The Development of Environmental Sustainability Programmed of the Hotel Impact on Consumer Decision - Research Paper Example

The development of Environmental Sustainability Programmed of the Hotel Impact on Consumer Decision Name] [Date] The Development of Environmental Sustainability Programmed of the Hotel Impact on Consumer Decision. Chapter 1 Introduction Background of the study People normally would like to go and spend their vacations, business trips or even a casual trip to the hotel for lunch or dinner in an environment that is healthy and natural. The more the natural an environment is, the higher are the chances that people are going to like it and try to spend their time living or dining in it (Kirk, 2001). A sustainable environment ensures that there is no wastage, pollution of any sort prevalent in the locality. The resources are also utilized efficiently so that the environment and humans benefit from it (Chen, 2009). This research will look how people make their decision in selecting a hotel. It will look at the extent to which people pay in order to live, lunch and dine in a green environment. Context of the study For the case study, URBN Hotel & Resorts in Shanghai has been chosen. URBN is a sustainable boutique hotel in Shanghai occupying a converted factory warehouse. They use recycled and locally sourced materials, energy-efficient technologies and heating and cooling systems have also been installed. The organic products are used for cleaning and maintenance. It is China’s first carbon neutral hotel. Research Aim The aim of the research is to find out to what extent environmental sustainability influences the decisions of the customers in selecting a hotel Research Objectives In regards to the aims of the research, the objectives of the research are to discover: · If people are motivated to spend their time and money in a green environment · If people believe that it is wise of the hotels to go green · The response of people towards the hotels that invests to the welfare of the environment · The perception in people’s mind about the environment that is sustainable Research Questions To critically analyze the main theories of environmental sustainability programme and the impact on the consumer decision. To investigate how do environmental sustainability programme of the hotel impact on the consumer decision at URBN Hotel & Resorts in Shanghai To understand the value of the sustainability programme in the hotel. Also, the relation between consumer decision and sustainability programme of the hotel. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction Zhang & Joglekar (2012) and Chan (2011) are of the opinion that the environmental sustainability is one of the most important factors for customers in selecting a hotel. The hotel is expected to do good if it is located at a peaceful and natural environment. People would avoid going to a hotel that is located near an industrial area and is vulnerable to pollution. Chou (2013) and Segarra-Oña & Pastor (2012) explain that nothing goes unnoticed and unreported in the modern world. People are always connected to social media through their smartphones. It is now a common practice to tweet or post about everything disappointing or impressive people witness. A bad ordeal in a restaurant that is not environmentally sustainable would put off customers and force them to write negative about it on social media. This greatly influences other people to make their decision about the hotel. In this modern era, hotels have to be very cautious when it comes to being environmentally sustainable. Environmental Sustainability and Wastage in influencing customer’s decision Schoenherr (2012) and Peiró-Signes & Miret-Pastor (2012) researched and penetrated that customers dislike hotels that waste resources. Wastage could come in many forms. Earlier, in the 1990s, there was a tradition of decorating huge fountains all around the hotels. These fountains would normally show water splashing in and out of the fountains. It was flamboyant of hotels to decorate their hotels with fountains, but Reese (2014) describe this is not considered the norm any more. It was in the hotels in Las Vegas that the people first started complaining about large hotels showing wastage of water in fountains that could not be utilized to any good use to people. Marriott became the first hotel to cut the number of fountains in its hotel, and Hilton soon followed its footsteps. Reese (2014) explains that fountains psychologically affect the mind of people. When people see water running through a fountain in abundance, they recall all the issues that are highlighted in social media. Corporate social responsibility is one of the hot topics everywhere, and people relate such acts with a lack of social and ethical responsibility towards the environment. Reese (2014) describes that this could psychologically make people dislike a hotel, and they might be hesitant to visit it in the future. Radwan & Jones (2012) researched and found out an interesting fact about the hotel in Malaysia that aimed to prevent the environment by avoiding throwing food and sanitary products and donating them instead. A hotel known as Old Penang Hotel in Malaysia gave an option to their customers for donating food or throwing it away. When customers had dined in the hotel, they used to give them a check that had two options. The first option read donate food to the needy and the second option read throw it in the garbage. Schneider (2013) describes this technique as a very creative one to achieve and maintain environmental sustainability. What Old Penang Hotel in Malaysia did was that it made people realize that they could involve themselves directly in feeding other people. The hotel gave them the opportunity to do so. Soon after the hotel launched this technique of donating food instead of getting it thrown and harming the environment, people started visiting it. Sales grew more than 300. Environmental sustainability and Pollution in influencing customer’s decision Teng (2014), Seinfeld (2013) and Lave (2011) are of the opinion that the environmental sustainability for hotels come can be achieved by avoiding pollution. In fact, pollution plays a critical role in determining a customer’s decision for selecting a hotel. Nobody wants to spend their money and time in a hotel that is located near an industry or an area that is much congested. When people from other countries visit, they like to spend time in a peaceful environment rather than a noisy one. Milović (2012) researched and discovered that the hotel industry is changing very rapidly. Previously hotels were preferred to be located in metropolitan cities where a traveler could have access to all the important places in the city. This trend has slightly changed in the past decade or so. In modern times, people prefer a hotel that is far away from the city so that they could have access to fresh air and a good atmosphere. It is no hidden secret that large cities are polluted no matter how hard the government tries to regulate things there. Pollution has greatly affected the way people choose hotels. Gu (2012) elucidates that China has already started moving hotels from the large, busy places to areas that are away from the city. Hotels in China discovered that the number of customers in city areas had declined, and there was an increase in places that were further away from the city. The research conducted by Gu (2012) shows that the main reason for it was an unhealthy environment. People from Europe and America, who made regular business trips, were not accustomed of spending time in an environment that was over populated and unhygienic in terms of air and noise pollution. There were various reports of foreigners falling ill because of the environment that was prevalent in the large cities. People are much more cautious about their health, and the type of hazards environment presents them with. Coffel (2011) and Perez-Padilla & Schilmann (2010) are of the opinion that indoor pollution is as important for making a decision as is outdoor pollution. Customers may come to stay at the hotel and if the indoor environment is not sustainable or friendly then, they are likely never to return. Smoking cigarettes is still permissible in some hotels around the world, and such type of hotels is not proffered by the customers. Coffel (2011) and Perez-Padilla & Schilmann (2010) believe that customers look for a place where they and their children are safe. Recent researches have directly associated deaths with cancer and some researchers claiming 4 million people every year. Social media had made people very aware of such factors leading to serious diseases in people. Although most European and North American countries have banned public smoking, but there are other parts in the world like South America and Asia where public smoking is still permitted. Environmental sustainability and Greenery in influencing customer’s decision Chaudhry (2011) and Gowda (2010) explain that the environmental sustainability is directly related to greenery. Greenery refers to planting more trees in the environment to decorate it and this type of decoration directly influences customer’s decision to seek the services of a hotel. Chaudhry (2011) and Gowda (2010) believe that it is normal for people to get attracted to greenery. Greenery does not only mean planting trees, but it also mean using green and organic products that are safe for consumption. Manhas (2012) & Prideaux (2011) are of the opinion that ‘Go Green’ is the new slogan of people in just about everything. Tourists want to be surrounded by green trees and leaves and that is the reason why some of the most emerging tourists’ spots like Vietnam, Kerala, Malaysia and Goa (India) are all surrounded by greenery. Greenery represents life to people. It represents an atmosphere where people can breathe freely and safely. Manhas (2012) & Prideaux (2011) believe that a green environment does not a necessary mean greenery in the form of trees and plants everywhere but also other natural resources like water, hills and mountains. The more natural an environment is, the more it would relate and appeal to people. Hence, the more natural an environment is, the better are the chances that people would look ahead for a hotel in that area. A hotel in a sustainable environment is not an option but a need for people. Manhas (2012) & Prideaux research show that that tourism has increased in places that are promoting the greenery and building a more natural atmosphere compared to historical tourists spots. There was almost a two-fold increase in countries like Malaysia and Vietnam from 2005 to 2010 while there was a considerable decline in places that are known to be historical tourists spots like Egypt and Greece. Chapter 3 Research Methodology Outline for research design and methods Introduction Research Philosophy Research Approach Research Strategies Adopted Research Methodology Semi-Structured & Survey Questionnaires Sample Size Time Horizon Data Collection Data Analysis Ethical Consideration Limitation to the study Introduction This part of the research will look into the type of approach that has been followed for this study and why. It will also look at the content of the questionnaires and how the respondent will look to mark or fill it out. The research methodology also contains the sample size of the group and how that sample size will be divided to penetrate the research. Most importantly, it will talk about the ethical consideration that was made in conducting the questionnaires and the limitation that are faced in order of doing so. Research Philosophy The research will be based on a realistic entourage rather than a hypothetical one. It will follow a realism research philosophy structure. Research Approach A deductive research approach will be used for the research because the researcher aims to test whether or not environmental sustainability creates a positive impact in consumer decision in selecting a hotel. A deductive approach will allow the researcher to test this by conducting interviews and getting the responses from questionnaires. Research Strategies The research will follow a case study strategy. The hotel selected for the case study is the URBN hotel in Shanghai. The respondents for the questionnaires will be selected from the URBN hotel in Shanghai. All respondents would have to meet the basic requirement of falling between the two age groups. Half of the respondents would be male, and half of them would be females. Adopted Research Methodology A research can be made of different types depending upon the aim of the research. The research aim gives direction to research. It is like a road map and guides the researcher about the approach he should choose for his research (Coleman & Briggs, 2007). The three most common approaches for research are qualitative, quantitative and a mix of both qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research is a descriptive analysis of the research that is attained through qualitative aspects of the study like interviews or open-ended questionnaires. It will see how the data is collected and then analyzed by the researcher (Panneerselvam, 2004). Qualitative research creates a better understanding between the interviewer and interviewee or the researcher and respondents. Respondents are allowed to speak their hearts out, so there are more emotions involved between the parties that are associated with the research. It also gives a more detailed response rather than just a simple yes or no for an answer. In a qualitative research, a respondent can create a question on top of the question, and there is no restriction. The environment is more relaxed (Mahoney, 2012). Quantitative research is quite different from qualitative. The aim is to measure data that is gathered from primary and secondary sources. The results that are penetrated are more quantified in nature. This type of research is more controlled and discovers what the researcher tries to find out exactly (Balnaves & Caputi, 2011). For example, it requires the respondents to answer in simple yes or no or on a Likert scale where the answer is recorded in numbers. The scale or numbers are then put in computer software to see how the total amount of respondents that agreed or disagreed to the authors discussed in the literature review (Newman, 1998). The third type of research involves both qualitative and quantitative approach. A mixed research could contain elements from a qualitative research like an interview and closed-ended questions from a responded on a Likert scale Barratt (2008). These types of research are made on occasions when a researcher tries to make an elaborative research keeping large sample size and different techniques to test if the results are identical on both the techniques are different. If the quantitative findings are different to the qualitative findings then, the researcher could be in a better position to doubt the research. This research aims to carry out a qualitative and quantitative research, a mix research. A qualitative research will be conducted in the form of open-ended questionnaires. The researcher will allow the interviewees to give their responses and would not restrict them to a simple yes or no for an answer. The questions will be semi-structured and the researcher would be in a position to ask a question related to the previous one. The questions will not be prepared only for the questionnaires to be conducted for the two hotel managers. A quantitative research will allow researchers to penetrate results from a large sample size. A large sample size would be beneficial as the research would not have to rely on a couple of people for their findings rather tit would rely on the vast majority. Secondly, it is known that environmental sustainability plays a huge role in a determining the decision of consumers as previous researches have indicated, but this research aims to find out at what extent. Survey and Semi-Structured Questionnaires Questionnaires are used in both qualitative and quantitative works. In qualitative research an open ended cross-sectional technique will be used by the researcher. For the quantitative research a survey questionnaire will be used that would require random customers from the hotel to answer questions that are contained in the question sheet (Brace, 2008). This research will allow the respondent to answer the question on a Likert scale. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree A Likert scale contains five options for the respondent to answer from. For each question, the mean value of all the respondents is measured to see the response (Kothari, 2004). For example, out of a sample size of 50 if majority of the respondents chose to strongly agree that greenery influences them to choose a hotel then, the average mean score would lie somewhere between 4 and 5 indicating that the respondents generally agree to the notion that greenery influences the decision of the customers. Sample Size In total, a sample size of 100 people will be selected for the findings of the research. Out of the 100 people, 50 would be male and 50 would be female. The reason for selecting an equal number of male and female participants is to look at the issue from different perspectives. It is understood that male and female members of the society have different priorities for choosing a hotel. Although the male members of the society travel more, the amount of females travelling for business and vocational trips have also increased. From the 50 females selected, 25 of them would be chosen between the age of 18 and 25 while the remaining 25 will be chosen from the age between 26 and 40. The research aims to see the preference of an environment that is sustainable between young people that visit for vacationing purposes and mature people that visit for business trips and vocational purposes with their families. The same kind of division will be made with the male members. Out of the 50, 25 will be between the age of 18 and 25 while the remaining 25 will be between the age of 26 and 40. There are no restrictions for distributing questionnaires to married or unmarried people. Questionnaires would not be distributed based on the color of the skin, nationality, marital status or religion. The basic requirement is to see how the people that fall into the two age groups spend their time on hotels. Time Horizon The research will follow a cross-sectional strategy. A cross-sectional strategy will be very useful for the research as it will allow the researcher to get the questionnaires filled within a period of time. The researcher could get different kind of people to participate for the research. In summers people normally like to visit hotels with their families while in winters people normally stick in their towns and mostly business class people make trips for their business activities. A cross-sectional strategy will allow the researcher to gather data from people that have different purpose to visit the hotel. Data Collection Questionnaires will be distributed in person to the participants. The research will follow a non-probability sampling technique and all the respondents will be selected randomly. The participants will be allowed as much time as they want they want to select the options, but it would not normally take more than 10 minutes for each questionnaire to be filled. The entire activity will be done in two separate days. Data will be collected from the participants and analyzed at a different day. Data Analysis The data will be analyzed on a computer program in Microsoft Excel. The name of the software that is used to analyze the data is known as SPSS. All the results would be entered in the software to determine the average mean of each question (Pallant, 2013).That average mean score would conclude how many people agreed or disagreed with a question in particular. Ethical Consideration The research would not do anything that is impermissible by the state, law, rules and regulation of the society or the hotel where the questionnaires are filled. The researcher will not reveal the name of the respondents nor will he misrepresent their information. Information will not be changed and only the information given by the respondents will be recorded. The researcher will check the recorded information at least three times before concluding the findings. The researcher will take the permission in written from the hotel. The hotel will be informed about the research activity in the exact manner the researcher needs to do his research. There would not be any manipulation, and the questionnaire would only be passed to the participants once the hotel gives the green signal. The research does not aim to promote or defame the hotel industry and no other hotel will be promoted in the name of this research. The researcher would not observe the behavior of the respondents when they are filling out the questionnaires. The aim is not to do any observational studies. Each respondent will be given time to fill out the forms, and no one will be put pressure to finish their result in haste. The researcher would not advise the respondents about the questionnaires. The respondents would be allowed to answer in the manner they want. Limitation to the study The study could only comprise of 100 respondents that were broken down to 50 males and 50 females. The respondents were further divided among people of different age group. Due to lack of time, the researcher could not make a more extensive study. The research would have liked to know the response of married and unmarried people as the buying behavior between married and unmarried people is different. It would be very conducive if the sample size was at least double of what it is. In order to do a more elaborative study, it would be nice if the research would be both qualitative and quantitative. Interviews from people could have been conducted so that the researcher would have got a chance to know the respondents in person. Qualitative research would have helped the researcher to know more about the subject matter and would have added another perspective in the research. List of References Balnaves, M. & Caputi, P., 2011. Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods: An Investigative Approach. 4th ed. New York: SAGE Publications. Brace, I., 2008. Questionnaire Design: How to Plan, Structure and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research. 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Chan, E. S. W., 2011. Implementing Environmental Management Systems in Small- and Medium-Sized Hotels: Obstacles. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research , 35(1), pp. 3-23 . Chaudhry, P., 2011. Maintaining urban greenery in developing countries for tourism and recreation: a benefit-cost analysis. International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2(1), pp. 70-77. Chen, J., 2009. Advances in Hospitality and Leisure. 3rd ed. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Chou, C.-J., 2013. Hotels environmental policies and employee personal environmental beliefs: Interactions and outcomes. Tourism Management, 40(2), p. 436–446. Coffel, S., 2011. Indoor Pollution. 4th ed. Mason: Random House Publishing Group. Coleman, M. & Briggs, A. R. J., 2007. Research Methods in Educational Leadership and Management. London: SAGE Publications. Gowda, K., 2010. Greenry in Urban Environments. Journal of Environmental Design and Planning, 7(2), pp. 79-86. Gu, H., 2012. The changing structure of the Chinese hotel industry: 1980–2012. Tourism Management Perspectives, 4(2), p. 56–63. Kirk, D., 2001. Environmental Management for Hotels. 4th ed. London: Taylor & Francis. Kothari, C. R., 2004. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. 4th ed. New Delhi: New Age International. Lave, L. B., 2011. Air Pollution and Human Health. 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge. Mahoney, J., 2012. A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. 3rd ed. Woodstock: Princeton University Press. Manhas, P. S., 2012. SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: TRENDS, PRACTICES AND CASES. 3rd ed. New Delhi: PHI Learning. Milović, B., 2012. Social Media and eCRM as a Prerequisite for Hotel Success. Management Information Systems,, 7(3), pp. 26-31. Newman, I., 1998. Qualitative-quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum. 2nd ed. Mason: SIU Press. Pallant, J., 2013. SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Allen & Unwin. Panneerselvam, R., 2004. Research Methodology. 2nd ed. New Delhi: PHI Learning . Peiró-Signes, Á. & Miret-Pastor, L., 2012. Does Environmental Certification Help the Economic Performance of Hotels? Evidence from the Spanish Hotel Industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly , 30(4), pp. 223-254. Perez-Padilla, R. & Schilmann, A. &. R.-R. H., 2010. Respiratory health effects of indoor air pollution. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 14(9), pp. 1079-1086. Prideaux, B., 2011. Drive Tourism: Trends and Emerging Markets. 1st ed. New York: Routledge. Radwan, H. R. & Jones, E. &. M. D., 2012. Solid waste management in small hotels: a comparison of green and non-green small hotels in Wales. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20(4), pp. 306-319. Reese, G., 2014. A Towel Less: Social Norms Enhance Pro-Environmental Behavior in Hotels. The Journal of Social Psychology, 154(2), pp. 97-100. Schneider, F., 2013. Review of food waste prevention on an international level. Institute of Civil Engineering , 166(4), p. 187 –203. Schoenherr, T., 2012. Environmental Sustainability Initiatives: A Comparative Analysis of Plant Efficiencies in Europe and the U.S.. Journal of Engineering Management, 60(2), pp. 353 - 365 . Segarra-Oña, M.-d.-V. & Pastor, L. M., 2012. Does Environmental Certification Help the Economic Performance of Hotels? Evidence from the Spanish Hotel Industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 21(3), pp. 137-163. Seinfeld, J. H., 2013. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change. 2nd ed. New York : John Wiley & Sons. Teng, C.-C., 2014. Effects of temporal distance and related strategies on enhancing customer participation intention for hotel eco-friendly programs. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 42(3), p. 92–99. Zhang, J. & Joglekar, N. &. V. R., 2012. Exploring Resource Efficiency Benchmarks for Environmental Sustainability in Hotels. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 53(3), pp. 229-241. Appendix Possible Questionnaire 1. You think that environmental sustainability is an important factor for selecting a hotel? 2. You think you would revisit a hotel if you discovered that it was involved in wasting resources? 3. You think you would like the idea of donating leftover food? 4. You think you would visit hotels that do not waste natural resources like water for decorating purposes in fountains and throwing food in garbage cans? 5. You think pollution plays a role for a customer in selecting a hotel? 6. You prefer a hotel far away from the city that is less likely to be polluted? 7. You think you would revisit a hotel that allows smoking? 8. You think you would like to spend more time in a hotel that is surrounded by natural resources? Consent Form – Management Research Name ___________________________ I give my consent to use information for the sole purpose of making a research in understanding how a sustainable environment influences a customer’s decision in choosing a hotel. The information will remain confidential and the name of the respondent would not be broached up in any occasion during the research. The researcher will use the information as it is without making any alterations. 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