Firm preparation for ISO 9001 certification: the case of the hotel industry in Portugal

The purpose of this study is to assess whether companies conduct preparations, such as managing culture, before starting to implement an ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS). Based on a literature review, the paper develops a model of firm preparation for ISO 9001 certification and several research hypotheses. The survey research method adopted consists of data collection through questionnaires – sent to hotels of four and five stars, in Portugal, in two different moments (2012 and 2014) – and of a longitudinal data analysis based on non-parametric statistical tests. Results show that the majority of companies conduct preparations before starting to implement an ISO 9001 QMS. However, most companies do not assess their initial situation, nor do they plan for the preparations. One of the significant implications from this research is that a more coherent and integrated approach in ISO 9001 preparation is required. Other implications for practice and for research are also noted. This is the first study, as far as the authors are aware of, that addresses the topic of planning for the preparations that a company can make before starting to implement an ISO 9001 QMS.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grant UID/ECO/04007/2013) e FEDER/COMPETE (POCI-01-0145- FEDER-007659)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reflections on tourism marketing coordinates and development in Romania

With a striking manifestation for at least 50 years the tourism industry identifies itself in our country as an independent economic field. Generally speaking, the importance and development of tourism within the national economic activities represent the result of preoccupations in applying the policies and strategies specific to marketing. Starting from the authors’ idea that the tourism industry counts among those industries that need both investments (in infrastructure, environment etc.) and strategic (and implicitly, marketing) planning permanently adapted to the real conditions, this paper aims to perform a retrospective and equally a parallel between the effects of marketing application within the tourism activities in our country, the periods taken into consideration for the purpose of analysis being separated by the time when the communist regime was replaced in Romania. Within this approach, the periods before and after 1990 shall be considered