Globalization Strategies Adopted by Five Star Hotels in Nairobi, Kenya to Gain Competitive Advantage
View/ Open
Date
2015-11Author
Nafula, Dorcas K
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The hospitality industry is highly competitive and is subject to risks relating to competition that may
adversely affect the operation of firms. Competition has been further increased with the advent of
globalization hence need to identify strategies to enable organizations gain competitive advantage in the
market. Most strategies remain as just good ideas unless they are implemented and translated into the
organization. Globalization strategy is an organization's strategic guide to globalization. It involves
thinking in an integrated way about all aspects of a business from the perspective of both domestic and
international market standards. The purpose of this study was to identify the globalization strategies
adopted by five star hotels to gain competitive advantage. The research adopted a cross sectional survey. It
was a census study of all the eight gazetted five star hotels in Nairobi as per the Restaurant and Hotel Act
Cap 494. Data from the survey relied on primary data collected by use of semi structured questionnaires
filled by the Marketing Managers of the hotels. Data was analyzed using SPSS and presented using tables,
charts and graphs. The results confirm that the hotel industry in Kenya is highly competitive and as a result
of globalization and increased competition hotels employ globalization strategies. The study established
that implementation of the globalization strategies by the five star hotels enabled them to gain competitive
advantage in the industry. There was need for the hotels to identify their core competencies and capitalize
on them in order to sustain the competitive advantage gained. The study recommended a participatory
organization structure where employees and relevant stakeholders are adequately represented in the policy
and strategy formulation and use of feedback from clients to modify policies. On managerial practice the
research the study suggests that organizations need to frequently benchmark with other organizations
within the same industry so as to gauge their overall performance, it further suggests that management
should identify effective strategies to be adopted for maximum returns to the organization and they should
provide adequate support to the implementers.