The Factors Influencing the Implementation of Green Management Practices in Tourist Hotels Located within the Cultural Triangle in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Global concern for the environment has increased during the last decade, and business organizations are forced to practice environmental-friendly management systems. Thus, green management has received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners in recent years. Although researchers have considered various business sectors for researching underlined practices, the understanding of such practices in the Sri Lankan hotel sector is scant. This study examines the factors influencing the implementation of green management practices in tourist hotels located in Sri Lanka's cultural triangle. The study examined the cost, employee attitudes, hotel policies and conditions, and customer responses to implement green management practices using the data collected from 75 hotel managers in the cultural triangle. Kandy, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla and Anuradhapura are the cities which are applicable to the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka. The sample was selected using purposive sampling, and data collection was chiefly done with a structured questionnaire, which was specially designed for the study. Cost, employee attitudes, hotel policies and conditions, and customer’s responses considered independent variables and green management practices considered as the dependent variable. Data analysis consists of descriptive statistical techniques and regression and correction analysis. Hypotheses indicate that all four independent variables have a significant positive relationship with the dependent variable. The result indicates that employee attitudes and customer responses significant determinants in the implementation of green environmental management practices in tourist hotels. Moreover, cost, hotel policies, and conditions are also found as significant factors in promoting green practices in hotels. According to the analysis two independent variables which are cost, hotel policies and conditions are partially accepted. The other two independent variables of the study, employee attitudes and customer responses are accepted with regression analysis statistics. Thus, the study highlights the importance of paying managers and policymakers' attention to these factors in realizing the prime goal of green management.