This paper analyses and quantifies the main interrelationships between service quality and the competitiveness of hotels, distinguishing between external and internal effects. The external effects were evaluated according to customer satisfaction, its influence on the sales volume and the client's willingness to pay. The internal effects of quality on competitiveness were estimated using average direct costs. The sign and value of the estimated coefficients were used to examine a set of hypotheses for improving the competitiveness of hotels. The direct, positive effect of high service quality on competitiveness is a particularly important finding.
ACEA (1993), Principios de Contabilidad de Gestión; Costes Indirectos de Producción: Localización, Imputación y Control, Doc 7, Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas, Madrid.
2.
AmatO. (1993), Costes de Calidad y No Calidad, Ediciones Gestión 2000, Barcelona.
3.
AndersonE.W.FornellC.LehmannD.R. (1994), ‘Consumer satisfaction, market share and profitability: Findings from Sweden’, Journal of Marketing, Vol 58, July, pp 53–66.
4.
BakerD.A.CromptonJ.L. (2000), ‘Quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol 27, No 3, pp 785–804.
5.
BerndtE.R. (1991), The Practice of Econometrics: Classic and Contemporary, Addison-Wesley, New York.
6.
BoltonR.N.DrewJ.H. (1991), ‘A multistage model of customers: Assessments of service quality and value’, Journal of Consumers Research, Vol 17, March, pp 375–384.
7.
BouldingW.KalraA.StaelinR.ZeithamlV.A. (1993), ‘A dynamic process model of service quality: From expectations to behavioral intentions’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol 30, February, pp 7–27.
8.
BullA. (1995), La Economía del Sector Turístico, Alianza Editorial, Madrid.
9.
BuzzellR.D.GaleB.T.SultanR.G. (1975), ‘Market share: A key to profitability’, Harvard Business Review, No 59, pp 97–106.
10.
CamisónC. (1996), ‘La calidad como factor de competitividad en turismo: Análisis del caso español’, Información Comercial Española, No 749, pp 99–121.
11.
CamisónC.BouJ.C. (2000), ‘Calidad percibida de una empresa: Desarrollo y validación de un instrumento de medida’, Revista Europea de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa, Vol 9, No 1, pp 9–24.
12.
Campos-SoriaJ.A. (2001), La calidad como factor de competitividad de las empresas de alojamiento hotelero, PhD thesis, University of Málaga, Málaga.
13.
Campos-SoriaJ.A.SánchezJ.L. (2003), ‘Calidad en el servicio: Modelos de aplicación a la industria de alojamiento turístico de Andalucía’, Coyuntura Regional Española. Previsiones Económicas de Andalucía, No 32, pp 92–116.
14.
CarmanJ.M. (1990), ‘Consumer perceptions of service quality: An assessment of the SERVQUAL dimensions’, Journal of Retailing, Vol 66, No 1, pp 33–55.
15.
ChinW. W. (1998), ‘The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling’, in MarcoulidesG.A., ed, Modern Methods for Business Research, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, pp 295–336.
16.
ChoiT.Y.ChuR. (2001), ‘Determinants of hotel guests’ satisfaction and repeat patronage in the Hong Kong hotel industry', International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol 20, No 3, pp 277–297.
17.
CroninJ.J.TaylorS.A. (1992), ‘Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension’, Journal of Marketing, Vol 56, pp 55–68.
18.
DaughetyA.F.NelsonF.D.VigdorW.R. (1984), ‘An econometric analysis of the cost and production structure of the trucking industry’ in DaughetyA.F., ed, Analytical Studies in Transport Economics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
19.
DubeL.RenaghamL.M. (1999), ‘Building customer loyalty – guests' perspectives on the lodging industry's functional best practices (part I)’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol 40, No 5, pp 78–88.
20.
EkinciY.RileyM. (2001), ‘Validating quality dimensions’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol 28, No 1, pp 202–223.
21.
EndosomuranJ.A. (1988), ‘Improving productivity and quality at the source’, in International Industrial Engineering Conference Proceedings, Institute of Industrial Engineers, Atlanta, GA.
22.
EspinetJ.M.SaezM.CoendersG.FluviaM. (2003), ‘Effect on prices of the attributes of holiday hotels: A hedonic prices approach’, Tourism Economics, Vol 9, No 2, pp 165–177.
23.
FiguerolaM. (1995), Economía para la Gestión de las Empresas Turísticas, Colección de Estudios Turísticos, Editorial Centro de Estudios Ramón Areces, Madrid.
24.
FineC.G. (1983), Quality Control and Learning in Productive System, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
25.
GarvinD.A. (1988), Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive Edge, Free Press, New York.
26.
GundersenM.G.MortenH.OlsonU.H. (1996), ‘Hotel guest satisfaction among business travelers: What are the important factors?’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol 37, No 2, p 72.
27.
HarringtonD.AkehurstG. (1996), ‘Service quality and business performance in the UK hotel industry’, International Journal of Hospitality and Management, Vol 5, No 3, pp 283–298.
28.
HwangS.N.ChangT.Y. (2003), ‘Using data envelopment analysis to measure hotel managerial efficiency change in Taiwan’, Tourism Management, Vol 24, No 4, pp 357–369.
29.
JuranJ.M.GrynaF.M. (1988), Quality Control Handbook, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.
30.
KimW.G.ChaY. (2002), ‘Antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in hotel industry’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol 21, No 4, pp 321–338.
31.
KordupleskiR.RustR.ZahorikA. (1993), ‘Why improving quality doesn't improve quality or whatever happened to marketing?’, California Management Review, Vol 35, No 3, pp 82–95.
32.
LancasterK. (1966), ‘A new approach to consumer theory’, Journal of Political Economy, No 74, pp 132–157.
33.
LeeS.C.BarkerS.KandampullyJ. (2003), ‘Technology, service quality, and consumer loyalty in hotels: Australian managerial perspectives’, Managing Service Quality, Vol 13, No 5, pp 423–432.
34.
LooyB.V.GemmelP.DesmetS.DierdonckR.V.SerneelsS. (1998), ‘Dealing with productivity and quality indicators in a service environment: Some field experiences’, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol 9, No 4, pp 359–376.
35.
MatéC.FernándezM.Campos-SoriaJ.A. (2001), ‘La medición de la satisfacción del cliente de hotel. Estado del arte y nuevas perspectivas sobre su medición’, Estudios Turísticos, Vol 147, pp 23–55.
36.
MohantyR.P.RajputI. (1988), ‘Productivity measurement in a manufacturing company’, Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol 8, No 4, pp 65–78.
37.
OlshavskyR. (1985), ‘Perceived quality in consumer decision making: An integrated theoretical perspective’, in JacobyJ.OlsonJ., eds, Perceived Quality. How Consumers View Stores and Merchandise, pp 3–29, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD.
38.
PhillipsL.W.BuzzellR.D. (1982), ‘An examination of the reliability of PIMS relative competitive strategy measures’, paper presented at American Institute for Decision Sciences Conference, San Francisco, CA, November.
39.
PhillipsL.W.ChangD.R.BuzzellR.D. (1983), ‘Product quality, cost position and business performance: A test of some key hypotheses’, Journal of Marketing, Vol 47, Spring, pp 26–43.
40.
RosanderA.C. (1989), The Quest for Quality in Services, ASQC Quality Press, Milwaukee, WI.
41.
RosenS. (1974), ‘Hedonic prices and implicit market: Product differentiation in pure competition’, Journal of Political Economy, Vol 82, No 1, pp 34–55.
42.
RustR.T.ZahorikA.J.KeininghamT.L. (1995), ‘Making service quality financially accountable’, Journal of Marketing, Vol 59, April, pp 58–70.
43.
SAETA (2001), Boletín de Indicadores Turísticos de Andalucía, No 22, Sistema de Análisis y Estadística del Turismo de Andalucía, Dirección General de Planificación de Turismo y Deporte, Junta de Andalucía, Seville.
44.
SchlesingerL.A.HeskettJ.L. (1993), ‘Servicio: Nunca un no por respuesta’, Harvard–Deusto Business Review, No 56, pp 85–95.
45.
SharpleyR.ForsterG. (2003), ‘The implications of hotel employee attitudes for the development of quality tourism: The case of Cyprus’, Tourism Management, Vol 24, No 6, pp 687–697.
46.
SimmonsP.TeareR. (1993), ‘Evolving a total quality culture’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol 5, No 3, pp 5–8.
47.
SkalpeO.SandvikK. (2002), ‘The economics of quality in the hotel business’, Tourism Economics, Vol 8, No 4, pp 361–376.
48.
TheilH. (1971), Principles of Econometrics, John Wiley, New York.
49.
WheelwrightS.C. (1981), ‘Japan – where operations really are strategic’, Harvard Business Review, No 59, pp 67–74.
50.
ZeithamlV.A.BerryL.L.ParasuramanA. (1996), ‘The behavioral consequences of service quality’, Journal of Marketing, Vol 60, April, pp 31–46.
