Evaluating the Adoption and Use of Internet-based Marketing Information Systems to Improve Marketing Intelligence (The Case of Tourism SMEs in Jordan)

Abstract

The study investigates the nature of marketing information systems within tourism small- and medium- sized enterprises and focuses on the usefulness of the Internet for external information gathering. The findings indicate that tourism SMEs make use of informal marketing information systems which concentrate on immediate operating data at the expense of external data, and that the Internet has not yet been recognized as an important source for marketing intelligence despite having the benefits of providing much of the necessary data for good decision- making more quickly and at a lower cost compared with many other sources. The study identifies obstacles and challenges that reduce the uptake of the Internet, and suggests practical solutions.