Abstract | Turizam predstavlja jedan od vodećih generatora gospodarskog razvoja u svijetu. Za svoj
kontinuirani i nesmetani rast i razvoj zahtijeva kvalitetan i čist okoliš. Kako bi se pronašlo
rješenje takvom izazovu, pojavio se koncept održivog turizma. Ono što na poseban način
izdvaja održivi turizam od ostalih oblika turizma je činjenica da održivi turizam obuhvaća
ekološke, ekonomske i društvene aspekte održivog razvoja kako bi se uspostavila
dugoročna ravnoteža tih triju dimenzija. Kako bi se dugoročno povećali benefiti koje
turizam generira, nužno je primijeniti adekvatnu strategiju turističkog razvoja koja je
usmjerena k održivom razvoju i povećanju kvalitete ponuđenih turističkih usluga u
turističkim destinacijama. U turbulentnim i dinamičkim tržišnim uvjetima, a s ciljem
opstanka na turističkom tržištu, hotelska poduzeća moraju se prilagoditi turističkoj
potražnji i turistima pružiti visoko kvalitetnu uslugu koja ispunjava njihova očekivanja ili
koja će ih nadmašiti. Kako bi se taj cilj mogao postići, neophodno je u hotelskim
poduzećima implementirati i provoditi sustav upravljanja kvalitetom. Empirijsko
istraživanje počiva na hipotezi da implementacija sustava upravljanja kvalitetom i načela
održivog razvoja imaju statistički značajan utjecaj na ekonomske, ekološke i društvene
aspekte poslovanja hotelskih poduzeća. Empirijskim istraživanjem bila su obuhvaćena
velika i srednje velika hotelska poduzeća u Republici Hrvatskoj, a ciljna skupina ispitanika
obuhvaćala je direktore hotelskih poduzeća, direktore smještajnih objekata te njihove
zamjenike i/ili pomoćnike. Svi podaci prikupljeni su metodom anketiranja primjenom
strukturiranog upitnika. Ukupno je prikupljeno 154 upitnika. Rezultati provedenog
primarnog istraživanja prikazani su primjenom deskriptivne statistike te metode
eksploratorne faktorske analize i metode višestruke linearne regresije (OLS regresije).
Rezultati provedenog istraživanja dokazali su postavljenu hipotezu tj. da implementacija
sustava upravljanja kvalitetom i načela održivog razvoja imaju statistički značajan utjecaj
na ekonomske, ekološke i društvene aspekte poslovanja hotelskih poduzeća.
Znanstveni doprinos iz teorijske perspektive proizlazi iz proširivanja teorijskih spoznaja
iz područja upravljanja kvalitetom i održivog razvoja te spoznaja o ekonomskim,
ekološkim i društvenim aspektima poslovanja u hotelijerstvu. Rezultati koji su proizišli iz
provedenog znanstvenog istraživanja dokazali su koje su dimenzije sustava upravljanja
kvalitetom i načela održivog razvoja, prema percepciji ispitanika, značajne kako bi se
takvom implementacijom utjecalo na ekonomske, ekološke i društvene aspekte
poslovanja što predstavlja znanstveni doprinos istraživanja u empirijskom smislu.
Aplikativni doprinos rada proizlazi iz primjenjivosti rezultata provedenog empirijskog
istraživanja u hotelskoj praksi kao osnove hotelskim menadžerima u izradi smjernica za
efikasno integriranje sustava upravljanja kvalitetom i načela održivog razvoja u
svakodnevnu poslovnu praksu. |
Abstract (english) | Tourism is considered to be the leading generator of economic development in the world.
For its growth it requires a clean and immaculate environment. The concept of sustainable
tourism emerged as a possible solution to face that challenge. What sets sustainable
tourism apart from other forms of tourism, in a special way, is how sustainable tourism
encompasses ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainable development with the
intention to establish a long-term balance of these three dimensions. With the aim to
increase the long-term economic benefits from tourism, it is required to embrace and
implement an adequate tourism development strategy focused on sustainable
development and the increasing quality of tourist services in the tourist destinations. In a
dynamic market conditions, hotel companies have to adapt their offer according to the
tourist demand and provide a high-quality service that meets or exceeds tourists`
expectations. In order to accomplish this goal, it is important to implement a quality
management system (QMS) in hotel companies.
This doctoral dissertation investigates the implementation of the quality management
system (QMS) and Sustainable Development (SD) principles and their impact on the
economical, environmental and social aspects within the context of hospitality. The
investigation sheds light on how the adoption of QMS and SD principles can lead to
enhanced economic outcomes. These outcomes manifest through increased operational
efficiency, cost reduction, revenue growth, contributing to the overall financial
sustainability of the hotel business. The environmental impacts of the implementation of
QMS and SD principles in hospitality highlights how waste reduction, energy
conservation, sustainable sourcing, and eco-friendly practices can not only reduce the
ecological footprint of businesses but also enhance their reputation as environmentally
responsible hotels. The social dimension reveals how the implementation of QMS and SD
principles positively affect work conditions, employee satisfaction, employee motivation
and donations. By aligning economic, environmental, and social objectives, hotel
companies can achieve sustainable competitive advantage, enhance their long-term
viability, and contribute positively to society. When defining the hypotheses, domestic and foreign literature was extensively reviewed.
All basic constructs are elaborated in accordance with theoretical background. The
hypotheses are the following: „The implementation of the quality management system
principles and the principles of sustainable development have a statistically significant
impact on the economic, environmental and social aspects of hotel business performance“
H1: the implementation of the quality management system principles and the
principles of sustainable development have a statistically significant impact on the
economic aspects of hotel business performance
H2: the implementation of the quality management system principles and the
principles of sustainable development have a statistically significant impact on the
environmental aspects of hotel business performance
H3: the implementation of the quality management system principles and the
principles of sustainable development have a statistically significant impact on the
social aspects of hotel business performance.
A survey method using a structured questionnaire is applied in which all questions are
mandatory. The respondents were managers (CEO, General managers and/or their
deputies or assistants) of large and medium-sized hotel companies in the Republic of
Croatia. The required minimum sample size was calculated using GPower software, which
calculated that the minimum acceptable sample size is 118 respondents.
The total number of collected questionnaires was 154. All data that have been collected
were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods: the exploratory factor analysis and
the multiple linear regression method.
Three factor analyses (FA) were applied in order to determine the dimensions that,
according to respondents, best define the implementation of the principles of the QMS and
the implementation of SD principles through the implementation of sustainable practices,
and to examine the existence of a statistically significant impact of such implementation
on the economic, environmental and social aspects of business. The Kaiser – Meyer – Olkin
(KMO) test was applied as a statistical measure to identify the suitability of the data for
factor analysis and the results of the KMO test for each performed factor analysis are
greater than 0,6. The first factor analysis (EFA 1) identified three dimensions (factors) that according to
the respondents' perception, best describe and determine the implementation of the
principles of the quality management system in hotel companies. The generated three
factors explain 56,04 % of the total variance. The reliability of each generated dimension
was determined by calculating the Cronbach alpha coefficient which was greater than
0,700. The second factor analysis (EFA 2) identified two dimensions (factors) which,
according to the respondents' perception, best describe and determine the
implementation of the principles of sustainable development in hotel companies. Those
two factors explain 50,95 % of the total variance. The reliability of each generated
dimension was determined by calculating the Cronbach alpha coefficient which was
greater than 0,700. The third factor analysis (EFA 3) identified three dimensions (factors)
that, according to the respondents' perception, best describe and determine the impact of
the implementation of the principles of the quality management system and the principles
of sustainable development on the economic, environmental and social aspects of the
business performance of the studied hotel companies. The generated three dimensions
explain 73,264 % of the total variance. The reliability of each generated dimension was
determined by calculating the Cronbach alpha coefficient which was greater than 0,700.
Three Ordinary Least Square regressions (OLS) were performed in order to test the
hypotheses. In the regression model, the independent variables are the factors that were
generated by the first and the second factor analysis (EFA 1 and EFA 2), and the
dependent variables are the factors that were generated by the third factor analysis (EFA
3). In total three Ordinary Least Square regressions were performed, one regression
model to test each hypothesis. In order to determine whether the independent variables
are good predictors of the dependent variables for each regression model, the F-test was
calculated using ANOVA. The F-test results in each regression model are significant.
According to the results of the regression analysis and the established significance of the
regression model, all three auxiliary hypotheses were confirmed. Furthermore, for all
three regression models, the RESET test was applied and it confirmed that no variables
were omitted in the regression models.
According to the results of the research, the main hypothesis has been proven and
confirmed: "The implementation of the quality management system and the principles of sustainable development have a statistically significant impact on the economic,
environmental and social aspects of hotel business performance".
The results of the conducted research are in line with the following previously conducted
researches: Tari, et al. (2020); Abbas et al. (2020); Sunil et al. (2021); Ghaderi et al.
(2019); Fioru et al. (2019); Alipour et al. (2019); Nguyen et al. (2018) confirming that the
implementation of quality management system and the principles of sustainable
development have a positive impact on the economic, environmental and social aspects
of business performance.
From the theoretical perspective, the scientific contribution of the doctoral dissertation
results from the development of the scientific thought that connects the principles of the
quality management system and the principles of sustainable development, and the
impact of their implementation on the economic, environmental and social aspects of
hotel business performance. Furthermore, the scientific contribution derives from the
expansion of the theoretical knowledge in the field of quality management and
sustainable development, as well as the expansion of the theoretical knowledge of the
economic, environmental and social aspects of hotel business performance. The results of
the scientific research proved which dimensions of the quality management system and
sustainable development are relevant according to the respondents' perception in order
to impact the economic, environmental and social aspects of hotel business performance,
which represents the scientific contribution of the conducted research in an empirical
sense. The applied contribution of the research comes from the applicability of the results
in the hotel practice. The results of the scientific research identified which factors are
relevant for measuring and monitoring the impact of the implementation of the principles
of quality management systems and the principles of sustainable development on the
economic, environmental and social aspects of hotel business performance. The results of
the conducted scientific research can help the hotel managers in creating guidelines for
the efficient integration of the quality management system and the principles of
sustainable development into everyday business practice. |