| dc.description.abstract | Knowledge management helps to identify, generate, accumulate, save, retrieve, and distribute
knowledge to contribute towards improving company-wide service quality. The study sought
to determine the knowledge management practices adopted by hotels in the coastal region,
Kenya in achieving competitive advantage and the factors that influence adoption of
knowledge management for competitive advantage by hotels. The study used a descriptive
survey design. A survey design was appropriate because it describes people responses to
questions about a phenomenon or situation with aim of understanding respondent’s
perceptions from which truism is constructed. It was also the most appropriate since it
ensures that the data obtained gives appropriate answers to the research questions. A census
study was conducted of all high end hotels in the coastal region as at August, 2014. This
study used primary data. Primary data was collected by the use of a structured questionnaire
(Appendix I). The questionnaire was administered using ‘drop-and-pick later’ method. The
questionnaire included the knowledge management variables at different application areas.
The data collected helped to assess the adoption of knowledge management practices. The
respondents were the General Managers and Human resource managers of the hotels because
they are deemed to be well versed with the knowledge management practices in the hotels.
The data collected was cleaned, validated, and edited for accuracy, uniformity, consistency
and completeness. Descriptive statistics was used to determine the extent to which knowledge
management practices have been adopted. The data collected was meant to establish the
extent of implementation of knowledge management practices by the hotels and to help
determine the factors that influence adoption of knowledge management by hotels. The study
found out that knowledge management practices are adopted by the hotels in the areas of
knowledge creation, knowledge acquisition, knowledge filtering, knowledge storage and
representation, knowledge application and knowledge distribution and exchange. The study
also established the hotels have a comprehensive, adequate database which is available for all
personnel. The hotels also document problems and their solutions for future benefits. The
study also found out that the hotels document expert knowledge and organize it as stories of
success to be used later. In knowledge application, the hotels have a follow up programme to
ensure that subordinates use and apply methods gained during training. The study also
established that in knowledge distribution and exchange practices, the hotels maintain a
database including a list of names and addresses of experts to call up for consultancy, the
employees use e-mail to share and exchange knowledge with others and the hotel has an
intranet which enables sharing and exchanging of knowledge with others. Regarding factors
influencing adoption of knowledge management practices in the hotels, the study found out
that the factors like organizational culture, organizational structure, information technology
and institutional capacity and level of training. In competitive advantage, the study
established that knowledge management is significant in helping the hotels in the
development of innovative products and minimum loss of valuable knowledge. The study
recommended that knowledge management is increasingly becoming an important tool for
businesses to gain a competitive advantage and in turn drive economic growth; the
government should come up with relevant policies that will support the education of owners
and employees of different hotels on importance of adoption of knowledge management | en_US |
