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- Contrasting portuguese and international service quality management in the Algarve hotel industryPublication . Cândido, CarlosThis paper establishes a contrast between the management of three different kinds of hotels operating in the Algarve: international chain hotels, portuguese chain hotels and independent hotels. The dimensions along which the contrast is established are fourteen service quality gaps (SQGs), taken from a model which has been developed in a previous paper by the author and a co-author (Cândido et al., 2000). Sample data has been collected through a questionnaire implemented in the population of four and five star hotels of the Algarve (FFSHA). Data analysis involves descriptive statistics and some statistical tests. In general, descriptives emphasise differences between the hotel groups and raise concerns about possible inconsistent management practices. The paper concludes with several specific suggestions to improve service quality in the FFSHA.
- Service quality strategy implementation : a model and the case of the Algarve hotel industryPublication . Cândido, CarlosThis is the third of a series of papers addressing the problem of service quality strategy implementation. The first paper focuses on service quality as a function of quality gaps and proposes a comprehensive model that amplifies the areas where to look for service quality gaps (Cândido & Morris, 2000). The second paper focuses on strategy implementation and proposes three interrelated models: a static model of the organisation; a dynamic model of the strategy process; and a mixed model, which integrates static and dynamic models (Cândido & Morris, 2001). Taken together, the four models can help to implement a service quality strategy that simultaneously avoids quality gaps and resistance to change. Now, this paper undertakes a tentative validation of the models. Sample data has been collected through two complementary questionnaires, both implemented in the population of four and five star hotels of the Algarve (FFSHA). Data analysis involves descriptive statistics and statistical tests. In general, the descriptives and the statistical tests do not provide evidence against the models thus supporting their validity. Descriptives have also raised concerns about some possible inconsistent management practices during the implementation of a quality strategy. The paper concludes with insights to managers interested in implementing such a strategy.
- A quality improvement approach for developing the human resources of portuguese local authoritiesPublication . Cândido, Carlos; Campeã, ManuelSeveral efforts have been made to improve the quality of human resources employed by Portuguese local authorities (HRPLA). Still, the vast majority of the personnel, including management, have low qualifications and seem to be less productive than their foreign counterparts. Based on a quality improvement approach, this paper proposes and tests a model encompassing eight management dimensions. The intention is to contribute to the development of the HRPLA. A survey assessed the importance of each management dimension, the ability of the respondents to manage these, and the actual forms of management used. Statistical tests provided support for the validity of the model and suggest that, whilst respondents consider its dimensions to be very important, their autonomy and ability to manage them is low. The main restrictions to this come from legislation, lack of management knowledge, lack of training, and politics. Results also suggest that a common language can be developed between public and private organisations.
- The implications of service quality gaps for strategy implementationPublication . Cândido, Carlos; Morris, D. S.This article addresses the problem of service quality strategy implementation and proposes three interrelated models: a static model of the organisation; a comprehensive dynamic model of the implementation process, both synthesised from the literature; and a mixed model, which integrates static and dynamic models. The mixed model is combined with the service quality gaps (SQGs) model, drawn at a previous congress paper, to propose a map of the pattern of SQGs occurring at each implementation stage; the organisational variables that can be manipulated to eliminate SQGs; and several implications to practising managers.