Course coordinator
Dr Ya-Yen Sun
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
This course develops the skills needed to plan and manage marketing and sales in the tourism, hospitality and event industries. Topics covered include marketing communications, electronic marketing, social media, market analysis, relationship marketing, sales techniques, distribution channels, experiential marketing, business to business marketing and integrated destination marketing and branding.
This postgraduate course is designed to provide you with the necessary research and practical skills to effectively complete a marketing and distribution research project for the tourism, hospitality and events industries. Through case studies, practical assignments and a marketing audit you will enhance your capabilities in linking concepts andﾠanalytical skills to real-world applications.
Sustainable Development Goals - UQ Business School is a proud supporter and Advanced Signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME). As part of the largest global collaboration between business schools and the UN, the school emphasises its role in empowering students to drive societal transformation through the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs highlight that a thriving economy relies on a healthy environment, aiming to balance economic growth, social well-being, and environmental protection for a sustainable future.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Ya-Yen Sun
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide you with the essential research and technology skills to effectively market and distribute a product or experience within the tourism, hospitality and event industries. Through a variety of activities, you will examine key aspects of these industries including distribution channels,ﾠdigital marketing and competitor analysis. Several case studies and practical exercises are adopted to facilitate students with a better understanding of business contexts, develop their problem-solving skills, and broaden their context knowledge into operations at different countries.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
apply specific marketing and distribution theories and concepts applicable to the tourism, hospitality and event industries
LO2.
collect and analyse market research data relevant for tourism, hospitality and event organisations to choose appropriate distribution channels
LO3.
employ problem-solving techniques to design a marketing report for usage by a tourism, hospitality or event organisation
LO4.
as a group, develop presentation skills for an organization in the tourism, hospitality or events industries
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique | Segmentation and Distribution Channel Review | 40% Individual |
11/04/2025 1:00 pm |
| Poster | Situation, Positioning and Branding Analysis | 30% Individual |
9/05/2025 1:00 pm |
| Presentation | Marketing Research Presentation | 30% Team |
30/05/2025 1:00 pm |
Assessment details
Segmentation and Distribution Channel Review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40% Individual
- Due date
11/04/2025 1:00 pm
Task description
Task
You are required to locate four journal articles that are relevant to your organization with respect to (1) market segmentation and (2) distribution channel, respectively. You need to read through these four articles, provide systematic analysis and incorporate/reflect their recommendations to the organization that you choose in assessment 1. This assessment is designed to help you to better utilize existing studies to formulate a marketing report. Information that you read and learn from these four papers should give you insights into the business context, industry competition, customer niche markets and distribution channels of your organization. The critical part of this assessment is to learn from other published reports and leverage their knowledge to design an effective marketing strategy for the firm.
Output
A 2000-words essay
AI Statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit to Turnitin through Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Situation, Positioning and Branding Analysis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Poster
- Weight
- 30% Individual
- Due date
9/05/2025 1:00 pm
Task description
Task
This assessment aims to develop your ability to conduct a competitive analysis within the tourism industry by evaluating the positioning, branding, and strategic advantages of a chosen company relative to its competitors. The task is to conduct a competitive analysis of the competitors to the company you have chosen in your group. At least five competitors have to be included. As an example, if your group choose W Hotel as the main case, five competitors could be Marriorit, Hyatt, Pullman, Emporium, and Calile Hotel.
You need to produce a poster that includes the following information:
- Identify your company and the competitors
- Conduct an environmental analysis of your company in comparison to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the competitors.
- Create a position map for your company in relation to other competitors.
- From here, identify how your company should be positioned and branded in relation to its competitors
Output
A poster in the PDF format.
(Detailed instructions on poster preparation along with references will be available on BB. I will also explain this on the Week 2 tutorial).
AI statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit to Turnitin through Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Marketing Research Presentation
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30% Team
- Due date
30/05/2025 1:00 pm
Task description
Task
Your team is required to conduct a market research project on a tourism, event or hospitality (THE) organization of your choice. Essentially, this project requires you to document the current competitiveness of your chosen organization through a thorough review of its (1) target segments, (2) distribution channels, and (3) competition analysis. It requires an extensive understanding of your organization and the THE industry in general.
Output
Your team needs to submit a recorded presentation with a length of 12~15 minutes. Please do not exceed 15 minutes as this will make the file too big and take up the server space (UQ suggestion). The recorded file needs to include
- PPT slides
- The presenter(s) – each member of the team needs to present
We will use week
AI Statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit to Turnitin through Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Overview Overview of the subject What is marketing? What is a product? What is marketing research? |
Week 2 |
Lecture |
Lecture - The experience economy, tourism experiences and co-creation Basics of marketing. Marketing is the process of identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customer needs profitably. It involves a mix of strategic planning and creative execution to deliver value to both customers and businesses. One of the most widely used frameworks in marketing is the marketing mix. Traditionally, this mix was comprised of 4 P’s—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—but has since evolved to include additional elements that capture the broader scope of modern marketing practices. Today, many organizations use an 8 P’s framework to address the complexity of the market and consumer behavior. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - explanations of three assessments & ice breaking Explanations of three assessments |
|
Week 3 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Segmentation (I) The concept of segmentation Market segmentation is a strategic process that involves dividing a broad target market into smaller, more defined groups of consumers who share similar characteristics, needs, or behaviors. This approach allows businesses to tailor their products, services, and marketing efforts more effectively to meet the specific needs of each segment. We will introduce geographic, demongraphic, psychographic and behavior segmentation approaches. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - 4 Ps in tourism |
|
Week 4 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Segmentation (II) Data Analaysis. We will show you how to run a segmentation analysis based on the IVS and NVS datasets that are compiled by Tourism Research Australia. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Segmentation (I) |
|
Week 5 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Distribution Channel (I) In the tourism industry, effective distribution channels are essential for connecting service providers—such as hotels, airlines, tour operators, and attractions—with consumers. These channels facilitate the promotion, booking, and delivery of tourism products and experiences. We will explain the direct and indirect distributional channels. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Segmentation (II) |
|
Week 6 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Distribution Channel (II) In the tourism industry, effective distribution channels are essential for connecting service providers—such as hotels, airlines, tour operators, and attractions—with consumers. These channels facilitate the promotion, booking, and delivery of tourism products and experiences. We will explain the direct and indirect distributional channels. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Distribution Channel (I) |
|
Week 7 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Competition analysis (environmental scanning and SWOT Analysis) Competition analysis is a critical component of strategic planning that enables a business to understand its competitive landscape, identify opportunities and threats, and position itself effectively in the market. We will introduce two key tools: environmental scanning and SWOT analysis. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Distribution Channel (II) |
|
Week 8 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Competition analysis (position map) A position map is a graphical representation that plots companies on a two-dimensional grid based on selected attributes or dimensions. We will use this tool to understand the competitive positioning of the chosen company against its competitors. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Competition analysis (I) |
|
Mid-sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 9 |
Lecture |
Lecture - Branding Branding is a strategic process that involves creating a unique name, image, and identity for a product, service, or organization in the consumer's mind. It goes beyond just a logo or a slogan. We will explain how branding encompasses the entire experience and perception that a customer has with a company. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Competition analysis (II) |
|
Week 10 |
Lecture |
Lecture - The media mix A media mix refers to the blend of different media channels—both digital and traditional—used to communicate a brand’s message. We will explain how the media mix is not a one-size-fits-all solution and how it can be tailored based on the target market, campaign objectives, budget, and desired outcomes. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Assessment Q & A |
|
Week 11 |
Lecture |
Lecture - CSR and Socially Responsible Tourism Marketing We will explain Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and why businesses need to integrate social and environmental concerns into their operations and interactions with stakeholders. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - The media mix |
|
Week 12 |
Seminar |
Lecture - Marketing challenges and solutions: Insights from the industry An industry guest speaker will provide a seminar discussing the latest opportunities and challenges in tourism marketing. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - CSR |
|
Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lecture - The Future of Tourism We will use the McKinsey report 'The State of Tourism and Hospitality' to draw conclusions about the latest and future development of the tourism sector. |
Tutorial |
Tutorial - Consultation |
Additional learning activity information
Sustainable Development Goals
This course integrates the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) throughout course learning activities:
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.