College of Humanities & Social Sciences

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    Factors influencing market segmentation in the hotel Industry; (the case of selected hotels)
    (KNUST, 2012-06) Alhassan, Fatawu
    Market segmentation has been widely employed to give hoteliers understanding, identify attractive target segments and develop a marketing offer customised to needs of clients. The study examines factors influencing market segmentation of the hotel industry in the Tamale Metropolis. Issues considered in the study are to; identify the criteria used by hotels in segmenting their markets; examine the relevant market segmentation variables in the hotel industry; determine the effects of the criteria identified on the performance of hotels; and establish the relevant consumer characteristics necessary for market segmentation of the hotel industry.The study uses descriptive survey as research design with purposive and accidental sampling techniques to select the respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used as research instrument. The data gathered was analysed using descriptive statistics whereby results were presented in tables, bar charts and pie charts. It was revealed that besides the use of market measurability as criterion, market segmentation was based on the market and not products or types of services rendered by hotels. The study revealed that the demographic and psychographic factors featured more prominently as variables for market segmentation than behavioural and geographic factors. It concludes that market segmentation enhances performance of hotels in the Tamale Metropolis. The study recommends that market segmentation as a marketing strategy is taken seriously by hotels since it promotes quality service delivery and competition among hotels.
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    Assessing strategic planning implementation on the administrative performance of hospitals in Ghana a case of tamale teaching hospital
    (KNUST, 2012-08) Akpedonu, Kafui Kwame
    unethical conduct have been observed to be a major factor affecting the delivery of quality service and infrastructure in the construction sector of developing nations and these perceived unethical behaviours also vary from one society to another. The benefits that accrue from the construction industry to the GDP of developing nations cannot be over-emphasized. In view of the pivotal role that the construction industry plays in a nation, there have been calls for appropriate ethical conduct by all to ensure the desired objectives are met. This thesis highlights the comparison made between the perception of stakeholders and professionals in the construction industry of Nigeria and Ghana about the prevalence of unethical conducts in the industry. The comparisons have been based on the results of a research carried out through questionnaire survey administered in both countries. 100 questionnaires were administered in each country and the results analyzed using SPSS software. The results indicated that majority of the respondents from both countries agreed that unethical practices tend to increase the cost of construction and that government needs to intensify efforts in curbing the menace which include; bribery, unfairness in tendering process, over-billing, gifts and meals, compromise on quality, fraud and negligence of professional responsibility. This study recommends that there should be: less or no political interference in the entire contract award process, adherence to due process, and commitment to upholding ethical principles by all stakeholders and professionals alike.
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    Assessing the contribution of rural and community banks towards small and medium enterprise development: a case study of two selected rural banks in Nkoranza north and south districts.
    (KNUST, 2012-08) Amponsah, Daniel
    This study seeks to evaluate the contributions, both financial and non-financial, made by Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) in Ghana towards Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) development. The establishment of Rural and Community Banks was accentuated by the fact that the universal banks could not accommodate the financial intermediation problems of the rural poor and the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) as they did not show any interest in dealing with these small scale operators. Data were collected from one hundred SME customers and some key staff of two selected rural banks, Nkoranza-Kwabre and Fiagya Rural Banks which are used as case study in the research. It was noted in the research that RCBs have helped in creating a dependable channel for savings mobilisation and access to credit among rural and urban dwellers particularly those in small businesses. The study also noted that the SMEs face challenges in some instances in applying for credits from the rural banks which include high collateral requirement, high interest rates, lack of proper financial records, and lack of information on the credit facilities available, delays in loans processing and unfavourable loan repayment plan or schedules. Appropriate recommendations have been provided which when adhered to could be mutually beneficial to SMEs and the RCBs.
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    An assessment of the impact of strategic planning on the performance of selected rural and community banks in the western region of ghana.
    (KNUST, 2012-07) AMPON-WIREKO, KWADWO
    The study examined the impact of strategic planning on the performance of Rural and Community Banks in the Western Region of Ghana. Strategic Planning has been unknown to many Rural and Community banks prior to the 1990’s. Lack of planning within the Rural banking sector contributed to the abysmal performance of these banks, contributing to the collapse of about 21 of these banks, and about a third of them going into distress. The intervention of the Association of Rural Banks (ARB) in organizing a series of seminars on strategic planning for these banks in 1999, and the implementation of strategic plans by these banks in 2000, led to the rapid improvement in the performance of these banks. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether or not the introduction of strategic planning in the Rural and Community Banks has had any impact on the performance of these banks. The target population consisted of five rural and community banks selected from eleven rural and community banks in the Western Region, with a staff population of 300. The main instruments employed for data collection were questionnaires and secondary data. The study revealed that Management participation in strategic planning in the selected banks was significant, as the selected banks did not have enough financial resources to hire strategic planners from outside. The study findings also revealed that the introduction of strategic planning in the rural banking sector has improved the performance of the selected banks. The study recommends the use of strategic plans by rural and community banks to help improve the human resource base and the financial performance of their companies.
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    Accelerating the growth of a business by integrating online marketing with existing offline activities: the case study of selected hotels in sunyani municipality.
    (KNUST, 2012-06) Antwi-Boasiako, Elizabeth
    Developments in information technology have changed the manner in which competitive advantages are achieved today and with customers becoming increasingly sophisticated and gradually moving towards the internet, it has become necessary for marketers to reach out to this new market segment whilst ensuring that the offline customers are also well catered for. This study therefore aimed at investigating how growth within the hospitality industry can be accelerated by integrating online marketing with existing offline activities. Given the exploratory nature of this study, data was collected quantitatively using questionnaire and qualitatively using interview. In all, fifty (50) customers from five selected hotels within Sunyani Municipality were issued a questionnaire and five managers from these selected hotels were also interviewed. The study revealed that hotels within Sunyanimarket their services offline with few online activities. However, the online marketing comes with tremendous benefits. Based on the findings, the study established that both online and offline marketing activities were important in terms of accelerating business growth as far as hotels in Sunyani are concerned.From this study, the following recommendations were made: hotels should blend the two marketing activities for the time being and slowly shift attention to online marketing activities considering the enormous benefit the study outlined.