Assignment:
Research Problem
Siem Reap, a city in Cambodia, is most famous for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor. It is a popular destination for millions of tourists who come for the unique Cambodian culture and historical heritage. Sokha Siem Reap Resort & Convention Center, the project sponsor, is keen to promote Siem Reap as a host destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) for national and international business and non-business organisations.
However, for these organisations to select Siem Reap as a MICE destination, over the many other cities worldwide, it is essential for Siem Reap to meet their needs and expectations in terms of such factors as climate, convenience, comfort, cost, access, infrastructure, accommodation, activities, attractions, etc. Making Siem Reap a first-choice MICE destination can bring significant multiplier economic benefits to the city and local communities. Hence, the main research problem of this study is to investigate what Siem Reap needs to do for it to emerge as a strong contender in the highly competitive MICE industry worldwide. The output of this research can be useful to Siem Reap's city government and industry stakeholders for strategy and policy formulation and implementation.
Research Tasks
Working in a team and acting as business consultants, complete the research tasks as follows:
1. To evaluate the market positioning of three selected Southeast Asian cities as a MICE destination (Note: individual teams to select three cities; must provide justification for the selection);
2. To perform a situation analysis (i.e. customer environment and external environment) for Siem Reap as a MICE destination (Note: attach an appendix of 20 professional associations Siem Reap can target);
3. To conduct a literature review to synthesise the factors business and non-business organisations consider in relation to selecting a MICE destination;
4. Recommend at least three strategies for Siem Reap to develop a competitive advantage (Note: one of them must be information technology-specific).