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

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 secto

Wine Islands, British Columbia : an exploration of wine tourism network relationships

Despite recognition of the potential benefits of wine tourism development for businesses and regions, the wine and tourism industries are characterised by a substantial lack of cohesion, understanding and integration. If the potential benefits of wine tourism are to be realised, it becomes critical to understand how the wine and tourism industries can be integrated. Studies examining wine tourism integration are disparate in approach and technique and the linkages between these two industries are not well understood. Wine tourism networks are therefore at the forefront of this study. Network linkages can be understood in terms of both positions of the individual units in relation to one another and the shared interactions which they engage in. This study of the Wine Islands region (British Columbia) adopted a blended approach to network analysis that embeds network maps (illustrating structural characteristics) within a qualitative understanding of the interactional nature and transactional contents of emerging regional wine tourism networks. This approach allowed for analysis of multiple levels of winery and tourism relationships in an attempt to more fully understand the complexity of wine tourism networks within the case study region. Many forms of networks were found to be present in the case study region, but no formal organisational networks were present. Rather, this study found predominantly informal dyadic relationships between wineries and between wineries and SMTEs, with few formal dyadic relationships, spanning communicative, exchange and social transactional contents. The region supports formalised vertical organisation sets, however, these tend to be tourism driven rather than winery driven. Regional level wine industry organisations constitute the region's horizontal action sets, with the regional wine industry marketing organisation having a central coordinating role in the network structure. However, it is not the mere presence of a formal organisational network structure that prompts vertical and diagonal linkages, but the social relationships embedded within these institutional arrangements and the development of more densely connected networks. Several impediments to inter- and intra-industry relationship development were also identified, including: proximity, both spatial and non spatial such as actor similarity; perceptions of asymmetric benefits between the industries; resource scarcity; product quantity and quality; lack of infrastructure; relevancy of wine tourism to some businesses; business goal (in)congruency; the lack of a champion; lack of trust; and the stability of the region's actors. As one of the first comprehensive studies of wine tourism networks and their characteristics, this study makes a significant methodological contribution to the tourism and wine tourism literature by applying a blended approach to network analysis to gain a holistic, in-depth understanding of the structure and qualitative nature of wine and tourism industry networks. An understanding of the structural weaknesses and centrality in the network, as well as those barriers to the development of networks allow for policy and management responses. Further, this study' s findings allows for benchmarking and comparison across other wine tourism destination networks, and provides the basis for the development of best practice in wine region network development

Transformation theory and e-commerce adoption

This thesis investigates business transformation on the Internet; particularly the nature and significance of Cyber transformation theory and the Marketspace Model as a framework for E-commerce adoption. E-commerce can raise a firm\u27s productivity, transform customer relationships and open up new markets. The extent to which nations become adopters of E-commerce is set to become a source of comparative national competitive advantage (or disadvantage) in the twenty first century

Destination management systems : towards a holistic effectiveness evaluation

This study aims to enhance the understanding of destination management system (DMS) effectiveness and its evaluation. Upon review of the literature, it was established that DMS effectiveness and its evaluation has not yet been researched adequately. Informed by an interpretive approach, this study contributes to research particularly by investigating what constitutes effectiveness and explores the aspects (factors and relationships) that need to be considered in a holistic DMS effectiveness evaluation. Based on a qualitative case study strategy, this study adopts a comprehensive approach that considers multiple stakeholder groups’ perspectives. The research evidence is collected through a case-study of the Egyptian DMS experience (the Touregypt project). The Touregypt project gives insights to the understanding of three DMS cases that have not been researched before in DMS literature: first, an actual DMS application in a developing country; second, a public and private sector partnership experience; and third, a failed DMS experience (the system has failed in the course of this research).Prompted by the interpretive approach, this study tried to explore DMS effectiveness based on the perspectives, attitudes and experiences of the multiple stakeholder groups (Hesse-Biber and Leavy 2010). Accordingly, the empirical data was collected through a multi-method approach that includes interviews, observation, archival document analysis (including Touregypt forum analysis), and website analysis. Data has been analyzed guided by discourse analysis, complemented with the general inductive approach of Miles and Huberman (1994). Following an interpretive theory-building strategy, the analyzed data has been further interpreted in the light of prior theories of DMS and information systems research, particularly the Delone and MacLean IS effectiveness theory (1992, 2003, and 2004).The main contribution of this study to knowledge is a theory based model that enhances the understanding of DMS effectiveness evaluation. The suggested model identifies the aspects (factors and relationships) that need to be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of DMS. Also, the results of this study give insights to the understanding of DMS effectiveness by shedding light on what constitutes effectiveness and the possible relationship between such constructs

Free and open source software adoption framework for Swiss small and medium-sized tourist enterprises

The link between IT and the hospitality and tourism industry has been the focus of many research initiatives. As the hospitality and tourism sectors significantly contribute to a nation’s economy, it is imperative that hospitality and tourism enterprises enhance their competitiveness to participate and survive in the global competition. It is common that the tourism and hospitality sector in any economy consists primarily of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In the case of Switzerland, tourism and hospitality is one of the sectors that employs a significant workforce but is mainly comprised of SMEs. Swiss tourism SMEs are under immense pressure to achieve and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Although information technology (IT) adoption has been strongly advocated for tourism enterprises to ensure their success in the global tourism value chain, tourism SMEs have not been utilising IT solutions in their businesses due to the prohibitive costs and a lack of appropriate information about IT solutions. A special class of IT applications known as free and open source software (F/OSS) is growing in prominence and offers scope to provide viable and affordable solutions for various operational and strategic levels for businesses. F/OSSs are socially developed software solutions that are primarily low cost in comparison to their proprietary counterparts. This thesis argues that, in the context of Swiss tourism SMEs, F/OSS-type applications can provide low-cost and high-quality technological solutions, which could assist in improving their competitiveness. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to create an F/OSS adoption framework, which enables analysis of Swiss SMTEs’ willingness to adopt F/OSS applications in their operations. Based on the level of FOSS development and the potential areas for technology adoption within SMTEs areas as outlined in the previous literature, this study proposes and empirically tests an F/OSS adoption model in the context of Swiss tourism SMEs. The model identifies direct and indirect determinants of FOSS adoption which are moderated by demographic factors (age, gender, education and internet experience). The research design consisted of sampling techniques, questionnaire development, qualitative interviews, and pre- and pilot testing of the survey instrument. In order to test the model, data was collected electronically from 152 cross-sectional participants. The data analysis consisted of descriptive analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this analysis demonstrated that the predictors of BI to adopt F/OSS explained 23.2 per cent of the variance. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to further validate the research model. In terms of a general F/OSS acceptance model in the context of Swiss SMTEs, based on the findings of the current research, effort expectancy, social influence and community influence are significant determinants of Swiss SMTEs’ behavioural intention towards F/OSS adoption, more than performance expectancy and facilitating conditions. Moreover, the characteristics of Swiss SMTEs and of F/OSS itself could be valid factors influencing the behavioural intentions of Swiss SMTEs. The main contribution of this thesis lies in filling the gap in the research by proposing and testing an F/OSS adoption model that can assess how F/OSS-type applications might be adopted by tourism SMEs. The model contains both direct and indirect determinants of F/OSS adoption. Researchers and practitioners can benefit from the results of this study as it contributes towards our understanding of SMEs’ stance on and intentions to adopt F/OSS