Abstract:
This collective case study on the effect of hygiene practices on the operations of
hospitality businesses in the Nandom District had premised that the sub-sector faced a
myriad of hygiene and sanitation problems requiring empirical investigation.
Qualitative and quantitative information gathering techniques were employed to
collect primary data from 30 respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule
and observation. Results indicated that all 6 businesses were legally registered,
employed between 4 and 20 full-time workers and used ICT tools to take food orders
and room reservations. The standard of hygiene observance was rated from poor or
low and moderate to high. Effects of hygiene practices on the businesses were larger
market share, greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, better health and safety,
greater efficiency and productivity. Challenges to hygiene observance were cost of
detergents/cleaning materials, distance from suppliers, lack of hygiene awareness,
poor staff and community attitudes, low worker-education, poor waste management
and environmental health personnel deficit. The study recommends intensified
education and broader coverage of observance of best hygiene practices, direction of
more resources into staff in-service training and staff education on the relevance and
importance of hygiene and sanitation. State should resource regulatory bodies to
enforce hygiene and sanitation bye-laws, establish waste re-cycling companies, and
make detergents, equipment and cleansing materials accessible and affordable to all.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of CATERING AND HOSPITALITY
EDUCATION, faculty of TECHNICAL/VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, submitted
to school of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for award of the Master of Technology (Catering and
Hospitality) degree.
AUGUST, 2015
