WAJID ALI CHATTHA 18224 AABR EMBA16

Assignment
Advanced and Applied Business Research
Wajid Ali Chatha | Reg. No: 18224 | EMBA-16
Dated: 19-07-2019

As part of the assignment, following two articles were selected for the review.

1. Quantitative Topic: Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism
organizations1
2. Qualitative Topic: Reduction of plastic carrier bag use: An Analysis of alternatives in Israel2

Literature Review
Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organizations
My chosen article focuses on the fact that social media is greatly changing the way society adds to the
creation of the information. Technology has made it easy for us to share our thoughts, opinions and
creations to the Internet. It has definitely changed the landscape of how travelers access information,
plan their itinerary, book trips and later on how they share their travel experiences. The study has
primarily four research objectives:

1. To explore why and how top national DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) employ social
media to market their destinations.
2. To present the varying degree of usage of social media among top national DMOs
3. To ascertain factors that contribute to advanced level of social media activity
4. Identify best practice examples from the use of social media by DMOs

Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies have been utilized for this study to classify,
measure and analyze how top national tourism authorities and companies use social media to engage
with consumers and market the destinations. Quantitative analysis were chosen to incorporate data and
scope of social media activity. Furthermore, content analysis was chosen as preferred research method
as it allows usage of procedures to make valid inferences from text. My review will mainly be focused on
the quantitative tools and analysis used for this study.

Facebook and Twitter were selected for the analyzing the social media platforms since they have a wider
audience with millions of users online simultaneously, strong participation from companies and
organizations and offering a wide variety of services, reach and usage. Data from seven tourism boards
was analyzed as part of the quantitative analysis and their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts were
studied. By using content analysis of DMOs primary social media platforms it was possible to get an
understanding of how these platforms are employed. One critical component of measuring the impact of

1
Stephanie Hays , Stephen John Page & Dimitrios Buhalis (2013) Social media as a destination marketing tool: its
use by national tourism organisations, Current Issues in Tourism, 16:3, 211-239, DOI :
10.1080/13683500.2012.662215
2
Ayalon, Ofira, et al. "Reduction of plastic carrier bag use: An analysis of alternatives in Israel." Waste
Management 29.7 (2009): 2025-2032.
WAJID ALI CHATTHA 18224 AABR EMBA16

social media as marketing tool was the measurement of number of replies to the specific posts. Based
upon the quantitative analysis following main finds were observed:
1. Malaysian Tourism Board has the highest number of followers on Twitter which even surpasses
UK, Spain and other European countries.
2. When it comes to Facebook, Spain takes the lead with maximum number of likes on the posts.
3. Malaysia also leads the other boards when it comes to interaction through highest average
number of posts and tweets.
4. One interesting finding was that the date these DMOs joined Facebook does not directly
correspond to the fan following on Facebook and twitter. If the interaction rate is higher through
posts and tweets the reach can be increased.
5. The postings on Facebook were over three times more interactive than updates on Twitter.

The findings do provide an insight about the utility and engagement of travelers through social media
marketing, yet one thing stood out very clearly which was the notion that the use of social media among
DMOs is still largely experimental. Majority of the DMOs are not currently utilizing the social media to
their full effectiveness when it comes to the ability to interact and engage with consumers. The medium
is still not widely used recognized and/or respected as a vital tool in marketing strategies and thus is
frequently underfunded or neglected. Lastly DMOs can benefit from becoming even more innovative and
creative when it comes to their social media strategies in order to fully differentiate these efforts from
traditional marketing methods.

This study mainly refers to data from timeframes earlier than 2011. If this research is conducted again,
some new findings can be beneficial for the entire industry with more up to date data and a larger sample
size.
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Reduction of plastic carrier bag use: An Analysis of alternatives in Israel

The objective of this research is to assess the problems related to plastic bags from an environmental
perspective in Israel. It also evaluates various policy instruments implemented throughout the world to
tackle this problem. The aim of this research was to provide decision makers a mode for making rational
choices regarding the best alternative based on the nature and the scope of problem.

The problem was examined according to the different stages of the lifecycle of plastic bags. A qualitative
research methodology was adopted for this case including defining the environment first. Interviews were
conducted with key representatives of the industry, academic, government and municipal sectors in order
to obtain technical information. An Omnibus survey was conducted to assess the total consumption of
plastic bags and to obtain data for economic analysis. An attitude survey was also conducted. Based on
the surveys an economic analysis was carried out to assess the demand for bags and possible implications
of introduction of policy measures.

It was discussed in the study that plastic bags are a common means of carrying merchandise. In Israel
retailers, open air markets and shops distribute these bags which are manufactured from high density
polyethylene (HDPE) and aimed to be used once, free of charge. As part of the analysis of the problems
arising from their usage, a comparison of advantages and disadvantages was carried out and also
compared with common alternatives like paper bags. Furthermore, various policies currently
implemented in other parts of the world to curtail the use of plastic bags was discussed and it was
observed that Ireland has the most stringent policies involving levies. This has significantly reduced the
problems associated with these bags.

As an outcome of the surveys and interviews it was observed that few very glaring problems arising out
of the usage of such HDPE bags to the environment are:
1. Damage from disposal in landfills
2. Damage to wildlife
3. Municipal litter (specially in city of Haifa)
4. Litter at recreational sights
5. Litter on unofficial beaches
6. Litter on highway shoulders
7. Litter in open spaces.

It was found that more central the area is to visitors, the higher is the cleanup frequency and the lower
the percentage of plastic bags in the total litter collected. The problem is especially significant in rural
open spaces. Apart from the primary usage of these bags, it was found from the telephone surveys that,
they also have secondary usage. This further increases their utilization by the public in general.

Some attempts by the authorities in Israel to counter the increased usage of plastic bags were:
1. The Council for beautiful Israel launched “One Bag Less” publicity campaign which included
sending volunteers to malls, explaining the importance of reduced use.
2. In several small communities NIS 1 is collected for every bag. It helped a lot in reducing the use of
bags
3. Several retail shops have introduced multiple use, heavy duty bags at cheap prices.

After the economic analysis for levies it was observed that the efficiency of any regulatory measure in
solving environmental problem depends on the effectiveness it has on the bags that cause the
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environmental problem. An individual will not decide how many bags he should use once levy in imposed,
but rather decide how many bags he can reduce with respect to his prior consumption. Experience in
Ireland shows an erosion in the public’s cooperation with the levy mechanism. The first sharp reaction of
the market the levy has been moderated and 5 years later the consumption rose.

Finally it was concluded that litter in public spaces is the major environmental problem that might be
related to the plastic bags. However, none of the authorities mentioned that litter caused by these plastic
bags is a significant nuisance relative to other types of litter, and it was not possible to precisely evaluate
the amount of damage. The analysis further suggested that the regulative mechanisms would not be very
effective. If the regulations are imposed the value of benefit taken from the public is very high but benefit
to the environment is limited.

The study suggests in the end that prohibition of plastic carrier bags or a levy will not contribute to
sustainable waste management or to a rational environmental policy, however, it does not provide any
alternative. Personally I would suggest that such a study to be conducted in Pakistan as well to assess the
damage caused to the environment. Furthermore, alternatives to the HDPE plastic bags to be explored
and introduced into the market.