Extent of Adoption of Quality Management Systems in the Hospitality and Catering Industry: A Study of Selected Establishments in Nairobi.

The aim of this research was to establish the extent of adoption of two quality management systems in selected hospitality and catering establishments in Nairobi Kenya. Survey design was used and the target population was managers in the establishments. A sample size of 120 was used. Purposive sampling was used to select the managers because adoption of the systems was assumed to be a managerial responsibility. Interview schedules and questionnaires were used to collect primary data which was analyzed using descriptive statistics. From the findings majority of the respondents had knowledge about the existence of quality management systems but had not adopted the systems because of high costs involved in its implementation and lack of information. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system (HACCP) was preferred than Assured Safe Catering (ASC). The establishments using Quality management systems highlighted the benefits of the systems that included success in production of quality products and increased profitability. However the systems had limitations such as demanding routine of maintenance of standards and involving intense documentation. Evidently, quality management systems are relevant to the hospitality industry and need to be adopted by operators in the food handling sector   Keywords: Adoption, Assured Safe Catering, Catering, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, Keny

Factors that affect the Outcome of Outside Catering in Kenya

Outside catering involves preparing and serving food at a location away from the business. The outcome of outside catering is important to caterers both as a marketing tool and in enhancing customer satisfaction. There are many factors that determine the outcome of outside catering which this study aimed to establish. The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of human, physical and natural factors on the outcome of outside catering as well as to identify the indicators that can be used to measure the outcome of outside catering. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The target population was 150 caterers in Nairobi in Kenya. The sample size comprised 120 outside caterers. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify the respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of frequency tables, percentages and graphs. The results showed that human, physical and natural factors all determine the outcome of outside catering. The findings may benefit outside caterers in understanding and hence being careful on factors that affect the outcome of outside catering. In addition caterers may use the indicators that measure outcome of outside catering to improve or know the status of their work. Keywords: Human factors, Natural factors, Outcome, Outside catering, Physical factor

Determinants of the Level of Revenue of Tourist Enterprises within the North Coastal Region of Kenya

Revenue of produced goods and/or provided services is determined by the volume of sales, prices of particular products, variety of products, ways of invoicing and period of payment. The current study was carried out at the north coastal region among tourist enterprises to establish factors that influence the amount of revenue they generate per year. The target population involved all enterprises relying on tourists for their business. They include hotel accommodation facilities, curio shops and tour companies. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a final sample of 97 enterprises, whose owners were given self administered questionnaires. Afterwards a regression on determinants of revenue by tourist enterprises was expressed as Y= ?o + ?1X1+ ?2X2+ …?n Xn+ ?; Where: Y – is the dependant variable; X1-n – are the independent variables; ?0 – is the constant ?1-n – are the regression coefficients or change induced in Y by each X,         while ? is the error. The results indicated that the net monthly income of enterprises was determined by the age of the enterprise (? = 0.169, p = 0.001), the location of the business (? = 0.149, p = 0.038) and the number of employees within the enterprise (? = 0.703, p < 0.0005). Therefore findings indicated that the main determinants of revenue for tourist enterprises at Kenya’s north coast were the age of the business, business location and the number of employees. Keywords: Tourist enterprises; Determinants of revenue; Firm; Tourist expenditure

Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Protected Areas

This paper examined negative and positive effects of tourism activities in protected areas. The positive effects include the creation of employment, the increase in the economic levels, promotion of conservation of natural spaces, minimizes the migration of the local population, and improvement in the economic and socio-cultural level of the local population, the commercialisation of the local products, exchange of ideas, costumes and the sensitization of the tourist and local population for protection of the environment. Tourism is an intensive sector of employment and is one of the few alternatives to the destruction of environment caused by the technological change, the globalisation process and the reduction of the working time. Negative effects include the rising of consumption of ground (space), water, energy, destruction of landscapes with the creations of new infrastructures, the rise in the production of disposals (wastes), the alteration of ecosystems, the introduction of exotic species of animals and plants, the loss of traditional habits (hard work to idleness), the increase in prostitution (sex tourism), the narcotic traffic, more forest fires and the increase in the prices of goods and services (e.g. houses, labour around tourist destination). Tourism affects the environment of a protected area in any destination either directly, indirectly or cumulatively which could determine the sustainability of tourism and its related activity in the protected area. Tourism activities can adversely affect the environment in case of mass tourism, pollution by lodges, human encroachment due to tourism activities. Relevant stakeholders in the tourism industry need to ensure that the environment is protected. Protected areas both marine and inland are facing numerous environmental challenges majority of which are caused by human activities. Keywords: Environment, Impacts, Protected Area, Sustainability, Touris