The Adoption of Environmental Practices in Small Hotels. Voluntary or Mandatory? An Empirical Approach
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Review Literature
2.1. Adoption of Environmental Practices and Certifications in the Hotel Industry
- (a)
- to achieve a high level of protection of people and the environment as a whole, to ensure their quality of life through the instruments necessary to prevent, minimize, correct and control pollution and make efficient use of resources and raw materials;
- (b)
- to promote sustainable development through an environmental administrative intervention to harmonize economic and social development with environmental protection;
- (c)
- to contribute to enforcing the criteria of efficiency and service to the public in the instruction of administrative procedures and to ensure the collaboration and coordination of the public administrations that must intervene;
- (d)
- to facilitate the action of productive activity with environmental protection in a respectful manner.
2.2. Impact of the Adoption of Environmental Practices on Operational Performance and Competitiveness in the Hotel Industry
3. Sample and Methodology
3.1. Sample and Data Collection
3.2. Measures
3.3. Methodology
4. Results
4.1. Full Sample
4.2. Differences between Sub-Samples
5. Discussion and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Frontur. Movimientos Turísticos en Frontera, 2014. Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo, Turespaña. Available online: http://www.iet.tourspain.es (accessed on 3 May 2016). (In Spanish)
- Observatori d’Empresa i Ocupació-GENCAT. Resum de Resultats Anuals 2014. Dipòsit Legal B-4142-2015, 2016. Available online: http://observatoriempresaiocupacio.gencat.cat/web/.content/02_-_ambits_tematics/turisme/09_-_resultats_anuals/2014/arxius/Resum_resultats_anuals_2014.pdf (accessed on 19 July 2016).
- Wu, K.J.; Liao, C.J.; Tseng, M.L.; Chou, P.J. Understanding Innovation for Sustainable Business Management Capabilities and Competencies under Uncertainty. Sustainability 2015, 7, 13726–13760. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rodríguez-Antón, J.M.; Alonso-Almeida, M.M.; Celemín, M.; Rubio, L. Use of different sustainability management systems in the hospitality industry. The case of Spanish hotels. J. Clean Prod. 2012, 22, 76–84. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Claver, E.; Pereira, J.; Molina, J.F.; Tarí, J.J. Certificación en Calidad y Medio Ambiente y su Relación con el Rendimiento Empresarial: Evidencia en el Sector Hotelero Español; Departamento de Organización de Empresas, Universidad de Alicante: Alicante, Spain, 2010; Volume 47–48, pp. 25–37. [Google Scholar]
- Bonilla, M.; Avilés, C. Analysis of environmental statements issued by EMAS certified Spanish hotels. Cornell Hosp. Q. 2008, 49, 381–394. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Khanna, M.; Speir, C. Motivations for Proactive Environmental Management. Sustainability 2013, 5, 2664–2692. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Schmidheiny, S. Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment; MIT Press: Cambridge, UK, 1992. [Google Scholar]
- Starik, M.; Marcus, A. Introduction to the special research forum on the management of organizations in the natural environment: A field emerging from multiple paths, with many challenges ahead. Acad. Manag. J. 2000, 43, 539–547. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Miles, M.; Covin, J. Environmental marketing: A source of reputational, competitive and financial advantage. J. Bus. Ethics 2000, 23, 299–311. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Poksinska, B.; Jörn Dahlgaard, J.; Eklund, J.A. Implementing ISO 14000 in Sweden: Motives, benefits and comparison with ISO 9000. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 2003, 20, 585–606. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zutshi, A.; Sohal, A. Environmental management system adoption by Australasian organisations: Part 1: Reasons, benefits and impediments. Technovation 2004, 24, 335–357. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bonilla-Priego, M.J.; Nájera, J.J.; Font, X. Environmental management decision-making in certified hotels. J. Sustain. Tour. 2011, 19, 361–381. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alonso-Almeida, M.M.; Rodríguez-Antón, J.M. Organisational behaviour and strategies in adoption of certified management systems. An analysis of the Spanish hotel industry. J. Clean Prod. 2011, 19, 1455–1463. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ayuso, S. Comparing voluntary policy instruments for sustainable tourism: The experience of the Spanish hotel sector. J. Sustain. Tour. 2007, 15, 144–159. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Enz, C.A.; Siguaw, J.A. Best hotel environmental practices. Cornell Hotel Restaur. Adm. Q. 1999, 40, 72–77. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Goodman, A. Implementing sustainability in service operations in Scandic Hotels. Interfaces 2000, 30, 202–214. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tarí, J.J.; Claver-Cortés, E.; Pereira-Moliner, J.; Molina-Azorín, J.F. Levels of quality and environmental management in the hotel industry: Their joint influence on firm performance. Int. J. Environ. Manag. 2010, 29, 500–510. [Google Scholar]
- Carmona-Moreno, E.; Cespedes-Lorente, J.; De Burgos-Jimenez, J. Environmental strategies in Spanish hotels: Contextual factors and performance. Serv. Ind. J. 2004, 24, 101–130. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Molina-Azorín, J.F.; Claver-Cortes, E.; Pereira-Moliner, J.; Tarí, J.J. Environmental practices and firm performance: An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry. J. Clean Prod. 2009, 17, 516–524. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Singal, M. The link between firm financial performance and investment in sustainability initiatives. Cornell Hosp. Q. 2013, 55, 19–30. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Claver, E.; López, M.D.; Molina, J.F.; Tarí, J. Environmental management and firm performance: A case study. J. Environ. Manag. 2007, 84, 606–619. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Alvarez-Gil, M.J.; Burgos-Jiménez, J.; Cespedes-Lorente, J.J. An analysis of environmental management, organizational context and performance of Spanish hotels. Omega 2001, 29, 457–471. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lee, J.; Hsu, L.; Han, H.; Kim, Y. Understanding how consumers view green hotels: How a hotel’s green image can influence behavioural intentions. J. Sustain. Tour. 2010, 18, 901–914. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cormier, D.; Ledoux, M.J.; Magnan, M. The informational contribution of social and environmental disclosures for investors. Manag. Decis. 2011, 49, 1276–1304. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lopez, M.; Molina, J.; Claver, E. The whole relationship between environmental variables and firm performance: Competitive advantage and firm resources as mediator variables. J. Environ. Manag. 2009, 90, 3110–3121. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Delmas, M.; Hoffman, V.; Kuss, M. Under the tip of the iceberg: Absorptive capacity, environmental strategy and competitive advantage. Bus. Soc. 2011, 50, 116–154. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fraj, E; Matute, J; Melero, I. Environmental strategies and organizational competitiveness in the hotel industry: The role of learning and innovation as determinants of environmental success. Tour. Manag. 2015, 46, 30–42. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea. Directiva 2014/52/UE del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo de 16 de Abril de 2014. Available online: https://www.boe.es/doue/2014/124/L00001-00018.pdf (accessed on 6 April 2016).
- Boletín Oficial del Estado. Ley 20/2009, de 4 de diciembre, de prevención y control ambiental de las actividades. BOE 2010, 12, 3062–3123. (In Spanish) [Google Scholar]
- Casadesús, M.; Marimon, F.; Alonso-Ameida, M. The future of standardised quality management in tourism: Evidence from the Spanish tourist sector. Serv. Ind. J. 2010, 30, 2457–2474. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bagur-Femenias, L.; Llach, J.; Alonso-Almeida, M. Is the adoption of environmental practices a strategical decision for small service companies? An empirical approach. Manag. Decis. 2013, 51, 41–62. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chan, E.; Wong, S. Motivations for ISO 14001 in the hotel industry. Tour. Manag. 2006, 27, 481–492. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- INE. Notas de Prensa, 2014. Available online: http://www.ine.es/notasdeprensa (accessed on 3 May 2016).
- Weng, H.H.; Chen, J.S.; Chen, P.C. Effects of Green Innovation on Environmental and Corporate Performance: A Stakeholder Perspective. Sustainability 2015, 7, 4997–5026. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gombault, M.; Versteege, S. Cleaner production in SMEs through a partnership with (local) authorities: Successes from The Netherlands. J. Clean Prod. 1999, 7, 249–261. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hillary, R. Environmental management systems and the smaller enterprise. J. Clean Prod. 2004, 12, 561–569. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fernández-Viñé, M.B.; Gómez-Navarro, T.; Capuz-Rizo, S.F. Eco-efficiency in the SMEs of Venezuela. Current status and future perspectives. J. Clean Prod. 2010, 18, 736–746. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Singels, J.; Ruel, G.; Van de Water, H. ISO 9000 series: Certification and performance. Int. J. Qual. Reliab. Manag. 2001, 18, 62–75. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pan, J. A comparative study on motivation for and experience with ISO 900 and ISO 14000 certification among far eastern countries. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 2003, 103, 564–578. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Duran, I.; Bikfalvi, A.; Llach, J. New facets of quality. A multiple case study of green cosmetic manufacturers. Eur. Acc. Manag. Rev, 2014, 1, 43–61. [Google Scholar]
- Del Brío, J.; Junquera, B. Competitividad y situación medioambiental de los centros productivos certificados en España. Universia Bus. Rev. 2004, 4, 64–77. [Google Scholar]
- Wilkins, H.; Merrilees, B.; Herington, C. Towards an understanding of total service quality hotels. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 2007, 26, 840–853. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bravo, R.; Fraj, E.; Matute, J. La estrategia de “ecologismo de empresas” en el sector de bienes de consumo final. Universia Bus. Rev. 2006, 1, 58–73. [Google Scholar]
- Murillo, J.; Garcés, C.; Rivera, P. Estrategia empresarial y medio ambiente: Opinión de un grupo de expertos. Universia Bus. Rev. 2004, 4, 52–63. [Google Scholar]
- Aragón-Correa, J.A.; Hurtado-Torres, N.; Sharma, S.; García-Morales, V.J. Environmental strategy and performance in small firms: A resource-based perspective. J. Environ. Manag. 2008, 86, 88–103. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chan, E.S.W.; Hawkins, R. Attitude towards EMSs in an international hotel: An exploratory case study. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 2010, 29, 641–651. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Boyle, C. Cleaner production in New Zealand. J. Clean. Prod. 1999, 7, 59–67. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mohamed, S.T. The impact of ISO 14000 on developing world businesses. Renew. Energy 2001, 23, 579–584. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chan, W.W. Partial analysis of the environmental costs generated by hotels in Hong Kong. Tour. Manag. 2005, 24, 517–531. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chan, W.W.; Lam, J.C. Energy-saving supporting tourism sustainability: A case of study of hotel swimming pool heat pumps. J. Sustain. Tour. 2003, 11, 74–83. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kirk, D. Attitudes to environmental management held by a group of hotel managers in Edinburgh. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 1998, 17, 33–47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- United Nations Environment Programme. Greening Shops and Saving Costs; UNEP DTIE: Paris, France, 2006. [Google Scholar]
- Lee, K. Why and how to adopt green management into business organizations? The case study of Korean SMEs in manufacturing industry. Manag. Decis. 2009, 47, 1101–1121. [Google Scholar]
- Kassinis, G.I.; Soteriou, A.C. Greening the service profit chain: The impact of environmental management practices. Prod. Oper. Manag. 2003, 12, 386–403. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fresner, J.; Engelhardt, G. Experiences with integrated management systems for two small companies in Austria. J. Clean Prod. 2004, 12, 623–631. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Coté, R.; Booth, A.; Louis, B. Eco-efficiency and SMEs in Nova Scotia, Canada. J. Clean Prod. 2006, 14, 542–550. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gavronski, I.; Ferrer, G.; Paiva, E.L. ISO 14001 certification in Brazil: Motivations and benefits. J. Clean Prod. 2008, 16, 87–94. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Blanco, E.; Rey-Maquieira, J.; Lozano, J. Economic incentives for tourism firms to undertake voluntary environmental management. Tour. Manag. 2009, 30, 112–122. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Malhotra, N.K. Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 4th ed.; Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA, 2004. [Google Scholar]
- Barclay, D.; Higgins, C.; Thompson, R. The partial least squares (PLS) approach to causal modeling: Personal computer adoption and use as an illustration. Tech. Stud. 1995, 2, 285–309. [Google Scholar]
- Carmines, E.G.; McIver, J.P. Analyzing models with unobserved variables. In Social Measurement: Current Issues; Bohrnstedt, G.W., Borgatta, E.F., Eds.; Sage: Beverly Hills, CA, USA, 1981; pp. 53–86. [Google Scholar]
- Byrne, B.M. Structural Equation Modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 1994. [Google Scholar]
- Hu, L.; Bentler, P. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct. Equ. Model. Multidiscip. J. 1999, 6, 1–55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kline, R.B. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling, 2nd ed.; The Guilford Press: New York, NY, USA, 2005. [Google Scholar]
- Schermelleh-Enge, K.; Moosbrugger, H.; Müller, H. Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive Goodness-of-Fit measures. Methods Psychol. Res. Online 2003, 8, 23–74. [Google Scholar]
- Sharma, S. The mediating effect of information availability between organization design variables and environmental practices in the Canadian hotel industry. Bus. Strategy Environ. 2009, 18, 266–276. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- UNWTO (United Nations—World Tourism Organization). World Tourism Day 2010 to Cerebrate Tourism and Biodiversity, 27 September 2010. China. Available online: http://www2.unwto.org/content/why-tourism (accessed on 18 July 2016).
Typology | Hotels | |
---|---|---|
Independent | 121 | 57.62% |
National group | 74 | 35.24% |
Foreign group | 11 | 5.24% |
Franchise | 4 | 1.90% |
Total | 210 | 100.00% |
Code | Definition |
---|---|
Environmental Practices (ENV) [20,23,32,57,58] | |
ENV1 | Your organization buys ecological products |
ENV2 | Your organization has reduced the use of cleaning products that are harmful to the environment |
ENV3 | Your organization implements energy-saving practices |
ENV4 | Your organization implements water-saving practices |
ENV5 | Your organization implements the selective collection of solid wastes |
ENV6 | The company trains its employees on environmental matters |
Operational performance (OP) [16,32,47,49,59] | |
OP1 | Environmental protection activities allow your organization to reduce the total cost of operations |
OP2 | Environmental protection activities allow your organization to reduce water and electricity consumption |
OP3 | Environmental protection activities allow your organization to reduce the risk of accidents and legal action |
OP4 | Environmental protection activities allow your organization to enable the administration to win public support for cleaner production |
Competitiveness (COMP) [16,20,32,37,54,55] | |
COMP1 | The company’s image has been improved |
COMP2 | The customer satisfaction level is higher than that of competitors |
COMP3 | The employee satisfaction level is higher than that of competitors |
COMP4 | The ability to maintain a market presence in times of crisis is higher |
COMP5 | Sales have increased more than those of competitors |
Dimension | Code | Exploratory Factor Analysis | Confirmatory Factor Analysis | Internal Consistency and Reliability Statistics |
---|---|---|---|---|
Environmental Practices | ENV1 | 0.808 | 0.701 | Cronbach’s alpha: 0.885 Composite reliability: 0.889 AVE: 0.672 |
ENV2 | 0.801 | 0.708 | ||
ENV3 | 0.854 | 0.896 | ||
ENV4 | 0.897 | 0.944 | ||
ENV5 | 0.795 | - | ||
ENV6 | 0.742 | - | ||
Operational Performance | OP1 | 0.888 | 0.888 | Cronbach’s alpha: 0.866 Composite reliability: 0.872 AVE: 0.696 |
OP2 | 0.861 | 0.859 | ||
OP3 | 0.857 | 0.749 | ||
OP4 | 0.761 | - | ||
Competitiveness | COMP1 | 0.825 | 0.807 | Cronbach’s alpha: 0.872 Composite reliability: 0.876 AVE: 0.640 |
COMP2 | 0.885 | 0.889 | ||
COMP3 | 0.823 | 0.734 | ||
COMP4 | 0.822 | 0.761 | ||
COMP5 | 0.673 | - |
ENV | OP | COMP | |
---|---|---|---|
ENV | 0.819 * | ||
OP | 0.702 | 0.834 * | |
COMP | 0.578 | 0.568 | 0.799 * |
Assessment Item | Values | Ideal Value |
---|---|---|
X2/df (normed chi-squared) | 2.334 | <3 |
GFI (goodness of fit) | 0.915 | >0.8 |
Bentler–Bonett normed fit index (BBNFI) | 0.938 | >0.9 |
Bentler–Bonett non-normed fit index (BBNNFI) | 0.952 | >0.9 |
CFI (comparative fit index) | 0.963 | >0.9 |
SRMR (standardized root mean square residual) | 0.07 | <0.1 |
ENV → OP | ENV → COMP | |
---|---|---|
∆X2 | 4.167 | 3.815 |
∆df | 1 | 1 |
p-value | 0.023 ** | 0.041 ** |
ENV → OP | ENV → COMP | Fit Indices 1 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
PRESSURED n = 97 | β | 0.673 ** | 0.567 ** | X2/df = 1.778 |
GFI = 0.874 | ||||
BBNFI = 0.879 | ||||
BBNNFI = 0.924 | ||||
CFI = 0.942 | ||||
SRMR = 0.090 | ||||
COMMITTED n = 113 | β | 0.799 ** | 0.644 ** | X2/df = 2.136 |
GFI = 0.871 | ||||
BBNFI = 0.913 | ||||
BBNNFI = 0.936 | ||||
CFI = 0.951 | ||||
SRMR = 0.067 |
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Bagur-Femenias, L.; Celma, D.; Patau, J. The Adoption of Environmental Practices in Small Hotels. Voluntary or Mandatory? An Empirical Approach. Sustainability 2016, 8, 695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8070695
Bagur-Femenias L, Celma D, Patau J. The Adoption of Environmental Practices in Small Hotels. Voluntary or Mandatory? An Empirical Approach. Sustainability. 2016; 8(7):695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8070695
Chicago/Turabian StyleBagur-Femenias, Llorenç, Dolors Celma, and Josep Patau. 2016. "The Adoption of Environmental Practices in Small Hotels. Voluntary or Mandatory? An Empirical Approach" Sustainability 8, no. 7: 695. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8070695