Factors impacting customer satisfaction in the hotel restaurant at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah: a study of hotel restaurant attributes

The purpose of this research was to access the influence of hotel restaurant attributes towards customer satisfaction in the hotel restaurant. In this paper, three of the hotel restaurant attributes will be discussed. The main objectives of this study are to examine the relationship between food quality, service quality and atmosphere towards customer satisfaction in the hotel restaurant. This study using a quantitative approach and questionnaire has been distributed to the respondents who have dined in at the hotel restaurant in the Kota Kinabalu area. Meanwhile, the data for this study will be analyzed using Partial Least Square via Structural Equation Modelling. The result shows that food quality, service quality and atmosphere have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. This study will assist the hotel industry in Kota Kinabalu as generally in obtaining a better picture of the key factor that determines customer satisfaction to stay competitive with another freestanding restaurant

Impact of covid-19 on event industry: Event audience readiness towards event digitization

For the event organiser, Sabah is one of the states that becomes a focal point. As Sabah is one of the most popular tourist destinations, several large events such as the Sabah Jazz Festival, Pesta Lepa-lepa, Pesta Kaamatan, Pesta Kalimaran, and other festivals have been held. However, COVID 19’s disruptive impacts have had such a significant impact on the event sector. Most of the events are getting cancelled or postponed all over the world. Over the past several months, a significant number of meetings and conferences have been redesigned as virtual events. However, the event industry needs to know the readiness of the public towards the shifting from the physical to the digital. Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine the event audience readiness for digital events. It is important for the event industry to know the readiness and a good online platform in providing a good service to their audience. A quantitative method was used to conduct this study. The main finding will see how far our communities is ready to adapt the new norm. Based on the finding it shows that event audience are willing to adopt the event digitisation, and this is due to the impact of the COVID 19pandemic which was accelerating changes in event audience behaviour. This research will benefit the event organisers and help them prepare strategic plana to cater to the audience needs

Study on generation Y dining out behavior in Sabah, Malaysia

Dine out has become a famous trend which indirectly contribute to the booming of the foodservice industry in Malaysia. This trend has become one of the factors that need to be considered by the foodservice operators in order to enhance and maximize their sales. Apparently, this trend followed by most of the Generation Y’s generation. Generation Y dines out and spent more than older generations and they has become the key market segment in the food service industry. They are adventurous in trying new foods and places with their unique and bizarre eating habit. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence the Generation Y to dine out. Moreover, this study also identify the popular spot of dine out places as well as the types of food service establishments. The analysis utilized a sample collected in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia involving convenience sampling with self-administered survey. In general, the group of Generation Y is choosing casual type of restaurant as one of their preferred destination to dine in. The findings of this study are discussed to assist the food service operators to expand their market segment into this emergence market by considering price , facilities and additional value for product offered b

Personal dietary characteristics, destination image and Behavioural intentions: food tourism in Chengdu

Food has become an indispensable part of the tourism industry, and there are inextricable links between food and tourism. Tourist food destination is widely promoted on various websites and has become the destination’s most crucial cultural expression. Personality dietary characteristics, destination image, and behavioural attention can influence food tourism’s positive development at a destination. Chengdu, China, was chosen as a case setting to explore the effect of food tourism in China. A quantitative research approach and a selfadministered questionnaire were adopted in this study. One hundred and sixty-nine respondents participated in this study, and the data were analyzed using Smart-PLS. Personal dietary characteristics were found to have an indirect effect on tourist behaviour intentions and destination image. This study will help the industry formulate corresponding management strategies for multiple influencing factors of food tourist behaviour and enhance the competitiveness of destinations

Persepsi Pelajar Terhadap Pendidikan Keusahawanan: Kajian Terhadap Pelajar Program Keusahawanan

Faktor kesukaran mendapatkan pekerjaan dalam kalangan graduan merupakan satu permasalahan pada masa kini. Saban tahun, masalah pengangguran ini telah menjadi satu isu yang kritikal kepada negara dengan peningkatan jumlah graduan yang tidak mendapat pekerjaan selepas menamatkan pengajian. Justeru itu, pengenalan kepada pendidikan keusahawanan di universiti Malaysia telah dilakukan oleh kerajaan untuk mendedahkan pelajar kepada peluang kerjaya dalam perniagaan sekaligus mengurangkan masalah pengangguran di negara ini. Oleh itu, kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengkaji persepsi pelajar terhadap pendidikan keusahawanan dalam membentuk niat keusahawanan. Persepsi pelajar terhadap pendidikan keusahawanan ini diukur berdasarkan tiga pembolehubah iaitu kurikulum keusahawanan, kaedah pengajaran dan peranan universiti. Rekabentuk kajian adalah berbentuk kajian tinjauan dimana data dikumpul melalui pengedaran borang soal selidik. Borang soal selidik yang diedar adalah berbentuk soalan tertutup dengan skala Likert 5 mata. Seramai 114 orang pelajar yang mengambil bidang Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perniagaan (Keusahawanan) telah dipilih menerusi kaedah persampelan bertujuan. Data kajian dianalisis dengan menggunakan perisian Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) versi 23.0. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa kurikulum keusahawanan dan kaedah pengajaran menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan terhadap niat keusahawanan. Namun, bagi pembolehubah peranan universiti pula menunjukkan sebaliknya iaitu tidak mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan terhadap niat keusahawanan. Secara kesimpulannya, kurikulum dalam pendidikan keusahawanan dan kaedah pengajaran oleh pensyarah dapat membantu meningkatkan niat pelajar untuk menceburi bidang keusahawanan

Green kopitiams: Operators’ awareness and readiness

Operator awareness and readiness are critical to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem, so this study investigates the awareness and readiness of kopitiam operators to implement green practices in their operations. A quantitative approach was utilised for this study. In total, 149 kopitiam operators in Kota Kinabalu city has participated in this study via a selfadministered survey. The items were measured using a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The gathered data were analysed using cross-tabulation analysis to investigate the kopitiam operators’ awareness of, and readiness to, implement green practices. This study identified two significant findings relating to the awareness and readiness of kopitiam operators ¬¬to implement green practices at their coffee shops. First, the kopitiam operators are aware of the importance of green practices, eco-friendly cleaning supplies and packaging, and menu sustainability. Surprisingly, installing energy- and water-efficient equipment in their premises seems not to be the main priority when implementing green practices, since high operational costs would be involved. The second finding concerns the readiness to participate in green practices. The kopitiam operators’ awareness was measured by assessing the importance of green practices, the installation of energy- and water-efficient equipment, the use of eco-friendly cleaning supplies and packaging, as well as offering a sustainable menu. The kopitiam operators’ readiness was measured through their participation in green practices. Further studies should investigate the awareness and readiness of kopitiam operators located in the other main cities of Sabah. The city council and restaurant association can use these findings to promote green practices to the other business operators involved in the food and beverages sector. Kota Kinabalu City Council (DBKK) could develop proper guidelines and procedures to implement these practices to achieve the intention of promoting the city as a green city. Kopitiams play an essential role in providing food and drinks for tourists who want to experience the local destinations. Therefore, this study could derive a more holistic strategy that promotes Sabah as a major eco-tourism destination in Malaysia

The impact of ecotourism on community’s livelihood: A study on local community in Kadamaian, Sabah

Tourism has been an important alternative strategy for rural development through improving the economies and societies of the rural people. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of study on the impact of tourism development on community’s involvement and their livelihood. This paper explores from the local community’s point of view how tourism contributes as a new livelihood, in terms of changes in household income. Face-to-face structured interviews with 12 local communities from 6 ecotourism sites in Kadamaian, Sabah revealed that the economic status of the local communities interviewed are mainly ‘below than average’ that their income level is below the National Poverty Line Income (PLI). Two-thirds of them agreed there is an increase in their household income after joining the ecotourism-related business, mainly as small business owners, and some are part-time workers or helpers at the ecotourism sites. The findings also found that although respondent perceived ecotourism as important for livelihood, they are still ambivalent that tourism can alleviate poverty, which mainly caused by a lack of entrepreneurial skill. This study lends insights to ecotourism operator and policymakers to provide the local community with relevant capacity building and to ensure total support from other actors in the ecotourism supply chain, like NGOs, universities, volunteers, government, in line with the trickle-down concept of tourism i.e. tourism-led growth strategy (TLG)

The Impact of Earthquake on Small Business Performance: Evidence from Small Accommodation Services in Ranau, Sabah

The earthquake which occurred on the 5th of June 2015 in Ranau, Sabah was considered to be the most devastating incident not only to the residents but also to local small businesses in the district. The aftermath caused tragic deaths of 18 people on Mount Kinabalu, physical damages of buildings, and lifeline disruptions as well as day-to-day business activities, including the hotels and resthouses. Numerous studies have been focusing on the damage assessment and risk quantification of natural disaster aftershock, but there is a lack of studies on the impact of earthquake on small business performance in terms of physical and emotional aspects before, during and after disaster. Much is still unknown the actual condition of small accommodation businesses in Ranau due to earthquake, especially in terms of operation status and recovery strategy to survive in their business. Therefore, this study aims to explore from the perspectives of manager of accommodation services in Ranau, Sabah about their business performance and strategy before, during and after the earthquake. A structured face-to-face interview was conducted with 33 managers of hotels, resorts and homestays in Ranau, which the list were drawn from the Sabah Tourism Board. The analysis of data revealed that the earthquake caused severe impact on their business performance in terms of operation, physical and emotional aspects. In addition, internal recovery strategies were more preferable than the external support for their business recovery. It International Academic Journal of Business Management, is hoped that this study may provide valuable insights to small tourism-related business and related agency to develop effective measures to prepare and support the business before or after natural disaster

The relationship between macroeconomic factors and tourism demand for ASEAN countries

The current paper investigates the relationship between macroeconomic factors and tourism demand for nine selected ASEAN countries. Based on the panel data analysis, it is identified that income is positively related to tourism demand where an increase in the level of income for ASEAN leads to higher tourist arrival to the region. The income is also shown to be the most important factor that determines tourism demand as demonstrated by the high coefficient value in the estimation. The appreciation of ASEAN currencies meanwhile is identified to discourage tourists from visiting the region and on the other hand, trade openness stimulates the demand as it implies the ease of entry. Since majority of the tourist came from developed countries with high purchasing power, price level is identified to be not significant in explaining the movement of tourism demand in the region. To develop the tourism sector, proper plans should be made including to improve the infrastructure, tourism facility and travel safety, and ease of entry considering the positive impact of economic development and trade openness. Relevant strategies should also be made to attract tourists from countries with higher purchasing power and strong currency value since it implies to be important in explaining the movement of tourism demand

Zea Mays Flour

In today’s society, there is a great demand for appreciating nutritional standards in which characterized by rising costs and often decreasing availability of raw material together with concern about environmental pollution. Consequently, there is a considerable emphasis on their recovery, recycling and upgrading wastes. The food industry produces large volumes of wastes, both solids and liquids, resulting from the production, preparation and consumption of food. Due to legislation and environmental reasons, the food and beverage industry is highly enforced to find an alternative use for the residual matter. The latest trends impacting the food industry include moves to reduce the huge amount of food waste, as consumers simultaneously adapt their habits in times of continuing austerity. In the last decades, consumers demands in the field of food production has changed considerably. Consumers believe that food contribute directly to their health. Therefore, the idea of using underutilized and waste food products was triggered, where the main ingredient is made of plants waste which is corn silk. It is an invention to transform plant waste to corn silk flour – Zea Mays Flour ( ZMF) that benefit the society through its help of increasing food for the world. Furthermore, it can help to enhance global efforts towards food security, nutrition, dietary needs, as well as foster health and income generation. Recycling products using underutilized and waste food products also could help to sustain the environment. There is one fact that must be beared in inventors’ mind that scientific research alone does not guarantee for a product to be successful in the market. The product invented should fit the taste and needs for the consumers as the market success rate is influenced by the degree of familiarity and acceptance toward the product being sold. Many of the today’s food and beverage products are not intended merely to satisfy hunger and provide humans with necessary nutrients, as they aim to prevent nutrition related diseases and increase physical and mental well-being of consumers. Therefore, it is necessary for product development to explore which need that consumers are concerned about, so that the product could achieve success and market acceptance. The idea using food product using underutilized/waste product, corn silk become Zea Mays Flour ( ZMF), is hoped will support the idea of sustainability, specifically ins steadily gaining more attention from many food producers worldwide, to save the environment while at the same time boost the business through reduction of costs and considerable amount of waste