Marcjanna M. Augustyn

Service Quality and Tourism

The aim of this article is to emphasize the importance of quality improvement in tourism. To this end, literature re lated to the changing scenario of the tourism industry, the ever-increasing expectations from tourists, and the tools for measuring perceived service quality is reviewed. The value of the tourism industry is revisited, and the SERVQUAL model is used as a framework for defining the real meaning of customer satisfaction in tourism. Gap analysis is used to illustrate how tourism-related organizations can improve their service quality. Finally, this article concludes that serv ice quality is a necessary and winning strategy in the tourism industry for the new millennium.

Performance of tourism partnerships: a focus on York.

Abstract Partnerships between the public and the private sectors have recently come to prominence as a strategic tool for tourism development. The reasons for entering into such agreements and the nature of partnerships have been widely recognised. However, no concise set of criteria, against which the performance of partnerships can be assessed, has been established. As a result, little research has been done in the area of evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of tourism partnerships. This article aims to identify critical success factors for partnerships between the public and the private sectors at tourism destinations and to assess the performance of such arrangements. An extensive literature review has been undertaken in order to specify a set of tourism partnership success factors. A case study approach, with a tourism partnership in York constituting its subject, has been utilised for the evaluation of tourism partnerships against the critical success factors. The empirical study provides a useful source for extending the existing list of factors influencing the performance of tourism partnerships by new determinants. It also gives a framework for self-assessment of partnership, which seems to be of utmost importance in securing a long-term viability of these agreements.

ISO 9000 and performance of small tourism enterprises: a focus on Westons Cider Company

While the tourism industry generally rejects ISO 9000 as a standard irrelevant for this sector, the article aims to assess potential impacts of ISO 9000 accreditation upon the performance of small tourism enterprises (STEs). Limited research within this area encouraged the use of primary research techniques for collecting the relevant data. Due to an insufficient number of STEs fulfilling the sampling criteria, a case study approach was adopted with Westons Cider constituting its subject. The research revealed that ISO 9000 significantly contributed to the improved performance of this company. The benefits and advantages of the ISO 9000 system depend, however, on the age of the system and are subject to a company’s conformance to critical success factors. The study also uncovered that the usefulness of ISO 9000 needs to be assessed against the particular situation of an individual company rather than against the sector to which a company belongs.

IS THE SERVQUAL SCALE AN ADEQUATE MEASURE OF QUALITY IN LEISURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY?

Efforts aimed at evaluating quality in leisure, tourism and hospitality have concentrated predominantly on measuring perceived service quality using the SERVQUAL scale, either in its original form or with modifications. While these studies are of great theoretical and practical value, the focus on measuring consumer satisfaction may limit the potential scope of the quality-measurement process. This is particularly true in assessing the quality of complex services such as those found in the leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors, which may require the application of a range of measures that will collectively contribute to the identification of quality levels. This article critically evaluates the potentialities and limitations of the SERVQUAL scale in measuring quality in leisure, tourism and hospitality. It concludes that the SERVQUAL scale is a necessary but insufficient measure of quality within these sectors and specifies implications for future research.

Direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage within the context of the resource-based view of a firm. Design/methodology/approach Survey data have been obtained from 288 general managers of luxury hotels in Egypt. The authors have used six dimensions and 22 indicators of quality management, two indicators of competitive advantage that manifest the hotel’s above average financial performance relative to competitors within the study sample, and a multi-group analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The results indicate that quality management may be a source of competitive advantage. Top management leadership and supplier management differentiate hotels with above average financial performance from its competitors. The role of customer focus and employee management in generating competitive advantage is questionable while process management and quality data and reporting may not contribute to achieving competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications Only direct effects of quality management on competitive advantage are examined within the context of a luxury hotel industry in Egypt. Similar studies within other contexts and models that study indirect effects of quality management on competitive advantage with factors that might moderate these effects are needed. Future studies could compare effects of quality management on competitive advantage with effects of quality management on other business outcomes. Practical implications The results may inform management decision making concerning the development of capabilities that may generate competitive advantage. Social implications The current study contributes in providing further evidence that may contribute to enhancing the understanding and knowledge of the relationship between quality management and competitive advantage. Originality/value This study contributes to the debate on strategic value of quality management and resource-based sources of competitive advantage. Methodologically, this study shows an alternative approach to measuring competitive advantage and indicates that applying a multi-group analysis in SEM may contribute to producing original results.

Testing the dimensionality of the quality management construct

Numerous empirical studies have conceptualised quality management (QM) as either a multidimensional or unidimensional construct. While few prior studies tested some aspects of the assumed dimensional structure of the construct, no study has been found to have tested the constructs dimensionality using alternative factor analysis models. To gain a better insight into dimensional properties of the QM construct, this paper tests its dimensionality using three confirmatory factor analysis models (oblique factor model, higher-order factor model, and one-factor model) on a subset of data collected in a larger study that investigated the effects of QM on competitive advantage using a sample of 288 hotel managers in Egypt. The results of the three tests indicate that the QM construct is multidimensional. While this study contributes to advancing the QM theory and practice, further studies are needed to investigate the dimensional properties of the construct in greater depth. The results of this study may therefore stimulate research in this area and encourage the much needed debate on the dimensionality of the QM construct.