Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Cihan Cobanoglu, Dept. of Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Management. Includes bibliographical references.

This doctoral investigation explores the area of emotional labour in relation to aggressive customers’ behaviours. In more detail, it is focussing on the way employees engage in emotional labour, which can be done either by surface acting or deep acting, when they are interacting with aggressive customers and the consequences that may arise due to this method. The thematic and narrative literature review conducted by the researcher on the initial stages of this thesis provided the basis and foundations of the creation of the initial conceptual framework on managing the negative consequences of surface acting when interacting with aggressive customers and achieving the desired deep acting during those interactions. The researcher follows the constructivist / interpretivist philosophical approach in her study, and adopts the methodological triangulation for conducting her primary research by using a combination of two qualitative methods, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The semi-structured interviews were contacted first, and the focus groups, as an additional method, had the purpose of either validating the results or adding to them accordingly. This study revealed that employees are only engaging in surface acting when they are interacting with aggressive customers. This results in a number of negative consequences. The current research has focussed on how to overcome those negative consequences. It further explored the ways that would engage employees in deep acting during those challenging interactions with aggressive customers and the positive effects. The results were presented in the empirically validated conceptual framework that has been created. The findings of this doctoral investigation have contributed both in theory as well as practice. The theoretical contributions include innovative additions to the existing theoretical gaps in the area of emotional labour in terms of how to overcome the negative consequences of surface acting and enhance the use of deep acting during interactions with aggressive customers. Further on, there are also contributions in the literature of the hospitality industry that has been under-researched in regards to this area. In addition, this research is adding to the existing knowledge of how to handle aggressive customers since it is including important findings on how to handle employees’ emotions so that aggressive customers are being treated more effectively. This also benefits the theory of marketing by offering the opportunity for further researchers to use the current empirically tested theoretical framework in order to test the relationship between engaging in deep acting and eliminating customer dissatisfaction. In terms of practical contributions, this research is adding knowledge to the hospitality industry employees, the management and the industry as a whole. While utilising this framework, both management and employees will be able to offer more genuine emotions to their aggressive customers and therefore be able to achieve the best possible results for the organisations they are working for.

Thesis (MTech (Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / This study illustrates the practical value of incorporating the assessment of data obtained from surveys conducted on tourists' views of current service offerings at eating establishments. The findings from such surveys can assist tourism and the hospitality industry managers to identify priorities for product and service improvements. In essence, the research report examines how tourists (both domestic and foreign) make the choice of an eating establishment. It also examines how greater understanding of user-satisfaction (tourists) with the hospitality products or services may improve planning for the development of these service offerings. In order to conceptualise the research problem, a review of literature is provided of selected aspects of visitors perceptions in the Cape Metropolitan region. Moreover, these aspects (facilities for children, persons with disability, special attention for pensioners, African dishes on offer) are also considered based on the argument that the views of visitors on current service offerings should be given far more prominence than generally occurs at present. The survey of two hundred tourists was conducted during the peak holiday season of December 2004 to January 2005 in the Cape Metropolitan region of South Africa. The survey examined views and perceptions of visitors about a range of services at eating establishments. Survey results reported selected aspects of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the services of eating establishment in the Cape Town city centre, Waterfront and Camps Bay. The researcher concludes that current service offerings at eating establishments in the Cape Metropolitan region do little to accommodate visitors whose primary reasons for visiting are to experience the South African food and wine, especially cultural-specific foods, as well as accommodating the needs of disabled visitors, children and old age pensioners. The implications of the findings will assist relevant authorities to help enhance service offerings.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004 / The research is aimed at achieving a conceptual analysis of tourism training. Training initiatives in the Western Cape province are frequently mentioned by way of example, while the respective roles of tertiary institutions, the future Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Sector Education and Training Authority for the Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority (THETA) are extensively explored in the research. An investigation is undertaken to determine the gaps between the output of the tourism education and training system and the real demand of tourism employers. The research report will delineate the issues that need to be covered in the research study to determine the gaps between the output of the tourism education and training system and the real demand of tourism employers. A pilot study, commissioned by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), reveal gaps in tourism training worldwide, especially in the occupational category of front-line workers. In this category, the most common gaps relate to interpersonal communication skills, languages, computing and elementary knowledge of business techniques. The conclusions of the pilot study are noted and explained by pointing out the need to incorporate the changes in education regarding learnerships, skills programmes and work-based qualifications, as set out by the Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Education and Training Authority (THETA) for the tourism industry. The research proceed to highlight the role of other major stakeholders, for example, that of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) with the view that tourism must be understood in a global, national and provincial context.

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Tourism and hospitality management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / This research investigated opinions on two aspects of the World Wide Web as a marketing tool for Rwandan hotels: “Web benefits” as seen by hotels with a Web presence ("adopters"), and “barriers to Web adoption” as seen by hotels without ("non-adopters"). Evidence was collected from a sample of 86 hotels, of which 45 had adopted the Web and 41 had not. Firstly, 86 survey questionnaires were collected and secondly, seven telephone interviews were conducted. They consisted of three Web adopters and four non-adopters. For the survey, open-ended questions were used and a statistical analysis of adopters' opinions depicts the main benefits as being “advertising and promoting”, “providing hotel information”, “communicating better”, “providing online reservation”, “saving cost and time” and “being free from borders”. Importantly, respondents' data also indicates that they considered “increasing business” and “providing competitive advantage” as benefits. In the research results, the latter are considered as the high-end benefits of any marketing effort with “increase in business” depending on “competitive advantage”. The same was done with barriers to Web adoption and a statistical analysis depicts the main barriers as being “high cost of Web implementation”, “lack of external Internet infrastructure”, “lack of IT skills and knowledge”, “perceived costs and benefits”, “lack of top management support” and “lack of awareness about business opportunities and benefits of Web marketing”. The analysis of the interviews reveals that “Web benefits” came through strongly in the qualitative content analysis. The most mentioned benefit was “increasing business”. “Providing hotel information”, “saving cost and time”, “providing online reservation”, “transactions at global level”, “advertising and promoting” and “providing online payment” were also mentioned. Details will be found in the chapter dealing with research results. Further, the interviews reveal that Web adopters were satisfied and generally achieved the benefits they expected from Web adoption; no disbenefits were expressed. On the side of the non-adopters, the interviews reveal that even though they had no website, they believed that Web marketing would be beneficial in terms of marketing, especially for advertising. For a more effective implementation of Web marketing among Rwandan hotels, the researcher provides recommendations to the identified key stakeholders. Also, the researcher recommends further studies, on the use of Internet and Web marketing among Rwandan hotels.

Thesis (MTech (Teacher Education ))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town,1997 / This study is aimed at instructional design for training tourist guides in order to specifically enable them to accommodate the requirements and expectations of "new" South African tourists wishing to join a package tour. The latter refers to those citizens who have previously been excluded from tourism destinations and/or attractions because ofracial regulations ofthe past.. The traditional role ofthe tourist guide and the present-day modus within which it has realised, have been examined reaching the conclusion that the designation "tourist guide" means far more, now focusing on being an educator and culture broker. This new role requires a new and innovative training. Although training courses for tourist guides do exist, these courses do not equip guides to act as culture brokers, mediating between tourists and hosts or host destinations, nor between foreign tourists and all facets ofthe diverse South African culture. Tourist guides occupy key positions in the tourism industry. They make the work of tourism planners, marketers, developers, travel agents and tour operators accessible to tourists. This implies unfolding reality to tourists, setting professional standards and interacting with local communities. This comprehensive role is often not attained as desired because those accepting the responsibility for it are not sufficiently trained, indeed not when the needs and expectations of "new" domestic tourists are considered. The abovementioned curriculum design was launched with a needs assessment to determine the needs of"new" domestic tourists, as only the needs and expectations ofwhite, traditional, indeed.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2014. / The success of any hotel depends entirely upon the satisfaction of its consumers. In order to get this right, hotels have to know the buying behaviour of their customers, hence the saying that “the Customer is King, therefore the Customer is always right!” The Botswana hospitality and tourism market has experienced remarkable changes of late. The well-known hotel brands seem to have increased their market share in the existing market, which used to be dominated by local brands. A brand is a powerful tool that attracts more consumers to buying particular products and services. Some companies may even regard it as equity, as it can add value to the products with which it is associated. It is in this regard that branded properties are important in the hospitality industry. “Brands play an intangible role in the operational effectiveness of any organisation” (Bruce & Harvey, 2008:6). “Brands are increasingly important to tourist destinations and are used by all consumers in the process of buying situations” (Kotler, Bowen & Makens, 2006:315). This study focused on exploring the research problem, which stated: What will the effect of branding be on consumer buying behaviour in the hospitality industry of Gaborone? and the sub-problem, which stated: Will there be an increase in the buying behaviour of consumers due to branding in the hospitality industry of Gaborone? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the sales managers of the three participating hotels, and two questionnaires were distributed – one for guests and one for staff. The analysis of the questionnaires and the interview results indicated that the guests and employees of the hotels were aware of the brands that were available to them in the hospitality industry of Gaborone, Botswana. This was shown by the results that revealed that 52.99% guests stated that the hotel brand had a very important effect in their decision making on which hotel to choose, and 76.06% of the employees thought that the hotel brand had a very important effect in the decision making of customers on which hotel to choose.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Cape Technikon, 1992. / Tourism is a growing, dynamic, diverse and complex industry. Accordingly sophisticated knowledge and skill is required of its personnel. Clients' high expectations regarding personnel and facilities and the increasingly international character of markets are changing the focus of the task and role of the manager of tourism. His success will depend on his entrepreneurial and managerial skills, but much more is expected of him. A closer investigation of his task clearly reveals the need for responsible and accountable training.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / The hospitality industry has undergone far-reaching changes based on discussions held with industry representatives. Due to the rapid development of accounting systems there is an over reliance on systems to control costs. This influences the accounting skills of department managers, which are insufficient to manage their departments effectively. The research investigates the role and relevance of accounting skills amongst department managers of selected hotels in Cape Town. The research methodology employed a semi-structured questionnaire that was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The focus was on selected three-star (3) and five-star (5) hotels within Cape Town. The findings were drawn from a small sample of 45 hotels, among which 35 participants from the 45 hotels completed the questionnaire. A review of literature identified a strong need for department managers to have accounting skills, but there is limited evidence whether they actually hold these skills. Statistical analysis of the responses revealed that less than 50% of the participants were confident that they had sufficient accounting skills to manage their departments effectively. Two key issues were identified (1) the benefits of accounting skills (2) the need for formal accounting skills training. If the findings and concerns of the lack of accounting skills are not addressed it will affect cost control, costs will increase and profitability will be negatively affected. Recommendations include more interaction and forging links between academia and industry. A challenge for hospitality academics is review current financial management training provided and introduces mentorship programmes to develop the accounting skills of department managers.

D.Phil. (Geography) / Geographical research, with its central concerns on place, space and the environment has been an important element of the growth and consolidation of tourism studies. Recent geographical research in tourism has investigated a variety of issues. Several areas where the contribution by geographers is notable include: destination planning and management, innovation, tourism entrepreneurship, human mobility, conservation and bio-security, international business, poverty reduction and pro-poor tourism and global environmental change. The movement of people away from their place of permanent residence creates a demand for lodging and other services in order to satisfy their tourist needs. The establishment, evolution and upgrading of the commercial accommodation sector, which includes hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfasts, backpacker hostels and home-stays, is an important research area for tourism scholars and geographers. Accommodation provides a temporary home for the tourist and different accommodation types, notably hotels, assume an important function in cities. Notwithstanding the central role played by hotels, the hotel sector is under researched within the disciplines of economic geography, urban studies and tourism scholarship. Since 1990 and the upsurge in tourist arrivals, scholarship on tourism research has become a prominent avenue of enquiry for South African geographers. Whilst there has been some research on mainly small forms of accommodation, the hotel, which is the most visible expression of tourism has been largely ignored. This thesis provides a contribution to the neglected issues regarding the production or supply of accommodation. The broad goal of this investigation is to understand and investigate the fundamental restructuring which has taken place in the South African hotel industry over the period 1990 to 2010. This restructuring of the hotel sector involved a set of both structural and spatial changes. The study period begins with the demise of apartheid and South Africa’s re-entry into the international tourism economy and ends with South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. This study provides a detailed analysis of the changing structure and spatial organization of the hotel sector in a developing tourism economy. It further investigates the hotel as a type of property asset class and undertakes an analysis of the drivers of the changing structure of hotel development. The study then investigates the appearance and growth of the phenomenon of market segmentation in the South African hotel industry. The research further seeks to interpret the spatial changes occurring in the hotel sector at both the national and intra-urban scale of locational choice and finally explores the different geographies of hotel change as differentiated by factors of hotel quality, size and segment. This thesis seeks to re-dress the gap in knowledge of the South African hotel sector, whilst acknowledging that additional avenues of hotel research require further investigation.