Environmentalism, sustainable development and organisational culture: tourism accommodation and the drivers of sustainable practice

The concept of sustainable development is increasingly common within international and national policy documents. Operationalising this concept has however proven to be problematic. The dissertation presents an explanatory model, which identifies that while economic factors are important within decision-making, ethical motivations are also changing the way firms operate. In response to a collective expression of environmentalism within society, government and industry, and proactive firms have begun incorporating sustainable development into decision-making. However, the organisational change necessary to implement these measures is identified as a complex process, dependant upon a strong organisational culture. Tourism agencies support the concept of sustainable development, citing a symbiotic relationship between product quality and the environment. However, with tourism numbers projected to double within the next 20 years, some question Australias capacity to maintain enduring environmental quality and to service the infrastructure demands of residents and tourists. To date, policy preference has predominantly focused on self-regulatory mechanisms that produce cost reductions and have promoted market driven corporate responsibility. While these factors have influenced proactive firms, within tourism accommodation this is generally not the case. This is due to the perception that sustainable practice impinges upon guest satisfaction and that evidence of a green consumer is yet to be identified and quantified in this highly competitive and price sensitive sector. The multi-disciplinary, mixed method inquiry process used in this study, employing quantitative and qualitative methods, provided rich data that supports the ethical and organisational propositions within the model. The study proposes that mechanisms designed in concert with critical sector issues are more likely to result in the development of effective policy to improve environmental performance. With accommodation properties tending to be either small or large multi-nationals, it was found that drivers are not consistent over property type, given differing decision-making frameworks. In addition, there was evidence of a lack of awareness of the environmental consequences of tourism and of practices to improve environmental outcomes. It is proposed, that incorporating the concept of environmental quality into existing service quality frameworks, currently supported by strong organisational cultures, are likely to moderate knowledge and performance deficiencies identified within the study