Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
Csfs Affecting Qcs Implementation in a Service Sector: A
Case of the Luxury Hotels of Mauritius
Ashley Keshwar Seebaluck, Lomendra Vencataya and Anista Buldan
Purpose- This paper discusses the effects of the critical success factors on the
implementation of a quality circle program, with specific reference to the four and five star
hotels of Mauritius.
Design/Methodology/Approach- The research approach that has been used for this study
is descriptive research. A questionnaire was designed which was administered to the
managers of the luxury hotels of Mauritius.
Findings- The main conclusion from this research is that the success of a quality circle
program in luxury hotels of Mauritius depends highly on the critical success factors like top
management commitment, middle managers and first line supervisors’ support, training,
clear objectives and communication.
Research limitations/implication- Research limitations were due to cost and time
constraints.
Practical implications- Recommendations have been made to different stakeholders of the
hotel sector, both public and private. Better quality service in the hotel sector will help to
attract tourists and boost the development of Mauritius.
Originality/value- This study has been carried out in Mauritius, more specifically in the four
and five star plus hotels. It would be of relevance to hotels which are considering the
implementation of a Quality Circle program.
Keywords: Quality Circle, Benefit, Failure, Critical Success Factor (CSFs)
Introduction
In today‟s competitive environment it has become compulsory for businesses to stand
back and take a hard look at the way they are operating. Businesses therefore need to
manage their resources in order to ensure they remain competitive in the industry.
Some firms try to adopt short-term strategies like decreasing their prices, in order to
achieve a competitive edge. However these types of measures can last only for the
short term. “Quality is endemic to organisational life. It could be argued that if
organisations are not paying attention to quality then they are not in the race for survival
let alone prosperity” (Brown 2013, p.4). In this context quality circle is known for being a
potential route for continuous improvement. The quality circle (QC) program encourages
employees to express their innovative ideas as well as allowing them to work in teams
in order to solve problems related to their work. This paper attempts to highlight the
main requirements for the implementation of a quality circle program. It should be noted
that the implementation of a quality circle program in the manufacturing sector is not
necessarily the same as that of a service sector. Organizations which have already
implemented a quality circle program draw a number of benefits. More emphasis will be
______________________________________________________________________
Dr Ashley Keshwar Seebaluck, Senior Lecturer, Department of Management, Faculty of Law &
Management, University of Mauritius, email: ak.seebaluck@uom.ac.mu; Lomendra Vencataya
(Corresponding Author), Lecturer, Department of Management, Faculty of Law & Management, University
of Mauritius, email: l.vencataya@uom.ac.mu; Anista Buldan, Former Student, Faculty of Law &
Management, University of Mauritius; anista.buldan@umail.uom.ac.mu
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
laid in this paper on the four and five star luxury hotels in Mauritius with regard to the
critical success factors affecting the implementation of a successful quality circle
program.
Literature Review
Mauritius is a small island developing state where even the top local companies are
considered on a global scale to be small organisations. Katou (2012, p.149) argues that
“[small] organizations should put more emphasis on improvement of goods, quality
enhancement, and improvement of service than on trying to cut costs and prices. This is
because it is rather difficult for small organizations to gain returns on scale.” According
to Choi and Kim (2012, p.1022) “To be more profitable, hotel organisations also should
pay attention to job satisfaction, as it is important in determining job performance
(Gallardo et al., 2010), the level of service quality delivered by employees to customers
(Gu and Siu, 2009), and customer satisfaction eventually (Magnini et al., 2011).” In this
context, luxury hotels of Mauritius need to consider the implementation of a quality circle
program. Quality Circles were defined by Ishikawa (1985) as a small number of
operatives, from the same place of work, who meet on a regular and voluntary basis to
carry out quality control activities, hence engaging in self and mutual development.
Accordingly, quality circles have also been defined by Goh (2000) as the meeting of
minds during a quality journey towards the achievement of customer satisfaction
through continuous improvement and teamwork. Additionally, Besterfield (1994)
suggested that this journey must entail a clear understanding of the customer (internal
and external), and the involvement and commitment of employees at all levels of an
organization. It may be noted from the nature of quality circles that, they require a
participative culture to take deep roots (Sharma, 2003). “Today we have to contend with
trying to devise a strategy for managing a four-fold multi-generational workforce.
Tomorrow, it could very well be five fold multigenerational workforce.” (Bennett et al.
2012, p.279). A quality circle program could prove useful to manage workforce diversity.
Moreover, Ali and Talib (2003) stated that the structure of quality circles comprises
certain basic elements which are as follow:
1) Top Management, 2) Steering
Committee, 3) Facilitator, 4) Leader, 5) Members and 6) Non-members.
Ali and Talib (2003) stated for a quality circle program to be successfully implemented
the top management attitude should be positive. They further advocated that top
management should extend all the necessary support to the activities of the quality
circles and steering committee meetings are to be held at least once at one to two
months interval. According to Sharma (2003) the facilitator is responsible for building
and directing the activities of the quality circles in his specific area of work and he also
encourages other executives also to get involved in supporting quality circles activities.
He also highlighted the fact that a leader is chosen by the members of the quality circle
among themselves and could be the natural hierarchical foreman, supervisor or any
other member. Furthermore, Ali and Talib (2003) also stated that members of a quality
circle are small group of five to eight persons from the same work area or doing similar
type of work, who voluntarily form a quality circle, whereas non-members are those who
are not members of the quality circle but may be involved in the circle recommendation.
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
As Metz (1982) argued quality circle is still in the honeymoon phase, and despite being
relatively new it is maturing quickly.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Quality Circles
According to Piczak (1988), Harris (1995), Hill (1996), Pinnington and Hammersley
(1997), Olberding (1998), Goh (2000), Canel and Kadipasaoglu (2002), Konidari and
Abernot (2006) and Stevenson (2007), the advantages of Quality Circles include:
1) Improved quality of product
2) Staff are better motivated in QCs departments
3) Time is saved on operational matters
4) Money is saved
5) Increase in staff satisfaction
6) Increased empowerment
7) Reduction in the number of errors in the department
8) Improvement in the work environment
9) Increase in the work accountability, improved organizational climate
10) Improved work integrity
11) Improvement in the management style
12) Improved staff awareness of organizational goals
13) Meeting customer expectations and increased workers‟ satisfaction
However, Main (1984) cited by Canel and Kadipasaoglu (2002, p.239) observed that
QCs cannot be simply acquired, installed and left to run on its own. On the other hand,
Canel and Kadipasaoglu (2002, p.239) added that “an organization that is unwilling to
devote time and energy to the program will be better without it”. Therefore they further
stated that “if given willing and enthusiastic members, compelling advantages can
result”. Other advantages of QCs which are brought forward by Canel and
Kadipasaoglu (2002) are as follows:
1) The introduction of QCs leads to increased productivity and enhanced worker
pride
2) Allowing subordinates to air their concerns about working conditions instills a
spirit of democracy
3) Workers are no longer absent from decision-making but instead find a channel to
management in which they can express ideas and feelings about their situation
Barra (1983) cited by Canel and Kadipasaoglu (2002, p.239) further added that “the
results are: a mutual trust and respect, an atmosphere of cooperation and the
attainment of a proud, productive and profitable organization”. However, although these
advantages are inspiring, possible repercussions may occur. The drawbacks below
were therefore brought forward by Canel and Kadisapaoglu (2002):
1) The investment in a program of this kind requires substantial capital
2) Expenses for training, supplies and printing.
3) Time constraints also present obstacles for implementation.
4) While some managers may favour the new technique, others will see it as an
encroachment on their authority
5) Managers may not be willing to accept an unfamiliar idea and may attempt to
circumvent it.
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
6) Without complete support, increased productivity and better morale will be shortlived.
Ultimately, with regards to implementation an organization must confront the
advantages and disadvantages since QCs are not appropriate for everyone.
Reasons for quality circle failures
It should be noted that QCs have failed in many organizations (Tang and Butlex, 1997).
However based on the implementation of Quality Circles, Ingle (1982) provided a series
of reasons for the QC failures, which are relatively poor communication in the
organization, poor support from the middle management, no union-involvement, a
change in management, no interest in improving the quality of work life as well as no
training provided. In contrast, Devadasan et al (1996) observed some possible causes
of quality circle failures which are as follows:
1) Firstly, a lack of interest from top management
2) Lack of interest of facilitator
3) A poor attendance of the members
4) The trade unions restricting their members to attend the meetings
5) Lack of proper quality information system
However in the words of Spitzberg (1983), cited by Berman and Hellweg (1989, p.104),
“communication competence is an overarching construct that encompasses elements of
knowledge, motivation, skill, behavior and effectiveness” and quality circle is all about
involvement and more specifically about communicating, consulting with and motivating
the employees. He further stipulated that without genuine communication, real progress
will not be made and hence it is important to keep everyone informed in the company
about quality circle programs, particularly the management and supervisors. According
to Metz (1981), another problem is the lack of support from the middle management
group concerning quality circles, the thing causing this to happen may be that the top
manager wants the quality circle program and therefore because he or she tends to be
adopting an autocratic style, the middle management group will give visible “lip service”
support but they will work in hidden ways to undermine the program. Furthermore, Metz
(1981) added that the middle managers experience the lost of authority when quality
circles are used for problem solving, hence they tend to show poor support to the
program. It was noticed by Ingle (1982, p.55) that “it is essential that companies ask
union members (employees) to get involved from the beginning”. On the other hand,
Flarey (1989) viewed that as management assigns more control and decision making to
the worker, a sense of satisfaction and organizational loyalty is developed but the union
views this as being a threat to the bargaining unit. Additionally, he stated that the union
may fear that workers may “become like management”. Further to that, Cole (1980)
cited by Leonard (1985), argued that management install QC programs with minimal
consultation with the union. However this results to a failure of the circle program.
Based on Ingle‟s (1982) observation, most often quality circles start under
managements which like the program. On the other hand, Metz (1981) added that in
organizations where the management styles are too autocratic, and where the support
elements are weak, the system of quality circles implementation is discouraged.
According to Gadon (1984, p.43), “the phrase quality of life has entered the mainstream
of our language”. Accordingly he further stated that it involves the new effort of personal
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
and professional development, redesigning the work, team building, work scheduling
and the organizational change, but there are certain circumstances which result to poor
image of quality circles, in the sense that people are apt to lose interest, hence
management shifts towards something else. An organization which intends to use its
man power to full potency for the overall development can adopt the concept of quality
circle (Konnur and Joshi, 2009). However, Honeycutt (1989) has found that it is the
training of participants, apart from management support, that is crucial to the quality
circle (QC) process. Likewise Konnur and Joshi (2009) suggested that before
embarking on the issue of QC, training is an important aspect of quality circle activity.
However Ingle (1982) emphasized that “Quality Circles cannot be installed overnight”.
Training is therefore considered to be playing a vital role as the heart of the program.
“Management support is essential- we need honest enthusiasm, not just “backing”
(Boaden and Dale, 1993, p.16). Concerning the support of top management with regard
to quality circles, Ingle (1982) argued that inadequate funds, lack of financial support
may lead to QC failure. On the other hand, Salaheldin (2009) observed that lack of
support from top management was viewed as one of the biggest problem hindering the
implementation of quality circles, which will ultimately create a poor image of the
program.
Critical success factors for QC programs
Ingle (1982, p.57) stated that “to start a successful quality circle program one must
understand the secrets of a successful program”. He further added that when everybody
has well understood the principles and implementation is done correctly, then success
is bound to be close at hand. In the word of Reiker (1976) cited by Thompson (1982),
Ingle (1982), Hutchins (1990) and Leonard (1985) the factors leading to the success of
a QC program are as follows:
According to Reiker (1976) cited by Thompson (1982) the voluntary factor is seen to be
one of the crucial ingredients of the program. However, he stated that it is also difficult
for the management to accept this, since to some extent the program guarantees
benefits to the employees and further stipulated that if the QC program is unable to
meet the expectation of the employees, the latter should not be discouraged but should
rather participate freely. Keeping the program voluntary is considered to be one of the
important success factors of a QC program.
Training: Reiker (1976) cited by Thompson (1982) observed that workers need to find
solutions to their problems and the best way would be the provision of technical training,
so that they are better able to perform their task. This is so because Pollitt (2010)
noticed that poor education and training might lead to QC failure. Hence, Reiker (1976,
p.116) stated that “Management must also receive training for the role they are to play:
a role of support without domination”.
Supportive management: It has been suggested by Pollitt (2010) that management
(including middle and fist line managers) should give time, advice and provide some
commitment at the very beginning of the QC program. He also mentioned that if support
is not provided by management, quality circle will not be a fruitful program at the end.
Communication: As observed by Ingle (1982), one of the factors leading towards the
failure of quality circle program, is poor communication and he commented that once
the program has been implemented, it is vital to have effective communication as well
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
as those who are concerned should be informed as soon as possible. He further argued
that they should be made aware about what does the program comprise and also the
objectives that have been set because if people are not informed correctly, they may
feel discouraged for not having been involved formally. As stated by Ingle (1982),
“better communication will always result in less resistance”. Therefore the people
concerned should be well-informed, to avoid any resistance to perform their task.
Top Management Commitment: The support of top management is considered to be
essential to the success of quality circles and all forms of voluntary improvement activity
(Hutchins, ed., 1990). According to Pollitt (2010), top management commitment is
essential since top managers are those who are well versed about the role played by
continuous improvement in order to achieve quality circle success.
Union Involvement: “Labor believes most managers see workers as nothing more than
“warm bodies to get the (product) out” (Leonard, 1985, p.72). However Hutchins (1990)
argued that for a manager to measure the union-management relationship, there are
some major factors to be considered: Grievance activity, level at which grievances are
settled and communication between individual union members and management. On
the other hand, he mentioned that there is little to lose, if management spends several
months towards improving the relation with union before implementing QC programs.
Last but not the least, Ingle (1982) added that with union commitment the program will
grow faster and operate efficiently.
Awareness: Goh (2000) suggested that publicity should be done with regard to a quality
circle program. He further stated that the publicity will create awareness and thus
members will be in a better position to accept participating in the program, which will
encourage them to be committed. Apart from the above mentioned critical factors for the
success of a QC program, there are still some additional factors that could be
considered. Ingle (1982) pointed out that there is a need for clear objectives to be
established in order to enhance the quality circle program. He further added that a
suitable atmosphere should be established, which will in turn allow the program to take
place in an environment of trust. Moreover, Boaden and Dale (1993) provided their view
on the fact that the role of the quality circle members should be well described and the
members should also get the opportunity to choose their own leader. It should also be
noted that financial and non-financial reward plays a role in the success of a quality
circle program. Goh (2000) supported this view by stating that members of the QC
program should be provided with rewards like financial and non-financial incentives in
order to make the program successful. The last but not the least factor is about the
financial stability of the organization. Boaden and Dale (1993) viewed the financial
considerations as a critical factor for the success of a QC program. This is so because
according to them, if an organization‟s financial position is not good it will surely affect
the implementation of a quality circle program.
According to Leonard (1985) an organization‟s readiness towards the implementation of
a QC program is that of a function of several variables. However Leonard (1985)
proposed a model which provides guidance to the manager, by assessing the
organization‟s readiness for the adoption of quality circles. He further supported the
view that QCs will not be successful until and unless the organization is ready to
implement it and also that the organization‟s readiness is a function of the variables as
shown below:
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
 Variable A: Existing union-management relationship
 Variable B: Existing managerial expertise
 Variable C: Existing skill among supervisors
 Variable D: Existing skill among workers
 Variable E and F: Existing organizational climate and leadership style
 Variable G: Existing communication processes in the organization
From the above literature it can be deduced that a quality circle program plays a crucial
role towards the success of an organization. There are many advantages derived from
the introduction of a QC program. However it should also be noted that QCs fail due to
many critical factors, one of which is lack of top management support.
Research Methodology
After a broad research on the four and five star hotels in Mauritius, a total of 56 hotels
were identified and targeted. Since “four star” and “five star” is a self awarded label
given to the hotels, it was a very time consuming task to call in and every hotel to know
whether they are four, five or six star hotels. An online questionnaire was designed
along with a covering letter which was sent to the respondents of four, five and six star
hotels respectively. The majority of the questionnaires were sent to Quality Assurance
managers, Human Resource directors, Human Resource managers and coordinators.
The online survey proved to be the cheapest way to collect data. However it should also
be noted that, reminders in terms of phone calls and emails were used in order to
ensure that the questionnaire were promptly filled by the respondents.
Table 1: Cronbach Alpha
Scale
Benefits of quality circle
Critical success factors of quality circle
Cronbach
alpha
0.971
0.836
Number of
items
12
14
Pilot testing serves as a trial which allows to detect the changes that need to be done
before launching the final survey. For the purpose of this research a pilot test was
carried out in the three star hotels in Mauritius, which finally helped in improving the
instrument (questionnaire) before launching it as a final survey. The reliability of the
questionnaire designed was estimated. The internal consistency estimates the reliability
of the variables and for the purpose of this study a reliability analysis has been carried
out using the Cronbach alpha coefficient. According to Pallant (2005), the Cronbach
Alpha coefficient should be above 0.7 to be a good indicator of reliability which was the
case for this study as shown in Table 1. Furthermore face validity has been ensured
since the questionnaire was constructed based on the literature review.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Descriptive statistics
It is worth pointing out that out of the 56 luxury hotels of Mauritius, 34 participated in the
survey resulting in a response rate of 61%. The respondents had to indicate, for a QC
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
program the importance of various critical success factors and benefits that can be
derived, identified from literature review, on a five point likert scale whereby 1= „strongly
disagree‟=1 and „strongly agree‟=5 for analysis purposes. The higher the mean score in
Table 2 to 4, the more important the factor is for the successful implementation of a QC
program and the benefit that can be derived in luxury hotels of Mauritius.
Table 3 indicates that the most important benefit of a QC program is considered to be
the reduction in the number of errors in departments followed by the ability to meet
customers‟ expectations and increase their satisfaction level. On the other hand the
least important benefit of a quality circle is thought to be its ability to save time on day to
day activities. It can be noted that among all the criticalr success factors for a QC
program, Top Management commitment had the highest rating, with a mean score of
4.71 for the local luxury hotel sector, as shown in Table 4. Furthermore, the study
reveals that „Middle management & First line supervisor‟s support‟ and „Training‟ are the
second and third most important factors for the successful implementation of a quality
circle program in the luxury hotels of Mauritius. Communication and „Clear objectives‟,
amongst others are a few of the important critical success factors form Table 4. On the
other hand, those factors which were considered to be least important included „union
involvement‟, non-financial and financial rewards.
Table 2: Descriptive statistics
Subscale
N
Mean
Std.
Deviation
Variance
Benefits of quality circle program
Critical success factors for quality circle
34
34
4.18
4.06
0.70
0.66
0.49
0.44
Table 3: Extent of Benefits of a QC program
Subscale
A Quality Circle can lead to a reduction in the number of errors in the departments
A Quality Circle can meet customers' expectations and increase their satisfaction level
A Quality Circle can improve the quality of a product
A Quality Circle can increase involvement of employees
A Quality Circle can allow for improvement in the work environment
A Quality Circle can result into an increase in work accountability
A Quality Circle can improve the management style
A Quality Circle can motivate staff in the Quality control department
A Quality Circle can increase staff satisfaction
A Quality Circle can improve the organisational climate
A Quality Circle can improve staff awareness of organisational goals
A Quality Circle can save time on day to day activities
Mean
4.29
4.26
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.18
4.18
4.15
4.12
4.12
4.12
4.03
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
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Table 4: Importance of Critical Success Factors for a QC program
Subscale
Mean
Top management commitment
4.71
Middle managers and first line supervisors‟ support
4.56
Training
4.38
Clear objectives should be established
4.21
Communication
4.15
QC must be practiced in an environment of trust
4.12
Role of each member to be clearly defined
4.12
Management style
4.09
Organisational stability
4.03
The circle must choose its own leader
4.00
Adequate publicity
4.00
Non-financial rewards
3.97
Financial rewards
3.38
Union involvement
3.17
Hypothesis Testing
The hypotheses that were formulated were derived from the literature review and tested
on the data collected using Chi-Square test, since the questionnaire developed used the
likert scale.
Hypothesis 1


H0: There is no relationship between importance of top management commitment and type
of organisation.
H1: There is a relationship between importance of top management commitment and type of
organisation.
The result provided by the chi square test in Table 5. According to Pallant (2005) for a 2
by 2 table, the asymp sig for “continuity correction” has been taken into consideration.
Given that Table 5, is a 2 by 2 table with the variables having only two categories, the
asymptotic significance for “continuity correction” has been considered. In Table 5, with
.004 as the continuity correction and .951 the asymptotic significance, which is greater
than the value of .05, the result depicts a “no significant difference”, H0 is accepted. It
can be concluded that there is no significant difference in the importance of top
management commitment for the success of a QC program with relative to the four and
five plus star hotels in Mauritius.
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Table 5: Importance of Top Management Commitment and type of organisation
Importance of Top Management commitment and type of organization
Value
Pearson Chi-Square .169a
Continuity
.004
Correctionb
Likelihood Ratio
.169
Df
1
Asymp. Sig. Exact Sig.
(2-sided)
(2-sided)
.681
1
.951
1
.681
Fisher's Exact Test
.738
Linear-by-Linear
Association
.164
N of Valid Casesb
34
1
Exact Sig. (1-sided)
.476
.686
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is
6.59.
b. Computed only for a 2x2
table
Hypothesis 2


H0: There is no relationship between „importance of middle & first line management
commitment‟ and type of organisation.
H1: There is a relationship between „importance of middle & first line management
commitment‟ and type of organisation.
A chi-square test was carried out in order to know whether there is a significant
difference in „the importance of middle and first line managers‟ support‟ relative to the
four and five star plus hotels in Mauritius as per Table 6. Since it is a 2 by 2 table with
the variables having only two categories, the asymptotic significance for “continuity
correction” has been taken into consideration. In Table 6, the continuity correction is
.225 with an asymptotic significance level of .635, which is greater than the value of .05.
Hence H0 is accepted. It is therefore concluded that there is no significant difference in
the importance of middle and first line managers‟ support with relative to the four and
five star plus hotel in Mauritius.
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
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Table 6: Importance of Middle and first line managers‟ support and type of organization
Importance of Middle and first line managers‟ support and type of organization
Asymp. Sig. Exact Sig.
Value Df
(2-sided)
(2-sided)
Exact Sig. (1-sided)
Pearson Chi.682a
1
.409
Square
Continuity
.225
1
.635
Correctionb
Likelihood Ratio
.687
1
.407
Fisher's Exact
.495
.319
Test
Linear-by-Linear
.662
1
.416
Association
N of Valid Casesb 34
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is
6.18.
b. Computed only for a 2x2
table
Hypothesis 3
 H0: There is no relationship between „management style‟ and type of organisation.
 H1: There is a relationship between „management style‟ and type of organisation.
Table 7, illustrates the chi-square test, for deducing whether there is a significant
difference in the management style with regard to the four and five star plus hotels in
Mauritius. Since it is a 2 by 2 table with the variables having only two categories, the
asymptotic significance for “continuity correction” has to be considered. In Table 7, a
continuity correction of .121 along with an asymp sig of .727 which is greater than 0.05
indicating that there is no significant difference. Hence taking this assumption into
consideration, H0 is accepted. This means that the management style in four star hotels
is not significantly different to the management style in five star plus hotel.
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
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Table 7: Management style and type of organisation
Management style and type of organisation
Value
df
Asymp. Sig. Exact Sig.
(2-sided)
(2-sided)
Exact Sig. (1sided)
a
Pearson Chi-Square
.486
1
.486
b
Continuity Correction
.121
1
.727
Likelihood Ratio
.487
1
.485
Fisher's Exact Test
.728
.364
Linear-by-Linear
.471
1
.492
Association
N of Valid Casesb
34
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 7.00.
b. Computed only for a 2x2 table
Lessons and implications
Based on the analysis, the recommendations that will be elaborated in this section are
targeted to the management of the various luxury hotels of Mauritius, the hotel
associations and employers‟ federation in Mauritius as well as the public sector
stakeholders like, the Ministry of Tourism of Mauritius, the Sir Gaetan Duval hotel
school management committee and the Tourism Authority of Mauritius. These
recommendations will inevitably help the stakeholders in their future plan as to what are
the requirements for implementing a successful quality circle program in luxury hotels.
The Mauritius Institute of Directors need to further encourage policy makers and
managers of the luxury hotels of Mauritius to reinforce principles and practices of good
governance that will create the right climate for the implementation of quality circle
programs. Good governance will positively affect employee and public attitude leading
to an improvement in the quality of life for the benefit of society in Mauritius. A
continuous improvement program requires a quality mindset to be present in each and
every stakeholder of the sector. Having a quality culture present will help in conducting
a quality circle program more easily and in a feasible way as well. The stakeholders
should ensure that all the hotels which are about to adopt quality circles, have
employees or members with a quality mindset, which will facilitate the implementation of
the program. As shown in the analysis the mean score of the benefits of quality circles
was of a very good overall score of 4.18. This implies that majority of the respondents
agreed to the benefits that a quality circle program can bring about. Furthermore, in the
analysis the mean score of the critical success factors for QC implementation in luxury
hotels of Mauritius was calculated. Upon analysis it was noted that the top management
commitment was the critical success factor with the highest rating. This implies that top
management commitment is the most important critical success factor since the top
managers are the key internal stakeholders with authority and have a significant
resource allocator role. This is in line with Pollitt (2010) who emphasized the importance
of top management as a critical success factor. It has also been noticed in this study
that the level of middle and first line management commitment are also very important
Proceedings of 26th International Business Research Conference
7 - 8 April 2014, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-46-7
for the successful implementation of a quality circle program. Therefore the key decision
makers of the hotel sector of Mauritius should see to it that management commitment
(at all levels) to quality circle is encouraged so as to improve the level of quality service
delivered. Training was found to be yet another important requirement of a successful
quality circle program in luxury hotels of Mauritius. Training is an ongoing process which
provides workers with the necessary skills to perform their tasks effectively. It is
therefore at the heart of a continuous improvement program. Therefore necessary
training should be provided to the employees or any member involved in the quality
circle program. However there are factors that have obtained low ratings in the survey
and thus can be considered of low importance for QC implementation in local luxury
hotels. Examples of such factors include union involvement, financial and non financial
rewards. This is in contrast to the views of Goh (2000) with regard to the importance of
financial and non-financial rewards and Leonard (1985) who had supported the view
that union-involvement is essential for the success of a quality circle program.
Furthermore, it can be deduced from the hypotheses tested that there is no significant
difference in the importance of management commitment and management style
towards quality circles between four and five star plus hotels in Mauritius. The study
also highlights that communication is one of the critical success factors towards the
implementation of a quality circle program. With more organisations trying to implement
quality circles, a network approach to the study of quality circles will from different
perspectives help towards future research in understanding the effectiveness of quality
circle processes. Finally, as the luxury hotels of Mauritius continues to be affected from
the unprecedented global financial crisis, new research needs to be conducted to
evaluate the usefulness of quality circle programs as a tool for building resilience in a
small island developing state.
Conclusion
On a conclusive note, the implementation of a quality circle program in the hotel
industry is an issue of great importance. This is so because luxury hotels are qualityconscious organizations which strive hard in order to satisfy their customers. In this
present turbulent business world it is worth ensuring that every luxury hotel in Mauritius
adopts a quality circle program in order to maintain a competitive edge. The success of
a quality circle program in the luxury hotels of Mauritius depends largely on critical
success factors like top management commitment, middle managers and first line
supervisors‟ support, training among others, as found in this study. Most importantly the
recommendations should be put into practice to ensure that the luxury hotels in
Mauritius are moving towards the path of excellence.
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