Driving factors to competitive sustainability of SMEs in the tourism sector: An introspective analysis

Figures & data

Figure 1. Conceptual framework.

Table 1. Demographic characteristics

Details		Frequency	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	203	65.40
	Female	107	34.60
Age	23.28	49	15.50
	29–34	99	32.00
	35–39	115	37.20
	40–45	36	11.70
	Above 46	11	3.60
Educational Level	Senior High School	65	21.00
	Certificate/Diploma/HND	73	23.60
	Bachelor Degree	107	34.60
	Masters/PGD	58	18.40
	Others	7	2.40
Company Size	Micro (1–20 employees)	99	32.00
	Small (21–50 employees)	91	29.40
	Medium (51–100 employees)	68	22.00
	Large (100 above)	52	16.50
Work Experience	1–5 years	149	47.90
	6–10 years	93	30.10
	10–15 years	47	15.20
	15 and above	21	6.80
Location of business	Greater Accra	87	27.80
	Central Region	69	22.30
	Volta region	53	17.20
	Western Region	47	15.20
	Ashanti region	47	15.20
	Others	7	2.30
Sample Size (n)		310	100

Source: Author’s field survey- May-August 2022

Table 2. Construct reliability and validity

Constructs	Dijkstra-Henseler’s rho (ρA)	Jöreskog’s rho (ρc)	Cronbach’s alpha(α)	The average variance extracted (AVE)
Tourists Contentment	0.8347	0.8967	0.8254	0.7440
Price Sensitivity	0.8673	0.8811	0.8212	0.6524
Technological Adoption	0.9402	0.8975	0.8359	0.7458
Constant Sites Maintenance	0.8625	0.8825	0.8222	0.6561
Entrepreneurial Competency	0.9132	0.9208	0.8830	0.7470
Regulatory Environment	0.9370	0.9351	0.9103	0.7463
Competitive Sustainability	0.8855	0.8906	0.8351	0.6765

Source: Authors’ processing from ADANCO 2.0 version

Table 3. Construct items, loading, and variance inflation factor (VIF)

Construct	Indicator	Loading	VIF
Tourists Contentment	TC1: In my view, tourists’ satisfaction plays a major role in the sustainability of the tourism sector	0.8508	2.5992
	TC2: Tourists are satisfied with the activities of customer relationship management e.g. and tourist’s guard.	0.7792	1.4992
	TC33: The beauty and quality of the environment informed tourists’ decisions for other visitations.	0.9147	2.9188
	TC4: In my view, tourists are strongly motivated by the satisfaction gained by visiting places	0.8878	2.5507
Prince Sensitivity	PS1: Prices charged are moderate in the tourism sector	0.6790	1.4042
	PS2: Price plays a major decision in the tourist’s decision-making process	0.7444	1.5496
	PS3: In my view, prices are always constant without regular changes	0.9014	2.7831
	PS4: In my view, indigenes and foreigners are usually satisfied with payments made in the tourism sector.	0.8843	2.5449
Constant Site Maintenance (CSM)	CSM1: In my view, consistent maintenance has contributed to the sustainability of the tourism sector	0.6372	1.3977
	CSM2: Preservation of the tourists’ environments plays a key role in the maintenance of the site	0.8065	1.8011
	CSM3: Policies developed on sites maintenance have also moved the sector forward	0.9092	2.8731
	CSM4: Management constantly maintains the tourists’ sites.	0.8610	2.4529
Technological Adoption	TA1: Technology is an essential tool in promoting tourism.	0.8083	1.8549
	TA2: Adoption of technology helps in sharing authentic information on their websites/social network platforms.	0.7715	1.7947
	TA3: Technology platforms are useful tools for reaching out to those who are far and near.	0.9019	2.8134
	TA4: Technology adoption contributes to the profitability of the tourism sector	0.9104	2.0950
Entrepreneurial Competency	EC1: Ability to take responsibility for solving a problem	0.6740	1.5452
	EC2: Cooperation with others, networking, and utilizing contacts	0.9046	3.2288
	EC3: Persuasive communication and negotiation skills	0.9377	3.0420
	EC4: Recognize market gap, exploit market opportunity	0.9145	3.0378
Regulatory Environment	RE1: Government policies favors the tourism industry	0.6135	1.3717
	RE2: In my view, the tourism sector enjoys better policies from the ministry of tourism	0.9169	3.2998
	RE3: The tourism sector is regularly supported by the government to make them competitive	0.9316	3.9675
Competitive Sustainability	CS1: Evaluation of the tourist’s environment accounts for its sustainability	0.6809	1.3024
	CS2: In my view, policies on security have also impacted positively on SMEs in the tourism sector	0.8722	2.3742
	CS3: In my view, accessibility of tourist places is usually friendly informing tourists of regular visitation	0.9128	3.2284
	CS4: Government policies on tourism usually boost the morale of tourists accounting for the competitive sustainability of the sector	0.8801	2.5577

Source: Author’s processing from ADANCO 2.0 version

Table 4. Discriminant validity using Fornell-Larcker

Construct	Satisfaction	Sensitivity	Tech-Adoption	Maintenance	Competency	Environment	Sustainability
Satisfaction	0.7440
Sensitivity	0.3983	0.6524
Tech-Adoption	0.0393	0.0634	0.7458
Maintenance	0.3246	0.5609	0.0460	0.6561
Competency	0.1927	0.2972	0.1717	0.2735	0.7470
Environment	0.2334	0.3013	0.1943	0.2772	0.3990	0.7463
Sustainability	0.2641	0.4895	0.1016	0.4437	0.4809	0.3128	0.6765

Note: the diagonal (in bold) is the average variance extracted (AVE) Sources: Author’s processing from ADANCO 2.0 version.

Figure 2. Estimated research model. Source: Authors’ processing form ADANCO 2.2.1 software.

Table 5. Hypothetical path coefficient

Relationship	Beta (β)	Standard bootstrap results					Empirical remarks
		Mean value	SD error	T-value	Effect size (Cohen’s f^2)	P-value
H1:TS -> CS	0.0193	0.0238	0.0541	0.3576	0.0006	0.3604	Rejected
H2:PS -> CS	0.3012	0.2997	0.0703	4.2861	0.0918	0.0000	Confirmed
H3:TA -> CS	0.0252	0.0281	0.0504	0.4998	0.0014	0.3087	Rejected
H4:SM -> CS	0.2121	0.2110	0.0892	2.3791	0.0517	0.0088	Confirmed
H5:EC -> CS	0.3893	0.3857	0.0644	6.0465	0.2211	0.0000	Confirmed
H6:RE -> CS	0.0159	0.0202	0.0554	0.2865	0.0003	0.3873	Rejected
Dependent variable:	Coefficient of determination (R^2)				Adjusted R^2
Competitive Sustainability	0.6489				0.6419

Sources: Author’s processing from ADANCO 2.0 version. Note: TS = Tourist Satisfaction, PS = Price Sensitivity, TA = Technology Adoption, SM = Site Maintenance, EC = Entrepreneur competency, RE = Regulatory Environment, and CS = Competitive Sustainability.