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Barriers to Implementing Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Managing Small to Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs): the Case of Hogsback, Eastern Cape,SouthAfrica

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Hogsback, South Africa Small and medium-sized enterprises Small Business Information Communication Technology (ICT) Computer File
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6031 , vital:45083 , https://www.ijicc.net/images/Vol_15/Iss_10/151057_Mxunyelwa_2021_E_R.pdf
  • Description: Information Communication Technology is recognised worldwide for its contribution towardsSMTEs development and the economy. However, the level of ICT implementation as a management tool, its contribution and the extent of benefits on SMTEs is a debateable phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers to the implementation of ICT within the context of small and medium tourism enterprises in Hogsback. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied in this study. Questionnaire interviews were conducted with owner/managers in Hogsback. The stratified sampling methodwas utilised to collect data. The study indicates that (46.2%) of the business respondents wereoperating the accommodation establishments. The findings of the study underscores that (25.6%) of the business owners identified the barriers of ICT appears to be high costs. Further(23.1%) stated that accessing technology was also an impediment. Moreover, the study elucidates that (94.9%) of the SMTE concur that implementation ICT as a management tool helps to meet objectives of the business for the daily operations of the business. It is therefore recommended that ICT be implemented as a management tool for small and medium tourism enterprises. Furthermore, the study recommends that the managers/owners should invest in technology to ensure the success of the SMTEs in all aspects. Furthermore, the study serves asthe basis for future studies in the area of ICT within the SMTE sector
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  • Date Issued: 2021

Developing Rural Economies through Small to Medium Tourism Enterprise: the case of Matatiele and Cedarville in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga , Matarinano, Obert , Vallabh, Dinesh
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Matatiele, South Africa Small and medium-sized enterprises Small Business Computer File
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6015 , vital:45081 , https://www.ijicc.net/index.php/ijicc-editions/2021/226-vol-15-iss-10
  • Description: Globally, nations depend on small businesses as engines for economic growth. Small to Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), as part of the small business sector, are increasingly becoming important in terms of job creation, wealth creation and driving economic growth in smaller rural geographic areas. Utilising a mixed research approach, the paper identifies characteristics of SMTEs in Matatiele and Cedarville with the intention of identifying specific ways in which they can be supported to attain their real potential in enabling economic development in rural environment. Purposive sampling method was used to select respondents and self-administered questionnaires utilised to gather relevant data from managers/owners. The results indicate that the rural tourism is dominated by female-owned enterprises primarily offering accommodation services. Most of the enterprises have been in operation for a period of more than five years which points to potential growth as they are able to survive. The results further show that the businesses that participated in the survey intent employing more full-time employees. Furthermore, the results underscore that there is lack of local government support to promote entrepreneurship in the SMTEs sector particularly those that are located in the rural environment. The findings elucidate the ability of SMTEs to greatly reduce the high unemployment in rural economies if appropriate systems are put in place to support these enterprises. These findings have implications for the national, provincial and local government spheres in South Africa in their quest to create job opportunities in rural areas through entrepreneurship and SMTEs in order to provide impetus to the Eastern Cape Province and South African Economy. This paper
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  • Date Issued: 2021

Factors that influence guest satisfaction with the hospitality establishments: evidence from hospitality industry in Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga , Mtshokotshe, Z
  • Date: 2021-00-00
  • Subjects: Hotels , Antifungal agents
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6758 , vital:48990 , https://www.ijicc.net/index.php/ijicc-editions/2021/226-vol-15-iss-10
  • Description: The management of guests’ satisfaction is imperative for the sustainability of hospitality establishments. The guests’ satisfaction is a lifeblood of a thriving hospitality establishment such as the hotel, guest house, lodge and Bed and Breakfast to mention but a few. The purpose of this paper was to examine the influence of the five dimensional factors of service quality on guest expectations and experiences in hotels in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Furthermore, the paper sought to analyse the factors among the five dimensions that have a main role in driving overall guest expectations and experiences. A purposive sampling method was employed in the data collection process. Primary data was collected through interviews with hotel managers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) among factor was undertaken in order to analyse the five factors. The findings elucidate that tangibles, responsiveness and assurance play a significant role in driving guest expectations and experiences in the South African hotel industry. The paper further underscores that reliability and empathy are an integral part in providing memorable experience for the guests in hotels. Furthermore, service quality is one of the key aspects to guest expectations and experiences. Conversely, the tangible variable is deemed to be the most important factor driving guest expectations and experiences in the context of the South African hotel industry. It is evident from the findings of the paper improve guest expectations and experiences hoteliers should emphasise the following attributes: ‘reliability’, ‘empathy’ and ‘assurance. The findings of this paper makes a meaningful contribution to a better understanding of the main factors that influence guest expectations and experiences. The results of this paper have implications from a managerial point of view in the highly competitive South African hotel industry.
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  • Date Issued: 2021-00-00

Events tourism as a conduit to promote underdeveloped tourist destinations, with specific reference to the Mooiplaas Homecoming Music Event in East London, South Africa

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga , Kilani, Khuselwa Busisiwe
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1958 , vital:39809 , https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_9_vol_9_2__2020_wsu.pdf
  • Description: Events tourism has demonstrated growth over the years, and has been used as a tool to boost local economies. Hosting such events creates benefits, these include the boost in the local economy, improvement of infrastructure on destinations and job creation. The purpose of this paper was to investigate how events tourism could be utilised as a conduit to promote underdeveloped tourist destinations in Mooiplaas. Secondary data sources were consulted to understand the role of events tourism in the local community of Mooiplaas. This paper utilised a survey questionnaire to collect data. The simple random sampling method was utilised to select the respondents. The findings indicate that 70% of the respondents agreed that they are consulted about the events that promote their community. Furthermore, the findings elucidates that 82% of the respondents concur that events can potentially create entrepreneurial opportunities. These findings contribute significantly in developing the local economic strategies of the municipalities in underdeveloped regions. As such it is recommended that events are planned in a coherent, systematic manner in order to achieve local economic development objectives. Furthermore, the paper provided a foundation on how to plan, organise, lead and control events that can potentially unearth tourism demand particularly in developing tourist destinations. Moreover, it is hoped that the paper will serve as the basis to plan future events in the context of regions such as Mooiplaas that are still engulfed with developmental challenges, these contribute to triple threat of unemployed, poverty and inequality.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Management capacity within small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs)

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Small business -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , Tourism -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41708 , vital:36574
  • Description: The small to medium tourism enterprises are identified as important contributors to the growth of the local and regional economies and creates much needed entrepreneurial ventures. Universally, small to medium tourism enterprises play a significant role in the tourism sector. The small businesses are in many instances deemed to facing risk to economic environmental challenges and face uphill battles to operate their enterprises in a sustainable manner. Management of these enterprises by owners and managers seems to face challenges. This study focuses on small to medium tourism enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, which faces the triple threat challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and is one of the economically poorest provinces of South Africa. In an endeavour to create a trajectory for progression and development of small to medium tourism enterprises, owners and managers are required to undertake management capacity programmes to deal with the problems that confront the enterprise on a daily basis. The study examines the factors impacting on management capacity with specific focus on the small to medium tourism enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Management capacity is paramount as it builds managerial competency and has become significant to the small business economy, as these enterprises make every effort to avoid discontinuation. Management capacity improves business performance and small enterprises require help in order to have a broader understanding of issues that can be an impediment to address the challenges in the business environment. The factors that could impact on management capacity within the enterprises are the focus of this research. The eleven main factors were identified, namely skills development; reasons for starting a business; business challenges; strategic and management knowledge; business leadership; business resources, business environment; business communication; business organisational leadership; organisational strategy; and organisational information factors. Furthermore, the study examined the level of influence of these factors on the management capacity of small businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector in the Eastern Cape and investigated the relationships between these factors. A descriptive research design and a quantitative approach were considered suitable for this study. A systematic random sampling technique was utilised to choose a sample of 320 business respondents from the 2012 database of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, comprising of formally registered small tourism businesses. A total of 310 usable questionnaires was finally obtained. In this study descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Descriptive statistics were captured to highlight the owners and managers’ general characteristics and to consolidate their measurement scores. Utilising inferential statistics, the study undertook an investigation into relationships between demographic variables and business characteristics. Furthermore, an investigation of the relationships amongst the following factors: skills development; reasons for starting a business; business challenges; strategic and management knowledge; business leadership; business resources, business environment; business communication; business organisational leadership; organisational strategy and organisational information factors was undertaken. Data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and both the validity and reliability of the research instrument was assessed. The research findings support an overall significant correlation between management capacity and skills development; reasons for starting a business; business challenges; strategic and management knowledge; business leadership; business resources, business environment; business communication; business organisational leadership; organisational strategy and organisational information. The study also explored the relationship between demographics and business characteristics. A significant relationship was found between business characteristics and variables in the demographic profile, namely the gender of owners/managers, educational levels, qualifications, and gross annual turnover. What follows is a summation of the most significant contributions of this research. The overview of the significance of the tourism sector in the economy and the role of small businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry of the Eastern Cape will benefit researchers and potential owners/managers who have an interest in this developing sector. The study enhances the understanding of the factors that relate to management capacity. The study has established a profile of SMTE sector in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, which can play a significant role for future research. This research makes a contribution to the largely under-researched area of management capacity in small to medium tourism enterprises. Recommendations for owners/managers and consideration of future research included the following. Owners/managers need to have management skills and a strong strategic focus. Through management capacity the needs of the business will be addressed, and capacity building programmes can be tailored to maximise the benefits for owners/managers of SMTEs, thereby improving business performance and avoiding high failure rate. Managers need to be effectively trained to deal with business needs. The management of the business plays a pivotal role in the performance of the enterprise. Managers must be skilled with regards to developing strategic plans, marketing plans, and business plans, thus enhancing management capacity. Longitudinal studies can be undertaken to investigating the same factors which could impact on management capacity. It is recommended that this study be replicated across the global spectrum in order to analyse the factors that impact on management capacity of small to medium tourism businesses of other countries.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Management Capacity within Small to Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) in the Eastern Cape Province

  • Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga , Lloyd, Hendrik
  • Date: 2019
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1962 , vital:39807 , https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_49_vol_8_4__2019_wsu.pdf
  • Description: The small to medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) are recognised as significant contributors to the development of the local and regional economies and create much needed entrepreneurial ventures. Universally, SMTEs play a significant role in the tourism sector. Management of these enterprises by owners and managers seems to face challenges. This paper examines the factors impacting on management capacity with specific focus on the SMTEs in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A systematic random sampling technique was utilised to choose a sample of 320 business respondents from the 2012 database of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, comprising of formally registered small tourism businesses. A total of 310 usable questionnaires was finally obtained. In this study descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Descriptive statistics were captured to highlight the owners’ characteristics and to consolidate their measurement scores. Utilising inferential statistics, the study undertook an investigation into relationships between demographic variables, business characteristics and factors impacting on management capacity within SMTEs were undertaken. The paper elucidates that a significant relationship was found between business characteristics and demographic variables. Furthermore, skills development, strategic and management knowledge and business leadership factors were compared with the qualifications group. This study adds to the body of knowledge in a predominantly less researched phenomenon of management capacity within SMTEs.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019

Events tourism as catalyst to promote destinations: Event attendees’ perceptions of events in East London, South Africa

Festivals as a Niche for Local Economic Development(LED): A Case Study of the East London Port Festival(ELPF), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Information Communication Technology(ICT) as a management tool for small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs)

Political Tourism a missed opportunity for Local Economic Development(LED)intheEastern Cape, South Africa: A case study of Qunu andMvezo

Skills as Impediment to Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Small to Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) promoting Local Economic Development in Hogsback, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Sport events tourism as a catalyst for image makers for tourist destinations: A case study of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in relation to the Legends Marathon Event

The impacts of coastal tourism on the Wild Coast community: a case study of Elliotdale

The implications of the proposed carbon tax in South Africa’s tourism industry

The prospects of tourism and hospitality industries as drivers of Local Economic Development (LED): The case of Port St Johns (PSJ), Eastern Cape, South Africa

The Wild Coast as a catalyst for local economic development (LED) in Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa

TTRA APac 3rd Annual Conference 4 th -6 th December. Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

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