Papers by Vitalis Khaki Basera
It is evident from literature that the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world econ... more It is evident from literature that the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world economies to its 'knees'. No industry has gone untouched by the effects of this pandemic. Globally there has been an adverse impact on travel which is backbone of the hotel industry. This study focuses on exploring the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Zimbabwean hotel sector. The objectives of the study focused on investigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on hotel occupancy and revenue and proposing strategies that can be implemented for recovery post the pandemic. The study adopted a mixed method approach, semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather data from 29 (3-5 star) hotel management across the various major tourism cities in Zimbabwe. Findings reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on hotel occupancy and revenue. Occupancy and revenue have dropped. Strategies have been employed by hotel to cope with the adverse impact of reduced occupancy and revenue, these include working with minimal staff to avoid increases exposure, closing other parts of the hotel to reduce operational cost and operating on take out bases. It can be concluded that hotels in Zimbabwe are not prepared for pandemics like Covid-19. It is therefore recommended that disaster management plans relating to pandemics be developed and implemented by hotels.
The process of making career choices is complex since there are diverse factors affecting student... more The process of making career choices is complex since there are diverse factors affecting students' selection of programs when they enrol in higher and tertiary institutions. Just like in any other discipline, tourism and hospitality management graduates are affected by various factors when deciding their careers post-graduation. Preliminary studies have shown that a significant percentage of tourism and hospitality graduates divert from tourism to some other, sometimes totally unrelated, industries for employment. This study seeks to discover tourism and hospitality degree graduates' perceptions and career attainment in Zimbabwe. The following critical questions were asked in order to achieve the objective of the study; Why do they enrol for the tourism/hospitality program in the first place, that is what factors affect the students' selection process of tertiary education programs? and why do some end up in totally different fields after graduating? Qualitative research approach was adopted in order to understand the graduates' perceptions, data was collected by the way of interviews. Data was analysed using the thematic approach. Findings revealed that while most of the graduates are employed in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe, they are not satisfied with their jobs. Some feel that they studied tourism/hospitality as a last resort hence they do not have satisfaction while others are only in the industry because they do not have an option. Poor working conditions and poor remuneration
It is evident from literature that the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world econ... more It is evident from literature that the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world economies to its 'knees'. No industry has gone untouched by the effects of this pandemic. Globally there has been an adverse impact on travel which is backbone of the hotel industry. This study focuses on exploring the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Zimbabwean hotel sector. The objectives of the study focused on investigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on hotel occupancy and revenue and proposing strategies that can be implemented for recovery post the pandemic. The study adopted a mixed method approach, semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather data from 29 (3-5 star) hotel management across the various major tourism cities in Zimbabwe. Findings reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on hotel occupancy and revenue. Occupancy and revenue have dropped. Strategies have been employed by hotel to cope with the adverse impact of reduced occupancy and revenue, these include working with minimal staff to avoid increases exposure, closing other parts of the hotel to reduce operational cost and operating on take out bases. It can be concluded that hotels in Zimbabwe are not prepared for pandemics like Covid-19. It is therefore recommended that disaster management plans relating to pandemics be developed and implemented by hotels.
The aim of the study was to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality manage... more The aim of the study was to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry. This study sought to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry by (1) establishing the definition of quality, (2) exposing dimension of service quality, (3) identifying how customer satisfaction is measured and (4) identifying quality management systems and quality philosophy used in hotels. Appreciation of quality and QMS in the hotel industry can assist stakeholders to employ holistic measures to improve adoption of quality management systems in hotels and improve the operations of the hotels. The study followed a multi case study approach, with 9 hotels from Harare chosen purposively to represent the hotel industry in Zimbabwe. Managers and key stakeholders were interviewed and focus group interviews were conducted. Key questions on quality definition, dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction measurement were asked and the data was analysed using thematic analysis-directed content analysis. The results showed that stakeholder in the hotel industry are very much aware of QMS, though in abstract. There is greater awareness of quality and QMS among group chain hotels than in independent hotels. There is need to upgrade on quality training in the hotel industry from collaborative perspective so that the stakeholders appreciate quality and QMS fully so that the industry remains competitive.
The aim of the study was to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality manage... more The aim of the study was to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry. This study sought to investigate the stakeholder's awareness of quality and quality management systems (QMS) in the Zimbabwe hotel industry by (1) establishing the definition of quality, (2) exposing dimension of service quality, (3) identifying how customer satisfaction is measured and (4) identifying quality management systems and quality philosophy used in hotels. Appreciation of quality and QMS in the hotel industry can assist stakeholders to employ holistic measures to improve adoption of quality management systems in hotels and improve the operations of the hotels. The study followed a multi case study approach, with 9 hotels from Harare chosen purposively to represent the hotel industry in Zimbabwe. Managers and key stakeholders were interviewed and focus group interviews were conducted. Key questions on quality definition, dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction measurement were asked and the data was analysed using thematic analysis-directed content analysis. The results showed that stakeholder in the hotel industry are very much aware of QMS, though in abstract. There is greater awareness of quality and QMS among group chain hotels than in independent hotels. There is need to upgrade on quality training in the hotel industry from collaborative perspective so that the stakeholders appreciate quality and QMS fully so that the industry remains competitive.
The article is on the construction of a model of quality management system (orcid.o QMS) adoption... more The article is on the construction of a model of quality management system (orcid.o QMS) adoption in the hotel industry grounded on a multiple case study of hotels in Zimbabwe. QMSs in the hotel industry are adopted to guarantee certain levels of quality required by customers are achieved. Achievement of certain levels of quality can result in better customer satisfaction, which is important to ensure sustainable operations for hotels. The study was concerned with the late adoption of QMSs in the hotel industry due to several internal and external factors. This study is an extract from a Ph.D. project, which objects to investigate external and internal factors affecting QMS adoption in the hotel industry. To attain the objectives, interviews were conducted with hotel managers and key stakeholders while focus groups were conducted with hotel staff to outline the factors affecting the adoption of QMSs and to get general enablers for adopting these systems. Directed content analysis and NVivo 12 were used to analyse data. Eisenhardt's Model of developing theory from case studies was used. The study draws upon QMSs from the 1970s to 2020s. The main factors affecting the adoption of QMSs were established and their interrelatedness established. The BASERA-MWENJE model of QMS adoption was developed. The model has not been tested, besides some parts of it, during work. Model differences and similarities were identified from literature to fortify the BASERA-MWENJE model of QMSs adoption. This model will be offered to the hotel industry and other industries, in general, to simplify and improve the adoption of QMSs under Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 1 (orcid.o NDS) to realise Vision 2030 "Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle-Income Society".
The article is on the construction of a model of quality management system (orcid.o QMS) adoption... more The article is on the construction of a model of quality management system (orcid.o QMS) adoption in the hotel industry grounded on a multiple case study of hotels in Zimbabwe. QMSs in the hotel industry are adopted to guarantee certain levels of quality required by customers are achieved. Achievement of certain levels of quality can result in better customer satisfaction, which is important to ensure sustainable operations for hotels. The study was concerned with the late adoption of QMSs in the hotel industry due to several internal and external factors. This study is an extract from a Ph.D. project, which objects to investigate external and internal factors affecting QMS adoption in the hotel industry. To attain the objectives, interviews were conducted with hotel managers and key stakeholders while focus groups were conducted with hotel staff to outline the factors affecting the adoption of QMSs and to get general enablers for adopting these systems. Directed content analysis and NVivo 12 were used to analyse data. Eisenhardt's Model of developing theory from case studies was used. The study draws upon QMSs from the 1970s to 2020s. The main factors affecting the adoption of QMSs were established and their interrelatedness established. The BASERA-MWENJE model of QMS adoption was developed. The model has not been tested, besides some parts of it, during work. Model differences and similarities were identified from literature to fortify the BASERA-MWENJE model of QMSs adoption. This model will be offered to the hotel industry and other industries, in general, to simplify and improve the adoption of QMSs under Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 1 (orcid.o NDS) to realise Vision 2030 "Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle-Income Society".
Annals of Management and Organisation Research, 2020
Purpose: The main objective of this article was to provide evidence concerning the level of Quali... more Purpose: The main objective of this article was to provide evidence concerning the level of Quality Management (QM) in Zimbabwe. Submitted evidence regarding QM in Zimbabwe will help organizations that want to implement QM systems. The results can guide government agents in making informed decisions towards QM systems implementation since very few organizations are officially quality certified. Research Methodology: The survey followed online search query on quality management in zimbabwe from journal articles, proceedings and institutional repository. 51 publications were selected and excel file was used to capture data and analyse. Results: The results expose that there was high interest in QM in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The results showed industries lack of capacity and resources, lack of skills and expertise, poor communication with stakeholders, poor raw materials, changing customer preferences, lack of top management commitment and costs of QM systems as key barriers to QM implementation. Limitations: The study limitation was survey of few studies retrieved through Bindura University online library and open access journal articles, proceedings papers and dissertations/thesis available on institutional repository.
Purpose: To understand the impetus of urban horticulture in the Mutare city with explicit motivat... more Purpose: To understand the impetus of urban horticulture in the Mutare city with explicit motivation on low density areas. Research methodology: The investigation was quantitative in nature, and used a random sample of urban farmers in Mutare city low density areas. The Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS Version 23) was used to analyse data from the questionnaires. Results: The results reveal that Mutare urban agricultural activities are driven by the need for food self-sufficient, income generation and utilisation of urban open spaces. Limitations: The research had limitations on the sample size and also needed to factor in other multiple response questions. Contributions: The findings are useful to urbanites, urban planners, developmental agents and authorities in the development of urban agriculture.
Impetus of urban horticulture on open spaces: Case of Mutare City, 2020
Purpose: To understand the impetus of urban horticulture in the Mutare city with explicit motivat... more Purpose: To understand the impetus of urban horticulture in the Mutare city with explicit motivation on low density areas. Research methodology: The investigation was quantitative in nature, and used a random sample of urban farmers in Mutare city low density areas. The Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS Version 23) was used to analyse data from the questionnaires. Results: The results reveal that Mutare urban agricultural activities are driven by the need for food self-sufficient, income generation and utilisation of urban open spaces. Limitations: The research had limitations on the sample size and also needed to factor in other multiple response questions. Contributions: The findings are useful to urbanites, urban planners, developmental agents and authorities in the development of urban agriculture.
Journal of gastronomy in tourism and hospitality, 2020
This paper aims to expose the customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service qua... more This paper aims to expose the customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service quality for hotels in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Netnography was used to collect data from Tripadvisor.com posts that were made from December 2018 to January 2020, the data was analysed using SERVQUAL themes. A total of eight hotels in Mutare city and those within the Vumba mountains trek were selected for this study. Results indicate that there is a difference between customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service quality in hotels. A lot is desired to improve the tangibles, responsiveness and reliability in the hotels. It must be noted that the case hotels are not representative of the accommodation providers in Manicaland but representative of themselves. Nonetheless, they provide interesting entry points that help to draw conclusions relating to tourists' views with relation to service quality in Manicaland. The study contributes to service sustainable quality management in hotels from the perspective of customers. A lot is desired to improve the furniture and fitting at the hotels, customer care and standardisation of service provision.
Journal of Gastronomy hospitality and travel, 2020
Tipping is a common practice globally and at times mandatory in some societies, at the same time,... more Tipping is a common practice globally and at times mandatory in some societies, at the same time, some communities regard tipping as taboo. African societies view tipping differently and this poses a challenge among international tourists, particularly those from the west who are used to expressing their gratitude towards a satisfactory service through giving a tip. While it is almost certain that some nationals will always give a tip, do Africans, particularly Zimbabweans subscribe to the tipping philosophy? There is not enough literature in academia on tipping amongst African tourists, particularly those in Zimbabwe. Preliminary review of literature has revealed that there are only two studies published on the tipping practice in Zimbabwe. The one focused on the impact of tipping on waiters' service delivery as well as working relations among waiting staff (Mkono, 2011). The other study looked at the perceptions of hotel employees towards tipping and motivation (Kazembe, Mapingure & Chimutingiza, 2014). It is evident that the published studies were all supply side oriented without considering the demand side. This study seeks to interrogate the demand side by; (i) establishing the perceptions of domestic tourists when it comes to tipping; (ii) expose the nature of tipping amongst local tourists; (iii) establishing the motivation for tipping amongst domestic tourists. The study adopted a phenomenological philosophy, and used a qualitative design to collect and analyze data. The study conveniently sampled forty (40) domestic tourists from four (4) hotels in Zimbabwe and interviewed them. The findings revealed that domestic tourists in Zimbabwe perceive tipping as an appropriate and good practice. The main form 1 To cite this document: Mazhande, P.,
This paper aims to expose the customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service qua... more This paper aims to expose the customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service quality for hotels in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Netnography was used to collect data from Tripadvisor.com posts that were made from December 2018 to January 2020, the data was analysed using SERVQUAL themes. A total of eight hotels in Mutare city and those within the Vumba mountains trek were selected for this study. Results indicate that there is a difference between customers' perceptions, expectations and experiences of service quality in hotels. A lot is desired to improve the tangibles, responsiveness and reliability in the hotels. It must be noted that the case hotels are not representative of the accommodation providers in Manicaland but representative of themselves. Nonetheless, they provide interesting entry points that help to draw conclusions relating to tourists' views with relation to service quality in Manicaland. The study contributes to service sustainable quality management in hotels from the perspective of customers. A lot is desired to improve the furniture and fitting at the hotels, customer care and standardisation of service provision.
Tourism and Hospitality Review, 2020
Purpose: Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) is one of the top ranking tourist destinations in Southern Afr... more Purpose: Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) is one of the top ranking tourist destinations in Southern Africa. It is one of the five longest river basins in Africa blessed with diversified wildlife. The popular stopovers along the river basin are Caprivi, Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Kariba, Kafue, Cahora Bassa and Zambezi Delta. It offers variety of tourist attractions including boating, cruising, kayaking, diving, walking along the river bank, bungee jumping, white water rafting, fishing, hunting and flying over the Basin. However, it seems that the development of facilities around the Basin like hotels, cottages, campsites, trails, tourism complexes and walkways does not match with the opportunities the ZRB offers. Keeping this in mind, the present study explores the challenges and the possibility of tourism development along the Zambezi River Basin (ZRB). Methods: The study is solely based on the Literature synthesis generated from secondary sources based on reports and articles published in academic journals. Results: Diverse wildlife and scenic beauty are the main opportunities for the region to develop tourism. However poor road and air communication and other infrastructural weaknesses are the major obstacles for the region to develop tourism. Implications: Governments and the private entrepreneurs should work together in developing infrastructure as well as tourist attractions in the region, including road, water and air transportation, electricity supply, gaming options, spa, and other such facilities. Limitations: The paper is based only on literature synthesis to arrive at the conclusion and recommendation. The literature is relatively scant and most of the available literature is from reports. Survey methods can be used to have a broader comprehension of the challenges and the opportunities of the region.
International Journal of Tourism and Hotel Management, 2019
The determination of this study was to compare the online marketing strategies of Southern Africa... more The determination of this study was to compare the online marketing strategies of Southern African countries with respect to Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The study sought to establish the online marketing approaches implemented by ZTA, BTO and SAT coming from the context that a number of DMOs websites in Africa lack interactive web facilities and have partial knowledge on the importance of information, communication and technology (ICT) in tourism marketing. The fact that tourism has been branded the fastest growing industry world over, in Zimbabwe it is not like that while just across the Limpopo River in South Africa tourism is steadily developing and moderately in Botswana it is booming which prompted the researcher to compare the ZTA, BTO and SAT online marketing strategies. The objective was to benchmark the countries online marketing strategies. The study adopted comparative design as a way of drawing recommendations useful to ZTA, BTO and SAT. Information appropriate to this study was drawn from a systematic examination of the organisations websites and social media platforms. A modified website evaluation model ICTRT was used to compare the websites. The results confirmed that Zimbabwe and Botswana have a lot to improve and South Africa is setting the pace but a lot desires attention to improve their online marketing strategies.
The purpose of this study was to compare the online marketing strategies of the Zimbabwe Tourism ... more The purpose of this study was to compare the online marketing strategies of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and South Africa Tourism (SAT). The study sought to establish the online marketing strategies adopted by ZTA and SAT especially coming from the background that most National Tourism Organisations in Africa lack interactive web facilities and have limited knowledge on the significance of information communication technology in tourism marketing. The fact that tourism has been branded the fastest growing industry in the world but in Zimbabwe it's not like that while just across the Limpopo river in South Africa tourism is steadily developing prompted the researcher to compare the ZTA and SAT online marketing strategies. The objectives were to compare the online marketing strategies and to determine the effectiveness of ZTA and SAT's online marketing strategies. The researcher adopted comparative design as a way of drawing lessons useful to both ZTA and SAT. Information relevant to this study was drawn from a thorough analysis of the organisations websites, and social media networks. The researcher also reviewed literature in order to expose what other authors say about the online marketing strategies. Data in this study was gathered using netnography. A modified website evaluation model was used to evaluate website as proposed by (Li and Wang 2010). Information dimension, Communication dimension, Transaction dimension, Relationship dimension and Technical merit dimension (ICTRT) were investigated. Information was also obtained by visiting the organisation social networks. The researcher used a qualitative approach to gain an in-depth understanding of why ZTA and SAT chose the various online marketing strategies to market their destinations. Data for this research was then presented using tables from the ICTRT dimensions. From the results it was found that both ZTA and SAT use online marketing strategies but SAT had an improved edge in the social networks since it had more platforms.
Journal of Tourism & Hospitality, 2019
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is expansively using internet to promote destination Zimbabwe, f... more Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is expansively using internet to promote destination Zimbabwe, few studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of ZTA website. The study applied the ICTRT (Information, Communication, Transaction, Relationship and Technical Merit) model the same as proposed by Li and Wang to evaluate the effectiveness of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority website through content analysis by expert evaluators. The objective of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of ZTA website and investigate its functional features. The objective was achieved by content analysis of the website regarding its five functions (ICTRT) by expert evaluators. The results indicated that ZTA website was averagely effective and more on information and communication. The website is not effective on complex and sophisticated functions like transactions and relationship management. Website complexity was found to be the major determinant of effectiveness. Conclusion and recommendations were provided based on research findings and expert knowledge to improve the effectiveness of ZTA website.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is expansively using internet to promote destination Zimbabwe, f... more Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is expansively using internet to promote destination Zimbabwe, few studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of ZTA website. The study applied the ICTRT (Information, Communication, Transaction, Relationship and Technical Merit) model the same as proposed by Li and Wang to evaluate the effectiveness of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority website through content analysis by expert evaluators. The objective of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of ZTA website and investigate its functional features. The objective was achieved by content analysis of the website regarding its five functions (ICTRT) by expert evaluators. The results indicated that ZTA website was averagely effective and more on information and communication. The website is not effective on complex and sophisticated functions like transactions and relationship management. Website complexity was found to be the major determinant of effectiveness. Conclusion and recommendations were provided based on research findings and expert knowledge to improve the effectiveness of ZTA website.
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Papers by Vitalis Khaki Basera