An Analysis of the Influent Paths among Marketing Mix Factors of the Hotel Businesses in Udon Thani Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) marketing mix factors (7Ps) consisting of products, prices, channels of distribution, marketing promotion, people, physical characteristics, and processes of the hotel businesses in Udon Thani Province and 2) causal relationship among products, prices, channels of distribution, marketing promotion, people, physical characteristics, and processes of the hotel businesses in Udon Thani Province. The samples were 316 customers checking in Paradise Hotel, Muang District, Udon Thani Province. The sample size was calculated by using a formular to determine the sample size to estimate the population average. The samples were randomized by cluster sampling. The instrument used to collect data was a five-rating scale questionnaire with the item discrimination ranging from 0.633 to 0.984 and the reliability of the whole questionnaire of 0.984. The statistics used to analyze data were mean, standard deviation, and an analysis of the influent paths.    

            The research findings were as follows.

1. In the overall, the marketing mix factors of the hotel businesses were at a high level. The physical characteristics had the highest mean score, followed by people and products respectively.
2. The physical characteristics were the most external factor affecting other marketing mix factors both directly and indirectly by connecting through the first intermediary factors consisting of processes and people and the second intermediary factors consisting of channels of distribution, products, and marketing promotion, and the prices was the last intrinsic factor. According to the analysis of the influent paths, the influent path causing the marketing mix used to explain the variables at the highest level was people (97%), followed by products (92%), channels of distribution (84%), processes (83%), prices (78%), and marketing promotion (57%), respectively.