Proactive environmental strategies in the hotel industry: eco-innovation, green competitive advantage, and green core competence

Abstract

Increasingly stringent environmental regulations and consumer awareness around environmental protection and sustainability are driving forces in the hotel industry. We explore the Proactive Environmental Strategies being implemented in the hotel industry using Resource-Based View (RBV) and Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) to help companies with Eco-Innovation, Green Core Competences, and Green Competitive Advantages. We investigated the correlations between Proactive Environmental Strategies, Eco-Innovations, Green Competitive Advantages, and Green Core Competences in the hotel industry. With 366 responses, the correlation of Proactive Environmental Strategies with Eco-Innovation and how these are related to Green Competitive Advantage and Green Core Competence were explored. The results revealed that Proactive Environmental Strategies positively influence Eco-Innovation, which in turn directly affects Green Core Competence. Moreover, Green Core Competence affects Green Competitive Advantage. However, the effects of Eco-Innovation on Green Competitive Advantage were not significant. Therefore, companies must either re-consider existing or develop new technologies to become more innovative to meet the emerging environmental demands and green competitiveness strategies. This study also contributes to our understanding of how Eco-Innovation affects guest satisfaction and repeat patronage in the hotel image. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings provide guidance to managers in the hotel industry.

Keywords:

• Proactive environmental strategies
• eco-innovation
• green competitive advantage
• green core competence

Disclosure statement

The authors have reviewed the disclosure statement guidelines and to the best of their knowledge there are no conflicts of interest as a result of this research.

Short biography

Dr. Fang-I Kuo is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Hotel Management and Culinary Creativity, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Her research fields include tourists’ behavior, eco-innovation, sustainable tourism, and natural tourism.

Professor Dr. Wei-Ta Fang is currently serving as Distinguished Professor and as Director of the Graduate Institute of Environmental Education, National Taiwan Normal University, and is President of the Society of Wetland Scientists Asia Chapter as well as President of the Taiwan Wetland Society. He served as a specialist in the Taipei Land Management Bureau in 1991 and 1992 and a senior specialist in charge of environmental education and environmental impact assessments (EIAs) at Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Headquarters from 1994 to 2006. He is also the best-selling book author, Tourism in Emerging Economies: The Way We Green, Sustainable, and Healthy, published by Springer during 2020.

Professor Dr. Ben A. LePage is a forward-thinking Environmental Scientist with more than 20 years of experience. He taught Environmental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and later moved to industry directing complex environmental project using phytoremediation and bioremediation technologies to clean contaminated sites. He has served as the President of the Society of Wetland Scientists and President of the Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program. Recently, he’s been focused on incorporating sound science and traditional indigenous knowledge into detailed stakeholder and communication plans. His publication record is extensive and in 2021 he will be a Distinguished Visiting Chair Professor in the Graduate School of Environmental Education at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Table 1. The measurement model.

Table 2. The results of the structural model.