Factors Influencing ICT Adoption In Hospitality Industry Of Zambia

The rapid growth of information and communication technology(ICT)has drastically changed the operating environment of the hotel industry.This change has resulted in a win–win situation for all parties in the hotel industry.To this end,ICT is seen as a strategic asset that can enhance customer satisfaction and provide a competitive advantage.ICT provides the opportunity for an individual to access hotels’ products and services from anywhere at any time.Hotels are using ICT to customize the tourism product,which can lead to guest satisfaction.Therefore,it is posited that the adoption of ICT in the hotel industry(a case of Taj Pamodzi)can improve guest satisfaction,improve service quality,reduce costs,improve decision-making and increase revenue.Effective adoption of ICT requires comprehensive understanding of factors influencing ICT.Therefore,this study aimed to explore the technological(e.g.,perceived usefulness,ease of use and cost),organizational(owner/manager support and employee’s knowledge/skills)and environmental(external pressure)factors influencing Taj Pamodzi management towards ICT adoption.This study used a quantitative research method to test the conceptual framework.A closeended questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale was administered and disseminated through an online web-based survey to gather data hotel employees working in Taj Pamodzi.For the descriptive methodology of the study,Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences(SPSS)and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling(PLS-SEM)using Smart PLS 3.0(v3.3.3)were deployed.The results of the study reflects that technological factors(i.e.,perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use,and perceived cost),organizational factors(i.e.,owner/manager support and employee knowledge/skills),and environmental factor(external pressure)has a positive and significant impact on Taj Pamodzi management to adopt ICT.However,results exhibits that using external pressure has most strong influence on ICT adoption.This research recommended that hotel management must provide training and ensure the effective implementation of ICT adoption,since it has both pros and cons such as enabling employees to establish relationship with customers and other stakeholders,establish reputation in the global markets,easiness of carrying out transactions,improve customer satisfaction,distribution channels,and staff satisfaction,increase competitive advantages,sales,revenue and profits growth customizing services to customer needs.On the other side,ineffective use of it leads to destructive addiction,distraction,cyberbullying,lack of control for inappropriate content,invasion of privacy and misuse by employees during working hours.Additionally,this research has several theoretical and practical implications.Theoretically,the present study’s findings provide empirical evidence to the body of knowledge devoted to the hotel/hospitality industry with regards to the relationship between perceived usefulness,ease of use,cost,owner/manager support,employee’s knowledge/skills,external pressure and ICT adoption in developing countries.