HTM 472 Casino & Resort Marketing Instruction for the Research Paper/Case Study Assignment
(20 pts for outline and 80 pts for the final report)
You have two choices: either on a research paper or a case study report as part of the course evaluation. The purpose of this assignment is to incorporate the concepts learned in class to a real product or a research project. Your insights from the literature and recommendations to casino managers on the marketing strategies should be as specific as possible.
It should be doubled-spaced, and look as professional as possible. The paper needs to be written in a paragraph format and only use bullet points when necessary. Students need to use APA style to accurately cite external sources. Use the Turnitin Assignment Dropbox on the left yellow tab to submit your paper. Your main document should contain less than 15% similarities from your sources. See instructions below for the format and structure of the research paper/case study report:
Option 1: Research Paper, you need to conduct a literature review on a given topic. The format of the literature review needs to include the following components:
Title Page (Project Title, Student Names, Date and Course #, Instructor’s Name)
Introduction: (1 page, 20 pts)
- General overview of the gaming industry (e.g. history and statistics of global/regional gaming industry, 5 pts)
- Issues of current gaming research (e.g. research gaps, research areas that have been overlooked, 5 pts)
- Purpose statement (e.g. purpose of the literature review, potential contributions/significance to academia and/or gaming practitioners, 10 pts)
Get assistance with your research paper
Body of the Review (4 pages/half a page for each article, 40 pts/5 points for each article)
Read eight (8) casino related articles from any of the following sources (probably from the travel sections): Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg News, CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, Travel Weekly and/or the USA Today. You may choose articles that are related to any of the following topics:
- Direct Mail Marketing Strategies and Trends
- Pros and Cons of Social Media Application in Casino Marketing
- Casino Promotion Strategies and Trends
- Technology and Trends in Casino Database Marketing
- Player Development Challenges and Strategies
- Attracting and Marketing to Premium Players
- Casino Marketing Careers and Competencies
For each article you must include the following information:
- Proper citation of article with hyperlink. (1 pts)
- Brief overview and thesis of the article. (2 pts)
- Name and location of the casino property (e.g. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, MGM Resorts International). (1pts)
- Summarize the key solutions discussed in this article (e.g. more technology should be used in the casino property). (1 pts)
Conclusion: (1 page, 20 pts)
- In one paragraph, summarize the key findings from the eight articles (5 pts).
- Provide three (3) specific recommendations for potential casino research (5 pts)
- Provide three (3) specific recommendations to casino executives (5 pts).
- In what ways does the articles relate to your interests and future career areas in the casino/hospitality industry? (5 pts)
List of References (Up to 10 point deduction if cited incorrectly)
Option 2: If you decide to work on a case study report, you may choose one casino property within your jurisdiction to identify their current marketing environments and consumer markets. Suggest detailed strategies on the topic of your interest.
Title Page (Project Title, Student Names, Date and Course #, Instructor’s Name)
Introduction: (1 page; 20 pts)
- Name and location of the property and parent corporations (e.g. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, MGM Resorts International) (5pts)
- The type of the property (land-based, tribal, riverboat, casino resort, casino only, etc.) (5pts)
- Detailed description of the property (casino floor, resort amenities, etc.) (5 pts)
- Detailed description of the corporation – executive team, affiliations, properties, economic status (e.g. Fortune 500), notable accomplishments (e.g. Go Green initiative), organizational culture, and more.(5 pts)
External Environments: (1 page; 20 pts)
- General description of type of gaming jurisdiction (open market, restricted, etc.) (5pts)
- General description of gaming regulations and requirements (tax rate and structure, application requirements for casino operator, work permit, vendor, junket, etc.) (5pts)
- Overview of PEST environment (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) (10pts)
Consumer Markets: (1 page; 20 pts)
- Use four factors (Geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral) to segment the current consumer market (10 pts)
- Research the property’s promotional activities and offerings to determine target markets of players club program and explain the basis of your analysis. (10 pts)
Marketing Strategy: (3-4 pages; 20 pts)
You will then focus one of the following aspects:
- Direct Mail Marketing Strategies and Trends
- Pros and Cons of Social Media Application in Casino Marketing
- Casino Promotion Strategies and Trends
- Technology and Trends in Casino Database Marketing
- Player Development Challenges and Strategies
- Attracting and Marketing to Premium Players
- Casino Marketing Careers and Competencies
In this section, you need to:
- Research the current marketing strategies (e.g. direct mail, social media, database marketing, etc) used for the casino property of your interest. (10 pts)
- Provide three (3) detailed recommendations for the property to increase competitive advantage in the region. (10 pts)
List of References (Up to 10 point deduction if cited incorrectly