Josep Llach

ISO 9001 diffusion analysis according to activity sectors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of the world‐wide diffusion, according to industrial sectors of activity, of the ISO 9000 family of quality standards.Design/methodology/approach – Using data provided by the ISO itself, the evolution of the world‐wide diffusion of the ISO 9000 family of standards from 1998 to 2008 is studied. Using two indices of instability, these data are then analysed in terms of individual industrial sectors to assess the heterogeneity of diffusion across different sectors of activity.Findings – The results show that the diffusion of ISO 9001 follows a logistic curve in all sectors, although the current stage of diffusion (in terms of initial stage, expansion stage, and saturation stage) differs between different sectors of activity. The sectors have been classified into three groups according to their possible future evolution.Research limitations/implications – Because the analysis of prediction is based on mathematical models, the validity of the data...

The balance of the impact of quality and recovery on satisfaction: the case of e-travel

The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of a service failure on customer satisfaction in the online context. Specifically, the objectives are to examine the impact of e-service quality and recovery on satisfaction, and to analyse the impact of satisfaction on loyalty in the services of e-travel agencies. A questionnaire conducted by telephone was used to study the services offered by online travel agencies in Spain. A total of 1201 valid responses were obtained and 91 participants declared that they had experienced quality failures during a particular service. The findings show that providing e-quality has a greater influence on satisfaction (and, therefore, on loyalty) than responding well when a failure has occurred (recovery), thus confirming that providing quality service the first time around is a better strategy than applying recovery strategies. E-retailers should take into account this finding in order to improve the service offered and gain loyal customers.

Proactive and reactive strategies deployed by restaurants in times of crisis: Effects on capabilities, organization and competitive advantage

Purpose – This study aims to examine the development of dynamic capabilities and their effect on the competitive advantage of restaurants in 2009, one year after the beginning of the global financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach – The restaurants were personally surveyed to discern the importance of proactive and reactive strategies for the organization. The resulting two organizational effects – cost cutting and the development of dynamic capabilities – were tested for their influence on competitive advantage. Findings – The findings show that both proactive and reactive strategies reduce costs; however, only proactive strategies develop dynamic capabilities that improve competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications – The conclusions are drawn from a small sample of restaurants in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Given that Madrid enjoys a higher standard of living and greater business expenditures than other cities, the results may not be generalizable to the rest of the country or to oth...

The innovativeness of family firms through the economic cycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether the innovative effort of organizations increases or decreases over time, especially when the competitive environment is changing, as has been the case in the current economic downturn. For this reason, the objective of this article is to gauge the possible differences in innovative behaviour between family firms (FFs) and non‐family firms (NFFs) when the business environment becomes increasingly hostile.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a natural experiment study, which the authors use to analyse the possible differential behaviour of FFs in the recession context in contrast to the previous growth context. The empirical data for the present study were compiled through the Spanish sub‐sample of the European Manufacturing Surveys (EMS) 2006 and 2009 editions. To test the hypothesis the paper uses a matched‐pairs method that increases the comparability of the available data.Findings – Family firms have a significant higher reduction of...

Sustainability in small tourist businesses: the link between initiatives and performance

This study explores the combined effects of adopting sustainable practices on small tourism companies’ performance. The existing literature provides insufficient data on sustainable behaviour because most studies on environmental practices focus on larger companies in the tourism sector, and a gap exists in social practices. This study is based on a survey of 374 restaurant managers. It uses structural equation modelling to study direct links between three dimensions – quality, environmental practices and social practices – and financial performance and market success factors. Significant differences with earlier studies are found. This study suggests that proactive sustainable practices can benefit small service companies by improving competitiveness even in difficult times. Practical implications are discussed in relation to sustainable practices.

Adoption and use of technology in small business environments

This paper examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the firms human resources (HR) and organizational performance, and analyzes the effect of these changes on its competitiveness. The data were taken from 405 travel agencies. Structural equation analysis revealed that ICTs have a positive effect on company competitiveness, primarily by enhancing HR and organizational performance.

Building loyalty through functional and hedonic quality

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and test an e-quality model for leisure products purchased online. Two dimensions are considered in order to configure the scale: functional quality and hedonic quality. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey conducted on a sample of 1,109 online customers who had bought travel leisure products, the model and hypotheses were validated using structural equation modeling analysis. Findings – The results reveal that both quality dimensions, through an e-quality second order dimension, are critical to obtaining loyalty through perceived value. In terms of functional quality, however, privacy is not significant for consumers because security programs have improved. Moreover, the e-quality – perceived value – loyalty service chain has been confirmed. In addition, a partial mediating effect of perceived value between e-quality and loyalty has been detected. Practical implications – e-Service managers must be aware of the importance of hedonic quality in ...

Learning to create value through the ‘balanced scorecard' model: an empirical study

This paper tries to identify the process of creating value by analysing the cause–effect relationships within the perspectives of the balanced scorecard (BSC) model suggested by Kaplan and Norton [(1992). The Balanced Scorecard – measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1), 71–89]. The paper is based on 253 firms from the region of Catalonia (Spain). The main finding of the article is that using a BSC is a good way to understand how the value is created through the investment in human resources. The cause–effect relationships within the perspectives of the BSC model are validated. A formal, systematic and large-scale methodology has been used, giving answer to the claim by the academics for the use of path modelling methodologies to prove the effectiveness of the model. In addition, the internal dimensions of the four perspectives have been validated, too. The conclusions reached in the article may be of interest for both academics and professionals to understand the logical flow of consequences produced by any decision.

UnivQual: a holistic scale to assess student perceptions of service quality at universities

The aim of this study is twofold. First, we validate a scale to assess the quality of the university experienced by students (UnivQual). Three main dimensions are envisioned: (i) ‘curriculum’, which refers to the quality of the learning methods and the coordination efforts throughout the whole study period; (ii) ‘skills development’, referring to the skills that students might acquire and (iii) ‘services and facilities’ of the university. Second, we analyse the role of the aforementioned dimensions and their impact on student satisfaction. Results reveal that the ‘curriculum’ dimension is the main antecedent of student satisfaction, whereas ‘services and facilities’ do not play a significant role, although they are necessary to provide good service. The empirical application considers a survey of 2557 undergraduate students who finished their degrees in 2013 at universities located in the region of Catalonia (Spain). The paper ends with recommendations for university managers and public administration authorities.

Analysis of training programs related to quality management system: the Spanish case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identifying, discussing and analyzing the existing education and training programs related to quality management system (QMS) in Spain. Design/methodology/approach Exhaustive search of the education system database was used to map the multifaceted of Spanish education system and professional training in addition to their relationships with the labor market. Thereafter, a thorough scan of the existing training related to management system standards was used to classify them into different subgroups as well as identifying possible education and the professional trainings related to QMS. Findings The overall results showed that general education in Spain and in particular related to QMS can be classified into four different groups including: official university, unofficial university, official non-university and unofficial non-university. Moreover, this study observed that the general concern about the employment and earnings in Spain has led the local, autonomous communities and national government to launch specific measures designed to both continue to increase the quality of the workforce with the QMS backgrounds and to ease the difficulties encountered when entering the labor market. Originality/value This study is the first to analyze and map the multifaceted character of Spanish education system and professional training related to QMS. The findings of this study may be useful for organizations trying to evaluate their QMS efforts, thus, engage their people in order to face the competitive challenges that lie ahead.