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

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• culture
• implementation
• incipient
• ISO 9000
• plan
• preparation
• quality management system

Acknowledgement

The authors are pleased to acknowledge the contribution of the respondent companies in this study and the helpful comments from two anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Carlos Cândido http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5875-1243

Additional information

Funding

The authors are pleased to acknowledge financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grant UID/ECO/04007/2013) and FEDER/COMPETE (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007659).