Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
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Item The Influence of Technology Enabled Service Differentiation Strategy on Post-Pandemic Reopening Performance of Star-Rated Hotels in The South Rift Circuit(2023) Ng’etich, P. K; Mengo, N.; Cherono, V.One of the most competitive industries in Kenya and the entire continent of Africa is the hotel industry, which contributes significantly to the country's economy. As a result, the sector is a significant source of foreign exchange, employment, and revenue for the nation. However, the emergence of the Covid-19 global pandemic has had a significant impact on the hotel industry in the country as elsewhere globally with travel restrictions, social distance requirements, and low visitor turnout affecting their operations. The researcher sought to examine the influence of technology enabled service differentiation strategy on reopening performance of the hotel industry in Kenya in the post-pandemic context. Marketing Mix Theory guided the study. The study adopted expressive cross sectional survey research design and targeted 47 star rated hotels, lodges, camps and as well as guest houses in the South Rift Circuit, that is, Nakuru and Narok counties using a census. Data was collected through questionnaires from the marketing managers of the hotels. Qualitative data was analyzed through thematic and content analysis using Nvivo while quantitative data was coded and analyzed through SPSS computer software version 24.0 using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The outcome revealed that technology enabled strategy affecting post-pandemic reopening performance of star-rated hotels in the South Rift Circuit, Kenya is significant. Therefore, the study recommends that the hotels should make provision for continuous training of staff on modern technologies. The hotels’ management need to provide tailored services to individuals and group clients as need arises. The hotels need to diversify their markets to ensure that they are able to tap into more potential markets locally and internationally. Finally, the hotels need to emphasize on market growth strategies.Item Brand Personality and Destination Brand Competitiveness; A mediated symbiotic relationship, a study of Kenya's tourism industry(RS Publication, 2017-09) Rop, Wendy; Ogutu, Martin; Bichage, MethuselahAlthough branding has been acknowledged as a fundamental element of destination brand competitiveness, and there is agreement that effective branding promotes development and growth of an industry, the organisation of branding in Kenya as a destination is not well understood. This paper examines the relationship between brand personality and destination brand competitiveness by investigating tourism firms perceive Kenya's brand personality and how brand personality impacts on destination brand competitiveness. An exploratory approach was adopted to explore this issue using three Kenyan, county destinations; Nairobi County, Nakuru County and Kisumu County. The findings of this research suggest that the manner in which tourism organisations translate the personalities into the brand poetics will influence the overall destinations brand. In particular the study supports previous research findings that the role of destination brand is essential if destination marketing authorities are to operate in synergy with other stakeholders because they are the providers of goods and services that represent the country effectively.Item 4. Measuring efficiency and benchmarking classified two-five star hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya(KENYATTA UNIVERSITY, 2012-04) Mburugu, Keren; Muchai, Diana Mukwate; Gesage, , Methuselah B.The Government of Kenya recognizes the role played by hotels and restaurants in terms of wealth creation, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its multiplier effect that acts as a stimulus to the growth of other sectors such as transport, entertainment, agriculture, trade and industry. There are a limited number of detailed studies into performance measurement practices in the hospitality industry in particular. Most of the previous studies in the hotel industry have used traditional financial ratio analysis such as return on equity or return on assets. Few studies have used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for the hotel sector. The purpose of this study was to measure the relative efficiency of the hotels in Nairobi and the Coast region· using Data Envelopment Analysis. The objectives of this study were; to measure the efficiency level of 2-5 hotels, to profile the hotels based on their performance, to analyze their efficiency distribution and to identify the determinants of efficiency differences. The study was a longitudinal survey in which data are collected for each variable for two or more distinct periods; 2007, 2008 and 2009 being three such distinct periods. The study was carried out in Nairobi and Mombasa and was limited to two-five star hotels. The study sample consisted of 36 hotels. Data for 2007 to 2009 collected through interviews. The results revealed many hotels were in private independent ownership particularly in the three star rating. International chains owned most of the five star hotels. The hotels generated most of their revenue from room sales. There was a general decline in revenue from rooms in 2008 attributed to the post election violence. Technical inefficiencies of the hotels were mainly due to the pure technical inefficiencies rather than the scale inefficiencies. These hotels were ineffective in converting inputs to outputs. The results further revealed that four and five star hotels had declining efficiency scores from 2007 to 2009. In 2007 22 % of the hotels were operating under decreasing returns to scale while 8.3% operated under increasing returns to scale. In 2008, 19.4% of the hotels operated under increasing returns to scale while 13.8% operated under the decreasing returns to scale. In 2009 33% of the hotels operated under the increasing returns to scale whereas 19.4% operated under increasing returns to scale. There were no significant differences in the efficiency scores for two and three star hotels as one set and four and five star hotels as a second set. There were equally no significant differences in the efficiency scores for the hotels found in Nairobi and Mombasa and also between chain and independent owned hotels. Generally, there was no significant difference in the efficiency scores between the different hotel sizes. The main determinant of efficiency was the location of the hotels. The study recommends that the hotel managers address their hotel's internal weaknesses in their day to day hotel operations if they are to be more efficient. One of the conclusions of this study is that all the hotels studied had declining efficiency scores from 2007 to 2009. A policy implication for the managers of the inefficient hotels is that they should borrow the best practices of their efficient peers if they have to raise their hotel's performance. Another policy implication for investors is that one can invest confidently in Nairobi since the efficiency of the hotels in this region is likely to be higher compared to those in Mombasa.Item The cost of livestock lost to lions and other wildlife species in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya(Springer, 2017-06-09) Muriuki, Margaret; Ipara, Hellen I.; Kiringe, John WaruiThough retaliatory lion (Panthera leo) killing as a result of livestock predation in the Maasai group ranches between the Tsavo NPs and Amboseli is remarkably high, other wildlife species are known to kill livestock. Surprisingly, lions suffer the most from retaliatory killing by the Maasai community for killing livestock. The extent of livestock predation by lions in comparison to other species is unknown. This study was carried out in the Olgulului group ranch (OGR) located adjacent to Amboseli National Park in June 2009. The cost of livestock killed by each of these species including lion, hyena (Crocuta crocuta), cheetah (Acynonyx jubatus), leopard (Panthera pardus), olive baboon (Papio cynocephalus), black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), and African elephant (Loxodonta africana) was analyzed. Questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with officials from OGR, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and compensation scheme organizations were the methods used to collect information. Cluster and systematic sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 199 respondents from OGR. Lions were blamed for 40.5% (US$ 374,603) of the value of livestock lost to wildlife. The costs of livestock lost to hyenas and lions were not significantly different (q = 0.24, p = 0.968). Although hyenas killed more livestock compared to lions, the economic damage between the two was not significantly different because lions attacked cattle which had high economic value. Conservation of lions will be increasingly difficult if the current levels of predation are not reduced to economically and socially acceptable levels.Item Effects of Employee Attitudinal Factors on HACCP System Practices in Four and Five Star Rated Hotels in Nairobi County, Kenya(International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2021) Bichage., Gesage; Miricho, Moses; Wanjiku, Chege PeninahRight attitude is very important for every success. It is key to performance of employees in any business. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a globally recognized food safety program advanced as a suitable program to minimize or eliminate the risk of food contamination. This study sought to determine the influence of employee attitudinal factors on HACCP system practices in four and five star-rated hotels in Nairobi County. A total of 255 hotel cooks and 33 chefs participated in the study. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics that provided detailed description of the study variables. To establish the statistical significance of the hypothesis, simple linear regression analysis was conducted at 95 percent confidence level (α = 0.05).The study established the existence of a statistically significant positive relationship between employee behavioral factors and HACCP system practices. The study recommends to hotel managers and other food production industry practitioners to enhance employees’ attitude for effective HACCP system implementation.Item Effect of Food Safety and Management Commitment on Customer Choice of Dining Destination in Kenya(African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 2020-12) Gesage, Bichage; Fwaya, Erick V.O; Ondara, Robert OrengeThis finding challenges the existing view of the glass ceiling and how women should be attempting to shatter it. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of food safety and moderating effect of management commitment on customer choice of dining destination in Kenya. A cross-sectional research design was used which involved both descriptive and inferential statistic. The study used complete enumeration method to select 27, 4 and 5 Hotels in Kenya. 1080 respondents Managers head chefs and guests were sampled. Guests were sampled based on bed occupancy calculated at 49%. Managers and chefs were Purposively sampled while simple random sampling was used to select the guests. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. The hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance the result indicated that food safety, monitoring and surveillance systems had a significant relationship in determining destination choice (p-values 0.005 and 0.044). For the indirect effects regression analysis, top management commitment was found to have a moderating influence on the relationship between food safety and customer destination choice (p-value = 0.004). The predictor variable explained only 55.4% of the total variations in the choice of dining destinations (R2 = 0.554). Based on these findings, this study recommends that although this study provided unique insights into the link between food safety, monitoring and top management commitment, its conceptual and empirical setting had a number of limitations. This can be used as a source of future study.Item Service Tangibility on Repeat Visits in Two-Five Star Rated Hotels in Nairobi County(International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 2020-08-30) Musembi, Nancy Kaseki; Ngugi, Louise; Bichage, MethuselahThis study evaluated the influence of service tangibility on repeat visits in two-five star rated Hotels in Nairobi County. The significance of service quality cannot be over emphasized it is generally accepted that the interplay of service quality, customer satisfaction, and repeat visitation represents an attractive, cost-effective approach to gain competitive advantage for most companies though the hotel industry is a very important sector in Kenya as it has many contributions to the economy. The tourism industry in Kenya is currently facing slow progress and the hotels are losing a lot of revenue due to poor services. The main objective of the study was to determine influence of service tangibility on repeat visits in two-five star rated hotels in Nairobi County. The specific objectives were to examine Quality and Cleanliness, influence of Good Menu and impact of Comfortable Beds on repeat visits in two-five star rated hotels in Nairobi. Mixed methods research design was applied based on cross sectional survey. The target population of comprised of customers in 2-5 star rated hotels in Nairobi County. A questionnaire was use to collect primary data and the researcher conducted a pre-test of the research instruments to establish their validity. The study showed that there is a positive effect of quality attributes on customer satisfaction and customers’ repeat visits to hotels. The study concluded that majorly, the individual service quality attributes and the level of customer satisfaction influence repeat visits in star rated hotels in Nairobi County.Item Effects of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Principles on Food Safety at National Youth Service in Nakuru County, Kenya(International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 2020-06) Ndaramu, Onesmus; Makopondo, Richard; Mary Njeri, MuchiriThis study examined the effect of hazard analysis and critical control points principles on food safety at the National Youth Service in Nakuru County; Kenya.Application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, HACCP) principle in food production and service areas is a requirement especially in all food handling stages, Successful implementation of the procedures based on the HACCP principles requires the full cooperation and commitment of food handlers’ requiring employees to undergo training.Food safety plays a significant role in the economic and health development of Nations by safeguarding the nation‘s health, enhancing tourism, hospitality, and international trade, the production, distribution, and consumption of safe food.The scope of the study was limited to NYS Catering unit kitchens in Gilgil College. The findings explain the hygiene andsafety practices of other Academic kitchens in Kenya. The study adopted a mixed research methodology, this study adopted a census method; the reason being the total population was 121.The response from the quantitative data from the questionnaires was tabulated, coded, and processed by use of the statistical package for social sciences Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the findings, the R and R2 value representing the simple correlation summary showed that 16.6percent of HACCP principles can be explained by variance in food safety.ANOVA results showed that the model applied was statistically significant to predict the outcome variable.The study also concludes that food-hygiene operating procedure that is documented and awareness too that food safety inspections by health inspectors help to ensure safe food handling practices are followedItem The Influence of Contextual Factors on HACCP System Practices in Four and Five Star Rated Hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya(Eastern Africa Journal of Contemporary Research, 2020) Wanjiku, Chege Peninah; Miricho, Moses; Gesage, BichageHazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is an important food safety strategy that most food production entities throughout the world endeavor to implement. However, a variety of contextual factors influence its successful execution. This study sought to determine the influence of contextual factors namely food safety regulations, market forces, size of the hotel, management commitment and funding level onHACCP system practices in four and five star ratedhotels in Nairobi City County. Atotal of 255 hotel cooks and 33 chefs in 16 four and five star rated hotels participated in the studyas key informant respondents and units of analysisfrom whom datawas collectedusing a self-administered structured questionnaire. Additional data was collected from hotel managers through an interview schedule forcross-validation. Analysis of data was conducted through a set of descriptive statistics that provided detailed explanations of the study variablesas well as multiple linear regression to test the set null hypothesis at 95 percent confidence level (α = 0.05).The results of the study reveal that on the aggregate, the context within which the hotels operate significantlyinfluences their HACCP system practices. In particular, regulatory framework, size of the hotel, management commitment and funding level were found to have a positive influence on HACCP system practices of the hotelswhile market forces hadnegative effect on the hotels’ HACCP systempractices. Thestudyprovides significant insights for the advancementof knowledge onHACCP concept as well as appropriate recommendations to hotel managers and other food production industry practitioners on the effective implementation of HACCP system practicesItem Effects of Employee Behavioral Factors on HACCP System Practices in Four and Five Star Rated Hotels in Nairobi County, Kenya(Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports, 2020-04-20) Wanjiku, Chege Peninah; Miricho, Moses; Gesage, BichageHazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a globally recognized food safety program advanced as a suitable program to minimize or eliminate the risk of food contamination. Successful implementation of HACCP System requires appropriate employee support. This study sought todetermine the influence of employee behavioral factors on HACCP system practices in four and five star-rated hotels in Nairobi County.A total of 255 hotel cooks and 33 chefs participated in the study. Analysis of the data utilized a set of descriptive statistics that provided detailed description of the study variables. To establish the statistical significance of the hypothesis,multiple linear regression analysis was conductedat 95 percent confidence level (α = 0.05).The study established the existence of a statistically significant positive relationship between employee behavioral factors and HACCP system practices. Rrecommendations to hotel managers and other food production industry practitioners on enhancement of employee behaviour for effective HACCP system implementation are provided.