Innovation in the hospitality organizations: A case study of Cox Bazaar

A set of interview questions have been created in advance and it aims to cover all of the aspects covered in the research through interviews (Bryman and Becker 2012).

The interview guide was created along with the questionnaires and sometimes the researcher explained the interview guide based on the questions asked. This included simple definitions of the different terms such as innovation so that the participants can have a good idea about the nature of the questionnaire and the information required. Therefore a preliminary preview of the data collection process was provided to the participants so they can provide the right information which resulted in the provision of detailed and relevant answers. The purpose of the interview guide was to make sure that the participants understand the various types of the innovation and the researcher himself defined those concepts in a simplistic way to the respondents.

3.8 Population Sample

The population sample will be small because the research is qualitative in nature and its purpose is not to generate the generalized results from the bulk of data, instead its purpose is to utilize the selective data and create the in-depth insights about the phenomena behind the reality. Therefore the population in this research is small. This research contains 9 interviews.

3.9 Data analysis

For the data analysis, the interpretivist and constructivist research philosophies will be used. The multiple subjective perspectives were found from different interviewees because they are representative of the reality they perceive is the social actors. This research aims to include all the important social actors and stakeholders. The data that is gathered through the qualitative research is embedded in the real world and the patterns in the data can be found, and through the study of the cases, these real-world phenomena can be understood and defined.

In this research, the data analysis technique is based on the philosophy of the research that is interpretivism and conclusively, the thematic analysis was carried out. The thematic analysis allows grouping the data into the different patterns and forms that are observed by the researcher. The themes that emerge from the thematic analysis are usually the ultimate answers of the research questions and the interview questions that are linked together and aligned so that the research objectives can be achieved and the relevant themes can be formed. For this purpose, the interviews were taken and recorded on audio tape; these interviews were then transcribed into the textual form. After the transformation of the data into the textual forms, the fragments pertaining to the research data were identified and they were grouped together to form a particular theme or sub-theme. The thematic analysis does not focus on the counting or frequency of the words used and it focuses on the identification of the clear and understood ideas. These ideas and concepts were later given the forms of the codes and then interpreted in detail in the analysis chapter.

3.10

S.No	Name of the person	Name of SME	Role in SME	Nationality
1	Amin	Hotel Amin International	Managing Director	Bangladeshi
2	Ananda Chakma	Hotel Cox inn	front desk manager	Bangladeshi
3	Yasin Mohammad Toha	Hotel Grand Beach Resort	assistant general manager	Bangladeshi
4	Monsur Alam Rubel	Hotel Meghaloy	managing director	Bangladeshi
5	Sajib Barua	Hotel Rain View Resort	Front Desk Manager	Bangladeshi
6	Mahmud Hossain Bahadur	Hotel Sea Shine	front desk manager	Bangladeshi
7	Nasir Mahmud	Hotel Sea Uttara	front desk manager	Bangladeshi
8	Liton Pal	Sea Welcome Resort	General Manager	Bangladeshi
9	Russell	Nishorgo Hotel & Resort	front desk manager	Bangladeshi

3.11 Photo Elicitation

The photo elicitation will be used in the process of observation, that is widely used in the social sciences and this will be used to study the aesthetics design and cultural representation in this project (Sonnleitner, 2011). This will be used to inquire about the sensory design and it will also reflect on the indoor theme used by the hospitality organizations.

The aspects in the trustworthiness in the qualitative research include credibility, transferability, conformability, and dependability. The credibility approach is not valid because this research is not using any triangulation strategy. This research, however, has the transferability and it can be applied to other beach studies or the studies with the emerging and potential destinations and the findings can be imitated. The conformability has been achieved through making sure that the appropriate steps are followed in the data analysis in creating interpretations. The dependability relates to how consistent is the research and how much the study is repeatable if same perimeters are taken into consideration (Statistics Solutions, 2018).

3.12 Limitations

The first limitation is the size of the sample population and it contains only 9 interviewees and because of this, the induction of all different perspectives may not be possible. This data collection is insufficient to cover such a large city, however the 9 interviews in the qualitative study are reasonable, given the limited timeframe of the research (i.e., 4 months Further studies can be carried out on this topic in the future based on this research and more specific research can be carried out on the different area of this research and this can lead to possible interpretations in the future to the underlying theories and the phenomena.

3.13 Conclusion

The qualitative research methodology has been adopted in this project and it is based on the semi-structured questionnaires that were spread among the 9 interviewees and the qualitative input was taken and this focused on answering the questions by utilizing a coherent methodology which ensures that the results produced are coherent to the research aims and objectives. This research has been reinforced with the personal observation that the research made while visiting and taking interviews from the relevant hotels. In this research project, the time was short and a lot of time had been spent to gather the data because the researcher personally visited the place and got the data in the form of face to face interviews. Along with the personal observation, the photo elicitation has also been carried out as a triangulation strategy. As the time span was short, so the 4 months study can be carried out.

4 Results and Discussions

4.1 Introduction

This study is empirical in nature and takes the input of the data from the people and these peoples are the key stakeholders according to the nature of this project. The convenient sampling has been used in this research paper and this, therefore, allows the researcher to select the people from its own convenience and that includes the common links of the person and the places that the researcher has visited and the places that have been considered most important by the researcher discretion. In this research paper, the work has been done in the two phases, and in the first phase, the theories have been defined and in the second phase, the empirical results have been generated and these have been abstracted into the themes according to the theory and this, therefore, results in the critical analysis and the interview data can be compared with the knowledge of the literature and the quotes that have been taken from the interviews that is present at the end of the project in the form of the appendix.

In this chapter, the background of Cox Bazaar will be first presented, followed by and then the progress on the results will be carried out. Below are the information and background about the Cox Bazaar.

4.2 Cox Bazaar Background

Cox Bazaar beach

Map of the Cox Bazaar

Source: (United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency data, 2018)

The population of the Cox Bazaar is 172,000 (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2010). Cox Bazaar is increasingly getting the higher attention and it has a vital future role in the tourism of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has the two important places of tourism and one is the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans and second is the longest beach in the world i.e., Cox Bazaar. It is expected that the number of the tourists will increase from 2 million to 15 million customers. Overall in Cox Bazaar, there are over 300 hospitality organization and the tourism at the Cox Bazaar is booming (Ahammed, 2010).The major attraction of the Cox Bazaar is the 150 km long unbroken beach and the hills where most people are attracted to.

4.3 4.3 Importance of innovation

According to the interviewee: “In this competitive world, innovation is the key to bring changes in the business. In tourism business, we need to make sure how we can amaze our guests and tourists (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur).” The innovation has been regarded key to the business success. According to Ahammed (2010), the tourism requires the innovative ways to improve their present and future prospects.

The innovation comes after the fulfillment of basic needs. There are some of the problems with the SMEs that they lack the proper infrastructure and support for doing an innovation because the innovation can be done when all the basic amenities have been met. Innovation is also essentials because “Tourists like innovation in hospitality (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018)” and the representative of the SMEs reply that “to satisfy our beloved guests we need to add innovations to this business (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).” The tourists prefer to have the products that are continuously innovated (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2016). Therefore innovation is essential to satisfy the needs of the customers, as mentioned by Nasir, front desk manager:

“Yes, I think innovation is important for tourism and hospitality business.” However, “It is very unfortunate that as an SME organization, we do not have enough opportunity to bring innovation.” When asked about whether the innovation will add value to the business: “Yes, I think so. If I innovate a new thing in our hotel, it can boost up our efficiency level, and Guests might be satisfied with innovative staffs.

Therefore it is believed by many of the hotel owners that innovation can boost their efficiency. So the present innovation regarding the innovation is that the organizations accept that innovation is necessary and some of the organizations want to have innovation, some of the organizations have innovation and some of the organizations are trying to have innovation. If the innovation is added to the business, this would likely to increase the business value (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2006; Moscardo, 2008).

The tourism industry has the potential to seek the Foreign Direct Investment; however, there are some challenges. The tourism industry in the Cox Bazaar is growing. Further, there are challenges such as 15% tax on the hospitality organizations that increase the costs of such activities. However this increased taxation can be helpful to attract the foreign tourists such as from Europe, Scandinavia and North America as their purchasing power parity is high and they can spend more; therefore, this destination can be made a destination of the international tourists using the service differentiation strategy. This will also attract the local elites as the costs for the middle-class persons will be high. This will result in increased standardization and powerful growth of the Cox Bazaar as an international destination.

The innovation overall deals with creating new markets, developing new products, and re-engineering and processing of the new products (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2016). The meaning of the innovation has been defined:

“Innovation means bringing new things to the business. The hospitality industry is so dynamic industry that it always requires innovations like decorations, renovations, and grooming (Sajib Barua, front desk Manager, 2018).”

The hospitality industry is dynamic and therefore it needs to adapt to change more as compared to the other organizations because it is solely based on the customer-centralization. Yet some of the hospitality entities and hotels are struggling to find their space in a market that is filled with the many large and medium-sized hotels, therefore the overall competition is tough for some SMEs. However this does not mean that the SMEs are disadvantaged, they are more flexible and adaptable to change as compared to large or medium-sized entities. According to Hjaldar (2010), the innovation is a concept to develop something new than the usual. The innovation, therefore, allows the organization to streamline itself with the external forces and the internal requirements and allows chance in services, products, and processes (Salim & Sulaiman, 2011).

4.4 4.4 Factors inhibiting innovation

The factors that are inhibiting the innovation includes the overall response of the government and the responsiveness of the locals so that the innovation can prevail in the Cox Bazaar. The Bangladeshi hotels are a counterpart to the Romanian and Egyptian hotels where the innovation has become the focus and the use of creativity and idea generation can result in a great impact (Kattara & El-Said, 2013). Innovation is essential for the SMEs and when asked about the innovation, the representative of the SMEs replied

“No. As we cannot maintain the international standard, Our SME has not still incorporated innovation. We lack proper infrastructure and support (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).”

Innovation is being incorporated by SME in tourism and hospitality industry in Cox’s Bazaar. Bringing innovation in hospitality is not an easy task, but we are trying (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018.”

According to the interviewees, the innovation is an idea that has not been adopted, this regarded as easy to say phenomena but difficult to implement. The other problem is that some hotels are unable to identify the need for innovation or they do not know what the innovation is about: “Our hotel is an SME organization. I am not sure if it has incorporated innovation or not. Anyway, innovation is always welcomed (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” However, they regard that innovation will add value to the business “Yes, innovation in hospitality will add value to our business as our market will grow.”

“In Cox’s Bazaar, the hotel business is a growing business. It can get a long way if the atmosphere is friendly. There is a tax burden of 15% which hotel owners need to pay. I think this is too much. Above all, hospitality business in this area is a rising day by day. It will definitely grow if all the concerned persons give proper attention to secure this industry. Investment in this industry will be a wise decision (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”

There is another evidence from the interviewee that the current tourism industry has not embraced the innovation in the Cox Bazaar:

“I think the SME has not incorporated innovation in the hospitality industry in Cox’s Bazaar area. There are some common rules and regulations which should be followed by the owners if we suppose a hotel an SME project. It is sad that no standard rules are followed here (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

This quote highlights that there is still a need for innovation in Cox Bazaar and there is a set of common laws and rules that have prevailed in the Cox Bazaar. However, there are no certain or standardized laws or regulations that are being followed. Cox Bazaar, today, needs a different kind of innovation and not a single innovation; therefore, it requires holistic innovation and the different types of innovation that has been discussed in the literature review:

“It depends on what kind of innovations you are going to add. Innovations like infrastructural development, management decision, and new decoration may play a vital role (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

Therefore, merely a single type of innovation cannot change the Cox Bazaar radically, and it will require a combination of different types of innovations. The quest for innovation has been shown again here: “I think innovation means bringing new things to the business. The hospitality industry is so dynamic industry that it always requires innovations like decorations, renovations, and grooming (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” Overall, the innovation is not limited to science and technology; it can be carried out in different aspects such as the services, and processes in the market (Cetindamar et al. 2016).

The overall status of the SMEs is that there are almost 300 hospitality SMEs in the Cox Bazaar (Ahammed, 2010). The hospitality business is a booming business here because according to Ahammed (2010), the number of the tourists will increase from 2 million to 15 million which is a big increase in tourism. There is a huge potential for the business in the Cox Bazaar for the hospitality organizations and the tourism-based business is increasing and booming there. It is one of the bestowed businesses in the Cox Bazaar and many respondents clearly stated this fact in the interviews. For instance, Mahmud (front desk manager) said:

“Yes, we are doing well in business. I can assure you it’s a profitable business here (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager).”

While the level of innovation as compared to large organization is not very good because the SMEs are least innovated,

“I do not think so. We have not introduced any innovation in our business as a small organization we have to gain more to attain this (Mahmud).”

4.5 Organizational innovation

The organizational innovation is also important and this means a change in the structure and hierarchy of the organization.

“Organizational innovation is needed here. The changes should come from the organization structure and whole the management system here. Quality services should be assured (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

“Any kind of change is always welcome here. Something changed means something new, and people would love to see new things. I think inside our management should be more employee friendly (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).”

The organizational innovation would require a change of the structure of the organizations and there should be cross-reporting of the organizational managers and supervisors to different general managers, for example, the reporting can be made both to the food department and the marketing department. Further, there is a need for change in the various organizational policies with which the potential customers and clients can be found:

“We are trying to bring a massive change in our marketing policy that is how we can find potential clients in a different way. We also added our emergency service system like medication, tourist guide service, and special caretaking for the foreigner guests, and entertainment. We also provide technical support to our guests if needed (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

These sorts of the organizational mix can add to the value of the organization and these above-mentioned ideas need to be implemented in order to create a better experience for customers (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2006; Moscardo, 2008). Further, the organizational innovation in the SMEs is more suitable as the SMEs are not structured very rigidly and they can be changed according to time and the necessity; however, because of the tendency of being stable, it can also be considered as a threat (Salim & Sulaiman, 2011).

The organization could seek new ways and add to the organization in addition to the administration and this can be done by adding new departments such as restaurant if the hotel does not have the restaurant:

We are very unfortunate that we do not have any restaurant inside our hotel. In that case, when we receive orders from our guests, we collect food from outside restaurants which are best known for cooking (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).

In the literature, Peters & Pikkemaat, 2006; Moscardo, 2008 also mentioned the importance of extending existing hotel services to include restaurants, as this will eliminate the need for bringing the food from outside by the customers and they will be able to enjoy the food that is served by the organization and it will add value to the organization as well. This will increase the value provision of the hotel which if have the restaurant.

4.6 Challenges

There are numerous challenges, and these challenges include the hygiene factor, non-professional education, and experience, Lack of interest of the government, the dirty tactics war in the Cox Bazaar, these are all the challenges

There is a strenuous competition that employs dirty tactics to get the customers for example:

“We feel challenges are there. Tourists get misdirected by the brokers as they have a huge syndicate. They try to push the tourists on hiring their hotels. This is not good for the hospitality industry. The tourism industry is getting bigger and bigger day by day. But this kind of bad practices is just dangerous (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

The above quote accepts there are challenges and this point out that when the tourists come to Cox Bazaar, what kind of the challenges they have to face. Further, there are political issues as well which are unresolved and the main cause of the lack of development or lack of infrastructure: “I think Political instability is the most common barrier to this business (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).” There needs to be a political will. And these sorts of challenges can harm the good experience to the tourists and can result in lower quality tourism. This issue can be solved if the city corporation of the Cox Bazaar takes the initiative to curb this sort of practice:

“City Corporation and administration should take strict steps to stop this malpractice. Tourist police may serve their duties in this regard as tourists feel safe and secured (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

It is also the responsibility of the other people as well because:

“Not only government but also mass people and mass media should take the responsibility to eradicate this. The government should create awareness on this matter (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

‘And this sort of awareness can help the problems to be solved on the self-basis by the people, employees and the businessmen and other stakeholders. Further, the innovation intervenes with the products and process of the organization which may create the fear of change (Salim & Sulaiman, 2011). The different kinds of the status of the organizations can be considered and there are dynamic, static and semi-dynamic organizations (Gjerding & Rasmussen2007), and the innovation is best adaptable by the SMEs because of their dynamic and semi-dynamic nature.

The SMEs are usually not facing too many challenges; however, most of them have the scarcity of the resources:

“As a small hotel, we do not have to face that many challenges. Mainly, we do not have sufficient fund to re-invest here (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

The government can start the microfinance institutions that can provide funds to the SMEs and this can result in flourishing business in the hospitality organizations and this will create a push-based strategy as there will be more and more hotels, so the arrival of the tourists will be more and more as these hospitality organizations will carry out the marketing activities to attract the local and foreigner tourists.

In some hotels, strange sort of challenges are faced e.g.: “Recently, we are facing a problem. Some wicked people are spreading rumors about our hotels that ghosts/spirits live here; this is not a safe hotel for tourists. Basically, local brokers, rickshaw drivers, and easy-bike drivers are spreading this type of propaganda. Our hotel does not have this type of problems. They are doing this because they try to divert our potential customers to another hotel as they get commissions from those hotel owners. This is truly a malpractice. Besides, some local goons threaten us as they claim money from us. And, some policemen do this type of malpractice. They misuse their power by causing legal issues. Load shedding is another major problem here (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).” There is third world problem such as load shedding of electricity; goons, wicked policemen that ask for a bribe; and propaganda about having supernatural things associated with the hotels, which is because of the ignorance of the people.

4.6.1 Human Resource

In the hospitality organization, the HR and highly skilled employees can improve the overall level of the innovation (Lim & Noriega, 2007). The education and training on the hospitality are essential: “Not all the employees have such education on hygiene, some staff has hospitality diploma. Our senior employees teach the juniors how to do things properly (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” And in some places, the things are learned from the transfer of the experience in such a way that the seniors teach juniors through their education, whereas a few employees have got the diploma or education.

The change is thought to be fearful, particularly for the large organizations; however, the SMEs have the benefit that they are flexible enough to adapt to change as compared to larger organizations: “Change in a positive way is always good. Our management should be more concerned about our employees. Our housekeeping department should recruit more workers to maintain the standard. All the employees should get more incentives and motivation (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” The more and more emphasis should be paid on the organizational innovation and the Human Resource department. Further incentivizing the employees can increase their effort to make the change.

If the key employees of the organizations are educated, they are more prone to make the changes and apply their knowledge and hence increasing the overall status of the hospitality:

“I think hospitality industry is a great place to apply knowledge and gather experiences. There are a lot of things to learn here and do here. My academic knowledge helps me how to interact with people, and my experience helps me how to resolve a problem (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”

This education can allow the key personnel to come up with new ideas and they can better manage their hospitality industry by applying their knowledge. However, this depends upon how they apply their knowledge.

The education has been regarded as an important step in changing the fate of Cox Bazaar and the staff of the hotel should have the proper education and professional experience:

“Yes, many (of our employees) have hotel management diploma and certificates in the related sector. Some of our employees are working here for a long time and they have the ability to teach the newcomer staffs how to serve and do their jobs (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).”

The internal managers, therefore, act as a key role in improving the service delivery of the organization (Orfila-Sintes, Crespi-Cladera & Martinez-Ros, 2005). The sharing of the experience by the senior staff can help the other people to get better knowledge and professional expertise. Contrarily, some of the organizations do not have the proper education and training of their staff.

For the purpose of innovation, the Human Resource section can work well by bringing in new staff “We can recruit more marketing professional who will be engaged directly in marketing activities (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” The organizations with the multi-skilled employees can have a vital impact on the enhancement of the customer orientation in the hotels (Lim & Noriega, 2007). These professionals will have expertise in marketing and this will also have an impact on the marketing activities and indirectly improve that as well.

When employees are asked for applying their knowledge in the practical world, they reiterate that:

“Simply, I will try to follow my organization’s rules & regulations at first. Then, I will try to consult with my senior management if any conflict arises. And finally, I will make things clear to my co-workers about services and manners (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).”

The role of the management and the organizational hierarchies are important to be followed because businesses are bound of these hierarchies and the chains of command, which result in step-by-step and upward communication towards the senior management and help the managers to take the decisions.

The education could be the game changer for the business and most of the hotels have emphasized the need for education: “some of my staffs have education in hotel management and some have not. But they are getting experienced day by day (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).” The increase in experience is also a form of learning however it cannot be recognized as academic education which is aimed to provide structural learning.

4.6.2 Customer Satisfaction

This section serves the research objective 3 that how the innovation can be fostered in the context of the local hospitality organization. The satisfaction of the customers is essential for almost in any business and the same is true for the hospitality organizations and businesses. The hospitality organizations maintain the status of serving the food in a manner that provides the utmost satisfaction to the customers. However, there are still many gaps that need to be covered. The customer satisfaction is important because, “If we begin a better way of service, our guests must be delighted (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” The innovation not only satisfies the customers but increases the delight of the customers.

The customer orientation can improve the overall status of the organization (Lim & Noriega, 2007). The customer satisfaction is very important and here the communication with the customers is important: “Communication is a big thing. While thinking about marketing, we need to concentrate on communication. You know that better communication means higher chances to get new customers (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” Therefore if the communication is increased, the feedback loop will be more refined and new kind of innovation will be added to customers’ experience. Further, if the communication is made with the customers, this can result in improved reputation and increased profits (Monsur Alam Rubel, Managing Director, 2018).

The innovation will result in meeting the expectation of the customers and it will increase the business value: “If we will be able to add these innovations in our organization, our value will surely increase (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2006; Moscardo, 2008). Our Guests will be satisfied more than now (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” Therefore it will lead to more satisfaction; hence, the increased customer satisfaction results in improvement of business.

The communication with the customers usually drives customer satisfaction: “We usually communicate with our customers through mobile phone and telephones. Though we have a website, lots of changes should be brought about (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).” The mobile phones are getting more and more common, therefore to reach the customers, it is the most important medium and smartphones also allows the internet and web connectivity as well.

4.7 Marketing innovation

The marketing innovation is also necessary and it means that conceptualizing new ideas and making and using new combinations of the different tools to market the products. The SMEs are adopting new ways such as social media and the digital media, “We operate our marketing activities from several sites. We have a website, a Facebook page through which we deliver our offers to the common people (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).” Further: “We have websites, database, digital medium, & of course social media wing to spread our marketing strategy (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).” When asked about whether innovation can improve business, it was replied: “Yes, I believe so. Communication with our customers in a more sophisticated manner can attract more and more potential customers. (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018)” In this way, the SMEs can reach the potential customers and create market awareness that will increase their market share and they will be hospitable to numerous tourists. Innovation, therefore, allows the business to better position themselves in the market (UNWTO, 2012). However presently some SMEs have the manual check in and check out, however, this can be digitalized. The information and communication technologies have a great role in the marketing innovation because websites and the smartphones can be linked with B2B and B2C forms and can provide a communication platform (Law et al., 2014).

The marketing communication in the hotels is done in different ways for example: “We communicate with the customers through telephone, websites, and direct promotion. If we are able to initiate a new way to communicate with the customers, it will add great value to our business (Peters & Pikkemaat, 2006; Moscardo, 2008). I think we should add a social media wing too (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”; “We have websites, database, digital medium, & of course social media wing to spread our marketing strategy (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).” This means that the SMEs are aware of the fact that innovation can increase their business and they are knowingly or unknowingly carrying out innovation by adopting new ways of marketing to the customers. Further while being away, the social media is highly used, therefore using social media as a strategy can be very helpful.

There are various challenges faced in aspects of marketing and this is because of the lack of adaptability: “There are some problems with our marketing policies. I think marketing policies should be versatile and trendy (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” The overall marketing policies need to be novel as well as trend generating among the people and this can add unique value to a particular hospitality organization and this trend can also be used as a competitive advantage by the organizations to attract more and more tourists (Camisón & Monfort-Mir, 2012; Victorino et al., 2005).

There are different ways of communicating with customers and the marketing and sales agents can communicate with the customers: “Generally, we communicate with our customers through our marketing team. They try to promote our hotel by distributing visiting cards, leaflets (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” And this results in the promotion and advertising of the hotel and therefore improves the prospects for the hotel.

4.7.1 Digitalization

According to Law et al., (2014), the Information and communication technology and the digitalization provides a wide range of opportunities. It has also been agreed that the modern ways of doing the things such as picking the cars from the airport through the internet, automated check in and check outs are important areas that can be digitalized:

“This internet thing is vital for doing business in tourism and hospitality industry. Letting the customer's book rooms, airport pickups and check in-check out facility is a wonderful way to access our hotel. Modern people like today love to do things online. I think this is good (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”

“I think using website and the digital application will be very useful for our marketing because day by day people are being more dependent on the internet (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).”

As the internet access is increasing, even though, Bangladesh is a developing country; however, it is going to make a good impact on the hospitality marketing innovation.

The digitalization has become the need of time and more and more digitalization is needed: “We are managing a website through which tourists can find us and may have the idea of our hotel. It is very common nowadays to use digital applications like Android applications, IOS applications etc (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” The utilization of IT and business intelligence can create a strong competitive advantage to a firm (Korte et al., 2013). Therefore the different types of websites and apps are being used that connects the customers to the website and media of the hotels.

It is also being observed that most of the good hotels have their website and they want to communicate with the customers through the web:

“We also have a website where we introduced ourselves to the digital world.” This allows them to have knowledge of the hotel where they are going to stay and they can estimate the quality of the hotel and various features that the hotel will have. Further, the digitalization is helpful for the customers because they can check-in and check-out digitally: “We have a website but we manage our check-in and checkout activities manually. We do not have any digital applications too (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).”

This is the reason that when asked about digitalization, they want to have the innovation: “We should develop our website in a way where our guests can easily access this website and place a booking, manage check in and checkout (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” And in this way, the customers can be more facilitated than before. The digitalization can result in acquiring more customers “Yes, it would so much useful for our business. We can get more and more customers if provide customized service (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

4.7.2 Hygiene Factors

The hygiene factors are important. They are not the motivator to the people, however the lack of the hygiene factors can demotivate the people to visit the place; therefore, having a status of hygiene is very important for the SMEs and the tourists/customers. For this purpose, some SMEs have assigned the tasks to the people: “We have assigned 2 people for making sure the hotel and its premises are clean. Moreover, our chefs and kitchen staffs always try to maintain proper hygiene (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).” Therefore both the internal hygiene and the external hygiene are necessary. The hygiene factors can be ensured through automation and standardization of the food and in this way, they can be presented to the customers (O’Neill & McGinley, 2014), and nutritional values can be given to the customers so they can select the most healthy food (Law et al., 2014). Hygiene is also regarded by many hotels for example: “We try to maintain a standard of hygiene and cleanliness in our organization. Our cleaners, cooks, kitchen stuff are aware of hygiene thing. Everybody is very conscious about cleanliness (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”; “We always try our best to keep our hotel neat and clean. We do our cleaning job every day (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” And this increases the consciousness of the hotels to be aware of the cleaning as an essential element in the hospitality business, and the good thing is that everybody is conscious about the hygiene factors. The emphasis on the advanced level SMEs have increasingly focussed on hygiene: “We have our hygiene experts who make sure everything in this hotel should be done in a hygienic way. But outside our hotel, there are odor pollutions in Cox’s Bazaar (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” The hotels have hygiene experts that make sure that hygiene levels are up to the mark and therefore the international tourists can come here and find the hygiene quality of food and services. The odor pollution is because of the sea and fisheries environment as fish is the most important food item, therefore this kind of pollution is common in Cox Bazaar. The hygiene is assured in most of the hotels as it can be a demotivating factor however its mere presence may not actually motivate the people as it is considered as basic requirements: “hygiene is assured in this hotel. All our foods served are prepared in a hygienic way. We have water supply system which gives fresh water (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

4.8 Hospitality Innovation

4.8.1 Organizational Management Innovation

The organizational levels have different types of ability to adjust itself to adapt to change (Gjerding & Rasmussen2007). The SMEs organizations require organizational change i.e., the change in the management and, “A massive change in management should take place, especially in financial management.” Further, “Managing a numerous number of employees is a big challenge for us (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).” The organizational innovation can be met by recruiting the knowledgeable staff: “Right now, we do not have enough expertise in this industry, but we are trying to achieve a certain goal. We are now recruiting new staff that is knowledgeable and hardworking (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018).”Further, the lack of staff can result in various problems to the organizations because some entities cannot deliver their full potential to customers because they are understaffed (Monsur Alam Rubel, Managing Director, 2018). Whereas some of the companies think otherwise and they say that no change is necessary because the competition is very high and any change could result in failure of the company.

There are some basic changes that are needed to be done in the hospitality industry and this could include taking the lucrative steps: “Yes, management should initiate some lucrative steps like introducing new uniforms for staffs, changing the interior decoration (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” This will result in an increased good image of the hotel and this will also look like a more professional entity.

Further, in an organization, the teamwork is very necessary and it includes all the people to work together and create the productive results through creating synergies developed through teamwork: “teamwork is important for this type of business. As an employee of this organization, I can say our teamwork is good, we try to keep out hotel’s reputation good (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” This is the reason that increased emphasis is put on the teamwork as it affects the reputation of the hotel. In addition to this, there are no seminars on training: “It’s a disappointment that our hotel owners do not facilitate any kind of seminar or training on hotel management. I think this should be considered on the account (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

4.9 Process Innovation

4.9.1 Cuisine innovation

The new processes in the organization result in improved prospects that can enhance and improve the organization and therefore allow them to have sustainable value (UNWTO, 2012). Food delivery is an important aspect of the hospitality business. The food that is delivered to the customers is both for the international tourists and the local tourists and it includes the multinational cuisine as well as the Bengali cuisines. The overall scope for the ICT and digitalization is limited in the process innovation, however the technology can be used such as to identify the nutritional values and these can be labeled with the dishes and with their respective menu and in this way, a customer can find the most suitable dishes according to their health status and can make the healthy choices according to their body (Law et al., 2014).

The customer orientation requires that all the orders be customized and served according to the customers need: “We can add different ethnic foods of our locality. Services should be customized as per guests’ orders (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).”; “We can add our local cuisine as foreign food items like Japanese foods, Italian Foods, or Mexican Food (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).” The customization of the foods rather than the standardized foods can be a thing of cuisine innovation and the customers can get the things according to their taste and experience of the taste. The automation can be done in the food processing and the more the automation is done, the more the food can be hygienic and standardized (O’Neill & McGinley, 2014).

The types of food that are offered to the tourists contain the generic food and the typical foods: “Our food items are usually generic and typical. We have to add many newer items. We try to serve quality foods to our guests and we provide services as guests demand (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” The items vary as per the demand and the new dishes are also introduced from time to time changing the process of the cooking of the food. The new types of food that can be added include: “We must add newer food items to the menu. I think we can add Thai, Malaysian, Italian, Mexican foods also (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” This defines that the different food items are needed to attract the international tourists so they can find the food of their own choice.

While some of the hotels are providing cuisine and restaurant facilities, some of the hotels do not have the restaurant inside and they lose the benefit of serving the customers from their own hotel, and therefore they have to rely on outside investment. The small hotels with low budgets usually do not have the restaurants inside their hotels; however, they are aware of the fact that having a restaurant is necessary: “We are very unfortunate that we do not have any restaurant inside our hotel. In that case, when we receive orders from our guests, we collect food from outside restaurants which are best known for cooking (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” Further, the some of the hotels lack the restaurant facility which completely gets them behind in the business because they are not able to make cuisine innovation: “We do not own any restaurant in our hotel. If our guests order something, we generally collect them from outside restaurants. I think if it would be our owned restaurant, our guests will be more pleased (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).” Having an own restaurant by the hotel can result in much better experience for the customers, but as we know, this is because of the lack of the financial resources.

4.9.2 Online facilities

The organization in the hospitality services is still at its beginning and innovation is one of the elements that affect the purchase decision of hotel services, therefore, it is essential for all the hotels to get economic value (Tigu et al., 2013). Some of the entities are providing the online facilities such as apps that can be used by the customers to check the hotels, and some of them have the websites, whereas some of the entities have automated check-ins and check-outs. Some of the hotels regarded as: “Free WIFI should be added to our hotel. I think it is very necessary (Monsur Alam Rubel, Managing Director, 2018).” The use of the smartphone has become an integral part of the DMOs and mobile optimization and the provision of information and management of the information can be done in a very cost-effective way (Gibbs & Gretzel, 2015). There are several hotels that provide unique and standardized services to their customers. For example, the Hotel Grand Beach Resort provides the pickup service from the airport to the customers: “We have this service. We receive our guests from airports and terminals (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” Some of the entities regards the need for developing online platform and these are usually small entities, therefore, it purely relates to the characteristics of the SMEs and how they are bound by their budget and resources: “We should develop our website in a way where our guests can easily access this website and place booking, manage check in and checkout (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” And this facility can help the company to improve its business and because of having such website, this will allow customers to book the rooms online. Other phenomena that are carried out in the hospitality organizations for the SMEs that there is a neutral agent that provides online booking for various hotels, however, the credible and large hotels do not rely on the neutral agents that book the hotel rooms and perform check-in and check-out time that is preset by these entities. Further, the optimization of the websites can result in increased traffic of the customers which is likely to increase the sales of their respective organizations (Gibbs & Gretzel, 2015).

4.10 Aesthetic Innovation

The aesthetics are the important aspects of the tourism services and it is the cultural and tourism aspects that are consumed by the tourists (Sonnleitner, 2011). The aesthetic innovation is also essential and it is mandatory in creating the experience satisfaction of the people as well as the taste satisfaction of the people. The aesthetic innovation can be termed as an artifact that the organization has. The SMEs are also focusing on the aesthetic and artistic innovation: “Yes, as per your suggestion, we would like to add some artistic environment to our hotel, we will renovate a breakfast area, and we will change our furniture. (Amin, Managing director of Hotel Amin International, 2018)” The innovation in the aesthetics can be overlooked sometimes however this can add value to the hospitality service: “Tourists like new things. They like to see new things and explore new places. Their eyes have the unfulfilling thrust of exploring beauties. Aesthetics can play an important role in this. Innovation in aesthetics is a better idea to attract new customers (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” The aesthetic innovation act as a tool to attract more people when it is done in conjunction with the marketing innovation and this can really help an organization create a competitive advantage (Camisón & Monfort-Mir, 2012; Victorino et al., 2005).. Some of the small hotels think that they do not have enough scope for aesthetics because of too much limited size. However this can be beneficial if we represent our culture, it costs nothing to us and small hotels can have innovation, “We have slight chance to add aesthetics to our hotel. If we do so, we can represent our culture and tradition (Monsur Alam Rubel, Managing Director, 2018).” The aesthetics can improve the reputation of the SMEs as well because: “Our guests will be amazed seeing those things. Our reputation in this business will grow up day by day (Nasir Mahmud, front desk manager, 2018).” And hence it will improve innovation

The aesthetic innovation is necessary because it can help in creating a good first impression: “Of course. We should change the interior design to attract the customers. As a part of our regular job, we should keep our furniture and decorations neat and clean. We make sure tourists find positive sense at their first impression (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” This will result in a positive impact on the customers: “It will create a positive sense in the mind of the guests. Of course, it gives the pleasure to the guests, if they find the rooms, balcony, breakfast area and total environment well decorated and furnished (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” The aesthetics are therefore necessary for the tourists. Although some of the organizations have not applied the aesthetics, but they are aware that aesthetics can improve their entity’s aspects: “Though we have not applied aesthetics that much in our hotel, we seem that it plays a very important role in this business (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” Further, “Our guests generally come from different nationalities; they want to explore new things here. Exotic things make them attracted to this place like Cox’s Bazaar. So, Aesthetics is important (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).” The businesses realize that although they have not applied aesthetics in their business but they are aware that it can improve the attractiveness of the entity which could result in more value-added business: “yes, aesthetical innovation is very important. If we want to earn more and more profit doing this business, we need to attract more and more customers. In order catch new customers, we must concentrate on aesthetics like local arts, handcrafts, infrastructures, and entertainment and these new kind of combination can help in developing competitive advantage (Wu, 2013). Well-groomed environment and well-furnished furniture may be the best example of aesthetical innovation (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).” This can improve the overall ranking of the hotel and this could result in making a hotel star level hotel: “We are trying to renovate our hotel nicely in order to make it look nice. Our standard will rise up to the star level hotel if we add this type innovation. We have little opportunity to compete with the big shots of this industry (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

Pictorial Representation

Source (Hotel Amin International)

The picture above shows is the luxury impact and it is a picture of the master suite and it reflects that the bedsheets are white, which are typically used in the star hotels and the whole background is showing sense of extensive cleanliness and hygiene and this is very attractive to see the mixture of tradition and the modern architecture.

Source (Hotel Cox Inn)

The above picture is showing modern aesthetics and the use of glass and aluminum has been done whereas the sofas are wooden that again shows the mixture of the tradition and the modernism. The flooring is like a chess board which shows a unique sense and lighting is very appropriate and making the entrance of the hotel very attractive.

Source (Hotel Rain View Resort)

As the name of the hotel states, the hotel provides a great view of the rain. Bangladesh is a tropical area and there are a lot of rains there and therefore this hotel with non-opaque glass view provide the vision of the rain along with its cleanliness and it becomes more bright in the rain which is the main specialty of this hotel.

Source (Nishorgo Hotel)

The above picture shows the smokey furniture and it also presents a great interior which looks like a European hotel, however, the overall interior beauty has a great contrast of the white and dark brown color which gives an elegant look to the interior of this hotel.

§ Cultural innovation

The aesthetics represent the cultural dimension of a hospitality organization’s national and the better orientation towards the culture can result in the improved performance and customer orientation (Tajeddini, 2010). Culture is also important and it is the representative of the nations rituals, attitudes and beliefs and the culture related artifacts. In fact, the culture is an artifact itself. The culture is a great way to foster the tourists to enjoy and see different cultures and that helps in to improve their knowledge and they get the know-how about the cultures as well as they can be a great deal of joy to the customers: “It’s a great way to reflect our culture to the foreigners (Anand Chakma, front desk manager, 2018).” Therefore the cultural aspect directly affects the foreign tourists and foreign tourists are highly regarded in the tourism because they add economic benefit and value to the destination and the country. The aesthetic source is usually the Bangladeshi and local culture of the Cox Bazaar. The Bangladeshi culture is very rich and it has its own thousands of year history. The aesthetics, therefore, can add cultural value to the hotels: “Of course, it will provide a great chance to represent our culture through aesthetical innovations. We will keep it in our mind (Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, front desk manager, 2018).”

Pictorial Representation

Source (Hotel Grand Beach Resort)

This picture entails the wooden work and the typical design of the chairs which is making a woody sense and the chairs are polished in their natural color, the wooden chairs have been used instead of the steel chairs and these wooden chairs cost more than the steel made chairs and the tables are representing typical Bangladeshi culture.

Source (Hotel Sea Shine)

The hotel sea shine provides a view of the furniture with dark color polish which has been generally absorbed into the culture of Bangladesh after the colonialization rule and this looks somewhat non-cozy in the high-temperature environment that Bangladesh has, however it represents the tradition. The hotel interior does not look like a star hotel and it looks like a mediocre hotel.

Source (Hotel Sea Uttara)

This hotel gives the look of luxury and star hotel. The typical interior is well lit and the coloring of the wall shows the Bangladeshi tradition. There is a lot of use of the lighting and the ceiling of the roof and the curtains have been gracefully placed. This hotel radiates the luxury of a star hotel with Bangladeshi tradition.

Source (Hotel Sea Uttara)

The dining table of the hotel looks great and it shows a dark and peaceful atmosphere which suits the environment because Bangladesh beaches usually have high temperatures as compared to the European countries and there is a lot of heat. The Air conditioners are usually installed in the hotels to make the temperature cooler and particularly in the luxury hotels, they are present.

Source (Hotel Sea Uttara)

This shows the Buffet menu that is present in the hotel and the red coloring shows the typical cheerful colors that are used in the psychographics of Bangladesh with shiny yellow and royal blue linings. The food is present in the containers of the aluminum that show a different variety of foods.

The aesthetic theory regards culture as an artifact: “aesthetics theory is a quite interesting thing to attract the customers and reflect our culture too like if we add a wall portrait of the natural beauty of our culture it would be a great chance to reflect our culture and traditions to the foreigners (Yasin Mohammad Toha, assistant general manager, 2018).” In this way, the tourists can learn about new places and new cultures. Aesthetics is also important in representing the culture and culture is an innovative artifact that provides the ability to the business to capitalize on the culture without making an investment and they can portray their culture to the foreign tourists: “Yes, it does. We need more and more artistic pictures, graphical presentations, paintings, fashion stuff, handcrafts, and local fancy products. I think this way our innovations can reflect our culture and traditions (Sajib Barua, front desk manager, 2018).”

Source (Nishorgo Hotel)

The above picture represents the use of the reflections and the lighting and the use of the marble that reflects the lighting and creates the bright ambiance and the environment. The use of the glass, marble and the lights in the concealed form is prominent.

Source (Nishorgo Hotel)

The sofas present in the lounge are of the traditional style and are made up of wood. The marble and tiles are prominent in this picture whereas there are the glass lifts that are present and overall this makes it a start hotel.

(Nishorgo Hotel)

The interior of this hotel has been used in most of the photo elicitation because it is one of the best-developed hotels and it reflects the new ways how the innovation can play its role with the mixture of the modernity and the use of the traditional art together.

Source (Nishorgo Hotel)

This picture shows the fish as the main food specialty of the Cox Bazaar presented in the mixed Anglo-Indian Style with the glass and ceramic plates with the roof above well light that provides a graceful, luxury and dominating look. The focus of the picture is a fish that has been decorated with the salad leaves and exotic fruits with the fish, which is the main speciality of the Cox Bazaar and hence the innovation represents a new and different way of representing the food and it is a great example of the innovation in Cox Bazaar about the cultural representation of the food.

This section interprets the results and these are presented in the form of discussion and conclusions and it highlights the areas that could be related to the key themes founded in the section above

4.11 Perceptions of Hospitality SMEs about innovation

When the hospitality representatives were asked about the innovation, most of them had the idea of the innovation but they did not know the phenomena of the innovation. They regarded that the innovation is very essential for them and it will improve the business aspects as well. This means that the hospitality organizations in the Cox Bazaar are aware of the fact that innovation can play a vital role in the business success of the SMEs. Another important fact is that the SMEs are much more prone to the innovation because they have a limited size, and it is easy to bring the change because the larger organizations have the hierarchical levels and the change is seen as a threat to the existing status quo of the organization. The level of innovation in the SMEs is not like the international hotels. Further, there are also the basic infrastructure problems that have prevailed while pursuing the innovation and capitalizing on the tourism potential of this destination. The innovations usually comes after when the basic needs of the infrastructure have been met and this could be the one of the possible reason that the SMEs in the Cox Bazaar acknowledge the importance of innovation, but they have not achieved it yet and this is shown by the response of the most of the SMEs internal stakeholders.

4.12 Factors influencing innovation in Hospitality SMEs in Cox Bazaar

Another important aspect of the finding is that the government has levied 15% tax on the tourism. This may act as a useful intervention because this will result in larger investment and charge higher market prices which could only be afforded by the foreigners and the government, therefore, see that the high prices can be purchased by the foreign people because of their high purchasing power parity and the FDI will also be high if the foreign tourists are coming there. Further, this will attract the local elites and this location may get the attention of the government and high investments can be made as it catches the attention of the elites that can spend further to improve the infrastructure and develop and flourish their business.

The SMEs have the dynamic nature and it has also been evidenced in the literature and the respondents in the interviews also regard the tourism in the Cox Bazaar being dynamic that the industry is dynamic and it requires innovation like new decorations, renovations, and grooming.

4.13 Competition

Competition is a challenging force that can affect the business and this relates to the research objective 2. Overall, the competition in the Cox Bazaar is increasing and it is good for the tourism as it will be generating a free market economy and there would be a culture of competition which will make it compulsory for every organization to innovate itself and develop and deliver new ideas and new services and new products. In this way, the organizations can meet the demand of their external stakeholders as the environment is being shaped largely by the external stakeholders in the Cox Bazaar and much of the marketing policy at the Cox Bazaar is the pull-based marketing economy. However it is the time to introduce the push-based marketing strategies and for this, the government will have to give incentives to the new organizations that want to develop their establishments at the Cox Bazaar, and therefore these organizations will carry out their business activities and that will improve the awareness of the customers and the customer will come because of the push-based strategy. This strategy will require the demand fortification and bring awareness to the customers to have the better destination image.

4.14 Technology and non-technology based innovation

It is important to consider that the single type of innovation is not practicable and multiple, technology and non-technology innovations are needed for the SMEs in the Cox Bazaar. It is being done in the marketing areas, as well as product development areas and the processing areas and this will make the innovation more focused and adaptable and will bring fruitful results to the SMEs. This relates to the third objectives about which ways the innovation can be fostered.

4.15 Organizational innovation

The organizational innovation is also essential for the Cox Bazaar and this will require the delivery of the quality services and these will require the change in the structure of the organizations and that will allow the organizational innovation to take place. As discussed above, the idea of the innovation is not based on the singular idea, but it is the package of the multiple ideas and this will require a holistic encompassment that captures all the areas of the innovation. The emphasis on the technology and non-technology innovation is also important. The non-technology innovation includes cultural innovation, market innovation, and the processing innovations. These are the important areas of the organizational innovation. This sort of the innovation can be done if the matrix structure of the organization is adapted and the managers will be reporting to their senior managers and horizontally to the regional managers, and in this way, the matrix-based organizational innovation can be brought about. There are different areas that can be adopted for the organizational innovation and these will include a massive change in the marketing policy with which the potential customers and the clients can be found. The important concern of the government is to bring the foreigners and the local elites because of the 15% tax rate as mentioned above. The different types of the organizational mix can add value to the organization leading to a better customer experience. The organizational innovation in the SMEs is more suitable as compared to the large and bureaucratic organizations because the small organizations tend to have flat structures and the changes can be brought about easily as compared to the large organizations, and it is because they are not structured very rigidly.

4.15.1 Dirty tactics

The competition between the SMEs and the large organizations is getting strenuous however some dirty tactics are increasing as through the diffusion of the rumors about some hotels that there are supernatural elements there and the ghosts live in the certain hotels in order to create propaganda in favor of their own hotels whereas creating a negative publicity for the some hotels. The hospitality service is getting bigger and bigger and this kind of dirty tactics is not favorable for the hotels. These sorts of activities are not in the favor of the hospitality industry. There are various other issues such as the goons and the wicked policemen that demand the extortion money and the City Corporation and the administration should take strict actions against such practices. This is not just the issue of the business but also mass media and mass people should take their responsibility to resolve these problems.

4.15.2 Organizational change

Regarding the organizational innovation, the change can be seen as a fearful thing because it puts the people to think of their security of the jobs, and whenever the organizational innovation and change is required, all the relevant stakeholders and particularly the employees should be taken into confidence. The organizations can have three different levels of status and that will include the dynamic organizations, semi-dynamic organizations, and the static organizations. The SMEs in the Cox Bazaar typically falls in the dynamic and semi-dynamic organizations. Therefore they are more prone and adaptable to change and this can occur easily as compared to the static organizations.

4.15.3 Organizational learning

Further, there is an input available from the wide range of the people that some sort of media can increase the potential of the market. The people are targeted by the marketing team, the marketing policies should be unique and trend generating for these SMEs. The SMEs need to learn from the other SMEs and there should be a platform where the particular SMEs can learn from the other SMEs

4.16 Human Resource

Another important aspect of the hospitality that was found in the analysis chapter was the Human Resource. The skilled and the professional employees are essential for every organization, whereas presently, the educated and trained personnel are limited and therefore there is a deficiency of the educated and well-trained employees which can affect the business of the SMEs. The education and the professional training will result in a positive impact on the SMEs and this will increase the innovation potential of the organization as well. Another important thing is the understaffing and this is because of the lack of financial resources. There should be microfinance banks that could provide funds to the deserving organizations and the organizations who want to expand their business. These microfinance institutions can help the SMEs to bring a new and improved level of innovation. If the key employees are educated, they are more likely to bring about the change in the organization and many of the staff there in the Cox Bazaar with having the academic knowledge and some professional education and experience have the key position, but the entire workforce is not trained. If this workforce is trained, it can result in improved delivery of the services and products and this can affect the marketing activities positively, creating a positive image of the destination and creating awareness among the other persons, and therefore bringing mouth to mouth marketing which could be very effective for these organizations. In Cox Bazaar and in most of the SMEs, there is an experienced staff who is teaching the new staff about how to do the things around here and how to serve the company and do their jobs. Therefore these employees and the managers can play an active role in bringing change to the organization. The SMEs are aiming to hire the market-oriented staff which will be directly engaged in the marketing and these will bring new clientele and the customers to these hotels. If more and more people come, the importance of the place is increased, and if the foreign people also come, the importance is increased two-fold and that also attracts the attention of the local government and the organizations.

4.17 Customer Satisfaction

The customer satisfaction is an important aspect of the hospitality organizations and this is also true for the SMEs in the Cox Bazaar. A good service will have a positive impact on the organization and its marketing and sales. The innovation therefore not only satisfies but delights the customers as well. The customer orientation is not a limited thought, but it is the name of the concept and phenomena that has became a norm in the present era that everything is done according to the customers’ perspective and this has been found to be linked with the increased satisfaction of the customers and the staff as well because it creates a sense of self-esteem among the customers and the staff both.

4.18 Marketing communication and innovation

If the employees and the owners are oriented towards the market, the communication is very important. If the communication is better with the direct clients and the potential clients, there are increased chances of getting new customers and if the company provides their services consistently, they will become the repeatable customers as well as the loyal customers to a particular brand or the image of the SME. There is also a need to increase and improve the feedback loop as it will refine the kind of innovation that the customers want. There is a need to conduct surveys and carry out more research. This research is an applied research and does not contain any theoretical model but they are more focused on the practical issues and the problems, therefore, this is popular in the industry-oriented education. In this project, the pure research has limited but important contribution because this will provide the critique of the knowledge that can be applied to the real world scenarios. The innovation will, therefore, result in an increased meeting of the expectations of the customers and therefore it will increase the business value as well. If these innovations are embedded in the organization, this will result in the improved satisfaction of the customers and it will also improve the business as well. The positive communication with the customer's results in the customer satisfaction and this communication are carried out through phones and the smartphones. The SMEs have also their websites and this is increasing the awareness of the business to the customers and consolidating the communication with the customers.

4.18.1 Sales and marketing

The marketing innovation is an important area in the business and it is a non-technology based innovation because the marketing innovation does not require any particular technology. The marketing is an abstract activity that is carried out for various purposes and these can be increasing the awareness, increasing the sales and increasing the positive image of the company which will then indirectly affects the prospects of the business. For the purpose of the marketing innovation, the SMEs are using their websites and the communication through Facebook pages and the social media. Further, the innovation has an important role in increasing the market awareness and the B2B and B2C aspects of the business. The SMEs are communicating through direct promotional activities and there need to be the events that should be organized at the Cox Bazaar to capture the attention of the local and international media and this will add value to the business. This means that the SMEs are aware of the innovation and they are adapting the innovation automatically whether they are doing it consciously or unconsciously.

4.18.2 Social media marketing

The use of the social media is important in the marketing activities particularly during the vacations because these are the times when the people are away from the mainstream media that is the electronic and print media. Most of the people during their vacations are connected with the world through the social media, therefore there is a need to design the activities and the marketing that will attract the people through the social media and these people can be attracted in the vacation seasons. Therefore it will be the right use of the media and use the media that will target the people where they actually are and in this way, they will be targeted directly.

The digitalization is also an essential prospect of the innovation and that falls under the marketing innovation. The digitalization helps to connect with their smartphones to the hotels. This allows direct and virtual communication with the organization and it helps to improve the better connection between the customers and the hotels. The digitalization is also being carried out by developing the apps by the hotels which can provide the connection with the hotels, they can request the pick from the airport and they can check-in and check-out digitally through the application. Further, the digitalization also allows the customers to book their rooms and even they can pay electronically through digital point-of-sale. The internet reach in Bangladesh is increasing and it is allowing more and more people to have the connection virtually with the rest of the world while being at the distance. These strategies can be successful for the SMEs as more and more people are relying on the internet and the digitalization has become the need of time. This has also been found with the good hotels that they have the ability to communicate with the customers digitally and they can have the knowledge of the hotel by just visiting the website. However, the knowledge gained through the website is not necessarily essential because the customers can rely on the past experience as well. However the websites can allow having the first experience at the good hotel and according to their psychographic variables, they can pick the hotel that best meets with their choice and range. This can also result in the increased amount of the customers.

4.19 Challenges

The hygiene factor is important in the way that its presence can cause no motivation in the purchase behavior of the customers however the lack of the hygiene can demotivate the customers. This is because the hygiene factors are considered as the basic needs and the amenities and therefore it may not motivate the people. It can, however, motivate the people in a way that when they have to compare the two hotels: one which has hygiene facilities, and one without hygiene facilities. In this situation, the customer will pick the hotel that has the certain hygiene levels. Therefore hygiene factor and lack of it can affect the purchase decision of the customer. There is a lot of odor pollution in the Cox Bazaar because it is the main fish point and there needs to be hygiene made sure by the government through its regulations and this factor is out of the control of the hotels and only government can resolve this problem.

4.20 Process innovation

The cuisine innovation is one of the important aspects of the process innovation and the cuisine innovation includes how the different sorts of dishes are prepared and how they are consumed in the tourism experience. The cuisines can be the traditional foods as well as the continental foods. The traditional foods can add to the customer experience and increased experience of the traditions of how the food is prepared in the particular country and this is the reason that the organizations should focus more on the traditional foods. When the tourists have come far away from their countries, they want to have the taste of the destination, and food experience and taste experience is one of the most important experiences that a tourist can have. The most traditional food that is served is fish and it can be served in various ways to the customers and this will be considered as the cuisine innovation. The cuisine innovation can help the hotels to establish their reputation. However the foods at the hotels can cost more as compared to the restaurant because the hotels have to accommodate the extra resources as compared to the hotel and this is the reason that the costs at the restaurants are usually low, however, when the tourists are provided with the in-house restaurant, they can be more satisfied. This process can be carried out as per the demand of the customers.

4.21 Aesthetics

The aesthetics are one of the most important aspects of the hotels and the customers like the well-designed interior of the hotels. The aesthetic innovation can serve as an artifact of the culture and it can be representative of the culture as well. However, some hotels have made the combination of the traditional look and the modernized look. The most of the hotels have this combination because they also want to provide the traditional looks in their restaurants and the rooms and this is a combination of modernity such as glass and aluminum-based rooms; whereas wooden works are also there that serve the traditional element.

5 Conclusion

In this chapter, the SMEs and the innovation status has been defined as the first theme which answers the research objective 1 that explains the present status of innovation. The second theme is the organizational innovation and the third theme is challenges and the second sub-theme is the Human resource, whereas the third theme is the customer satisfaction which addresses the research objectives 2 i.e., challenges. The third important theme is the marketing innovation after the scenario has been set up in the first and second theme. The marketing innovation has the sub-theme of the digitalization, the hygiene factors. This ensures that how innovation can be fostered and the fourth theme is also linked with it. The fourth theme is the hospitality innovation and it includes organizational management innovation, whereas the fifth theme is the process innovation and it has the sub-theme of the cuisine innovation and the online facilities. The aesthetic innovation is the last theme and this has been embedded with the photo elicitation and the sub-theme that has been followed is the cultural innovation.

The main emphasis has been paid to the three research objectives around which the whole work has been done. These objectives represent firstly the present innovation status of the SMEs in the Cox Bazaar, the second aspect is related to the challenges that inhibit the innovation, and the third aspect is identifying the way in which the innovation can be fostered. In order to find the answer of these objectives, the parallel critique was done in the literature review and the results and discussion chapter and in the literature review, only the literature was defined and the gaps in the literature were also defined. In the results and discussion center, detailed descriptions of the themes formation with respect to the research objectives were formed and with the usage of the interviewees’ data, the analysis was provided. The resulting themes are the importance of innovation, factors inhibiting innovation, Organizational innovation, Challenges with sub-themes of human resource, and customer satisfaction. The other themes were marketing innovation with sub-theme of digitalization and hygiene factors. The hospitality innovation is another theme, and include the sub-theme is organizational management innovation. The other main theme is the process innovation with sub-theme of cuisine innovation and online facilities. The last important main theme is the aesthetic innovation with the sub-theme of cultural innovation. All the themes have been designed to address the research objectives and in order to reach to the answers of the research objectives.

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7 Questionnaire Guide

1. What is your Name?
2. What is your designation?
3. What is your contact information?
4. Do you believe that, in contrast with the international hotel chains, the SMEs have incorporated innovation in hospitality?
5. How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?
6. How do you believe that by communicating better with Customers can increase the business value? (Marketing innovation)
7. Do you think there should be the use of websites, and digital applications to communicate with customers for example in their check-in check-out, picking from airport etc.? (Marketing innovation)
8. Do you think that the overall status of the hygiene and cleanliness is up to the standard, or different ways need to be adopted to resolve the issues with an overall status of destination? (Hospitality theory)
9. Do you think that if the food items in the hotel and the overall service delivery is provided in a different way can improve the business status? (Process innovation)
10. How do you believe that what items for food and other service delivery should be made in order to make your organization innovative? (Process innovation)
11. What do you believe, if the understanding of the organization needs change because the change comes from top to down? (Organizational innovation)
12. How can you incorporate organizational learning in organizational innovation? (Hospitality theory, organizational innovation)
13. What do you believe the aesthetics can improve the overall innovation i.e., presenting things in new ways (including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of furniture, the color of walls)? (Aesthetics theory)
14. What would be the impact of improved aesthetics on your business? How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture as an art and improve overall innovation? (Aesthetics theory)
15. Can I take photographs of the rooms and dining area and breakfast area? (aesthetic innovation) (To be used as photo-elicitation)

8 Appendix

8.1 Interview 1

Hotel Amin International

(Managing Director of this organization, Mr. Amin prefers to speak in Bengali. So, I will explain in English whatever he says.)

Question: Can you please introduce yourself?

Answer: My Name’s Mohammad Amin. I am the Managing Director of this organization. I have completed my bachelor degree in Management from a government college.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SMEs have incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: No. As we cannot maintain the international standard, Our SME has not still incorporated innovation. We lack proper infrastructure and support.

Question: Do you think innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: Tourists like innovation in hospitality. So, to satisfy our beloved guests we need to add innovations to this business.

Question: How do you do marketing activities here?

Answer: We operate our marketing activities from several sites. We have a website, a Facebook page through which we deliver our offers to the common people. Besides,

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: Right now, we manage our check-in and checkout system manually. We think it can be able to digitalize this system; we will be able to communicate with the customers easily. Our customers can access through the digital application.

Question: Could you please tell me how much strong your website is and what kind of information your website provides?

Answer: Our website is not up to the mark. We have accumulated almost all the information about our hotel but it looks little old fashioned.

Question: How do you maintain this hotel’s hygiene and cleanliness?

Answer: We have assigned 2 people for making sure the hotel and its premises are clean. Moreover, our chefs and kitchen staffs always try to maintain proper hygiene.

Question: Do your chefs and kitchen stuff have any academic knowledge on hygiene management?

Answer: No. They do not have any certificate on hygiene management but they are experienced in this area.

Question: How do you deliver your food and service to the customers?

Answer: At first, we receive specific orders from the customers, and then place the orders to the kitchen and after preparation; the foods are served to customers. In this whole process, customer satisfaction is considered as the utmost priority.

Question: Do you think services you provide are sufficient to satisfy customers?

Answer: We are trying our best compared to our resources. We have to go a long way to achieve our goal.

Question: what kind of foods you need to add besides traditional food?

Answer: We can add some multinational cuisine as well as Bengali Cuisine.

Question: Do you need any kind of changes in management system?

Answer: A massive change in management should take place, especially in financial management.

Question: What kind of challenges you face in your organization?

Answer: Managing a numerous number of employees is a big challenge for us. Another big challenge is finance.

Question: How do you solve conflicts in your organization?

Answer: We usually solve conflicts by mutual conversation and motivation.

Question: How can you apply your knowledge to bring innovation to your organization?

Answer: Right now, we do not have enough expertise in this industry, but we are trying to achieve a certain goal. We are now recruiting new staff that is knowledgeable and hard working.

Question: Do you want to bring any type innovation in aesthetics of your hotel?

Answer: Yes, as per your suggestion, we would like to add some artistic environment to our hotel, we will renovate a breakfast area, and we will change our furniture.

Question: Do you believe this kind of changes can create value for your business?

Answer: Yes, I agree with you. Innovation can create a great value to our business. Thank you for good suggestions.

Thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for everything.

8.2 Interview 2

Hotel Cox inn

Question: Dear Sir, Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: Thank you, my name is Ananda Chakma, working as front desk manager from the year 2011.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SME has incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: Our hotel is an SME organization. I am not sure if it has incorporated innovation or not. Anyway, innovation is always welcomed.

Question: How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: Yes, innovation in hospitality will add value to our business as our market will grow.

Question: How do you believe communicating customers in a better way can increase business value?

Answer: We communicate with the customers through telephone, websites, and direct promotion. If we are able to initiate a new way to communicate with the customers, it will add great value to our business. I think we should add a social media wing too.

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: This internet thing is vital for doing business in tourism and hospitality industry. Letting the customer's book rooms, airport pickups and check in-check out facility is a wonderful way to access our hotel. Modern people like today love to do things online. I think this is good.

Question: Tell me about the status of hygiene and cleanliness?

Answer: We try to maintain a standard of hygiene and cleanliness in our organization. Our cleaners, cooks, kitchen stuff are aware of hygiene thing. Everybody is very conscious about cleanliness.

Question: Do your employees have a proper education like diploma?

Answer: Not all the employees have such education on hygiene, some staff has hospitality diploma. Our senior employees teach the juniors how to do things properly.

Question: If the food items in the hotel and overall service delivery is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: Of course. If we begin a better way of service, our guests must be delighted.

Question: What kind of foods and services you need to add?

Answer: We can add different ethnic foods of our locality. Services should be customized as per guests’ orders.

Question: Do you think any kind of change is needed in management, organizational system, and policies?

Answer: Change in a positive way is always good. Our management should be more concerned about our employees. Our housekeeping department should recruit more workers to maintain the standard. All the employees should get more incentives and motivation.

Question: How do you apply your knowledge and experience to your colleagues?

Answer: I think hospitality industry is a great place to apply knowledge and gather experiences. There are a lot of things to learn here and do here. My academic knowledge helps me how to interact with people, and my experience helps me how to resolve a problem.

Question: What are the challenges you face inside your organization and outside the organization?

Answer: There are some problems with our marketing policies. I think marketing policies should be versatile and trendy.

Question: Do you think aesthetics can improve your overall innovation like presenting things in a new way including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls?

Answer: Tourists like new things. They like to see new things and explore new places. Their eyes have the unfulfilling thrust of exploring beauties. Aesthetics can play an important role in this. Innovation in aesthetics is a better idea to attract new customers.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture?

Answer: Yes, It’s a great way to reflect our culture to the foreigners.

Question: Can you please tell me your overall evaluation of this business?

Answer: Yes, in Cox’s Bazaar, the hotel business is a growing business. It can get a long way if the atmosphere is friendly. There is a tax burden of 15% which hotel owners need to pay. I think this is too much. Above all, hospitality business in this area is a rising day by day. It will definitely grow if all the concerned persons give proper attention to secure this industry. Investment in this industry will be a wise decision.

8.3 Interview 3

Hotel Grand Beach Resort

Question: Dear Sir, Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: Yes, this is Yasin Mohammad Toha before you. I am the assistant general manager of this hotel.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SME has incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: I think the SME has not incorporated innovation in the hospitality industry in Cox’s Bazaar area. There are some common rules and regulations which should be followed by the owners if we suppose a hotel an SME project. It is sad that no standard rules are followed here.

Question: How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: It depends on what kind of innovations you are going to add. Innovations like infrastructural development, management decision, and new decoration may play a vital role.

Question: How do you believe communicating customers in a better way can increase business value?

Answer: Communication is a big thing. While thinking about marketing, we need to concentrate on communication. You know that better communication means higher chances to get new customers

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: It’s a nice question. I will be glad to answer it. We are managing a website through which tourists can find us and may have the idea of our hotel. It’s very common nowadays to use digital applications like Android applications, IOS applications etc.

Question: Does your hotel provide airport pick up service?

Answer: Yes, of course. We have this service. We receive our guests from airports and terminals.

Question: Tell me about the status of hygiene?

Answer: We have our hygiene experts who make sure everything in this hotel should be done in a hygienic way. But outside our hotel, there are odor pollutions in Cox’s Bazaar.

Question: If the food items in the hotel and overall service delivery is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: Our food items are usually generic and typical. We have to add many newer items. We try to serve quality foods to our guests and we provide services as guests demand.

Question: What kind of foods and services you need to add?

Answer: We must add newer food items to the menu. I think we can add Thai, Malaysian, Italian, Mexican foods also.

Question: Do you think any kind of change is needed in management, organizational system, and policies?

Answer: Organizational innovation is needed here. The changes should come from the organization structure and whole the management system here. Quality services should be assured.

Question: How do you practice organizational innovation?

Answer: We are trying to bring a massive change in our marketing policy that is how we can find potential clients in a different way. We also added our emergency service system like medication, tourist guide service, and special caretaking for the foreigner guests, and entertainment. We also provide technical support to our guests if needed.

Question: What are the challenges do you face in this business?

Answer: We feel challenges are there. Tourists get misdirected by the brokers as they have a huge syndicate. They try to push the tourists on hiring their hotels. This is not good for the hospitality industry. The tourism industry is getting bigger and bigger day by day. But this kind of bad practices is just dangerous.

Question: What would be the solution?

Answer: I think the solution is very simple. City Corporation and administration should take strict steps to stop this malpractice. Tourist police may serve their duties in this regard as tourists feel safe and secured.

Question: Do you think the only government is responsible for this?

Answer: Not only government but also mass people and mass media should take the responsibility to eradicate this. The government should create awareness on this matter.

Question: How many people are working here?

Answer: 20 people are working right now.

Question: Do your employees have a proper education like diploma?

Answer: Yes, many have hotel management diploma and certificates in the related sector. Some of our employees are working here for a long time and they have the ability to teach the newcomer staffs how to serve and do their jobs.

Question: Do you think aesthetics can improve your overall innovation like presenting things in a new way including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls?

Answer: Of course. We should change the interior design to attract the customers. As a part of our regular job, we should keep our furniture and decorations neat and clean. We make sure tourists find positive sense at their first impression.

Question: What will be the impact of these artistic things, and aesthetics?

Answer: It will create a positive sense in the mind of the guests. Of course, it gives the pleasure to the guests, if they find the rooms, balcony, breakfast area and total environment well decorated and furnished. And finally, they will be pleased to see neat and clean washrooms.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture?

Answer: Well, aesthetics theory is a quite interesting thing to attract the customers and reflect our culture too like if we add a wall portrait of the natural beauty of our culture it would be a great chance to reflect our culture and traditions to the foreigners.

Thank you so much for your co-operation. Take care.

8.4 Interview 4

Hotel Meghaloy

(He is unable to speak in English, on behalf of him; one of his employees will interpret in English what he says in Bengali)

Question: Dear Sir, Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: I am Monsur Alam Rubel, the managing director of this hotel.

Question: What do you think about innovation?

Answer: I think innovation means bringing new things to the business. The hospitality industry is so dynamic industry that it always requires innovations like decorations, renovations, and grooming.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SME has incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: This is a small hotel. We have little opportunities in this hospitality industry. We are struggling to fit in.

Question: How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: Yes, of course. It can add a value to our business but right now we have no plans for innovation.

Question: How do you believe communicating customers in a better way can increase business value?

Answer: If we can communicate with our respected customers in a better way, our reputation will surely increase and we can gain more and more profit.

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: Obviously, these facilities are good for our business. But we cannot afford to provide this kind of facilities to our customers due to the financial crisis.

Question: Tell me about the status of hygiene?

Answer: We try our level best to maintain hygiene and cleanliness here. But it’s not up to the mark because of sufficient employees.

Question: Do your employees have a proper education like diploma?

Answer: No, they do not have such degrees. They are just doing this for a long time.

Question: Do you think your customers are happy with hygiene status?

Answer: Our local customers are happy with our hygiene status.

Question: Do you think your customers are happy with your service?

Answer: Yes, our customers are happy with the services we provide.

Question: If overall service is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: Yes, our business status will be improved. Free WIFI should be added to our hotel. I think it is very necessary.

Question: What kind of foods and services you need to add?

Answer: We do not have a restaurant in this small resort. We depend on outside restaurant for foods. But we are planning to add a restaurant inside our hotel premises. Quick room service should also be added.

Question: Do you think any kind of change is needed in management, organizational system, and policies?

Answer: I do not think so. No change is needed in management right now because of competition in this area is very high.

Question: Can you tell me something about your educational background?

Answer: I do not have any education related to hospitality industry but I have been working in this industry for 16 years.

Question: What are the challenges you face inside your organization and outside the organization?

Answer: We have some challenges inside our organization like financial scarcity. There are some problems outside the organization like some political parties threaten us to give money to their party fund; some wicked policemen irritate us with legal issues.

Question: Do you think aesthetics can improve your overall innovation like presenting things in a new way including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls?

Answer: Yes, innovation in aesthetics can improve overall business status but we do not enough scope to add such aesthetics because this is a very small hotel.

Question: What are the people’s sayings regarding these art, aesthetics?

Answer: Definitely, our guests would love to see new things if we add some aesthetics as innovation.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture?

Answer: We have slight chance to add aesthetics to our hotel. If we do so, we can represent our culture and tradition.

Thank you so much for co-operation.

8.5 Interview 5

Hotel Rain View Resort

(Front Desk Manager of this Hotel, Sajib Barua prefers to speak in Bengali. So, I will explain in English whatever he says.)

Question: Can you please introduce yourself?

Answer: My name is SajibBarua, I have been doing the job here as Front Desk Manager for 2 years.

Question: Do you think innovation in your organization is necessary?

Answer: Yes, I think innovation is important for tourism and hospitality business. We have a little opportunity here, and we keep trying to improve.

Question: Do you think the SME has incorporated innovation in the hospitality business in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: It is very unfortunate that as an SME organization, we do not have enough opportunity to bring innovation.

Question: Do you think innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: If we will be able to add these innovations in our organization, our value will surely increase. Our Guests will be satisfied more than now.

Question: How do you communicate your customers?

Answer: Generally, we communicate with our customers through our marketing team. They try to promote our hotel by distributing visiting cards, leaflets. We also have a website where we introduced ourselves to the digital world.

Question: What else do you need to add to increase your marketing promotion?

Answer: We can recruit more marketing professional who will be engaged directly in marketing activities.

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: We have a website but we manage our check in and checkout activities manually. We do not have any digital applications too.

Question: How do you maintain the standard of your food and hygiene?

Answer: We always try our best to keep our hotel neat and clean. We do our cleaning job every day.

Question: Do your cleaning staffs have any academic knowledge of hygiene management?

Answer: Not really, they do not have any academic knowledge in this area. They basically have gathered experience through their daily scheduled work. Though

Question: How do you provide foods and services to the customers?

Answer: We are very unfortunate that we do not have any restaurant inside our hotel. In that case, when we receive orders from our guests, we collect food from outside restaurants which are best known for cooking.

Question: What kind of services you need to add alongside existing services?

Answer: We should develop our website in a way where our guests can easily access this website and place booking, manage check in and check out.

Question: Do you think any kind of change in the organization is necessary?

Answer: Yes, management should initiate some lucrative steps like introducing new uniforms for staffs, changing the interior decoration.

Question: Do you think teamwork is important in your hotel?

Answer: Of course, teamwork is important for this type of business. As an employee of this organization, I can say our teamwork is good, we try to keep out hotel’s reputation good.

Question: How do you apply your knowledge in this practical field?

Answer: Simply, I will try to follow my organization’s rules & regulations at first. Then, I will try to consult with my senior management if any conflict arises. And finally, I will make things clear to my co-workers about services and manners.

Question: Do you think Aesthetics is important for hospitality business?

Answer: Though we have not applied aesthetics that much in our hotel, we seem that it plays a very important role in this business.

Question: Do you want to bring any type innovation in aesthetics of your hotel?

Answer: Our guests generally come from different nationalities; they want to explore new things here. Exotic things make them attracted to this place like Cox’s Bazaar. So, Aesthetics is important.

Question: Do you think innovation in aesthetics can provide an opportunity to reflect your culture and tradition?

Answer: Yes, it does. We need more and more artistic pictures, graphical presentations, paintings, fashion stuff, handcrafts, and local fancy products. I think this way our innovations can reflect our culture and traditions.

Thanks for your co-operation. Take care.

8.6 Interview 6

Hotel Sea Shine

Question: Dear Sir, Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: I am Mahmud Hossain Bahadur, working as front desk manager for more than 8 years.

Question: Can you please describe the overall situation of hospitality business of Cox's Bazar?

Answer: Yes, we are doing well in business. The hospitality business is a booming business here. I can assure you it’s a profitable business here.

Question: Can you tell me about the challenges you are facing here?

Answer: As a small hotel, we do not have to face that many challenges. Mainly, we do not have sufficient fund to re-invest here.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SME has incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: I do not think so. We have not introduced any innovation in our business as a small organization we have to gain more to attain this.

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Question: How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: In this competitive world, innovation is the key to bring changes in the business. In tourism business, we need to make sure how we can amaze our guests and tourists.

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Question: How do you believe communicating customers in a better way can increase business value?

Answer: We usually communicate with our customers through mobile phone and telephones. Though we have a website, lots of changes should be brought about.

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Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: Yes, it would so much useful for our business. We can get more and more customers if provide customized service.

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Question: Tell me about the status of hygiene?

Answer: Yes, hygiene is assured in this hotel. All our foods served are prepared in a hygienic way. We have water supply system which gives fresh water.

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Question: How many staff do you have?

Answer: 11 staffs are working here

Question: Do your employees have a proper education like diploma?

Answer: Yes, some of my staffs have education in hotel management and some have not. But they are getting experienced day by day.

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Question: If the food items in the hotel and overall service delivery is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: We do not own any restaurant in our hotel. If our guests order something, we generally collect them from outside restaurants. I think if it would be our owned restaurant, our guests will be more pleased.

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Question: Do you think any kind of change is needed in management, organizational system, and policies?

Answer: It’s a disappointment that our hotel owners do not facilitate any kind of seminar or training on hotel management. I think this should be considered on the account.

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Question: What are the challenges you face in this business?

Answer: Recently, we are facing a problem. Some wicked people are spreading rumors about our hotels that ghosts/spirits live here; this is not a safe hotel for tourists. Basically, local brokers, rickshaw drivers, and easy-bike drivers are spreading this type of propaganda. Our hotel does not have this type of problems. They are doing this because they try to divert our potential customers to another hotel as they get commissions from those hotel owners. This is truly a malpractice. Besides, some local goons threaten us as they claim money from us. And, some policemen do this type of malpractice. They misuse their power by causing legal issues. Load shedding is another major problem here.

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Question: Do you think aesthetics can improve your overall innovation like presenting things in a new way including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls?

Answer: yes, aesthetical innovation is very important. If we want to earn more and more profit doing this business, we need to attract more and more customers. In order catch new customers, we must concentrate on aesthetics like local arts, handcrafts, infrastructures, and entertainment. Well-groomed environment and well-furnished furniture may be the best example of aesthetical innovation.

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Question: What will be the impact regarding these art, aesthetics?

Answer: We are trying to renovate our hotel nicely in order to make it look nice. Our standard will rise up to the star level hotel if we add this type innovation. We have little opportunity to compete with the big shots of this industry.

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Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture?

Answer: Of course, it will provide a great chance to represent our culture through aesthetical innovations. We will keep it in our mind.

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Thanks to your co-operation.

8.7 Interview 7

Hotel Sea Uttara

Question: Can you tell me something about yourself?

Answer: Thank you, this is Nasir Mahmud working as front desk manager for last 1 year. I have completed Bachelor of Law as well as a 2 years diploma in Hotel Management.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SMEs have incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: Of course, Innovation is being incorporated by SME in tourism and hospitality industry in Cox’s Bazaar. Bringing innovation in hospitality is not an easy task, but we are trying.

Question: Do you think innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: Yes, I think so. If I innovate a new thing in our hotel, it can boost up our efficiency level, and Guests might be satisfied with innovative staffs.

Question: How do you manage your marketing here?

Answer: We have websites, database, digital medium, & of course social media wing to spread our marketing strategy.

Question: Do you believe communicating with the customers in a better way can increase the business value?

Answer: Yes, I believe so. Communication with our customers in a more sophisticated manner can attract more and more potential customers.

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: I think using website and the digital application will be very useful for our marketing because day by day people are being more dependent on the internet.

Question: Do you standard hygiene rules?

Answer: Hygiene is a must have a thing for hotels. Proper hygiene management can make our environment safe and sound.

Question: Do your employees have any kind of diploma or proper education?

Answer: Some of our staffs are well educated as they have bachelors, diplomas etc.

Question: How frequently you receive foreigner guests?

Answer: Almost, every day we welcome foreigner guests in our hotels.

Question: Do you think if the food items in the hotel and overall service delivery is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: Yes, if we can do so, we also can prosper in this business. Guest Satisfaction is our first priority.

Question: What kind of service and food you need to add to your hotel that can innovate your business?

Answer: We can add our local cuisine as foreign food items like Japanese foods, Italian Foods, or Mexican Food.

Question: What are the main barriers to this business in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: I think Political instability is the most common barrier to this business.

Question: Do you think any kind of organizational change is needed in your hotel?

Answer: Any kind of change is always welcome here. Something changed means something new, and people would love to see new things. I think inside our management should be more employee friendly.

Question: Tell me something about the aesthetics area including lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls. Do you think there should be some changes?

Answer: We have awesome lighting system for breakfast, dinner. I think an arrangement for music party should be installed.

Question: What is the impact of aesthetic development in your business?

Answer: Our guests will be amazed seeing those things. Our reputation in this business will grow up day by day.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture as an art and improve overall innovation?

Answer: It’s a great chance to represent our culture and tradition. Beautiful paintings, artworks, folk songs, dresses, and handicrafts are most common objects through which we can reflect our culture.

Question: what kind of challenges you are facing inside and outside your hotel?

Answer: Inside the hotel, I think the relationship between owners and employees should be reduced. Outside the hotel, Tax is a common issue which irritates all in this industry.

Thank you so much for your cooperation for this interview.

8.8 Interview 8

Interviews script in Cox`s Bazaar, Chittagong

Interviewee: Liton Pal

Designation: General Manager, Sea Welcome Resort, Welcome Road, Hotel Motel Zone, Block –A, Plot – 22, Sea Beach R/A, Kolatoli, Cox`s Bazaar.

Date & Time of interview: 08-03-2018, 22.00-22.51PM

Mobile Number: 008801877-569699, 008801707-854565

Email address: seawelcomeresort11@gmail.com

Type of interview: Face to face interview

Question: Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: My name is Liton Pal, General Manager of Sea Welcome Resort, doing this job since 2010, having Diploma from Bangladesh tourism corporation, Cox`s Bazaar.

Question: In comparison with an international hotel chain, do you believe that SMEs has incorporated innovation in hospitality organizations in Cox`s Bazaar?

Answer: yes, I do agree with you. SME means small medium enterprise. According to Cox`s Bazaar situation, we are trying to follow this standard because tourism is developing globally. We are trying to provide better hospitality services to our guests but it is not 100% international level like other developed countries.

Question: What value it will add to your business if you innovate your resort?

Answer: Obviously it will add value to our business when we innovate our services.

Question: Can you tell me an overall situation in hospitality organizations in Cox`s Bazaar?

Answer: Cox`s Bazaar is border side of Bangladesh, most of the people are uneducated, unskilled and aware of tourism industries. Most of the hospitality organizations are following old tradition. We need training and guidance how to provide proper service and hospitality to tourists.

Question: Do you believe that by communicating better with customers can increase your business value?

Answer: Actually, a better way to communicate customers is using media such as emailing, website developing, Facebook marketing

Question: What is your opinion about using standard website, digital application facilities check in- check out system digitally, picking from the airport?

Answer: we are following manual system to check in – check out because the rental building we can’t provide all applications. Last year, June, we have opened our own building where we are trying to apply digital application facilities.

Question: Can you tell me about your website contents? Do you think it is good enough or needs to develop to promote your business?

Answer: It`s standard medium level which is not up to level, need to develop website contents, creating digital APPs, check in – check out system digitally and picking from the airport and drop in.

Question: Let’s talk about hygiene and cleanliness. Do you think overall hygiene and cleanliness in up to the standard or need to be developed in your organization?

Answer: we are very careful about hygiene and cleanliness because it`s health-related issue. We have different kinds of chemicals, medicines and other stuff to manage hygiene and cleanliness.

Question: Do your staff has any kind of training, education or diploma about hygiene?

Answer: not really, this type of medium hotel all staffs are uneducated, or medium educated having secondary school certificate and we are trying to develop their skills.

Question: even though they have a lower level of education, so how can they follow hygienic service? Do you guide and teach them? Or do you have any special person who can coach them?

Answer: yes, we have a supervisor who has knowledge and experience about hygiene as had longtime job experience in a 5-star hotel before joining here. So, based on his experience he coaches others about this issue but it is not good enough for standard service.

Question: do you have any foreigner coming to your resort?

Answer: yes, we do have some foreigner coming every year, because of Rohingia issue many foreigners are working in Cox`s Bazaar area. Tourism business is good here.

Question: what is the different way you can provide food and other services to customers?

Answer: actually services food is sensitive and hard work for us because of hygiene and cleanliness. We don’t have a restaurant here if someone asks we collect from outside. We have planned to have a mini restaurant where all kind of Bangla, Chinese, Indian and Thai food will be available.

Question: except traditional system, what another standard delivery system you can follow here?

Answer: our management needs some skilled workers even though it is very hard to find skilled people. For this reason, we are unable to deliver good services to customers.

Question: In Cox`s Bazaar, is there any training institute to develop tourism sector?

Answer: Cox`s Bazaar has international university having tourism department every year many students graduating from there and serving in different hotels with proper education. There is no any other specific institute to train people for about tourism and hospitality sector. Actually, we need such type of organizations from the government or private sector to train unskilled people in Cox`s Bazaar.

Question: what other services do you need to develop your business?

Answer: we could have a nightclub, DG party, Good Park, musician but these are not available in whole Cox`s Bazaar area. If we can manage, our guests can enjoy more with satisfaction. Actually, it depends on government and private sector initiatives to manage new facilities.

Question: Do you think you need any kind of organizational changes in the managerial system?

Answer: actually change that means top to bottom changes in our traditional organizational system, management structure, product, and services delivery system.

Question: Do this think your staffs are expert to welcome foreigners with this lack of education and skills?

Answer: in our reception, there is special who can communicate them in English, so we give top priority to foreigners.

Question: how can you solve the conflict between top management or between staffs?

Answer: anything happen here we talk and discuss personally to solve the problem. If it not solve here and need to inform top management then we inform high authority. Everything depends on negotiation and open discussion among the stuff.

Question: will your top management allow new innovation proposal whenever present them?

Answer: actually our top management cooperative for all kinds of positive initiatives for our organization. They just need how we can provide the best service to the customers so that customers can get satisfied.

Question: What do believe that aesthetics can improve overall innovation of this resort?

Answer: our top management always thinking about how to design lobbies, reception and guest’s rooms. We have some pictures, calligraphy, arts in stairs and every floor. These aesthetics contains cultural, social and country`s images.

Question: Can you tell me about your lighting system?

Answer: Actually, lighting is one kind of marketing. Attractive lighting tone and smoothening lights can create a cozy ambiance inside the hotel. We have tried our level best to decorate our hotel with the lights.

Question: How is your security system?

Answer: Yes, Our security system is pretty strong. Security Guards keep their sharp eyes during their duty hours. Security cameras are installed to keep the surroundings under surveillance.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture as an art and improve overall innovation?

Answer: It’s a great chance to represent our culture and tradition. Beautiful paintings, artworks, folk songs, dresses, and handicrafts are most common objects through which we can reflect our culture.

8.9 Interview 9

Nishorgo Hotel & Resort

Question: Dear Sir, Can you introduce yourself?

Answer: Yes, This is Russell; I am doing the job in Nishorgo Hotel & Resort Ltd. at Cox’s Bazaar. This is one of the best hotels in Cox’s Bazaar. We try to provide our best services to our clients.

Question: Comparing to the international hotel chain, do you believe that the SME has incorporated innovation in hospitality in Cox’s Bazaar?

Answer: Yes, I think, there are a lot of things in Cox’s Bazaar which needs to be improved for innovation in tourism and hospitality sector. Though there are a lot of possibilities, this sector has been facing many barriers since its early age. Decisions need to be taken strongly to reduce the obstacles.

Question: How do you believe innovation can add value to your business?

Answer: Obviously, if we reduce our problems, our business will grow up through bringing innovation.

Question: How do you believe communicating customers in a better way can increase business value?

Answer: Communication is very much important for almost every business organization. Communicating customers in a better way may increase our business value as it attracts the potential customers to accept our services.

Question: What is your opinion on the use of websites, digital applications to communicate with customers, for example: when they check in and checkout, picking from the airport and so on?

Answer: It’s a very good question. Nowadays, many foreigners are coming to Cox’s Bazaar and staying in our hotel and taking our hospitality just because we have a strong website. On that website, we provide much information about our hotel and sightseeing in Cox’s Bazaar. I think it’s a good way.

Question: Do you use digital applications?

Answer: No, We have the only website. All information is given there.

Question: How do people check-in and checkout?

Answer: Still now, our customers check-in and checkout manually, but we have plans to improve

Question: Does your hotel provide airport pick up service?

Answer: Yes, We do. And this way, we are trying to provide better service to our clients.

Question: Tell me about the status of hygiene?

Answer: We always try to maintain a proper hygiene and that’s why we always keep our hotel and its surroundings neat and clean. We clean on a regular basis.

Question: Do your employees have a proper education like diploma?

Answer: Of course, any business organization will be willing to recruit their employees on the basis of skill and knowledge.

Question: From where they are getting this kind of diploma?

Answer: Mainly, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation. They provide several diplomas and courses regarding tourism and hospitality management. Besides, there are many private institutions providing this kind of degrees.

Question: If the food items in the hotel and overall service delivery is provided in a different way, can it improve the business status?

Answer: Right now, we are trying to maintain international standard regarding food & service though we have some limitations. Above all, we are trying to serve our best.

Question: What kind of foods and services you need to add?

Answer: We can add Mexican food in our food menu and some skilled chefs should be recruited.

Question: Do you think any kind of change is needed in management, organizational system, and policies?

Answer: I think our management should be more efficient at client handling and marketing because the competition is being bigger day by day.

Question: Can you tell me something about your educational background?

Answer: I have completed my graduation from Cox’s Bazaar International University under Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Question: How do you apply your knowledge and experience to your colleagues?

Answer: Still I am learning I share my experience with my co-workers.

Question: How do you work as a team?

Answer: We do work as a team in our hotel. We follow our hotel’s rules and regulations. As a team, we follow duty roaster which tells us who to work.

Question: How can you solve any kind of conflict if any arises?

Answer: I think positivity is the only way to solve any conflict among staffs.

Question: What are the challenges you face inside your organization and outside the organization?

Answer: Most common challenges out the business are lack of proper road & transport facility in this area and security issues. The total environment should be safe and sound.

Question: Do you face any challenges from political or social aspects?

Answer: No, we do not face that kind of issues. But, this is dangerous for tourism business.

Question: What is the security system here?

Answer: Our security system is pretty strong. Night guards and security guards are always busy to make sure that everything is fine.

Question: Do you think aesthetics can improve your overall innovation like presenting things in a new way including the lighting in the breakfast area, overall lighting tone, the color of the furniture, and color of the walls?

Answer: Yes, Surely I think it can add an extra thing to our hotel.

Question: What are the people’s sayings regarding these art, aesthetics?

Answer: You know a proverb like, “The first impression is the last impression.” So, we make sure that guests can feel the comfort in an artistic way. And our guests are satisfied with the environment we provide.

Question: How can it provide an opportunity to reflect your culture?

Answer: It’s a good way to represent our culture & tradition to the guests who came from abroad.

Question: Can you please tell me both positive and negative sides of this business overall?

Answer: Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Bangladesh but there are some threats to this industry like natural disasters, insecurity, crime, and economy.

Question: How much taxes you are supposed to pay the government?

Answer: 15% Taxes

Question: Is this huge or perfect?

Answer: I think this is perfect.