The growth of the technology and its range of possible uses have made it a necessity for independenht otelierst o examinet heir use of the internet,s pecifically its effectivenessfo r marketinga nd distribution purposes.I t is widely recognisedt hat the independenht otel sector makesu p the bulk of the hotel industry in the UK and often do not have the resourceso r desiret o keepu p with new technologies.T his study scrutinizes,e valuatesa nd establishesth e factorst hat influence the decision to adopt a range of internet technologies for marketing and distribution within the UK independenht otel sector. The conceptualf ramework of this study is underpinnedb y Davis's TechnologyA cceptanceM odel (1989) and Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations model (1995). The study's findings have confirmed, challengeda nd extendedt heset wo theories.C ritically, it hase stablishedth at the ease-of-useo f a technology and its affordability do not affect hoteliers' deployment decisions, when numerous studiesh aves uggestedo therwise.T he study also revealedt hat the hotel sectora sa whole bad not only expanded the range of internet technologies adopted, but the proportion of adopters had also increased. A series of qualitative exploratory interviews were carried out and analysed to inform a larger quantitatives urvey. Survey dataw as collected from 408 independenht oteliers and analysedt o contributet o the conceptuald evelopmento f a taxonomy.I n the process,h ypotheseste sting, regressiond, iscriminant and cluster analysisw ere carriedo ut, linking various hotel characteristics, hotelier perceptions and their propensity to deploy internet technology for marketing and distribution. The core of the developed taxonomy illustrated three groups of hoteliers: the internet application (IA) reticent; the IA realist; and the IA rationalist. TI-ds taxonomy, supported by a more precisep rofile and definition of independenht oteliers,f acilitated the identification of managerial implications for various stakeholdersA. significant implication of the study inferred.t hat travel intermediaries'w ill continuet o have a sustained stronghold on independent hoteliers.

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Online marketing communication provides some of the cutting edge tools that can be used by guest houses to communicate their product and service offerings. The purpose of this study was to determine which online marketing communication tools can be used, and are in fact currently used by guest houses in Pretoria East. The results obtained from this study can assist guest house owner/managers in Pretoria East with decision-making on the communication of off-line and online marketing communication tools to be included in their marketing strategy. Primary data was collected by means of a survey with guest house owners/managers in Pretoria East. Specific corpographic details of guest houses in Pretoria East were identified. Furthermore, the most frequently used off-line and online marketing communication tools were identified, as well as the number of guest houses that have websites and the content of these websites. The findings suggest that guest houses in Pretoria East have to invest more time and money in implementing certain online marketing communication tools, such as social networking and use of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). By implementing online marketing communication tools like these, guest houses in Pretoria East could enhance customers‟ awareness of a guest house. This study verified the importance of electronic tools such as the Internet and Web as an integral part of an organisation‟s marketing strategy, specifically for small businesses in the service sector, such as guest houses. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Online marketing communication provides some of the cutting edge tools that can be used by guest houses to communicate their product and service offerings. The purpose of this study was to determine which online marketing communication tools can be used, and are in fact currently used by guest houses in Pretoria East. The results obtained from this study can assist guest house owner/managers in Pretoria East with decision-making on the communication of off-line and online marketing communication tools to be included in their marketing strategy. Primary data was collected by means of a survey with guest house owners/managers in Pretoria East. Specific corpographic details of guest houses in Pretoria East were identified. Furthermore, the most frequently used off-line and online marketing communication tools were identified, as well as the number of guest houses that have websites and the content of these websites. The findings suggest that guest houses in Pretoria East have to invest more time and money in implementing certain online marketing communication tools, such as social networking and use of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). By implementing online marketing communication tools like these, guest houses in Pretoria East could enhance customers‟ awareness of a guest house. This study verified the importance of electronic tools such as the Internet and Web as an integral part of an organisation‟s marketing strategy, specifically for small businesses in the service sector, such as guest houses. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Since the advent of the Internet, the number of individuals and organisations using tools such as the World Wide Web and cell phones has increased, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Social media has provoked fundamentally different ways of doing business, and organisations rapidly had to get on this social media bandwagon to stay up to date with the latest market trends and ahead of the competition. Although social media is already broadly used among South African businesses, the perception regarding the use of social media as a promotional mix element has not been investigated sufficiently in South Africa. The primary purpose of this study was therefore to determine the perception of star-graded accommodation establishments, operating in the Western Cape province of South Africa, regarding the use of social media as a promotional mix element. A broad and in-depth literature review was conducted on the use of social media and social media as a probable promotional mix element. An empirical study was conducted, in which data was collected from star-graded accommodation establishments operating in the Western Cape by means of a web-based (computer-assisted) self-administered questionnaire. A quantitative approach was followed in order to satisfy the research objectives of this study. The results of this research study indicate that social media is perceived to be an instrumental marketing element in star-graded accommodation establishments and can indeed be considered an element of the promotional mix. / Business Management / MCOM (Business Management)

Since the advent of the Internet, the number of individuals and organisations using tools such as the World Wide Web and cell phones has increased, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Social media has provoked fundamentally different ways of doing business, and organisations rapidly had to get on this social media bandwagon to stay up to date with the latest market trends and ahead of the competition. Although social media is already broadly used among South African businesses, the perception regarding the use of social media as a promotional mix element has not been investigated sufficiently in South Africa. The primary purpose of this study was therefore to determine the perception of star-graded accommodation establishments, operating in the Western Cape province of South Africa, regarding the use of social media as a promotional mix element. A broad and in-depth literature review was conducted on the use of social media and social media as a probable promotional mix element. An empirical study was conducted, in which data was collected from star-graded accommodation establishments operating in the Western Cape by means of a web-based (computer-assisted) self-administered questionnaire. A quantitative approach was followed in order to satisfy the research objectives of this study. The results of this research study indicate that social media is perceived to be an instrumental marketing element in star-graded accommodation establishments and can indeed be considered an element of the promotional mix. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)