and to explore the complexity of the operating environment and perceived business support needs in the ever-more complex and dynamic e-environment. The development of the internet has altered the manner in which the hospitality industry operates; offering global marketing opportunities, open-source review sites and perhaps crucially the opportunity to interact with and sell directly to the consumer. Results indicate that the positive aspects of the internet were perceived to outweigh the disadvantages; however, the learning challenges identified were primarily around the effective management of on-line resources and global reputation. The vital role of small family owned and managed hotels in the development of a coherent tourism offering for Scotland is acknowledged here and can be additionally allied to geography. There are areas in Scotland, and indeed much of the world, that draw tourists yet are not sufficiently populous to host hotel chains or even specialist boutique hotels. In part, the reason tourists are drawn to those areas is precisely their relatively undeveloped nature, yet this creates a challenge for business learning within small independent hotels.
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    Consumer perceptions of meat production: Enhancing the competitiveness of British agriculture by understanding communication with the consumer
    (Emerald, 2005) McEachern, M. G.; Seaman, Claire
    Purpose - To identify factors that could influence consumer perceptions relating to meat production and areas where further development would be of assistance to British agriculture. Design/methodology/approach - Qualitative semi-structured interviews of a quota sample of Scottish meat purchasing consumers. Findings - Results indicate that consumer views on meat production vary widely and that while there are some differences between rural and urban consumers the differences are rarely simple. Views were expressed on a variety of factors including livestock producers, agricultural production, certification and traceability. Relatively few consumers were routinely concerned with assurance labels. Consequently, knowledge of underpinning standards was limited. Primary sources of meat were the major supermarket groups with a distinct bias towards older consumers among those who preferred to shop in small butchers shops. Attitudes towards producers were mainly positive but some consumers remained sceptical about producer behaviour during hard times. Research limitations/implications - While more research would clearly be required to consider a broader spectrum of UK consumers, these current data indicate that consumer understanding of food information and indeed their interest and credibility of the current systems is a subject that would benefit from much wider research. The practical implications for the development of Government policy and for the idividual producers are substantial and would benefit from considerable clarification. Originality/value - Prior research concerning meat production and the views of consumers is limited. Theses findings have implications for future sector-based communications to consumers, in that equal emphasis should be given to both rural and urban consumers. More collaborative communications measures must be implemented to ensure consumer awareness/understanding of underpinning assurance label standards and bring about loyal purchase preferences for British produce.
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    Missed opportunities? : reaching the ethnic consumer market
    (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2007-03) Bent, Richard; Seaman, Claire; Emslie, Lisa
    Changing population demographics within the UK have become a source of increased interest to marketers as companies have realized the importance of targeting their products and advertising efforts towards minority and ethnic groups. In addition, as the UK's ethnic minorities grow in both numbers and in terms of prosperity, so does the commercial significance of this market. A clearer understanding of both the nature of changing markets and the relative importance of different minority ethnic groups as consumers is imperative to facilitate both consumer understanding and business development; marketers need to understand better how to target these people, what they have in common with the mainstream and where the differences lie. This paper seeks to describe current understanding of ethnic consumers and their impact on the marketplace while highlighting an area where future research is potentially of considerable benefit.