Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dorothy Ktu BT
Dorothy Ktu BT
HOTEL
PROPOSAL
BY
The hotel industry is known to be the driving force of tourism development worldwide
(Akyeampong, 2007). In view of this, it is not surprising that Ghana is now gradually
experiencing proliferation of international hotel chains, small independent hotels from the bulk
of the hotel stock (Akyeampong, 2007; Mensah, 2009). Akyeampong (2007) and Mensah (2009)
argue that Accra, is experiencing a rapid rise in the number of hotels being built and maintained
to cater for international arrivals. Ghana Tourism Authority (2016) reports that the number of
international arrivals into the country increased from 746,500 in 2010 to 1,093,000 in 2014. The
figure increases at an average rate of 10% per year. The number of registered hotels in increased
The Internet has provided a new paradigm for communication and empowered millions of people
to network socially beyond the confines of geographical proximity. Social networking online has
gradually moved from a niche phenomenon to a current trend being adopted by the masses.
sites, collaborative websites are common examples of the various methods of social media. From
the business perspective, effective networking is a very essential component to success (Kelley,
2010). Social media tools of today are bringing rapid change to organizational communication
and public relations. These technologies have shifted the emphasis of internet services from
opportunities for interaction between organizations and publics (Henderson & Bowley, 2010).
Social media is perceived today in the corporate world as a strategic communication partner,
place for a big pool of clients that serve as a warehouse of consumer information and a means of
Social media usage in the hospitality industry is very high, and has attracted a lot of studies on
how its usage affects performance. Verma and Verma (2017), in their study of social media as a
promotional tool in the hotel industry noted that its interactivity and accessibility qualify it as
one of the most cost effective marketing tools today, and has therefore transformed marketing
strategies of the hotel industry. Therefore considering the growing importance of social media as
a strategic tool for hotels this study aims to investigate the effect of social media usage on sales
With the advent of social media, it is no longer enough for businesses in tourism and hospitality
industry to rely exclusively on traditional media for marketing communication (Leung, Law, Van
Hoof &Buhalis, 2013). However, just a few businesses are exploring the full potential of social
media to communicate with stakeholders or access feedback from them (O‘Connor, 2011).
According to Ab Hamid, Razak, Akhir, and Cheng (2013), the advent of social media tools have
altered the way customers search for information with regards to their purchase decisions. The
mobility and how scarce time is for today‘s consumers, traditional modes of communication are
(Poalses&Joubert, 2014; Teixeira, 2014). Again, the cost of advertising is increasingly rising and
consistently in the past decades and consumers are devoting less attention to traditional
advertising due to advertising clutter, distrust and media proliferation (Poalses&Joubert, 2014;
Teixeira, 2014).
In view of these challenges, Mahmood (2012) argues social media platform offers the most
flexible interactive exchanges between organizations and their publics as the most cost effective
marketing communication tool today. In spite of the growing use of the social media tools among
consumers, it appears the hotels are not utilizing social media as a marketing communication tool
(Kaplan &Haenlein, 2010; Aggarwal, 2011). As of March 2019, Golden Tulip Facebook Accra
had 40,163 followers on Facebook, Movenpick had 84,465, Labadi Beach Hotel had 20,453; and
Kempinski Hotel had 16,854; which shows some level of presence on the biggest social media
network. However, O‘Connor (1999) argues the hotels are not harnessing the full potential of
social media; even when present on social media channels their use is very basic. That is hotels
are thus, missing valuable opportunities to interact and engage with customers (O‘Connor,
1999). Though hotel facilities are found on multiple social media channels, they suffer from a
very low level of visibility, activity and engagement and need to take substantial action if they
are to fully exploit the potential of Social Media. This assertion was confirmed by O‘Connor
(2011) in an observational study to assess the presence, visibility, activity and engagement of the
top fifty international hotel brands on four major Social Media channels-Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and Flickr. The study revealed that major hotel chains are present on a variety of
Social Media channels, overall their use of Social Media is basic (O‘Connor, 2011).
The impact of social media usage on organizational performance has been scantly investigated;
particularly in Ghana. Recent ones sighted include Boating (2014) which revealed that MTN
Ghana and Vodafone Ghana have employed social media to manage customer knowledge; and
Adomako (2015) which looked at factors influencing the choice of social media as a
communication tool in the hotel industry. Besides the latter, there are only a few other studies for
the hotel industry. By way of academic contribution, this study sought to fill the gap in literature
as far as the Ghanaian hotel industry and social media adoption as sales performance tool is
concerned. The study investigated the effects of social media utilization on sales performance of
The main objective of this research is to determine the effect of social media utilization on the
sales performance in the hotel industry in Ghana using Eastern Premier Hotel as a case study.
1. To determine which social media tool Eastern Premier Hotel uses the most
Premier Hotel
1. What is social media tool Eastern Premier Hotel uses the most?
3. What is the extent of social media utilization on sales performance at Eastern Premier
Hotel?
This study will be beneficial from a managerial perspective as this research will assist owners,
managers and marketers of graded properties to have a better understanding of the benefits of
the hospitality sector. The findings of this study would inform decision makers on the value of
social media as a communication tool. Also, the results of this study will highlight the need for
hotels to drive sales via social media since that provides them with an alternative market to
The study will be conducted within the hotel industry in the New Juaben South, Eastern region
of Ghana. The study focuses on the effect of social media utilization as a marketing
Focused on Eastern Premier Hotel in Koforidua. The assessment may be different in other hotels
and in other geographical jurisdictions. Besides, the sampling approach used did not permit the
inclusion of hotels in the peripheries. Therefore, care must be taken to make no sweeping
generalizations, but place it in context. However, the findings presented offer valuable insights
into the use of social media and its effect on sales performance.
The study is presented in five-chapter report which facilitates flow and ease of understanding for
the reader.
Chapter one, the first chapter highlights the background for the study, presents the problem
statement, followed by the objectives of the study, the research questions and significance of the
study.
Chapter two, this chapter reviews literatures on social media utilization theories as well as
empirical literature in line with the objectives of the study as well as the contextual background
Chapter three, this chapter presents the methodology to be used in analyzing the data. It includes
detailed discussion of research tools required to address the questions. It highlights the study
design, population, sample and sampling procedure, data collection instrument, data collection
Chapter four, this chapter presents the analyses of data and its interpretation in line with the
Chapter five, chapter presents a summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Exploring social media adoption in small and medium enterprises in Iraq: - Al Halbusi,
H., Alhaidan, H., Abdelfattah, F., Ramayah, T., & Cheah, J. H. (2022).
Taylor, D. A. (1973).
(2015).
This chapter presents the methodology to be used in analyzing the data. It includes detailed
discussion of research tools required to address the questions. It highlights the study design,
population, sample and sampling procedure, data collection instrument, data collection procedure
The case study design will be employed to find answers to the research questions. The study is a
single case study because it will examine a critical concern for Eastern Premier Hotels,
Koforidua Ghana. Yin (2003) also emphasized that the case study approach is preferred for its
ability for a researcher to conduct an in-depth study into a phenomenon for better comprehension
of the phenomenon. The mixed method approach (quantitative and qualitative research) will be
used for this study through the use of questionnaires and interviews.
Qualitative research involves analyzing and interpreting texts and interviews in order to discover
described as entailing the collection of numerical data; exhibiting a view of the relationship
between theory and research. Quantitative data for the study will be collected through
questionnaires which will be administered to the respondents at Eastern Premier Hotel whiles
interviews will be used for the qualitative method. The data will be collected through the survey
method which will be responses coming from predetermined questions, and will be asked from a
sample of respondents selected from the Eastern Premier Hotel in Koforidua. The study
contacted some managers within the organization to obtain relevant data for the purpose of the
study.
3.2 Source of Data
The data to be collected for the study will comprise of primary data and secondary data. Primary
data will involve both structured questionnaires and interview guides for the data collection.
While the structured questionnaires will be used to get the unbiased opinions of respondents, the
interviews will be used for clarifications of some unclear issues and facts on sales performance
This study selected thirty staff of Eastern Premier Hotel, comprising of ten (10) managers and
supervisors as well as twenty (20) employees of the sales and marketing, operations and finance
departments. It also selected seventy (20) customers to elicit their perceptions on the extent of
social media usage as a communication tool. Therefore a sample size of 50 was used for the
data from all the potential units of analysis (population). Prior consultations revealed that the
hotel has a staff of about 55; out of which managers and supervisors are 32. This is a case study
approach. Purposive sampling method was used to select staff since they have relevant
information that best addresses the objective of the study, whiles random sampling was used to
select the customers of Eastern Premier Hotel to give each participant the equal chance of being
selected.
3.4 Instruments
The main research instrument (data collection tool) that will be used to collect data for the study
The primary data will be obtained using quantitative research methods which involved the
The use of quantitative methods will provide an elaboration, illustration and clarification of the
The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) will be used to analyze the normality of the
data. Spread sheet and simple excel were used to process the data for the analysis. Tables and
statistical diagrams like bar charts, pie charts and line graphs aided data presentation.
The consent of the people will be sought before questionnaires were administered. The method
of data collection for this study will be quantitative by using a standard questionnaire for the data
analysis. Participants in the survey will be assured of strict confidentiality in order to obtain the
necessary information. Sensitive questions such as the names and addresses of the respondents
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