Introduction to Total Quality Management (TQM) in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry (Video)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on Total Quality Management in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Tourism

A significant economic and socio-cultural activity involving movement to destinations with an overnight stay outside the permanent residence, delivering experiences to tourist markets.

Hospitality industry

A large, fast-growing service sector focused on customer satisfaction and experiences rather than merely catering to necessities.

Intangibility

Tourism products cannot be seen, tasted, felt, or heard before purchase; the main offerings are services or experiences; tangible items are tickets/receipts.

Inseparability

Tourism products are primarily services that cannot be separated from the provider and exist only when consumption occurs.

Perishability

Tourism products/services cannot be stored for sale at a future date; they perish if not consumed.

Variability

Services in tourism are delivered by humans to humans and can vary in quality due to interactions and circumstances.

Absence of Ownership

Purchasing accommodation or transport grants benefits but does not transfer ownership of the asset; ownership remains with the provider.

Manufactured by Many Producers

A tourism product involves multiple specialized components produced by different providers; intermediaries assemble these into a package.

Seasonality

Predictable yearly fluctuations in demand based on seasons; peak seasons affect employment and transportation/hospitality services.

Guestology

Scientific study of guests’ needs, expectations, and behaviors to manage a service organization from the guest perspective.

The Guest Cycle

The four-stage sequence of guest interactions with a tourism/hospitality organization: Pre-Arrival, Arrival, Occupancy, Departure.

Pre-Arrival

Stage before arrival where guests inquire, book, and plan services.

Arrival

Stage of registration and room assignment; first face-to-face interaction; guests learn standards and services.

Occupancy

Stage during which the guest stays and service requests are fulfilled.

Departure

Stage of check-out and parting; how this is handled shapes the overall guest impression.

Service Product

The service-focused offering of a business; tangible items are limited (tickets/receipts); primary purchase is the service/experience.

Service Setting

The service environment, including design, ambiance, and physical context of the service.

Service Delivery System

The backbone delivering the service; a combination of inanimate technology and the people who operate it.

Service Encounter

The person-to-person interactions between staff and guests; can include automated/self-service moments.

Moments of Truth

Critical points in the guest experience where opinions are formed; includes moments of glory (positive) and pain (negative); includes zero, actual, first, second, and ultimate moments.

Zero Moment of Truth

Online information search phase where the first brand impression is formed.

The Actual Moment of Truth

The period between when a customer purchases and when they receive the product or service.

First Moment of Truth

The guest’s first direct interaction with the product/service (e.g., arrival and front-desk contact).

Second Moment of Truth

The following set of experiences that engage the senses during the stay (what guests see, feel, hear, etc.).

Ultimate/Last Moment of Truth

When the guest shares their opinion publicly through reviews or feedback.

Moments of Pain

Negative moments when the organization’s products or services disappoint the guest; can lead to churn.

Guest Expectations

What guests anticipate based on brand familiarity, past experiences, and information; over-delivery is key to delight.

External Customers

Customers outside the organization who buy and consume the products/services.

Internal Customers

Employees within the organization who receive services from other staff; their satisfaction affects service delivery.

Quality

The difference between the quality a guest expects and the quality they actually receive.

Value

What a product or service is worth to a guest, considering price, quality, benefits, and costs (including time and effort).

Cost

All tangible and intangible costs borne by the guest during the experience, including time and risk.

Quality Management

Overseeing organizational activities to ensure products/services meet defined quality standards; includes planning, improvement, control, and assurance.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

An organization-wide, continual process of detecting/removing errors, improving processes, and engaging all employees toward long-term customer satisfaction.

Quality Planning

Identifying quality standards relevant to a project and deciding how to meet them.

Quality Improvement

Decisive changes in the process to improve reliability or outcomes.

Quality Control

Ongoing efforts to uphold the reliability and integrity of processes in achieving outcomes.

Quality Assurance

Planned or systematic actions to provide sufficient reliability to meet product/service requirements.

Customer-focused

In TQM, both internal and external customers drive quality; external define product quality, internal define people/process/environment quality.

Total Employee Involvement and Empowerment

All employees participate toward goals; empowerment gives them real voice in decisions within set parameters.