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Hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions – framework and illustration

Carmen Padin (based at Facultad Economía, Departamento Economía Aplicada, Vigo University, Vigo, Spain)
Goran Svensson (based at Oslo School of Management, Oslo, Norway)

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

ISSN: 1750-6182

Article publication date: 29 July 2014

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework and illustration to assess and manage the perceived content and experiences in hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions. Teleological actions are movements into the future that are believed to move either towards a predictable/known or unpredictable/unknown state or condition: transformative – ad hoc and present-based actions; formative – pre-determined and past-based actions; and rationalist – goal-directed and future-based actions.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework of teleological actions and its underlying logic illustrates how critical hospitality processes may be assessed and managed in both research and practice.

Findings

The lens of teleological actions offers a non-traditional and unusual, potentially unique, perspective on hospitality processes. It reveals additional insights to assess and manage critical incidents in hospitality processes between service providers and service receivers.

Research limitations/implications

Assessing and managing hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions makes both a contribution to and provides opportunities for further research in the field of hospitality management.

Practical implications

It opens up the possibility of examining different hospitality processes based upon the lens of teleological actions. It provides interesting and valuable insights in relation to contemporary approaches to assess and manage critical incidents in the literature of hospitality processes.

Originality/value

It sheds a different and additional light upon current theory and practice in hospitality management. It explicitly addresses the meaning of time and how to relate to the content and experiences of previous, current and forthcoming hospitality processes.

Keywords

Citation

Padin, C. and Svensson, G. (2014), "Hospitality processes through the lens of teleological actions – framework and illustration", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 361-371. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-08-2012-0062

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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