Residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts in Kilimanjaro: An integration of the Social Exchange Theory

This study aimed at examining residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts around Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Using the Social Exchange Theory as an overarching theory, economic benefits, involvement in planning and contact with tourists were used to group the residents and their perceptions compared. A structured questionnaire was in collecting data from 160 conveniently selected residents around Mount Kilimanjaro. Mann-Whitney tests were used to appraise significant differences in residents\u27 perception between groups. The results indicate residents who derive economic benefits from tourism, having direct contact with tourists, and those who participate in tourism planning to have relatively more positive perception of tourism impacts. The findings support to the Social Exchange theory and subsumed theories under it including Dependency, Contact hypothesis, and Power/Empowerment theories. The study findings offers practical implications to Destination Management Organizations in planning and interacting with the tourists as well as finding avenues for residents to benefits economically, socially, and environmentally from tourism, and thus alleviate the rampant poverty in the areas around the mountain. Unlike previous studies this study integrated different theories in understanding residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts. Contextually, this study reveals findings in a relatively less researched area in Africa

Residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts in Kilimanjaro: An integration of the Social Exchange Theory

This study aimed at examining residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts around Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Using the Social Exchange Theory as an overarching theory, economic benefits, involvement in planning and contact with tourists were used to group the residents and their perceptions compared. A structured questionnaire was in collecting data from 160 conveniently selected residents around Mount Kilimanjaro. Mann-Whitney tests were used to appraise significant differences in residents\u27 perception between groups. The results indicate residents who derive economic benefits from tourism, having direct contact with tourists, and those who participate in tourism planning to have relatively more positive perception of tourism impacts. The findings support to the Social Exchange theory and subsumed theories under it including Dependency, Contact hypothesis, and Power/Empowerment theories. The study findings offers practical implications to Destination Management Organizations in planning and interacting with the tourists as well as finding avenues for residents to benefits economically, socially, and environmentally from tourism, and thus alleviate the rampant poverty in the areas around the mountain. Unlike previous studies this study integrated different theories in understanding residents\u27 perception of tourism impacts. Contextually, this study reveals findings in a relatively less researched area in Africa

Segmenting Inbound Tourists Using Destination Image: Evidence From Tanzania

The purpose of this study was to segment inbound tourists to Tanzania using destination image. A self-administered structured questionnaire was conveniently distributed to inbound tourist to Tanzania in two major international airports in Tanzania. The questionnaire captured destination image using a five point Likert type scale while the demographics, sources of travel information, and travel behavior were captured using dichotomy or multiple choice questions. A total of 625 dully filled questionnaires were used for data analysis. A factor-cluster analysis was used in analyzing the data, with factor analysis serving in reducing the items into few dimensions that were subsequently subjected to stepwise cluster analysis. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to explore the possible numbers of clusters followed by hierarchical cluster analysis (k-means) that confirmed the appropriate number of clusters. A three cluster solution was obtained with follow up one way ANOVA, t-tests, and Chi-square indicating statistical significance differences between the clusters basing on travel motives and travel behavior. The findings offer practical implications to destination managers on the use of destination image in marketing destinations to different tourist segments. This study explored the possible tourist segments basing on destination image of less researched African context

Pre-trip vs. post-trip destination image variations: A case of inbound tourists to Tanzania

Despite the conceptual indications of destination image to vary with factors like travel status and tourist behaviour, there are few studies that have empirically researched the variations in destination image particularly in emerging destinations like those in Africa. This study aimed at testing the variation of pre- and post trip destination image held by inbound travellers to Tanzania. Four hypotheses were defined to test variation of destination image with travel status, destination familiarity, planning horizon, and sources of travel information. Data were collected from departing inbound tourists at major international airports using a self-administered questionnaire. Data from 294 dully filled questionnaires were subjected to descriptive tests, t-tests and ANOVA tests. The hypotheses testing the variation between pre and post destination image, visitation status, and planning horizon were partly rejected. The results indicate the post-trip destination image to be more favourable compared to the pre-trip image for some attributes. Differences in image were noted to vary between first time and repeat visitors, particularly those related to adventure, natural attractions, and the easiness in intra-destination travel. Generally, as the planning horizon increases the destination image becomes more favourable. The variation of destination image with sources of travel information was not upheld by the results. The results provide insights into destination marketing and destination experience management to tourism stakeholders

The influence of complexity, perceived benefits, social influence, and demographics on adoption of Internet banking in Tanzania

This study aimed at testing the influence of perceived benefits, social influence, technological complexity, and demographic variables in the adoption of internet banking in Tanzania. Using a structured questionnaire, convenient and quota samples of bank customers was used that yielded 400 dully filled questionnaires with 200 for those who are using internet banking and 200 who have not adopted the use of internet banking with binary regression used to test the hypotheses. Binary logistic regression results successfully classifying bank customers’ internet usage by 75.8% after inclusion of perceived benefits, social influence and complexity. An addition of only 3.7% accuracy in classifying bank customers arises after the inclusion of demographic variables. The results indicate that complexity, perceived benefits, and social influence contribute positively in the adoption of internet banking. The finding provides practical implications to commercial banks on how to promote internet banking effectively and efficiently that will enhance financial inclusion of the population in African developing economies context. Theoretically, the study incorporates and integrates variables into the common models used to explain internet adoption

Sustainability, Hedonic, Utilitarian, and Social Benefits of Car Sharing: Evidence from Tanzania

Purpose – Despite a boom in consumer services sharing globally, a thorough understanding of the antecedents to customer satisfaction in emerging markets is yet to be achieved. This study tested the influence of sustainability, hedonic, utilitarian, and social benefits on satisfaction derived from and behavioral intention with regard to car-sharing services in Tanzania. Design/Methodology/Approach – A total of 614 cases was subjected to variance-based structural equation modeling based on self-administered structured questionnaires to test hypothesized relationships. A combination of FIMIX-PLS and POS-PLS was used to identify unobserved heterogeneity in the sample. Findings and implications – Hedonic, sustainability, and utilitarian benefits were found to have a statistically significant effect on satisfaction and behavioral intention of car-sharing customers, while social benefits had no significant effect on both satisfaction and behavioral intention. Moreover, satisfaction is a partial mediator of hedonic, sustainability, and utilitarian effect on behavioral intention. The data showed significant unobserved heterogeneity with a four-cluster solution as optimal. Limitations – The study relied on a cross-sectional survey conducted in only one country (Tanzania), with the majority of the respondents being young people as the main embracers of the sharing economy. Originality – The study uses multi-theoretical lenses with overarching Social Exchange Theory (SET), factoring in multiple antecedents to satisfaction and intentions of using car-sharing services in a less researched sub-Saharan African context. Thus, it affirms the utility of the Social Exchange Theory, with utilitarian, hedonic, and sustainability factors having significant effects on satisfaction and intention. Practical recommendations are offered to the owners and platforms used for managing and promoting car-sharing services in the developing country context

Relating travel personality to Big Five Factors of personality

Despite the wide use of personality in understanding human behavior, there is a lack of empirical research rela-ting the commonly agreed personality measurement with travel personality or travel related activities. In filling the knowledge gap, this study aims at exploring the relationship between the Big Five Factors (BFF) of personality and travel personality. Using self-administered questionnaire to Korean domestic tourists, a data set of 360 was obtained that was subjected to one way ANOVA. Out of 60 possible relationships between the BFF and 12 travel personalities, 20 significantly indicated group difference with respect to the BFF. Openness to experience and extraversion factors among the BFF serve in differentiating 6 and 5 travel personalities respectively while conscientiousness and agreeableness explain respectively 4 and 3 differences in travel personalities. Neuroticism among the BFF explained only 2 group differences in travel personalities. Theoretically, the study affirms the application of personality theory in explaining human behavior. The study results shed light on how tourism professionals can use the BFF in marketing and designing their tourism products in enticing and satisfying different tourists having different travel personalities as well as different BFF of personality

Social media use among small and medium enterprises: a case of fashion industry growth

This article examines how social identity, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use influence the use of social media in SMEs and whether the use of social media influences the growth of fashion SMEs in Kenya. A survey involving 394 owner-managers of fashion SMEs from Nairobi and Kiambu counties was done, using a structured questionnaire; and multivariate analysis was done through structural equations modelling. Social identity and perceived ease of use bore significant influence on the usage of social media whereas perceived usefulness showed no significance in influencing owner-managers’ intention to use social media. The use of social media on the other hand had a significant influence on SME growth. Social media usage is considered useful in business but there is no motivation towards usage by the owner-mangers. Policy makers can therefore provide an enabling environment to encourage use of social media by SMEs. This study sought to find out whether or not the use of social media has a direct effect on growth of SMEs. Keywords: Social media, SMEs, attitudes, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulnes

Small and Medium Enterprises and Social Media Usage: Fashion Industry Perspective

This article examines how social identity, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of social media influence the use of social media in Small and Medium Enterprises dealing with fashion, in Kenya. The study was informed by the Social Identity Theory, Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned  behaviour. A total of 150 managers who owned Small and Medium Enterprises dealing with fashion, from Nairobi and Kiambu counties, were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Collected data were analysed mainly through regression analysis. Findings show that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of social media bear significant influence on usage of social media whereas social identity has not been found to have an influence on social media use. The fashion industry in Kenya was found to be dominated by females with most of them using Facebook compared to other social media platforms. These findings however suggest not only that social media use is limited to communication, but also that it is relevant for knowledge sharing, content generation, information storage and retrieval among current users and future patrons

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)