Sustainability Efforts in Practice in European Hotels: A Tricky Business?
Abstract
Purpose: This article investigates some tendencies around sustainability work in practice performed during the past five years.
Methodology/Approach: Interviews with hotel managers and staff members, observations on the hotels were conducted. Secondary data material (home pages, guest reviews via websites) has been investigated as document studies.
Findings: The two waves of the pandemic 2020 and 2021 have, on the one hand, offered time for hotel leaders to rethink knowledge about sustainability in their businesses and, on the other hand, taken the focus from sustainability to matters of survival, both physically and economically. Despite financial support from the state for staff retention, many accommodating organisers today are struggling with a staff shortage. The study shows that a few accommodation entrepreneurs have invested wholeheartedly in sustainability measures during the last five years despite the increased social debate about the importance of more sustainable living. The results show some tendencies regarding the practical work for sustainability. Sustainability work has not achieved the desired results in practice due to, among other things, a lack of knowledge, so-called green-washing, disengagement, lack of personnel, financial losses due to pandemics etc.
Research Limitation/Implication: The study makes no claim to statistical representativeness either in the choice of the hotels, their size, geographical location or in any other respect.
Originality/Value of paper: The study consists of 51 interviews of hotel managers performed in 11 European countries.
References
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Van Marrewijk, M., 2003. Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: between agency and communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 44(2), pp.95-105.
Verma, V.K. and Chandra, B., 2018. An application of theory of planned behavior to predict young Indian consumers’ green hotel visit intention. J. Clean. Prod., 172, pp.1152-1162.
Walsman, M., Verma, R. and Muthulingam, S., 2014. The impact of LEED certification on hotel performance. Cornell Hosp. Rep., 14(15), pp.4-13.
Wong, E.M., Ormiston, M.E. and Tetlock, P.E., 2011. The effects of top management team integrative complexity and decentralized decision making on corporate social performance. Acad. Manag. J., [e-journal] 54(6), pp.1207-1228. DOI: 10.5485/amj.2008.0762.
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World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016. Travel and Tourism. Economic Impact 2016. World. [pdf] London: WTTC. Available at: < https://www.arab-tourismorg.org/images/pdf/World2016.pdf > [Accessed 01 October 2022].
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Abrahamsson, B. and Andersen, J.A., 2005. Organisation - att beskriva och förstå organisationer. Malmö: Liber-Hermods.
Appelbaum, S.H., Calcagno, R., Magarell, S.M. and Saliba, M., 2016a. A relationship between corporate sustainability and organizational change (part two). Industrial and Commercial Training, 48(2), pp.89-96.
Appelbaum, S.H., Calcagno, R., Magarelli, S.M. and Saliba, M., 2016b. A relationship between corporate sustainability and organizational change (part three). Industrial and Commercial Training, 48(3), pp.133-141.
Bergman, B. and Klefsjö, B., 2020. Kvalitet från behov till användning. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Boiral, O., Guillaumie, L., Heras-Saizarbitoria, I. and Valery Tayo Tene, C. 2018. Adoption and Outcomes of ISO 14001: A Systematic Review. IJMR, [e-journal] 20(2), pp.411-432. DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12139.
Burritt, R.L. and Schaltegger, S., 2010. Sustainability accounting and reporting: fad or trend? Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 23(7), 829e846.
Chong, H. and Verma, R., 2013. Hotel sustainability: Financial analysis shines a cautious green light. Cornell Hosp. Rep., 13(10), pp.4-15.
Davison, A., Brown, P., Pharo, E., Warr, K., McGregor, H., Terkes, S., Boyd, D. and Abuodha, P., 2014. Distributed leadership: Building capacity for interdisciplinary climate change teaching at four universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, [e-journal] 15(1), pp.98-110. DOI: 10.1108/IJSHE-10-2012-0091.
Erauskin-Tolosa, A., Zubeltzu-Jaka, E., Heras-Saizarbitoria, I. and Boiral, O., 2019. ISO 14001, EMAS and environmental performance: a meta-analysis. Bus. Strat. Environ., [e-journal] 29(3), pp.1145-1159. DOI: 10.1002/bse.2422.
Ferdig, M.A., 2007. Sustainability leadership: Co-creating a sustainable future. Journal of Change Management, [e-journal] 7(1), pp.25-35. DOI: 10.1080/14697010701233809.
Gadenne, D., Lokman, M., Sands, J., Winata, L. and Hooi, G., 2012. The Influence of Sustainability Performance Management Practices on Organisational Sustainability Performance. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, [e-journal] 8(2), pp.210-235. DOI: 10.1108/18325911211230380.
Gaziulusoy, A.I., Boyle, C. and McDowall, R., 2013. System innovation for sustainability: a systemic double-flow scenario method for companies. J. Clean. Prod., [e-journal] 45, pp.104-116.
Gillies, J., Neimeyer, R.A. and Milman, E., 2014. The meaning of loss codebook: construction of a system for analyzing meanings made in bereavement. Death Studies, [e-journal] 38(1-5): pp.207-216. DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2013.829367.
Gladwin, T.N., Kennelly, J.J. and Krause, T.-S., 1995. Shifting paradigms for Sustainable Development: Implications for management Theory and Research. Academy of Management Review, [e-journal] 20(4), pp.874-907. DOI: 10.5465/amr.1995.9512280024.
Gond, J.-P., Grubnic, S., Herzig, C. and Moon, J., 2012. Configuring management control systems: theorizing the integration of strategy and sustainability. Management Accounting Research, 23(3), pp.205-223.
Guenther, E., Endrikat, J. and Guenther, T., 2016. Environmental management control systems: a conceptualization and a review of the empirical evidence. Journal of Clearer Production, [e-journal] 136(Part A), pp.147-171. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.043.
Gullikson, H. and Holmgren, U., 2015. Hållbar utveckling: livskvalitet, beteende, teknik. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Hahn, T., Preuss, L., Pinkse, J. and Figge, F., 2014. Cognitive Frames in Corporate Sustainability: Managerial Sense making with Paradoxical and Business Case Frames. Academy of Management Review, 39(4), pp.463-487.
Heras-Saizarbitoria, I., Boiral, O. and Díaz de Junguitu, A., 2020. Environmental management certification and environmental performance: greening or greenwashing? Bus. Strat. Environ., [e-journal] 29(6), pp.2829-2841. DOI: 10.1002/bse.2546.
Ignelzi, M., 2000. Meaning-making in the learning and teaching process. In: M.B.B. Magolda, ed. New directions for teaching and learning of Baxter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pp.5-14.
Journeault, M., De Rongé, Y. and Henri, J-F., 2016. Levers of eco-control and competitive environmental strategy. The British accounting review, 48(3), pp.316-340.
Kernell, L-Å., 2002. Att hitta balanser. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Lozano, R., 2012a. Orchestrating organisational changes for corporate sustainability: overcoming barriers to change. Greener Manag. Int., 57, pp.43-67.
Lueg, R. and Radlach, R., 2016. Managing sustainable development with management control systems: a literature review. European Management Journal, [e-journal] 34(2), pp.158-171. DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2015.11.005.
Metcalf, L. and Benn, S., 2013. Leadership for Sustainability: An Evolution of Leadership Ability. Journal of Business Ethics, [e-journal] 112(3), pp.369-384. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1278-6.
Mortimer, E.F. and Scott, P.H., 2003. Meaning making in secondary science classrooms. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Mosgaard, M. and Kristensen, H.S., 2020. A review of micro level indicators for a circular economy – moving away from the three dimensions of sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, [e-journal] 243, 118531. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118531.
Naess, A., 1995. The Deep Ecological Movement – Some Philosophical Aspects. In: G. Sessions, ed. Deep Ecology for the 21st Century. Boston: Shambala. Pp.225-229.
Nilsson, F. and Olve, N-G., 2022. Det här är ekonomistyrning. This is Management Control. Upplaga 2 Förlag. Studentlitteratur AB.
Oxenswärdh, A., 2011. Ansvarsförhållanden vid skolutveckling. Relations of Responsibility in School Development. Doctoral thesis. Stockholm: Stockholms Universitet.
Oxenswärdh, A., 2017. Collective learning towards sustainable tourism. Studia Periegetica, 2(18), pp.25-38.
Oxenswärdh, A., 2018. Processes of Value Co-Creation at a Tourist Accommodation. Quality Innovation Prosperity, [e-journal] 22(3), pp.36-54. DOI: 10.12776/qip.v22i3.1158.
Oxenswärdh, A., 2020. Sustainability Practices at Hotels and BnB Establishments on the Island of Gotland in Sweden. In: W.L. Filho, U. Tortato and F. Frankenberger, eds. Universities and Sustainable Communities: Meeting the Goals of the Agenda 2030. Cham, Springer. Pp.333-361. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-30306-8_20.
Rambaud, A. and Richard J., 2015. ‘The triple Depreciation Line’ instead of the ‘Triple Bottom Line’: towards a genuine integrated reporting. Critical Perspective on Accounting, [e-journal] 33, pp.92-116. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2015.01.012.
Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, A., Chapin, F.S., Lambin, E.F. and Foley, J.A., 2009. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, [e-journal] 461, 472-475. DOI: 10.1038/461472a.
Roser, T., DeFillippi, R. and Samson, A., 2013. Managing your co‐creation mix: co‐creation ventures in distinctive contexts. European business Review, [e-journal] 25(1), pp.20-41. DOI: 10.1108/09555341311287727.
Serra-Cantallops, A., Peña-Miranda, D.D., Ramon-Cardona, J. and Martorell-Cunill, O., 2017. Progress in research on CSR and the hotel industry (2006-2015). Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, [e-journal] 59(1), pp.15-38. DOI: 10.1177/1938965517719267.
Slaper, T.F. and Hall, T.J., 2011. The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work? Indiana Business Review, 86(1), pp.4-9.
Steffen,W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S.E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E.M. and Sorlin, S., 2015. Planetary boundaries: guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, [e-journal] 347, 6223. DOI: 10.1126/science.1259855.
Testa, F., Boiral, O. and Iraldo, F., 2015. Internalization of environmental practices and institutional complexity: can stakeholders pressures encourage greenwashing? J. Bus. Ethics, [e-journal] 147(2), pp.287-307. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-015-2960-2.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 2022. World Tourism Barometer. International Tourism back to 60% of pre-pandemic levels in January- July 2022. UNWTO, [online] 26 September 2022. Available at: < https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-back-to-60-of-pre-pandemic-levels-in-january-july-2022 > [Accessed 01 October 2022].
Thurén, T., 2015. Etik och politik. Stockholm: Liber AB.
Valenciano-Salazar, J.A., André, F.J. and Martín de Castro, G., 2021. Sustainability and firms’ mission in a developing country: the case of voluntary certifications and programs in Costa Rica. J. Environ. Plann. Manag., [e-journal] 65(11), pp.1-25. DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2021.1950658.
Van Marrewijk, M., 2003. Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: between agency and communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 44(2), pp.95-105.
Verma, V.K. and Chandra, B., 2018. An application of theory of planned behavior to predict young Indian consumers’ green hotel visit intention. J. Clean. Prod., 172, pp.1152-1162.
Walsman, M., Verma, R. and Muthulingam, S., 2014. The impact of LEED certification on hotel performance. Cornell Hosp. Rep., 14(15), pp.4-13.
Wong, E.M., Ormiston, M.E. and Tetlock, P.E., 2011. The effects of top management team integrative complexity and decentralized decision making on corporate social performance. Acad. Manag. J., [e-journal] 54(6), pp.1207-1228. DOI: 10.5485/amj.2008.0762.
World Bank, 2022. Research and Publications. [online] Available at: < https://www.worldbank.org/en/research > [Accessed 01 October 2022].
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016. Travel and Tourism. Economic Impact 2016. World. [pdf] London: WTTC. Available at: < https://www.arab-tourismorg.org/images/pdf/World2016.pdf > [Accessed 01 October 2022].
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2019. Economic Impact reports. [online] London: WTTC. Available at: < https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact > [Accessed 10 October 2022].
Authors
Oxenswärdh, A. (2022). Sustainability Efforts in Practice in European Hotels: A Tricky Business?. Quality Innovation Prosperity, 26(3), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.12776/qip.v26i3.1773
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.