MANAGERS PERCEPTION OF MARKETING STRATEGIES IN FOOD

SERVICES INDUSTRY IN AGRO- ECO TOURISM IN DIGOS CITY

RHEA JANE CABALLES

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Food Industry services offers good quality and it influence on how

the customers and employee treated, and how their working environment

was.

Food systems have a significant role in the loss of biodiversity,

inefficient use of land and water, and human-caused climate change, all of

which have an impact on global food security and public health. Between

19 and 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the production

and consumption of food, and businesses' carbon footprints add to the

health and environmental problems linked to climate change. To support

the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by

2030, the United Nations (UN) brought together 150 leaders from 193

Member States, the business community, and civil society organizations in

2015. The goals of the SDGs are to ensure economic prosperity, end

poverty, and safeguard the planet from the effects of climate change

(Kraak, 2019).
 Due to its critical role in both the Philippine economy and society,

the food service industry is one of the main pillars of Philippine business

today. According to Recordati (2014), the sources of food have changed

over time and have grown significantly. There are restaurants, fast food

chains, food services, and centers everywhere one goes because this kind

of business has made it one of the most successful industries in the

nation. Marketing is a social and managerial process that people use to

get successful food outlets are known to be more creative because they

create and exchange goods and values with others, fulfilling their needs

and desires (Alvarez, 2022).

However, this study will help to determine and analyze the

managers’ perception of marketing strategies in food services industries in

Digos City.
 Objectives of the study

The general objectives of this study are to determine and analyze

the managers perception of marketing strategies of food service industry

in Agro- eco tourism in Digos City.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Determine and analyze the marketing of food industries of food

services industry of the following;

1.1 Product

1.2 Price

1.3 Promotion

1.4 Place

1.5 Training

1.6 Benefits of the employees

1.7 Effective sales force

1.8 Customer services

Scope and Limitation

 This research wants to analyze, determine and focus the managers

perceptions of marketing strategies of food service industry in Agro- Eco

tourism in Digos City.

Significance of the Study

This study is to provide additional learning and knowledge to the

following;

Business owner. To gain more knowledge in marketing strategies,

enhancing their skills in selling, and might help to expand their business.

Managers. To be good at handling business, and to have a opportunity

to gain knowledge and skills through this study.

Community. This would help them to have excellent marketing

strategies.

Definition of terms

Marketing - The process of developing and presenting

value-based justifications for your goods

or services is known as marketing. It

includes every facet of a strategy to

convert a potential customer into a

contented and loyal one. Marketing

 encompasses all facets of a business, such

as advertising, sales, distribution

strategies, and product development.

Thus, successful marketing is essential for

drawing in and keeping clients regardless

of the size of your company.

Managers - A manager is a qualified individual who

leads a group of workers within an

organization. Managers are usually in

charge of overseeing particular

departments within their organization.

They may be in charge of decision-making,

performance reviews, and serving as a

liaison between lower-level executives and

staff. have a significant impact on a

company's overall success by leading their

teams to meet objectives and benchmarks.

Agro-Eco tourism - also known as agri-ecotourism, is a type of

travel where tourists take part in

sustainable farming and discover the

 products grown nearby. It combines

elements of agritourism and ecotourism.

Agro-ecotourism is a component of

sustainable agriculture that employs

ecotourism's guiding principles,

permaculture and eco-agriculture

techniques, and increased landscape

diversity to mitigate the grave threat to

biodiversity2. Any agriculturally based

business or activity that attracts tourists to

a farm or ranch is known as agrotourism.

Food Services - The industry of food service is concerned

with preparing and serving food away

from home. Food service encompasses a

range of establishments, organizations,

and businesses that are in charge of any

meal that is prepared for patrons or

clients. Preparing, delivering, serving, or

selling prepared foods to a variety of

locations, including eateries, cafeterias,

 catering services, medical facilities, hotels,

and schools, is known as food service.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This part contains important and relevant literature about

marketing strategies. These literatures are summarized, and will be use as

proof and evidence.

Marketing strategies

A key component of marketing practice is creating and

implementing a marketing strategy. reports from recently on the main

issues that marketers face. indicate a number of unanswered questions in

the field of marketing strategy, such as: how to design organizational

structures that facilitate the development of marketing strategies that aid

in navigating and adapting to shifting firm and customer needs; how to

select the best combination of marketing strategies to achieve desired

results in the face of conflicting priorities and a wide range of internal and

external stakeholders; and how to guide executives across the entire

organization in the development and implementation of strategies that

increase customer centricity and engagement. Due to its importance in

business, marketing strategy is also a major subject of study, a focal point

of inquiry, and an important component of business school pedagogy. It is

unclear how much of this research is related to marketing strategy, the

central construct within the field of strategic marketing, despite the fact

that there has been a growing interest in the general area of strategic

marketing (i.e., marketing-related phenomena and decisions that are

important to understanding the long-term performance of product/brands,

SBUs, and firms). Research relevant to comprehending these activities is

essential to determining the state of marketing strategy knowledge, which

is also crucial for advancing theoretical understanding in marketing since

creating and implementing marketing strategies is central to what

marketers do in practice. To develop indigenous marketing theory, for

instance, one must first understand which theories have been used in
previous studies and which facets of marketing strategy have gotten little

attention. The development of new research approaches and methods can

also benefit from systematic analyses of how various research approaches

and methods have been used in a given domain and how these have

changed over time. Therefore, regular reviews of research in a field help

to build cumulative knowledge and consolidate existing knowledge

(Morgan et. al., 2018).

Food service industry

Global food security and human health are impacted by human-

caused climate change, inefficient use of land and water, and biodiversity

loss, all of which are largely caused by food systems. 19–29% of

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to food production and

consumption, and businesses' carbon footprints add to the health and

environmental problems brought on by climate change. In order to

support the United Nations' (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) by 2030 and end poverty, ensure economic prosperity, and

safeguard the planet from the effects of climate change, 150 leaders from

193 Member States, the business community, and civil society gathered in
2015. Every one of the 17 SDGs is related to the process of developing

sustainable and healthful food systems. Nonetheless, only three goals—

zero hunger (SDG 2), population health and well-being (SDG 3), and

responsible production and consumption practices (SDG 12)—account for

about 80% of the revenue of significant international food and beverage

companies. However, just three goals—zero hunger (SDG 2), population

health and well-being (SDG 3), and responsible production and

consumption practices (SDG 12)—account for about 80% of the revenue

of large multinational food and beverage companies (Wan, 2017).

Businesses can address poverty (SDG 1), guarantee gender equality (SDG

5), generate employment (SDG 8), lessen workplace disparities and

injustices (SDG 10), and encourage climate action (SDG 13) to lessen their

impact on people and the environment (Kraak, 2019).

The dynamic nature of the food service industry presents obstacles

for managers and leaders across the board, but particularly for those in

food service management. Both internal and external environments

necessitate ongoing planning, learning, and reassuring the public that the

service staff members are qualified to carry out their responsibilities.

Long-term impacts will result from the economic, political, social, and

technological changes currently taking place in the world. Today's job

seekers in the food service management field face a growing number of

opportunities and challenges. Proficiency in both management and

leadership are essential in this dynamic environment. The United States'

obesity epidemic is being tackled by health care professionals, who are

playing a bigger role in promoting health and wellness. This has led to

more opportunities for medical nutrition therapy education and service

reimbursement. Meal preparation, serving, and planning will all be

impacted by these adjustments. Technological developments still have an

impact on population life expectancy, healthcare costs, and food service

delivery methods. It's becoming harder for managers to use technology

advancements wisely. I felt it was necessary to update and revise the

1994 edition of this text in light of the continued difficulties that food

service directors will face in the ensuing decades, particularly with regard

to food safety, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) regulations,

fire safety procedures, emergency and disaster preparedness, marketing,

and quality assurance (Takwi, 2021).

Agro- Eco Tourism

Utilizing rural culture as a tourist attraction is known as agro-

ecotourism. It now has a new meaning as a potential source of money

and work. In order to be both environmentally and socially responsible,

tourism and agriculture must work together. An opportunity to combine

various agricultural elements, such as organic farming, integrated farming

systems, value-adding, processing, etc., is provided by agro-ecotourism. It

is essential to create a conceptual framework for the growth of agro-

ecotourism units in order to gain broader acceptance. Depending on the

socioeconomic status of the farmer and the size of the farm, it is

necessary to divide the agro-ecotourism activities into primary (direct

sales, education, hospitality, outdoor recreation, and entertainment) and

secondary (family functions, music concerts, cycling, hunting, fishing, and

cycling). Additionally, an agro-ecotourism unit offers a number of

ecosystem services, including the in-situ preservation of genetic resources

related to animals, fish, and plants, increased productivity and

profitability, job opportunities for farm families, recycling of residues,

improved soil fertility, etc. Active community involvement, particularly

from the impoverished, can boost the local economy and fight poverty in

the agro-ecotourism sector. This type of tourism may involve the provision

of labor, traditional goods, and tourism services. Therefore, there is a

great chance for agro-ecotourism in coastal India to capitalize on active

tourism and increase farm income and productivity without negatively

impacting the environment (Kumar et. al., 2021).

 Managers perception in food service industry

Prior research in the literature on service quality management has

typically stressed the significance of visitors' impressions of the quality of

the experience. As a requirement for providing high-quality services,

Kukanja and Planinc (2018) claim that academics have not given enough

weight to the significance of the first quality gap, or the difference

between managers' assessments of guests' expectations of quality.

Dedeoğlu and Demirer (2015) state that hotel managers in Turkey

frequently have erroneous beliefs about the caliber of services that guests

should expect. the discrepancies in opinion of service quality between

managers and guests in hotels in northern Poland. The main factors

influencing hotel managers' opinions about the quality of the services they

receive are their cultural and personal traits. Most frequently, hotel

managers downplay the significance of various services and oversimplify

the significance of the overall service quality construct. In order to obtain

a realistic understanding of the expected service quality level, restaurant

managers need to continuously observe how their patrons perceive the

quality of their offerings. Based on the literature review, we could

conclude that, despite the fact that a variety of factors have been shown
to affect how well managers perceive service quality, restaurant size and

seating capacity are crucial (Kukanja, et.al., 2021).

Marketing strategies in food industry

Due to its crucial role in both the Philippine economy and society,

the food service industry is one of the main pillars of Philippine business

today. The sources of food have grown significantly and have been

evolving over time. There are restaurants, food services, fast food joints,

and shopping centers everywhere one goes because this kind of

enterprise has become one of the most successful in the nation. A

successful food outlet is likely to be more creative, deviating from some

standard procedures and possibly even the principles of some industries.

Marketing is a societal and managerial process that allows people to

obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging

products and values with others. There are many different food service

establishments in Isabela, Philippines. These food chains do well in the

fiercely competitive local market, and each location has its own

competitive strategies. Popular fast-food chains that serve Filipinos are

present in the province, including Jollibee, Greenwich Pizza, McDonald's,

and Mang Inasal (MI). When these large food chains put the same range

of products on the market, they face fierce competition. To refute it,

every chain purposefully created exclusive deals. As a result, the

consumer is presented with more options for investing their money. The

industry's competitive advantages have mostly centered on enhancing

service and raising quality standards. The major players have made

significant advertising investments to build brand awareness and customer

loyalty among target audiences in order to project this image to a broad

audience. It is essential for decision-making authorities in the fast food

industry to be sensitive to the needs of their patrons in order to meet

those needs and expedite management's response to environmental

changes. There is no more crucial marketing management task for the

success of any food service than identifying, assessing, and choosing the

marketing strategies that the company will use to stand out from the

competition and attract customers. In today's world of intense market

competition, no business can stay stagnant for very long; if it does not

strive to advance aggressively, it regresses. Understanding the role that

strategy plays in achieving organizational goals and maintaining success,

the researcher thought it pertinent to investigate the competitive

strategies employed by food service businesses. The study's outcome and

conclusions provided the insights, which in turn provided the suggested

business success strategies (Alvarez & Alvarez, 2021).

 Conceptual framework

INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

Marketing strategies

1.1 Product’
1.2 Price
Managers perceptions 1.3 Promotion
of food industry 1.4 Place
services in agro- 1.5 Training
ecotourism 1.6 Benefits of the
destination. employee
1.7 Effective sale
force
1.8 Customer
services.

Figure 1. Conceptual framework showing the independent and

dependent variable of the study.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Locale

This research will be conducted in Digos City, Davao Del Sur. The

City is the capital of the province with 28 barangays in total.

Research Design

This study will be using Descriptive method and approach or

research.

Respondents of the Study

Participants of this research were managers from different Agro-

eco tourism in Digos City that offers food services.

 Research Instrument

This research will use a special designed survey instrument that is

the Likert scale for a survey questionnaire.

Survey Questionnaire

QUESTIONNAIRE

Likert Scale of managers perception of marketing strategies of food

service industry in Agro-Ecotourism in Digos City.

5 – Strongly disagree

4 – Disagree

3 – Neither Agree

2 – Agree

1 – Strongly Agree

Product 1 2 3 4 5

1. The place serves the food with proper

handling procedure

2. The place has good sealed and quality

packaging for the take and delivery
service

3. The place adds new classic Filipino food

option and other complimentary in the
 menu that may attract the new
generation of customers

4. The place preserves taste and quality of

classic Filipino dishes in inherits by the
years of services

5. The food maintains the defined

temperature during serving or in
acceptance of delivery.

Price 1 2 3 4 5

1. The foods price is still reasonable inline

of Customers situation

2. The price is still competitive with other

food business.

3. The place has affordable delivery or on

take-outs fee

4. Gives wide range of food price

supporting individual meal and family
pack orders

5. The menu is worth the price

Place 1 2 3 4 5
 1. The place has a proper signage and
message

2. The place has registered mandated by

the government

3. The place has enough space for dining

4. The place premises have been sanitized

5. The place has enough space for parking

Promotion 1 2 3 4 5

1. The place has an advertisement

2. The place offers food price promo in

using delivery service

3. The customer uses the social media and

mobile application as an option of
ordering food

4. place gives coupons and free appetizer or

dishes for thanking the costumer
patronizing for dine-in.

5. place gives discounts for PWD and Senior

Customer.

Training 1 2 3 4 5
 1. Foods should be safe and honestly
presented

2. Persons in charge able to demonstrate

knowledge of food borne disease
prevention and application of HACCP

3. Toxic materials shall be stored safely so

that they cannot contaminate

4. Effective pest control measures in place

5. In use utensils properly stored between

uses

Benefits of the employee 1 2 3 4 5

1. Satisfied with the break time systems

2. Satisfied with the vacation opportunities

3. Happy with the snacks and meals

4. Satisfied with the medical insurance

package

5. Have full knowledge with the benefits

offered

Effective Sale force 1 2 3 4 5

1. Offer Buy 1 take 1

 2. Customers availing promos

3. Offering of incentives

4. Depending on consumers taste

preference

5. Offering discounts to loyal customers

Customer service 1 2 3 4 5

1. Order is taken promptly

2. place is clean

3. Employees are polite

4. Enough seats available

5. Order is served correctly

 REFERENCES

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service industry in the province of Isabela,
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