UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, JAMAICASCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATION- E-COMMERCE ASSIGNMENTA detailed evaluation of www.jamaicapegasus.com and www.knutsfordcourt.com

Presented to: Oliver HyltonPresented by: Natalie Simmonds (1106445)Date of Submission: February 24, 2014

Table of ContentsPg(s)The product or service being traded.. 3The type of e-commerce engaged in with justification. 3 - 4The advantages of engaging in e-commerce within chosen industry 4 The e-commerce business model used in each case.. 5 The e-commerce revenue models used.. 5 - 6How web 2.0 technology is leveraged in promotional and marketing activities... 6 - 7How the websites compare to each other in terms of their effectiveness.. 7Appendices.8References..9

The product or service being tradedThe Jamaica Pegasus and Knutsford Court hotels both operate within the hotel industry. Both hotels provide spacious rooms and suites that are tastefully furnished for comfort and convenience to accommodate both business and leisure travellers alike. Both hotels have a wide array of services and amenities which include but not limited to: 5 room categories, 24-hour business centre, meeting facilities, fitness facilities, room service and swimming pool.The type of e-commerce engaged in with justificationBoth hotels engage in Business-to-Business as well as Business-to-Consumer e-commerce. Business-to-Business: this refers to transactions among businesses. The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel offers 14 venues for business or social functions for 2 to 1000 persons - 1,300 square meters (10,000 square feet) of flexible function space. With high level of service, attention to detail and excellent cuisine, the Pegasus is the premiere venue to host corporate event, family celebration or charity event. Their indoor venues are all air conditioned and provide blackout facilities for video presentations. The Knutsford Court Hotel offers just over 10,000 square feet of meeting and banqueting facilities in six newly refurbished rooms hosting up to 300 persons banquet style in the largest room, seven (7) Individual Conference/Function rooms, Professional Event Planners to coordinate every detail and Impressive Catering Servicesto tantalize even the most discerning palate. Business-to-Consumer: this refers to transactions between businesses and their customers. The Jamaica Pegasus has 300 elegantly appointed rooms and suites. They have been robustly restored, keeping their original Jamaican warmth, privacy, comfort and charm while gaining all the modern day amenities the leisure or business traveller might desire. The rooms carry separate charges for single versus double occupancy and a per night charge for added a third individual. The Knutsford Court features a total of 143 newly redecorated rooms and suitesfeaturing standard rooms, superior rooms, junior suites, one-bedroom suites and two-bedroom townhouses. The rooms also carry separate charges for single versus double occupancy and for triple or quad occupancy a charge per person per night applies.The advantages of engaging in e-commerce within chosen industryEngaging in e-commerce has numerous advantages to both the business and its customers.Advantages to the Business Accelerating Internet usage worldwide The Internet is thelowest cost hotel-booking channel Most travellers research hotel reservations onthe Internet Social media andonline hotel reviews are anincreasingly important decision factor The web is thepreferred media source fortravel information, favoured 17:1 over television and6:1 over newspapers andmagazinesAdvantages to Customers Quick and convenient Easy and private Offers comparative information

The e-commerce business model used in each caseBoth hotels utilize the following e-commerce business model: Click & Mortar - approach business activities by operating a firm in physical locations and has added an e-commerce component to their business. Both hotels have a website in addition to a physical location and building. The Jamaica Pegasus is located at 81 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Jamaica and their website is www.jamaicapegsus.com. The Knutsford Court Hotel is located at 16 Chelsea Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica and their website is www.knutsfordcourt.com. The e-commerce revenue models usedAn e-commerce revenue model is the method you use to earn the revenue, generate profits to produce return from invested money or capital from your online business. There are five primary e-commerce revenue models; these are the advertising revenue model, subscription revenue model, transaction fee revenue model, sale revenue model and the affiliate revenue model. The advertising model derives its profit by displaying paid advertisements on a Web site. The goal is to convince advertisers that the site has the ability to attract a sizeable viewership, or a viewership that meets a marketing niche sought by the advertiser. Firms that use the subscription model offer users access to some or all of their content or services for a subscription fee. Firms that use the transaction fee model derive profit from enabling or executing transactions. For instance, transaction fees are paid to eBay when a seller is successful in auctioning off a product. In the sales revenue model, companies draw profit directly from the sale of goods, information, or services to consumers. In the affiliate model, sites receive referral fees or a percentage of the revenue from any sales that result from steering business to the affiliate. Careful evaluation of both hotel websites revealed that the only advertisements they have on the site are that of their special deals and current promotions and you can subscribe for a newsletter to the sent to your email on Knutsford Court website which is free of cost. Both website allow customers to make reservations online and has to provide payment information (card type, cardholder name and address, card number and expiration date, etc.) before they can confirm their reservation and as such it can be said that they use the sales revenue model.How web 2.0 technology is leveraged in promotional and marketing activities Web 2.0 is a set of new, advanced applications and technologies that have evolved along with the webs ability to support larger audiences and more involved content. It enable users to create, edit, and distribute content, share their preferences, bookmarks, and online personas; participate in virtual lives; and build online communities.As Web 2.0 capabilities increase and are widely adopted by consumers, figuring out how to leverage them has become essential to corporate competitiveness. Web 2.0 may seem to encompass a diverse assortment of technologies such as blogs, wikis, video, instant messaging, social networking sites, and content syndication, but in varying ways theyre all pushing the boundaries of communication, expression, collaboration, participation, authority and community-building.This has influenced the promotional and marketing activities greatly as more companies are using social media as a way of being interactive and communicating with customers, the use of instant messengers to transfer information across the world, video to do advertising and show demonstrations. The Knutsford Court Hotel home page consists of icons that will connect customers directly to their Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr pages.How the websites compare to each other in terms of their effectivenessI would have to say both websites are effective in regards to displaying their offerings. Both websites are informative, however I think the Knutsford Court Hotel website is simpler and more users friendly; it has more legible text and options are just a click away versus the Jamaica Pegasus website where you have to be searching through the drop menus. Both websites have slide shows to showcase products and packages being offered. Both websites also provide customers with the option of signing up to receive newsletters.The Jamaica Pegasus website sets itself apart from that of the Knutsford Court Hotel as customers are able to take a virtual tour of the swimming pool, deluxe room with balcony and garden. The Jamaica Pegasus could male there text a bit larger but overall I think both companies were effective in displaying information as well as their products and services.

AppendicesBelow is a screen shot of the home page of the Jamaica Pegasus Website

Below are screenshots of the home page of the Knutsford Court Hotel Website

ReferencesAnonymous. (2013). Kingstons Preferred Hotel. Retrieved 19/02/2014 from http://www.jamaicapegasus.com/Anonymous. (2010). Welcome to Knutsford Court. Retrieved 19/02/2014 from http://www.knutsfordcourt.com/Laudon, K. C. & Traver, C. G. (2009): E-commerce: Business, Technology and Society, Fifth edition. Prentice Hall.Marriott Hotels. (2011). E-commerce for the Hospitality Industry. Retrieved 20/02/2014 from http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/business_for_business/article/e-commerce-for-the-hospitality-industry/449373.htmlOReilly, T. (2005). What Is Web 2.0. Design Patterns and Business Model for the Next Generation of Software. Retrieved 20/02/2014 from http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html. 3