Barriers and drivers of environmental sustainability: Australian hotels

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Khatter ◽  
Leanne White ◽  
Joanne Pyke ◽  
Michael McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Financial Marketing ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Independent Hotels ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose The paper presents the findings of research into the barriers to and drivers of environmentally sustainable policies and practices (ESPPs) in the Australian hotel industry. This study aims to explore these drivers and barriers from the perspective of hotel managers and involve a range of hotels with different hotel industry profiles and management structures. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted one-on-one interviews with hotel managers to explore the barriers to and drivers of ESPPs. The purpose of the sample and sample size was to ensure representation of different segments of the hotel industry to include international chain affiliated hotels, Australian chain affiliated hotels and independent hotels. Findings An analysis of the findings suggests that the major barriers to implementing and sustaining environmental sustainability in the Australian hotel industry are time, financial challenges, availability of resources and the views and imperatives of hotel owners and shareholders. The major drivers are financial, marketing, owner and shareholder interests and guest preferences. These stakeholders play a major role in creating both barriers and drivers. Research limitations/implications Based on the results, this study can modify the application of stakeholder theory to a degree and argue that stakeholders need to co-operate further to drive sustainability. This study demonstrates that management of environmental sustainability is a challenge for many hotels and there is a particular need for small and independent hotels to embrace environmental sustainability to keep pace with their larger counterparts. Originality/value This study is broadly informed by the stakeholder theory. Owners, shareholders and associated stakeholders have a significant influence over environmental sustainability in the Australian hotel industry and they create both drivers and barriers. Responses from hotel managers in this research demonstrate that owners act as a barrier to as well as a driver of environmental sustainability initiatives in the Australian hotel industry.

scholarly journals Stakeholders’ Influence on Environmental Sustainability in the Australian Hotel Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1351
Author(s):  
Ajay Khatter ◽  
Leanne White ◽  
Joanne Pyke ◽  
Michael McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Independent Hotels ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Depth Interviews

Hotels are a key element of the tourism industry. Hotels are the most common form of accommodation for tourists and the hotel industry is intricately to tourism. A review of the academic literature indicates that existing research is primarily focused on sustainability in tourism, but very few studies have analysed the environmental dimension of sustainability in hotels in Australia, an important facet of the Australian tourism industry. The paper presents the findings of the influence of stakeholders on environmentally sustainable policies and practices (ESPPs) in the Australian hotel industry. One-on-one interviews were conducted with hotel managers as a representative sample of Australian hotels in Melbourne, Australia. The selected sample for the research comprised managers who manage approximately 60 hotels. The data was collected through in-depth interviews. It was then transcribed, coded, and analysed with NVIVO, a computer-aided qualitative data analysis software program. The sample size ensured representation by different segments of the hotel industry to include international chain-affiliated hotels, Australian chain-affiliated hotels and independent hotels. An analysis of the findings suggests that owners and shareholders are the biggest influencers as their investment takes primary importance. Other key stakeholders such as guests generally play a secondary role in influencing the ESPPs of hotels. ESPPs should lead to well-intentioned initiatives and practices that are undertaken by stakeholders to create drivers for change to contribute to environmental sustainability.

Empowering future educators through environmental sustainability

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-309
Author(s):  
Amanda O. Latz ◽  
Jocelyn H. Bolin ◽  
Marilynn (Marks) Quick ◽  
Ruth Jones ◽  
Austin Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Complete Elimination ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Technological Affordances

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide information regarding the ways in which the authors’ College’s faculty use paper within their pedagogical practice. A related purpose was to ascertain faculty interest in professional development initiatives related to reducing paper usage through technological affordances. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was developed and administered to the faculty within the university’s Teachers College. The survey was built to assess faculty pedagogical use of paper. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via the survey. Findings – The results suggested that digital resources are widely used by faculty, and students are encouraged to conserve paper. However, many faculty are uncomfortable with the complete elimination of paper. Originality/value – Modeling and promoting environmentally sustainable pedagogical practice is imperative within institutions charged with preparing the next generation of educators.

Sustainability in the Pakistani hotel industry: an empirical study

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 714-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymen Sajjad ◽  
Aleena Jillani ◽  
Muhammad Mustafa Raziq
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Government ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose This paper aims to look at the sustainability practices adopted by the Pakistani hotel industry. Sustainability is a relatively under-researched notion from the perspective of the developing world, and in particular, the research lacks evidence from the Pakistani hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow an exploratory multiple case study design to study the sustainability practices adopted by the Pakistani hotel industry. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with the senior hotel managers. Findings The results suggest that sustainability is only partially integrated into the business strategy for most of the sample hotels, and a systematic approach to sustainability is currently lacking. Overall, the central focus of the hotels is on developing commercial performance, whereas some fragmented social and environmental sustainability initiatives are implemented on an ad hoc basis. Practical implications This study identifies some practical issues and challenges in relation to sustainability implementation in the Pakistani context. It is suggested that the government, community organizations and the private sector firms need to actively collaborate to promote the sustainability agenda. Originality/value This paper extends the extant literature by exploring sustainability implementation in the Pakistani hotel industry. While there is limited sustainability research in the context of the developing world, this study contributes by bridging this gap in the present literature.

Sustainability Practices in Hotel Industry: A Study on Guest Awareness and Satisfaction

GIS Business ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 9-10
Author(s):  
Shweta Mathur ◽  
Kavita Khanna ◽  
Sanjeev Kumar Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Customer Preferences ◽  
Sustainability Strategy ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Relationship Of

The research paper is an empirical work to ascertain the awareness and satisfaction levels of the hotel guests on the sustainability practices in Five Star hotels in Delhi. This paper also aims to determine the extent to which certain sustainability practices influence customer preferences and requirements. The methodology used in this research included a survey method, combined with an extensive secondary research and descriptive methods. The survey was conducted in selected Five star and Five-star deluxe hotels in Delhi from June 2016 until September 2016. The results of the study establish a direct relationship of sustainability practices with customers satisfaction in Five Star Hotels in Delhi, however, it reveals that the prevailing sustainability practices do not satisfy the guests to a considerable extent. The research results can be used by hotel managers in order to improve and adopt sustainability strategy in their management policy in order to raise the level of awareness towards the hotels sustainability initiatives undertaken and then to meet the demands of cognizant guests and for the sake of its own business survival.

How can open innovation contribute to circular economy adoption? Insights from a literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gessica Mina Kim Jesus ◽  
Daniel Jugend
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Joint Effort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeDespite the potential of open innovation (OI) to reduce barriers to the adoption of the circular economy (CE), little is known about the integration of the two themes and how OI could contribute to a more sustainable economy. The objective of this study is to investigate how OI can contribute to the adoption of the CE.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a systematic review of the literature sampled from the Scopus and Web of Science scientific databases.FindingsThe main findings of the study are (1) the utilization of OI within CE is still a recent phenomenon, one which emphasizes the collaboration between stakeholders and the co-creation approach; (2) the collaboration of stakeholders can be applied to align the objectives of interested parties, in a joint effort to resolve the environmental problems of the three levels of CE and (3) an action-creation approach can be adopted as a strategy to encourage the participation of consumers in the development of environmentally sustainable products, which may favor the transition to the CE.Originality/valueThe article presents the state of the art on the CE guided by OI, highlighting the opportunities and challenges of the correlation between the two themes. The article also shows the theoretical and practical implications for an OI-driven circular economy.

Environmentally sustainable stochastic procurement model

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harpreet Kaur ◽  
Surya Prakash Singh
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Lot Sizing ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Procurement Planning

Purpose Procurement planning has always been a huge and challenging activity for business firms, especially in manufacturing. With government legislations about global concern over carbon emissions, the manufacturing firms are enforced to regulate and reduce the emissions caused throughout the supply chain. It is observed that procurement and logistics activities in manufacturing firms contribute heavily toward carbon emissions. Moreover, highly dynamic and uncertain business environment with uncertainty in parameters such as demand, supplier and carrier capacity adds to the complexity in procurement planning. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a novel attempt to model environmentally sustainable stochastic procurement (ESSP) problem as a mixed-integer non-linear program. The ESSP optimizes the procurement plan of the firm including lot-sizing, supplier and carrier selection by addressing uncertainty and environmental sustainability. The model applies chance-constrained-based approach to address the uncertain parameters. Findings The proposed ESSP model is solved optimally for 30 data sets to validate the proposed ESSP and is further demonstrated using three illustrations solved optimally in LINGO 10. Originality/value The ESSP model simultaneously minimizes total procurement cost and carbon emissions over the entire planning horizon considering uncertain demand, supplier and carrier capacity.

scholarly journals High tech meets high touch in upscale hotels

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Brochado ◽  
Paulo Rita ◽  
Ana Margarido
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Websites ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Qualitative Phase ◽  
Business Travellers

Purpose This paper presents an analysis of the impact of current technologies on customer experiences in upscale hotels and assesses the potential of the latest technologies for enhancing customers’ stay. Design/methodology/approach A two-step approach was applied in this study. The qualitative phase included an examination of upscale hotel websites, interviews with hotel managers and an internet search regarding the latest technological innovations in hotels. In the quantitative stage, a questionnaire was developed for hotel guests, generating a sample of 310 valid completed questionnaires. Findings The results reveal that hotel guests value digital involvement in their hotel experience. Moreover, business travellers and younger generations give greater importance to latest technologies. Originality/value This study analyses the most innovative technologies, providing guidance for hoteliers wishing to upgrade or implement new technologies. Based on the findings, hoteliers can achieve greater differentiation by offering the most important and latest technology to guests, enhancing their experience and attracting new customers, which can potentially lead to increased revenues. The study’s results are also important because they include the perceptions of both managers and customers.

Blinded by the light? Analyzing sustainability authenticity, customer service perceptions, and halo effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clinton Amos ◽  
Sebastian Brockhaus ◽  
Amydee M. Fawcett ◽  
Stanley E. Fawcett ◽  
A. Michael Knemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate how service perceptions influence customer views of the authenticity of corporate sustainability claims. The goal of this paper is to help supply chain decision-makers better understand boundary conditions in order to design more enduring and impactful sustainability programs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ behavioral experiments, subjecting two theoretically derived hypotheses to verification across five diverse industries and two distinct sustainability vignettes.FindingsCustomer service perceptions emerge as a significant boundary condition to the perceived authenticity of sustainability efforts. Subjects attributed significantly higher authenticity toward sustainability efforts in above average vs below average service quality contexts. Further, respondents attributed deceptive motivations to sustainability efforts at companies with below average service.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors confirm the underlying tenet of social judgment theory, which suggests thata prioriperceptions create a zone of acceptability or rejection. Ultimately, investing in sustainability can lead to counterproductive cynicism.Practical implicationsThe authors infer that customers’ willingness to give companies credit for sustainability initiatives extends beyond service issues to any practice that influencesa prioriperceptions. Supply chain managers must rethink their role in designing both customer service and sustainability systems to achieve positive returns from sustainability investments.Originality/valueThe authors challenge the assumption that customers universally positively view sustainability efforts. If customers holda priorinegative service perceptions, otherwise well-designed sustainability programs may invoke cynical reactions. Thus, sustainability programs may not inoculate firm reputations from adverse incidents. Given they touch both service and sustainability systems, supply chain managers are positioned to holistically influence their design for competitive advantage.

Cross-sector collaboration and nonprofit boundary work for female workers in developing countries: evidence from Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Fontana ◽  
Mark Heuer ◽  
Lisa Koep
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Boundary Work ◽  
Apparel Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Formation Stage ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Implementation Stage

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed new light on the way the cross-sector collaboration (CSC) process can foster gender-focused sustainability initiatives to improve female workers’ conditions in developing countries. The study does so by introducing and examining the influence of nonprofit boundary work during the CSC process. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on thirty-four interviews and qualitative fieldwork. It draws on a case analysis of a regional CSC between multiple organizations operating locally in the apparel industry of Bangladesh, a developing country. Findings Scaffolding work in the CSC formation stage – performed by development agency implementers who construe boundaries – and sensitization work in the CSC implementation stage – performed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) implementers who blur and expand boundaries – emerge as two conceptual categories of nonprofit boundary work. This allows NGO implementers to identify and enable the agency of sustainability envoys or socially privileged individuals who capitalize on their social credentials to support female workers in the factory and in the community. Originality/value The study offers novel insights into the CSC process. It contributes to the CSC literature and the literature on boundary work, with a focus on gender-focused sustainability initiatives for female workers in developing countries.

Study shows significant influence of HRD to shape and inspire CSR and sustainability initiatives

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-39
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Campbell Soup ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

Purpose The authors wrote their study in response to the pressures businesses face today to behave responsibly. More than 90% of the largest 250 MNCs in the world, they said, disclose information about various aspects of their CSR and sustainability. Meanwhile, HRD practices play a significant role in the design and effectiveness of these initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an analysis of the contents of CR reports to detect themes. They used a list of the top 100 CSR companies in the 2016 Global CSR Rep Trak 100. Overall, 55 reports were included from 23 large MNCs in 17 industries and 10 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Household names included BMW, Campbell Soup, Dell, FedEx, Nike, Visa, Sony, Honda, Samsung, LEGO, Air Canada, Hilton Worldwide, and Fujifilm. Findings Initial analysis showed that seven areas of HRD work were the most important in supporting CSR and sustainability agendas. They were (1) Diversity, equity and inclusion. (2) Community engagement. (3) Work-life balance. (4) Employee long-term growth and development. (5) Performance management. (6) Business ethics and ethical culture and (7) Raising CSR awareness. Originality/value The study addressed two fundamental questions: First, what is the role of HRD in CSR and sustainability as portrayed in CR reports? Second, what areas of HRD work are highlighted in CR reports as important in the context of CSR and sustainability?

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