PHD-Department of Hospitality Management

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Organizational Culture and Women's Career Advancement in Three to Five-Star Hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2023) Maringa, Leah; Rosemarie Khayiya; Vincent Maranga
The profile of the hospitality industry is characterised as youthful, with a high proportion of women. However, in the corporate hotel ladder, women are underrepresented at every level, non in the middle and senior management and fall in number the higher they climb. Only 5% of women make it to the very top. In addition, most studies on organizational culture and women's advancement come from North America, Europe and a few from Asia. Studies that have been done in Kenya fail to capture this important area. Arising from this gap, this research aimed to provide an understanding of the organizational culture factors that influence the advancement of women into top management levels in 3 to 5-star rated hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya. This study examined the relationship between organizational culture, the dependent variable and the hotel environment, the mediating variable on women's career advancement, and the independent variable. The objectives of the study were to establish the cultural beliefs about women, workplace practices and structures and patterns of interaction on the independent variable of women's career advancement in the Nairobi City County 3 to 5-star rated hotels. The study had five hypotheses. The study adopted embedded mixed model design involving a pragmatic paradigm. The target population was 342 employees from 35 three to five-star hotels in Nairobi City County. Of the total, 18 hotels were sampled using systematic random sampling. Purposive sampling was used as the sampling technique to select 96 heads of departments from each of the 18 Nairobi hotels. The systematic sampling technique was used in this research to select 246 operatives. This research used interview schedules and questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the qualitative data. Descriptive statistics employing percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations was used to establish the demographic characteristics and perceptions of managers on the various organizational culture dimensions. Factor analysis, multiple linear regression, was used to identify the best predictor variable got women career advancement. The study used hierarchical regression analysis to test whether the hotel environment moderated the effect of organizational culture on women career advancement. Generally, this research showed that organizational culture influences women's career advancement Specifically, cultural beliefs about gender prevalence hurt women's career advancement in 3-5 star rated hotels in Nairobi City County, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Under the workplace practices, talent retention has a positive and significant effect on women's career advancement in 3-5 star rated hotels providing evidence against the null hypothesis. From the interviews work life balance, long working hours, and extensive travel are obstacles to women career advancement Inadequate decision-making power possessed by women and male dominance in social gatherings had a negative and significant influence on women career advancement. This study also indicated that the hotel environment has a moderating role in the relationship between cultural beliefs about gender prevalence and women's career advancement but no moderation effects were noted with workplace practices and patterns of interaction. This research makes necessary recommendations to hotel practitioners to promote gender-neutral culture in the hotels, by providing unconscious bias training for all employees and to the policymakers to development and implement a standard framework for monitoring and evaluation of women career adoption. To achieve maximum desired change that promotes women career growth in hotels most efficiently, priority emphasis in any intervention should be given to the organization support factor of work place practices variable.
Tipping Impetus on Food Service Quality in Two and Three Star Hotels within Kisumu County-Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2021) O, Were Simon; Moses Ngatia Miricho; Vincent Nyamari Maranga
Tipping is believed to be the foundation of compromised food service quality within hotel restaurants. This is as a result of the discriminatory food service, with a predispo-sition towards clients who are perceived to be good tippers unlike bad tippers as well as non-tippers. Thus selective food service, which is partly associated with the tipping ability of clients, remains a challenge to hotel managers as it is the main contribution to restaurant service failures. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the tip-ping impetus on food service quality in two and three star hotels. Equity theory, reci-procity theory, and the social norm theory were applied by the study to yield the pro-posed fusion model of tipping. The study was guided by four specific objectives; to de-termine the relationship of rewards upon perception of service on food service quality, to examine the association between incentives for improved future service and food ser-vice quality, to establish the relationship of the social norms of tipping on food service quality and to investigate the moderating effect of demographic factors on the relation-ship between tipping and food service quality in two and three star hotels within Kisu-mu County. Descriptive and exploratory research survey designs were adopted. The study was carried out in nine hotels within Kisumu County, among which one hotel was selected for pre-testing. On the other hand, respondents constituted food service clients and managers, who were selected via simple random sampling as well as purposive sampling respectively. Thus 384 food service clients, eight food and beverage as well as general managers were sampled. Questionnaires, semi-structured interview guides and content analysis were used in the collection of data. Reliability was determined by Cronbach‟s coefficient Alpha test (> 0.70) while content validity was used to assess the internal validity of the research instruments. The study applied Pearson‟s correlation coefficient, Linear regression, Multiple regression, Hierarchical Multiple regression as well as Stepwise Multiple regression at 0.05% level of significance to determine the re-lation, direction and magnitude between the study variables and test the hypotheses. The study results show that respondents‟ food service quality was significantly related to rewards upon perception of service (P ˂ 0.05). Further, the correlation analysis yielded results showing that respondents food service quality was significantly related to incen-tives for improved future service (rho = 0.453). Nonetheless, respondents food service quality was significantly related to the social norms (F = 14.27, P ˂ 0.05). And lastly, the study found a moderating effect of the demographic factors on the relationship be-tween tipping and food service quality. Further, the study gave results indicating service level as the best tipping-food service quality predictor (t = 3.714, Sig. 0.000), while al-cohol consumption was the least predictor (t = -1.172, Sig. 0.242). The study therefore recommended the ministry of Tourism and Wildlife to establish and document a tipping policy in order to have control on the tipping process across the entire hospitality ser-vices industry for purposes of ensuring standardized, excellent and continuous food ser-vice quality.
Food Safety Management Systems Orientation and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System Uptake by Hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2021) Chege, Peninah Wanjiku; Moses Miricho; Bichage Gesage
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is an important food safety management system that most food production entities across the world endeavor to implement. In spite of this, a review of extant literature on food safety management reveals that the successful adoption of the HACCP system faces a number of challenges regarding its management and implementation. The barriers to effective execution of HACCP system vary from country to country and from one hospitality sector to another. The general objective of this study was to establish the influence of food safety management systems orientation on HACCP system uptake in star rated hotels in Nairobi City County given the moderating effect of a set of contextual factors namely food safety regulations, market forces, size of the hotel, management commitment and funding level. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the following aspects within the four and five star-rated hotels in Nairobi City County: i) the influence of employee behaviors towards HACCP system on HACCP system uptake; ii) the influence of employee attitudes towards HACCP system on HACCP system uptake; iii) the influence of employee knowledge of HACCP system on HACCP system uptake; iv) the moderating effect of contextual factors on the relationship between employee food safety management systems orientation and HACCP system uptake and lastly v) the effect of the contextual factors on HACCP system uptake in the four and five star rated hotels in Nairobi City County. Corresponding null hypotheses were also set for empirical assessment. The study was guided by the logical positivism philosophy of research and adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. Quantitative data was successfully collected from a total of 33 executive chefs and 255 chefs who constituted the study units/respondents of the study from 16 out of the targeted 22 four and five star rated hotels in Nairobi City County. In addition, qualitative data was collected from a total of 16 Food and Beverage Managers through an interview schedule with one manager being interviewed from each of the 16 hotels. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statics, regression analysis and partial correlations while content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The study results established a significantly positive relationship between employee behaviors and attitudes towards HACCP system and the star rated hotels’ HACCP system uptake. The study further found that that contextual factors direct influence on the hotels’ HACCP system uptake was significantly positive for size of the hotel, management commitment and adequacy of HACCP system funding while market forces effect on HACCP system uptake was found to be significantly negative. When the moderating effect of the contextual factors on the relationship between food safety orientation and HACCP system uptake by the star rated hotels in Nairobi City County was assessed, it was established that food safety regulations, market forces, size of the hotel and management commitment had a significantly negative influence on this relationship. Although the study had certain limitations, it nonetheless offers opportunities for future research. In addition, the study provides important recommendations to hotel managers and other food production industry practitioners on requisite considerations when implementing HACCP system in addition to advancing the frontiers of knowledge on the concept of food safety management in general and HACCP system in particular.
Social Media Marketing Acceptability among Restaurants on Customers Relationship in Katsina State, Nigeria By
(Kenyatta University, 2020) Mani, Usman Lawal A.
Social Media has become a good marketing and quality management tool for restaurants and other hospitality sectors. Restaurants continue to be a difficult place for entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities, but by understanding common challenges, owners may be able to develop unique strategies to increase their chances of success on maintaining customer relationship. The major aim of the study was to identify how acceptable social media is in creating restaurant employees and customers’ relationship. The state is made up of three zones namely; Katsina, Funtua and Daura zones. Social media become an important source of information for restaurants and its platforms that smooth the progress of sharing information have been developed. Psychological ownership and social penetration theories of relationship were reviewed in the study to see how relationship developed from non-intimate to intimate. Cross-sectional descriptive survey was adopted in conducting the study and quantitative and qualitative data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The study targeted 2907 staff and guests of these restaurants in the study area. From the 98 total registered restaurants in the study area, systematic sampling was adopted in sampling 49 restaurants from the three zones in the study area from which sample size was selected. The staffs from the selected restaurants were segregated into operational and managerial categories using cluster sampling method. Purposive sampling was used in sampling the managerial staff while simple random sampling was used on operational staff. From the study population confidence interval approach formula for sample size was adopted to select 481 respondents as the sample size. Two questionnaires were used as instrument for the study, one for operational staff and the other for guest. Pre-test of the instrument was done to avoid any ambiguous and bias questions. The questionnaire which is self analytical likert scale type questions were personally administered to respondents and responses collected were used for the quantitative analysis while qualitative data was collected from the results of the interview conducted with the managerial staff and used for the analysis. The data collected was analyzed in SPSS 21, using descriptive statistics, inferential and regression analysis and Chi-square was used for testing the hypothesis. The research found that there was positive correlation between social media marketing acceptability and restaurant customers’ relationship which was statistically significant (p< 0.05). Findings also indicated that both staff and guests of the restaurants rated social media marketing acceptability highly acceptable. The most important social media marketing factors were ‘frequency of usage,’ ‘tools in use,’ and ‘social-interactive engagement.’ Exploring the social media marketing predictor variables of customers’ relationship, this research revealed that ‘frequency of usage’ and ‘creators’ is ranked among the high predictors of customer relationship followed by ‘tools in use’ and ‘social media consumption.’ Overall, it was concluded that both staff and guests of the restaurants regards effective and efficient social media sites as the leading factor of their acceptance of social media as a marketing tool. It was reiterated that satisfied staff and guests posed positive perception about social media marketing acceptability, while dissatisfied ones developed negative perception and disregard social media as a good marketing tool.
Determinants of Active Transportation among 10 – 12 Year Old School Children in Nairobi City County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2020-08) Onyango, Sylvester William Hayker
Active Transportation (AT) contributes significantly to the health and wellbeing among children and youth. This benefit can in turn be carried over to adulthood. AT is an important factor in increasing levels of physical activity (PA) in children. The objectives of this study were to; assess AT to school and other destinations, determine barriers of AT to school and other destinations, examine the effects of socio-economic status on AT, determine difference in pedometer step count data and analyse difference in pedometer Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) rates data for 10 – 12 year old children in high socio-economic status (HSES), mid socio-economic status (MSES) and low socio-economic status (LSES) regions in Nairobi City County. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used to determine the participation in AT and resultant PA rates. Stratified random sampling was used to get 1,200 school children (boys and girls) aged 10 – 12 year old. Of the number sampled, 877 returned complete parental conscent forms and duly filled questionnaires, attaining a response rate of 78.2%. Data on PA and MVPA was collected using PiezoRx® pedometer sets while data on AT, demographic characteristics, parents and children’s views collected through questionnaires. Chi-square test was used to compare the children’s responses on AT as well as rates of PA. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Test was used to ascertain difference in PA and MVPA across regions in Nairobi City County. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant in the testing of hypotheses. Majority of the children 629 (71.7%) walked to and from school while 1 (0.1%) rode a bicycle to and from school. More children in LSES used AT to and from school and other destinations than the children from MSES and HSES. AT to and from school showed strong statistical association significance across the three regions of Nairobi City County. Safety affected AT choice more for children in LSES 214 (24.4%) than MSES 357 (40.7%) and HSES 306 (34.9%). Among the socioeconomic factor indicators, only the level of education of a parent/guardian and family ownership of vehicles determined the children’s choice of transport mode. Ownership of motorcycles and/or bicycles had no significant difference on the children’s choice of transportation mode. Most children achieved the recommended pedometer step counts on the first day x̅=13,502.43 and a weekly x̅=12,490.53 of wearing the pedometer. The study recommends that Nairobi City County in liaison with all stakeholders develop interventions for increasing AT among school going children. This should be done by developing safe routes to school, walking and cycling programmes that ensure local environment of schools’ catchment regions provide opportunities for children to walk and cycle. The results from this research may inform policy formulation on development of future school transportation systems and physical characteristics of schools.
Sustainable Waste Management: Awareness and Practices Among Classified Hotels in Bauchi State, Nigeria
(Kenyatta University, 2019-10) Adebitan, Esther Olaitan
Waste generation and unsustainable waste management practices are among the reasons for environmental degradation with all of its attendant negative implications. Hotels are responding to the global challenge of mitigating the effects of environmental degradation by innovatively moving away from the traditional methods of waste management such as wastefulness, waste land filling and waste burning to more sustainable methods such as waste avoidance, reduce, reuse, recycle and more recently, waste to energy techniques. Minimum study have been done on how environmental awareness relates with sustainable waste management practices among hotels in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Based on five relevant theories, the objectives of the study determined the levels of hotels operators‟ awareness of SWM methods, possible impacts of unmanaged waste, waste related environmental regulations and how these influence SWM practices among the hotels, and in addition, the mediating effect of perceived benefits of SWM on the relationship between awareness and practices of SWM. The study used cross-sectional descriptive survey design which involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study area was Bauchi State and target population was made up of the 49 classified hotels from where 245 respondents were drawn. Purposive sampling was used to select the 158 managers and departmental heads from available 42 hotels. A structured questionnaire, interview schedule and observation checklist were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to determine variable characteristics of the study while Pearson correlation was used to establish patterns of relationships and associations of the study variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine significant variable predictors and test hypotheses of the study. Results revealed: that hotels operators in Bauchi State are aware of SWM methods to a moderate extent with greater level of awareness existing among the higher classes of hotels; that hotels‟ levels of awareness does not correspond to the extent of practice which was to a small extent; that there is a significant relationship between awareness of possible impacts of waste and practices but no significant relationship between awareness of waste related environmental regulations and SWM practices. The Pearson correlation matrix results indicated: awareness of SWM (r=0.258, p=0.001), awareness of possible impacts of unmanaged waste (r=0.301, p=0.000) and awareness of waste related environmental regulations (r=0.123, p=0.125) collectively had positive significant relationship and association with SWM practices. The regression analysis coefficient of R=0.370 and adjusted squared coefficient of R2= 0.120 were established implying that the study variables explained 12.0% of the variations of SWM practices. Perceived benefits of SWM with 0.172 point has partial mediating effect on the relationship between awareness and practices of SWM among the hotels. The study revealed that awareness of SWM methods and awareness of possible impacts of unmanaged waste were the significant positive variable predictors of SWM practices among the hotels and concluded that an improvement in these two predictors will cause positive significant improvements in SWM practices. The study therefore, recommends for reinforcement in the levels of awareness of these significant variable predictors for improvement in SWM practices among classified hotels in Bauchi State, Nigeria. The study also recommended for further research on the factors which determine guests‟ environmental behaviors in Bauchi State in particular and in Nigeria in general.
An Integrated Servqual and Gap Model in Evaluating Customer Satisfaction in Budget Hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2019-03) Njau, Florence Wanjiku
Increasingly, hotel industry has witnessed rapid growth in the 21stcentury and as a result competition within the industry has also intensified. This competition has been fueled by the preoccupation of service quality to add value and strengthen the complete guest experience. However, a major challenge facing the sector is the aspect of service quality particularly in budget hotels which target price sensitive customers. These hotels provide the customers with satisfactory core product at a reasonable price but tend to focus more on profits than on customer satisfaction. The services offered are not standardized and service quality variability is a challenge. The study used an integrated SERVQUAL and Gap model to evaluate customer satisfaction in budget hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the effect of service design on customer satisfaction, establish the effect of service delivery on customer satisfaction and determine the moderating effect of management perception of service quality on customer satisfaction in budget hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design and was conducted in 50 budget hotels. A sample size of 334 drawn from the hotel managers, customers and employees were involved in this study. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study sample for customers and employees. Data were collected through use of questionnaires and interviews. Both descriptive and inferential statistics was used in data analysis. The study hypotheses were tested was tested using multiple regression (ANOVA) and qualitative data from management perception was analyzed using qualitative data analysis (QCA). The regression analysis indicated that all five dimensions of service quality in service design were significant (0.000) when tested at 95% confidence level. The model was found to be significant. Correlation analysis indicated that the service design factors that had significant impact were realization of assured service in reliability (p = .044 < .05), responsiveness in informing the customers about the time of service delivery (p = .000< .05) and empathy in that operating hours are convenient to customers (p = .030 < .05). The other variables did not have significant values. The results indicate that there are gaps in the budget hotels under study between service design and customer satisfaction. Relationship between service delivery and customer satisfaction was found to be positive but not all the variables were significant. The study findings indicated that four variables; good location (p = .115 > .05), closeness to main city facilities (p = .527 > .05), someone recommended hotel (p = .665 > .05), and good experiences from the hotel (p = .458 > .05) did not have no significant values. This implied that these variables did not have an effect on customer satisfaction resulting in a gap between service delivery and customer satisfaction. This indicated that the service delivery did fully not meet customer expectations. Management perception was found to have a moderating effect between service quality and customer satisfaction. The study concluded that although managers seemed to have a reasonably good understanding of the customer and developed service designs for quality service delivery, the services delivered still fell short of customer expectations. The study therefore recommends that to enhance customer satisfaction, management needs to focus on the changing needs of their customers and develop service designs that twill offer service delivery that satisfies the customer. The study makes some contribution to the body of knowledge as an integrated model in evaluating customer satisfaction.
Psychological Empowerment and its Influence on Job Satisfaction of Guest House Supervisors in Mombasa County, Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2019-02) Kivuva, Alex Kyalo
Psychological empowerment and job satisfaction are critical human resource issues in guest house operations. Compared to classified hotels, guest houses have a larger percentage of untrained personnel. Employees who might have some hospitality training are usually the supervisors. However, the owners of guest houses tend to dictate and control almost all the operations, thus low employee empowerment. Lack of empowerment is a major cause of job dissatisfaction and eventually high staff turnover. Hence, this study sought to determine the influence of psychological empowerment and extrinsic factors on job satisfaction among guest house supervisors in Mombasa County. The study used a descriptive survey study design. The research focused on the seventy-six registered guest houses in Mombasa County. The study utilized census, where all the supervisors in all the registered guest houses in Mombasa County were included. Secondary data was collected by reviewing documented information concerning the study variables. Primary data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and an observation checklist. Pre-testing was done in three guest houses and the remaining seventy-three were included in the study. Data analysis utilized quantitative tests such as means, percentages and standard deviations. Pearson correlation coefficient, linear and multiple regressions were used to establish the relationship between the study variables. The response rate for the supervisors‟ questionnaire was 94%. Findings from the questionnaires revealed that there existed a positive and significant influence (p< 0.05) of „competence‟ on job satisfaction (r= 0.554); „impact‟ on job satisfaction (r= 0.868); „meaning‟ on job satisfaction (r= 0.765); and „choice‟ on job satisfaction (r= 0.734). The overall job satisfaction was mean rated at 3.52 out of a total score of 5. From the model, (R2 =.857) showed that the overall psychological empowerment accounted for 85.7% variation in job satisfaction of guest house supervisors and hence there was a positive relationship between the variables. The age of supervisors had a weak positive relationship with job satisfaction (β= 0.054, p> 0.05) while gender (β= -0.151, p< 0.05), number of years worked (β= -0.140, p< 0.05) and education (β= -0.063, p> 0.05) had negative relationships with job satisfaction. Results from the observation checklist revealed an above average level of the dimensions of „meaning‟ and „impact‟ at 65% and 69% of the guest houses respectively. However, observations for „competence‟ and „choice‟ were below average at 49% and 24% of the total number of guest houses respectively. The major extrinsic factors identified to affect job satisfaction were salaries, working conditions, terms of employment and employee welfare. This study would be of critical importance to the various stakeholders of the hospitality industry. For instance, it would be of great help to guest house entrepreneurs and managers who would be able to formulate and implement empowerment strategies for their supervisors and other staff. In addition, this study would be helpful to organizations such as Federation of Kenyan Employers, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers and Pubs Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya in sensitizing their members on the importance of employee psychological empowerment. The study recommends that guest house supervisors should be accorded necessary support in terms of empowering them in their work tasks. This would go a long way in enhancing their job satisfaction.
Star Rating Attributes and Accommodation Performance of Upmarket Hotels in Abuja Territory, Nigeria
(Kenyatta University, 2018-09) Adedipe, Abioye
Star rating is recognized as symbol of quality and a necessary requirement to provide precise assessment of accommodation status of upmarket hotels. In star rating, certain attributes are used as benchmark for accommodation standards of upmarket hotels. However, instances of star rating inconsistencies of upmarket hotel accommodation may not only misinform customers but lead to their dissatisfaction and inversely affect capacity utilization of room products and services. Also, the increasing demand from customers for high quality of accommodation facilities and services has modified the concept of accommodation performance to tilt towards room efficiency and customer satisfaction. Therefore, the study examined the relationship between star rating attributes and regulatory control on accommodation performance of upmarket hotels in Abuja Territory, Nigeria. The specific objectives established the relationship between study variables of quality of room facilities, service quality, hotel ambience, business service mix, regulatory control and accommodation performance of upmarket hotels. The study viewed accommodation performance from non-financial perspective and adopted theoretical framework of importance performance analysis theory, service quality model and socio economic theory of regulatory compliance. A cross sectional descriptive survey design involving both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used for the study. The target population involved all upmarket hotels and hotel regulatory agencies in Abuja Territory, Nigeria. Sampling frame was drawn from upmarket hotel general managers, front office managers, guests and heads of hotel regulatory agencies in Abuja Territory, Nigeria. The sample size of 400 respondents was involved through stratification of upmarket hotels and a systematic sampling procedure was used to select sampled respondents. Simple random sampling was used to select upmarket hotel general managers while purposive sampling was used to select front office managers and heads of hotel regulatory agencies. A proportionate and convenience sampling technique was used to select respondents from guests from each stratum of the upmarket hotels. The instruments involved in data collection included questionnaire, interview schedules and secondary information. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine variable characteristics of the study while factor analysis was used to ascertain associating and convergent variable factors. Pearson correlation was used to establish pattern of relationship and association of the study variables while linear regression analysis was involved to determine significant variable predictors and test hypotheses of the study. The Pearson correlation matrix results indicated quality of room facilities (r=-0.286, p=0.000) service quality (r=0.237, p=0.000), hotel ambience (r=0.123, p=0.015), business service mix (r=0.082, p=0.107) and regulatory control (r=0.260, p=0.000) all had positive relationship and association with accommodation performance. The regression analysis coefficient of R=0.378 and adjusted squared coefficient of R2= 0.132 were established which implied that the study variables explained 13.2% of the variations of accommodation performance. The study revealed three significant variable predictors of quality of room facilities, service quality and regulatory control and concluded that an improvement in these predictors will cause positive significant changes in accommodation performance. The study therefore, recommends these significant variable predictors for implementation in achieving better accommodation performance of upmarket hotels in Abuja Territory, Nigeria.
Small and Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises as Drivers for Inclusive Growth: Perspectives of the Regulatory Framework in Mombasa County
(Kenyatta University, 2018) Kimaiga, Ruth Kemunto
The Tourism sector plays a significant role in the development of many economies worldwide. Ideally, the sector has been credited with the creation of millions of jobs to populations globally. Although tourism has experienced continued growth over the years, the nature of employment the sector has generated still remains an issue of discussion. In fact, there has been wide-ranging apprehension that despite this growth, the sector has not availed satisfactory opportunities for the creation of productive employment that could lift a bulk of the population out of poverty particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Further, the major characteristic of the sector is its fragmented nature characterized by a large number of very small operators hence an enabling regulatory environment is critical to support the industry’s central role in economic development. However, the regulatory environment in Kenya has been reported to present a mixed picture and not sufficiently conducive for the development of the sector. This study therefore delved into the implications of the regulatory framework on the performance of SMTEs and the nature of employment created; implications of the employment created on the employees’ quality of life and the most appropriate approaches to create an enabling regulatory environment for inclusive growth with specific focus to Mombasa County. A mixed methods research design was adopted specifically using the embedded approach. Primary data was collected using researcher administered semi-structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews while secondary data was sourced from academic journals, books, internet, newspaper articles and other appropriate documents related to SMEs, regulatory framework and inclusive growth. Stratified Sampling was used for SMTEs owners/managers; purposive sampling for interview respondents while Probability Proportional to Size Sampling was used for the SMTEs employees. A total number of 68 respondents formed the sample size for SMTEs owners/managers while 464 formed the sample size for employees. Descriptive analysis, linear regression and standard multiple regression were used to analyze quantitative data while data from government documents and interviews were analysed using content analysis. Pie-charts, bar graphs and tables were used for data presentation. The findings indicated that compliance to regulations governing business operations had a statistically significant effect on the performance of SMTEs (R=0.857; P=0.012); the regulatory framework and performance of SMTEs had a statistically significant effect on the nature of employment created (R=0.802; P=0.007; 0.535=V=0.733) and the nature of employment had a statically significant effect on employees’ quality of life (R=0.881; P=0.000; V=0.804). In addition, approaches to simplify the regulatory framework had a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between the regulatory framework, performance of SMTEs and nature of employment (R=0.574; P=0.008). This study therefore recommends that the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and the Tourism Regulatory Authority should engage with Counties and other Government Departments at the national level to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of all the regulations that SMTEs need to comply with and initiate the necessary regulatory reforms. Further, SMTEs owners/managers and employees through industry Associations should lobby the Government for an enabling regulatory environment as envisaged under the Vision 2030.
Factors Influencing Employee Retention in the Hospitality Industry in North-West Region of Nigeria
(Kenyatta University, 2017-10) Matazu, Muntari Ado
Employee retention is one of the main challenges faced by hospitality industry. In today’s growing competitive global economy, retaining the intellectuals is one of major concern encountered by most industries. However, it still remains one of the understudied issues by the organizations and human resource. Generally the employees leave the organization because of the job dissatisfaction of pay, job interest, job attractiveness, pleasant working condition, nature of job, job enrichment, work environment, good managerial relations, promotion opportunities, co-workers recognition, job fairness and treatment, employee selection, training and development, as well as several other variables are of great influence on the extent to which industry can retain graduate employees. This current study examined the influence of motivational factors on graduates’ perception as they relate to employee retention in the hospitality industry in North-West region of Nigeria. Four specific objectives guided this study. Firstly, to identify the relationship between organizational practices and employee retention, secondly, to find out how human resource management practices influence employee retention, thirdly to determine the rate of employee turnover, and finally, to determine motivational predictor variables influencing employee retention in the hospitality industry in North-West Region, Nigeria. The study adopted cross-sectional exploratory research design, employing both quantitative and qualitative approach in form of survey, with data being gathered via two identical likert scale type self- administered questionnaires and focus group discussions guides for graduates working in the hospitality industry and those who already left the industry. The study was subjected to 5 hypothetical statements that were designed to give solutions to the research problems. This research used Exponential non-discriminative snowball sample of 266 employed graduate as participants who graduated from five institutions offering hospitality and related courses between 2010 and 2014. The research found that there were positive correlation between the motivational factors and employee retention in the hospitality industry which was statistically tested (p< 0.05). Findings also indicated that about 30 percent of employed graduates were found already left their employment within a period of five years. The most important motivational factors were ‘good pay,’ ‘job security,’ and ‘Promotion opportunities.’ Exploring the motivational predictor variables of employee retention, this research contributes that ‘Pay’ and ‘promotion opportunity’ are ranked among the high predictors of employee retention followed by ‘employee selection’ and ‘work fairness’. Overall, the results demonstrated that employed graduates in the hospitality industry had low level of motivation that lead to employee retention. It was reiterated that highly motivated employees posed positive perception and tend to stay on their jobs, while poorly motivated employees developed negative perception and quit. Therefore, the study recommends hospitality industry should ensure proper motivation in terms of monetary and non monetary incentives because study shows that graduates require both monetary and non monetary motivations to remain in the industry.
Influence of working conditions on the safety of housekeeping staff in budget hotels in eastern region of Ghana
(Kenyatta University, 2018-07) Siaw, Gladys Apreh
This study explored the health hazards and working conditions of housekeepers in Budget Hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It was carried out with the aim of improving occupational health and safety in the study area. Many studies globally have classified hotel housekeepers among the high risk group based on the International Labor Standards on Occupational Safety and Health. To address these concerns, the study explored the risk and hazard factors affecting the health and safety of housekeeping staff of budget hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana and to determine the conditions under which such staff work in the study area with the aim of bridging the knowledge gap and to improve on management practices of such injuries. The study is guided by the Epidemiologic Model and the Risk Factor of Work Places Injury and Illness Model development of the Great Lake Center for Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. A total of 428 housekeeping staff were drawn from 107 budget hotels using simple random sampling method. The hotels were also sampled by employing the lottery method to select one – third out of the total population of hotels in the Eastern Region. Methodological triangulation using self-completion questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect data. Pre-testing of the research instruments was carried out in seven budget hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana that were excluded while carrying out the final data collection, thus facilitating the implementation of necessary corrections. The content validity technique was used to assess how well the research instruments fit the purpose for which they are designed. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient was used to assess the reliability of the research instruments and yielded alpha of 0.89. For data analysis, frequencies and percentages were utilized to summarize the demographic profile of respondents. Descriptive statistical analyses such as percentages, mean scores, frequencies and cross tabulation were used to analyze quantitative data in line with the research objectives. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the moderating effects of the social demographics factors in relationship between working conditions and work safety. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the best predictor variables for management of health hazards affecting safety of housekeeping staff and for hypothesis testing. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data by transcribing the audio-recorded interviews to derive the specific core themes of the study. The study revealed that poor working conditions (R = .773, R2.= .598, p<.001) and the high risk of hazards (R = .718, R2.= .516, p<.001) were found to have significant positive correlation with work safety and have negative effects on the health of the housekeepers leading to bodily pains, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and infections. Finding revealed that of all the predictor variables, the factor with the highest effect of managing health hazards on work safety was inadequate experts to conduct hazard analysis (β =.258, p<0.001). It was concluded that housekeepers working in deplorable conditions as well as poor health outcomes are very significant in influencing work safety. It is therefore recommended that the Ministry of Tourism and GTA should organize regular training to maintain operational standards among budget hotels through specific training in areas of operations which are in line with national and international standards.
Health hazards and working conditions on the safety of housekeeping staff in budget hotels in eastern region of Ghana
(Kenyatta University, 2018-07) Siaw, Gladys Apreh
This study explored the health hazards and working conditions of housekeepers in Budget Hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It was carried out with the aim of improving occupational health and safety in the study area. Many studies globally have classified hotel housekeepers among the high risk group based on the International Labor Standards on Occupational Safety and Health. To address these concerns, the study explored the risk and hazard factors affecting the health and safety of housekeeping staff of budget hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana and to determine the conditions under which such staff work in the study area with the aim of bridging the knowledge gap and to improve on management practices of such injuries. The study is guided by the Epidemiologic Model and the Risk Factor of Work Places Injury and Illness Model development of the Great Lake Center for Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. A total of 428 housekeeping staff were drawn from 107 budget hotels using simple random sampling method. The hotels were also sampled by employing the lottery method to select one – third out of the total population of hotels in the Eastern Region. Methodological triangulation using self-completion questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect data. Pre-testing of the research instruments was carried out in seven budget hotels in the Eastern Region of Ghana that were excluded while carrying out the final data collection, thus facilitating the implementation of necessary corrections. The content validity technique was used to assess how well the research instruments fit the purpose for which they are designed. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient was used to assess the reliability of the research instruments and yielded alpha of 0.89. For data analysis, frequencies and percentages were utilized to summarize the demographic profile of respondents. Descriptive statistical analyses such as percentages, mean scores, frequencies and cross tabulation were used to analyze quantitative data in line with the research objectives. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the moderating effects of the social demographics factors in relationship between working conditions and work safety. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the best predictor variables for management of health hazards affecting safety of housekeeping staff and for hypothesis testing. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data by transcribing the audio-recorded interviews to derive the specific core themes of the study. The study revealed that poor working conditions (R = .773, R2.= .598, p<.001) and the high risk of hazards (R = .718, R2.= .516, p<.001) were found to have significant positive correlation with work safety and have negative effects on the health of the housekeepers leading to bodily pains, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and infections. Finding revealed that of all the predictor variables, the factor with the highest effect of managing health hazards on work safety was inadequate experts to conduct hazard analysis (β =.258, p<0.001). It was concluded that housekeepers working in deplorable conditions as well as poor health outcomes are very significant in influencing work safety. It is therefore recommended that the Ministry of Tourism and GTA should organize regular training to maintain operational standards among budget hotels through specific training in areas of operations which are in line with national and international standards.
Influence of gambling on casino employees’ behaviour in Nairobi County, Kenya
(2017-07) Kinuthia, Teresa Wangui
Casinos globally generate profits for the owners and other stakeholders andincrease the overall Gross Domestic Product of a country as a result of fees generated from licensing and imposed taxes of operation.In Africa, the casino market is developing rapidly and is in a major evolution. South Africa has forty five licensed casinos followed by Kenya with thirty one. Nairobi County has witnessed an upsurge in the number of casinos in the recent times, 55% of the casinos in Kenya are in Nairobi County. This growth represents equal economic benefits which include generation of the much needed employment.However, its negative impact on the employees remains a concern. It is worth noting that exposure to gambling, work environment and casino patrons‟predisposescasino employees to problem gambling. Frontline employees must familiarize themselves with gambling simply to perform their job. This exposure may tempt them to gamble due to distorted views about winning, seeing gamblers win and being caught up in the excitement of wins.The general objective of the study was to establish whether gambling in casinos influences employees‟ gambling behavior and to what extent. The specific objectives were, to explore whether the casino work environment has an impact on the employees gambling and socio-economic behavior. It also sought to establish availability and effectiveness of staff training in responsible gambling. Remedies/treatments available for problem gamblersin Nairobi County were also identified. The theory that underpinned this study was prospect theory. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design and collected both qualitative and quantitative data. The sample size was 247 employees. Questionnaires were used to gather data from the casino employee, which was presented intables, pie charts and bar graphs. Interview guides collected data from casino managers and Government inspectors and data was analyzed by content analysis. Categories and themes were identified and similar views from the interviews were grouped together.An observation check list was used to ascertain the environmental factors that influence casino employees‟ gambling behavior.Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the best predictor variable influencing the gambling behavior of casino employees. In general the gambling in casinos was found to contribute (57.3%) of employees gambling behavior. The study concluded the following; that casino employees gamble, exposure to gambling and casino work environment impacts on the employees socio-economic and gambling behavior. Training and treatment/remedies have no significant relationship with the employees‟ responsible gambling behavior. The study found that; there was need to educate employees on responsible gambling and recommends that the government and casino owners need to help employees manage gambling related problems by establishing gambling addiction management centers as a form of Corporate Social Responsibility. The casino employers should ensure that employees are well remunerated and working environment is conducive. The study further recommends similar studies in other regions of Kenya and online gambling which has also taken root among the Kenyan productive age group.
Household food security and dietary micronutrient intake among mothers in Mwea West sub County, Kirinyaga County, Kenya
(2017-01) Mugambi, Rahab Muthoni
Household food security has been the subject of many studies, majority of them focusing on members of the household other than women. The purpose of this study was to investigate household’s food security status and dietary micronutrient intake. It targeted mothers. The study was carried out in dry and wet seasons in Kangai and Mutithi locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya. Data were collected on socio demographics/ economics characteristics of the mothers as well as their food access and consumption behaviors, dietary intake of Vitamin A, iron, and zinc and risk factors for micronutrients utilization. The study design was cross sectional survey while data collecting instruments included a structured questionnaire and a meal preparation observation guide. Sampling techniques included probability proportionate to population and random walk and quarter to select the respondents. Data were coded, edited and analyzed using SPSS software. The findings were presented in tables, bars and pie charts while inferential statistics were used to test hypotheses. Health Canada’s, Household Food Security Survey Model (HFSSM) was used to compute food security status; Food Consumption Score tool was used to compute acceptable , borderline and poor categories of dietary intake of micronutrients and National Nutrient Data base for Standard Reference, Release 26 Software v.1.4, to compute nutrient content in foods. The food access and consumption behaviors and the dietary intake of micronutrients were found to be significantly different in the two locations (p < 0.05). An analysis of foods prepared indicated that Kangai mothers had less deficit (iron -3.9 mg, zinc -1.8mg) than Mutithi ones (iron – 9.5mg, zinc -4.1 mg). On the whole, mothers did not meet the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for Vitamin A, iron and zinc, while food consumption score ( FCS ) tool showed that 33% (from Kangai) and 51% (from Mutithi) were categorized with poor dietary micronutrient intake . The study showed a significant difference in exposure to factors that impact on micronutrient utilization, between the two locations (p < 0.05). The conclusion was that mothers from Kangai had better socio economic status, were less food insecure, and had better dietary micro nutrient intake than the Mutithi ones, but were more exposed to risk factors for micronutrient utilization. The study concluded that 55% of Mutithi mothers were severely food insecure while 21% of Kangai ones were in similar category. On the whole, 39% of the study mothers were food secure, 21% were moderately insecure, while 40% were severely food insecure. The study concluded that mothers in the two studied locations experience chronic food insecurity and hence recommended interventions for the 40% of severely food insecure mothers through provision of clean drinking water, and facilitation with irrigation water to increase food production.
Food safety and hygiene practices: a comparative study of selected technical and vocational education and training and university hospitality schools in Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2016-06) Wandolo, Monica Akinyi
Food is a basic human need that plays a vital role in the sustenance of life. Its safety, however, has become a major concern to the food industry given that the consumption of contaminated food and water contributes to a myriad of health problems the world over. Although food prepared and served at the restaurants may look clean and taste delicious, it may have been contaminated by biological, chemical or physical hazards during the preparation procedures from the source through to service. Food workshops (kitchens) are viewed as the major sources of contaminations from poor sourcing and handling practices which include undercooking, poor personal hygiene, and use of unclean equipment, inappropriate storage and incorrect holding temperatures. Despite extensive investment in training of food handling personnel, food-borne diseases remain a contentious problem to both developed and developing nations. The general objective of this study was to compare food safety and hygiene practices in training colleges to ascertain their capacity in training food safety and hygiene practices. The specific objectives included to compare the level of hygiene awareness in Technical Industrial Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TVET) and University hospitality Schools, to compare food-handling practices between TVET and University hospitality schools, to establish their capacity in offering food safety and hygiene practices, to assess the applicability of HACCP pre-requisites, to determine barriers to food safety and hygiene practices in these institutions and more importantly, to determine the microbial load of vegetables served from these institutions. Hospitality training encompasses appropriate food handling procedures, careful selection of food source and use of correct equipment, proper storage, proper cleaning procedures and proper management of food waste. All University hospitality schools and food and beverage departments in TVET colleges were considered as reliable sources of information. Accordingly, the target population included both students and heads of these departments. The instruments used to collect data included questionnaires, interviews, observation checklists, photographs and focus group discussions. An observation checklist was used to assess good hygiene practices (GHP) particularly in the training workshops. Both descriptive and inferential procedures were used in data analysis and hypotheses. Chi-square was also used to test the independence of various samples. Both paired t-test and one sample t-tests were used to test for equality of various study variables in the two institution categories. All tests were performed at 95% confidence level . For microbial tests , Samples of spinach , coleslaw and mace͂ dione of vegetables (n=36) from these institutions were analysed in the laboratory to determine the microbial load, aerobic plate count and coliform. Finally, to determine the barriers to food safety, a multiple regression analysis was undertaken. The study established that the levels of awareness varied across the institutions. Out of the total number of students, 17% were not aware of HACCP principles. Institutions had no safety guidelines therefore no operational standards were followed. The study revealed that institutions were not adequately equipped, and the HACCP prerequisites were not used in most of the institutions. Multiple regression analysis revealed that lack of resources posed a serious threat to food safety and hygienic practices. The isolation of E.coli, salmonella and pseudomonas confirmed that food safety in the institutions was compromised. This study therefore recommended that HACCP food safety system be introduced in all hospitality training institutions as a measure against food contamination.
Influence of occupational hazards on employees’ Job performance in housekeeping department of budget hotels in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria
(Kenyatta University, 2015-11) Rakiya, Ladidi Abubakar
Evidence has accumulated to suggest that occupational injuries are on upsurge in developing countries such as Nigeria and little or no consideration has been paid to this trend by the authorities. In this study, influence of occupational hazards on job performance of employees of housekeeping department was studied in budget hotels. The study specifically investigated the prevalent of occupational hazards peculiar to housekeeping jobs in budget hotels, identified the preventive measures available to reduce occupational hazards and evaluated the rehabilitation measures for injured housekeepers and investigated the level of employees’ job performance. The study gives an insight into the type of occupational risks and accidents prevalent in hotel industry particularly housekeeping department. It also allows for a better understanding of working conditions of service and level of compliance of existing occupational hazards rules and regulations by both the employers and employees. The findings of the study are beneficial to all stakeholders in hospitality industry by providing necessary information that may help prevent incidences of occupational hazards, establish rehabilitation / insurance policies that will aid in taking care of the victims of occupational accidents. The findings of the study are also useful for policy decisions by stakeholders. Relevant and related literature was reviewed based on the objectives of the study. Cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. The study was carried out in budget hotels in Nigeria. The study targeted 500housekeeping employees of the hotel industry in Kaduna Metropolis. A sample of 217 employees was derived which was determined using KREJCIE and MORGAN Formula. The employees comprise guestroom attendants and laundry staff who are directly involved in the cleanliness and maintenance of hotels and bear some risk of occupational hazards, supervisors who supervised and trained the other employees in housekeeping duties and safety at workplace and executive head housekeepers who made policies on decision making. Cluster sampling technique was used to select sample from managers and supervisors. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select guestroom attendants, public area cleaners and laundry staff under the study area. Structured and unstructured questionnaires were used to collect the data from the guestroom attendants, laundry staff, public area cleaners and supervisors while interview schedules was used for executive head housekeepers. Descriptive statistics data analysis was used to analyze numerical data collected through opened-ended questions, prevalence of occupational hazards peculiar to housekeeping jobs in budget hotels, preventive measures available reduce occupational hazards and rehabilitative measures on injured housekeepers while multiple regression were used to determine the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there are more female than male employees in hotel housekeeping jobs, there are occupational hazards that are peculiar to housekeeping jobs and there is inadequate training for employees on preventive measures. The study also showed that hospital bills which are a form rehabilitation measure for injured employees are not paid by either the management of budget hotels or the government. It was revealed that absenteeism, hospitalization, room quota and quantity of linen washed were used to measure job performance. The study concludes that incapacitated employees should be reinstated at work by employers, government should compensate injured hotel employees particularly hotel housekeepers.
Manager’s Perception Towards Security Factors: A Comparative Examination of 3 to 5 Star Hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa Counties-Kenya
(Kenyatta University, 2015) Maranga, V. N.
In Kenya, tourism has been recognized as one of the key drivers of economic growth and poverty reduction. This is because tourism has a great multiplier effect that is able to catalyze growth in all sectors of the economy. The sector has been performing well and it was anticipated that international arrivals would reach the 2 million mark by the end of 2012. However, there was a decrease by 0.3% from 1.785million in 2011 to 1.780million in 2012 and 1.5 million in 2013. The decline could be attributed to the euro zone crisis coupled with perceived insecurity in the country. Kenya is ranked 135 out of 140 countries globally by the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index on safety and security concerns. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of insecurity on performance of the hotels. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to determine the indicators of vulnerability of the hotel facilities towards insecurity; to find out the current hotel standards of security within the hotel facilities; to evaluate the effects of insecurity on the hotels‟ performance; to profile crime trends and security threats in the hotel industry. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The study used questionnaires and interviews to collect data. The study adopted a cross-sectional analysis using a sample of 160 respondents. Nairobi hotels were less vulnerable than hotels in Mombasa. This implied that investors have more confidence in Nairobi than Mombasa due to favorable conditions such as safety and security of guests; The age of the hotel did not affect security levels of the establishments; security is a multiplicity of factors interaction and not a single consideration; The quality, security, age and occupancy rate of hotel are potential factors affecting the costs for operating and maintaining the hotel There was significant difference in training across the two regions with Mombasa doing it more frequent compared to Nairobi (p value<0.001).There was a gap between the training and the application of the security procedures. On the cost of security expenditure, Nairobi had invested more than Mombasa. The increase of security costs has led to increase of recovery rates. Nairobi and Mombasa regions had a positive correlation between occupancy and security investment. As the hotel invested more in security devices, there was an increase in the occupancy rate. However, this was not statistically significant, as there was an inverse correlation in some of the hotels for the two regions. For instance, higher stars (4 &5) had a negative relationship of -0.87 and 0.05 respectively. The higher the occupancy rate the lower the investment of security in the hotel industry; none of the factors significantly explained the security investment among the hotels (p value > 0.05). The three factors (occupancy, star rating and region) explained only 17% of the total security investment in the hotels, leaving 83% of the investment unaccounted for. This indicates that investment in security among the hotels is explained by factors other than occupancy, star rating or region. The study recommends that hotel staff needs to have specialized training on security matters at higher levels to be able to respond to different threats in hotel industry. Training should commensurate to the needs of the hotel industry. There is need to capacitate the security guards, so that they will be able to expand their scope of security within the hotel industry. There is also need to continually develop security strategies to meet the evolution of security challenges in the hotel industry. At the same time there should be uniform platform of security procedures in the hotel industry to be consistent with internationally security standards.
The efficacy of park branding in influencing choice behavior of tourists to Kenyan parks
(2014-08) Maingi, Shem Wambugu
Kenya‟s tourism sector remains relatively underdeveloped, compared to other destinations globally, in terms of number of tourists, yield and diversity of experience. As a result, there was need to assess the efficacy of the Vision 2030 park branding initiative as a means of influencing consumer markets positively in premium & under-utilized in Kenya as a key issue of concern in research, policy and practice. Specifically, the key objectives of the study were to profile choice behaviour of tourists visiting branded parks in Kenya; to examine antecedent factors influencing tourists‟ choice behaviour; to evaluate tourists‟ perceptions of park brands in Kenya and their choice behaviour and to explore the influence of brand personalities on choice behaviour of tourists to Kenyan parks. The study was undertaken by way of a cross-sectional descriptive survey of tourists visiting a clustered sample of branded national parks in Kenya. Two-stage cluster sampling technique was adopted in coming up with a representative sample. Primary data was collected through questionnaire responses from an estimated 385 tourists visiting the parks. Findings based on the first objective indicated that the parks attracted different segments of tourists. These segments were classified as either primary or secondary segments. Hierarchical Cluster analysis showed significant predictors within each cluster segments. Based on the second objective, Choice of Nairobi National Park was significantly influenced by the state of roads and infrastructure, travel agency recommendations, local culture, reference from tour operators, and accommodation quality. As for Lake Nakuru National Park, choice was significantly determined by travel agency recommendations, information on the web, cost of holiday and accommodation quality. Choice of Hell‟s Gate National Park was significantly influenced by the state of roads and infrastructure, references from tour operators and accommodation quality. In terms of the external tourist perceptions to the park brands, Tourists‟ brand perception of Hell‟s Gate National Park significantly influenced brand differentiation as well as revisit intentions positively. As for Lake Nakuru National Park, the tourists‟ park brand perception moderately influenced revisit intentions. There was very strong evidence to suggest that in Nairobi National Park, tourists‟ perception of the park brand significantly influenced brand differentiation, recommendation and revisit intentions of tourists. As for Aberdares, there was strong evidence to suggest that the park brand perception significantly influenced recommendation and revisit intentions though it did not significantly influence brand differentiation. Results on objective four indicated that Lake Nakuru National Park brand personality significantly and negatively influenced brand differentiation. Nairobi National Park brand personality significantly and positively influenced all behavioral intentions of consumers i.e. revisit, recommendation and differentiation. Hell‟s Gate National Park showed a significant degree of brand salience. The park‟s brand personality did not significantly influence brand differentiation, recommendation and revisit decisions of tourists. Aberdares National Park brand personality did not significantly influence brand differentiation, recommendation intentions and revisit intentions. Generally, the findings showed that there were five key aspects of the brand that were critical in determining choice i.e. connection to personal/demographic factors, contextual factors, internal park brand personality, external park brand perception as well as brand awareness. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the nature of their experiences and post-visit intentions by responding with a branding strategy that differentiates the parks and enhances the brand identity as well as association. This study recommends the need for the park brand‟s personality and (or) uniqueness be revealed better through marketing concepts that are linked to historical, ecological, socio-cultural values of the park. This way, the park‟s brand personality could positively influence choice behavior of targeted market segments. There is also need for tourism stakeholders to apply a targeted brand communication policy to key segments. It is also important that tourism policy addresses the need to develop a coherent and sustained information promotion of KWS park brands based on market needs, at the international, regional, national, county and city level.
Service, quality evaluation and management practices of guest houses in Mombasa island, Kenya
(2014-09-09) Opondo, Josephine A.
Guest houses offer an opportunity for entrepreneurs to offer accommodation services at more affordable rates. They have limited number of rooms and are therefore easier to operate and maintain. Additionally, Guest house operators are well positioned to experience guest complaints regarding the services that they provide. The purpose of this research was to assess the quality of services provided by guest houses in Mombasa Island as rated by guests and the supervisors and their management practices. The study had four objectives namely; To establish the dimensions of customers' satisfaction with services offered in guest houses in Mombasa Island, to determine the extent to which the customers are satisfied with services provided in the guest houses, to investigate room attendants' assessment of management practices in the guest houses and to determine the accommodation supervisors rating of the quality of services provided by the guest houses. A descriptive survey design was adopted. This research focused on the registered and unregistered guest houses in Mombasa Island. Out of the fifteen registered guest houses, three were used for pre-testing, of the remaining twelve, six were examined. The number of unregistered guest houses, was estimated to be thirty three; a third of the numbers were researched on. Simple random sampling was used to select the both registered and unregistered guest houses. Convenient sampling was used for the guests, while stratified method was used for service providers. Primary data were collected through observations, interviews and questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Techniques used included means and factor analysis. The findings show that clean linen, guest supplies, well lit rooms, convenient location of the guest house, comfortable bed, and friendliness and courtesy of staff, convenient location, security and safety of room are the most significant factors for the guests who visit the registered and unregistered guest houses in Mombasa Island. The results of factor analysis showed that there are two main dimensions of service quality:the physical characteristics of the guest houses and the competence and courtesy of the staff. The study further showed that the employees of the registered and unregistered guest houses in Mombasa Island are not satisfied with how the management of the guest houses handles their welfare particularly in relation to their pay, recognition of their contribution to the running of the guest houses and availing enough working materials; but feel that the guest houses are run efficiently and the staff are giving their best. Based on these findings, the study concluded that guests' expectations from the guest houses coincided with those of the guest house providers since the factors emphasized by the guests are the same accommodation supervisors rated as satisfying. However, there is need to expose staff to higher level training to improve on their professionalism and communication skills.

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