The importance of procurement in the hospitality industry

Ugostiteljska djelatnost je središnja točka turističkog sektora. To je djelatnost bez koje turizam ne može doseći visine do kojih je dostigao, pogotovo u Republici Hrvatskoj. Osim što je zaslužna za gospodarski rast i svjetsku rekogniciju države, vrlo je bitna i zbog stvaranja radnih mjesta, posebice u Dalmaciji, Istri i Kvarneru. Kako je središnji dio turističkog sektora ugostiteljska djelatnost, tako je i veliki dio uspješnosti ugostiteljske djelatnosti povezan sa kvalitetnim procesom nabave. Shodno tome, cilj ovo rada je istražiti odnos između učinkovitih strategija nabave i kvalitete usluge u ugostiteljstvu, putem znanstvene literature, analiza iz struke te podatcima iz provedenog empirijskog istraživanja. Predmet rada bio je istražiti ključnu ulogu nabave u ugostiteljskoj djelatnosti. To je u radu istraženo prvotno objašnjenjem pojma ugostiteljske djelatnosti, njenih sastavnica, pojmom upravljanja kvalitetom te analiziranja utjecaja trendova na ugostiteljske objekte i promjene koje nastaju zbog istih. Nakon toga, u radu su istraženi razlozi iza ključne važnosti nabave kao sastavnice ugostiteljske djelatnosti, fokusiranjem na operativne zadatke nabave, koji osiguravaju potrebne resurse za svakodnevni rad i funkcionalnost ugostiteljskog objekta. Fokus je stavljen i na ulogu dobavljača u nabavnom procesu, te je istraženo kako kvalitetan odnos sa dobavljačima može biti vrlo značajan u poboljšanju ugostiteljskog objekta i povećanje njegove konkurentnosti na sve zahtjevnijem i zahtjevnijem tržištu. Uzimaju se i obzir izazovi pri strateškom planiranju nabave i kontroli zaliha, kao i prednosti koje se mogu ostvariti ako proces bude napravljan kvalitetno. U istom poglavlju se istražuje i visok koeficijent obrtaja zaliha te njegova uloga u opstanku ugostiteljskog objekta. Empirijsko istraživanje je provedeno putem anketnog upitnika, u kojem je sudjelovalo 1004 ispitanika. Anketni upitnik je bio distribuiran društvenim mrežama i mailom, te su rezultati pokazali da djelatnici ugostiteljskih objekata vide svoje dobavljače kao bitan dio lanca opskrbe, te većinski imaju s njima formalizirana partnerstva. Istraživanje je pokazalo i da ugostiteljski objekti rijetko vrše inventure i kontrolu zaliha, no bili bi spremni ulagati u naprednije tehnologije kako bi si olakšali taj proces i imali bolje uvjete za planiranje nabave.The hospitality industry is the central point of the tourism sector. It is an industry without which tourism cannot reach the heights it has reached, especially in the Republic of Croatia. Besides being responsible for the economic growth and world recognition of the country, it is also very important for the creation of jobs, especially in Dalmatia, Istria and Kvarner. Since the central part of the tourism sector is the hospitality industry, a large part of the success of the hospitality industry is connected with a quality procurement process. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between effective procurement strategies and service quality in the hospitality industry, through scientific literature, professional analysis and data from empirical research. The subject of the work was to investigate the key role of procurement in the hospitality industry. This was investigated in the paper initially by explaining the concept of hospitality, its components, the concept of quality management, and analyzing the impact of trends on hospitality facilities and the changes that arise due to them. After that, the paper explored the reasons behind the key importance of procurement as a component of the hospitality industry, focusing on the operational tasks of procurement, which provide the necessary resources for the daily work and functionality of the hospitality facility. The focus was also placed on the role of suppliers in the procurement process, and it was investigated how a quality relationship with suppliers can be very significant in improving the hospitality facility and increasing its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding and demanding market. The challenges of strategic procurement planning and inventory control are also taken into account, as well as the advantages that can be realized if the process is done well. In the same chapter, the high inventory turnover ratio and its role in the survival of the hospitality facility are also investigated. Empirical research was conducted through a survey questionnaire, in which 1004 respondents participated. The survey questionnaire was distributed through social networks and e-mail, and the results showed that employees of catering facilities see their suppliers as an essential part of the supply chain, and most of them have formalized partnerships with them. The research also showed that catering establishments rarely carry out inventories and stock control, but they would be ready to invest in more advanced technologies in order to facilitate this process and have better conditions for procurement planning