How Does Digital Transformation Moderate Green Culture, Job Satisfaction, and Competitive Advantage in Sustainable Hotels?

Abstract

Target groups within an organization adopt its culture, reflecting it in all internal and external business processes. Adopting a green organizational culture in hotels with sustainability certificates plays an important role in reshaping business processes by developing sustainability awareness among employees. Digital transformation, which facilitates corporate culture and business processes, plays a role in employee job satisfaction while also supporting environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This research aims to determine the relationship between green organizational culture, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage variables and to examine the moderating role of digital transformation on these relationships. The data-collecting techniques of choice were surveys and semi-structured interviews. While Amos software (Version 24) was used to test the hypothetical model in the analysis of survey data, a Hayes Process macro was used to determine the moderating effect. The interview forms’ data was analyzed using a bag-of-words model. According to the research results, there is a positive relationship between the participation, consistency, and adaptability sub-dimensions of green organizational culture and job satisfaction, while there is no significant relationship between the mission sub-dimension and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the study reveals the moderating role of digital transformation in the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage.

1. Introduction

Since environmental problems are now recognized as a serious issue that affects all people and all sectors of the economy, it has grown in importance as a topic for developed and developing countries. While industry is seen as the main cause of this major environmental problem [1], environmental problems have begun to cause economic losses to businesses. The increased concern as a result of these losses encourages businesses to make intensive efforts to protect themselves from negative environmental impacts, while at the same time requiring changes in their operational structures [2].

Green, the representative color of ecological environmental organizations, has started to be seen in many areas of social life such as sports, tourism, and agriculture with the increase in people’s environmental awareness, and represents green culture [3]. The existence of studies in the literature pointing to the role of corporate culture in the successful implementation of environmental and sustainable practices in businesses [4] has led to corporate culture strengthening green practices and values [5].

Human resources management in accommodation businesses performs functions related to workforce planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection and placement, orientation and training, motivation, evaluation, compensation, discipline, and industrial relations [6] and is an important component in stages such as the development, establishment, and change of organizational culture. Corporate culture, which has many important consequences for employees [4], is the mental assumptions that guide behaviors by determining appropriate behaviors for different situations in the organization [7]. Corporate culture defines appropriate behavior and relationships in the organization, motivates individuals, and eliminates uncertainties [8]. Schein (2010) [9] defines corporate culture as the values, beliefs, and basic assumptions of employees that manifest themselves in the form of observable artifacts, espoused and shared values, norms, and rules of conduct. Green organizational culture (hereafter referred to as GC) has been interpreted by some researchers based on Schein’s definition of organizational culture [10,11]. GC is the values, beliefs, and norms that shape expected behaviors related to organizational environmental management [12]. Harris and Crane (2002) [13] define GC as a set of values, symbols, assumptions, and institutional works that reflect the imperative or want to be an environmentally friendly institution and link sustainability to a large extent with GC change. All kinds of changes related to the environment should be adopted in all units of the organization in order to create a GC [5]. In this context, GC refers to an organizational culture in which environmental sensitivity is at the highest level throughout the organization. The most important responsibility for the adoption of GC in the institution falls to the managers and employees of the institution.

One of the most important current issues for businesses is that employees are satisfied with their jobs, and in this context they can fully demonstrate their performance and creativity. Job satisfaction is defined by Locke (1969) [14] as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the fact that one’s job achieves or facilitates the achievement of job values. Job satisfaction is always desired by both employees and the organization, as it is seen as a factor that increases the performance and effectiveness of an employee regardless of the nature of the job [15,16]. According to Shahriari et al. (2023) [17], a business that adopts a GC both cares more about its employees and behaves more ethically. In this context, managers will create better working conditions for employees. Providing good working conditions will result in a positive contribution to employees’ job satisfaction levels [18,19]. Since a high level of job satisfaction will enable employees to show high performance and creativity in the business, it will pave the way for organizations to gain competitive advantages. It is acknowledged by many researchers that job satisfaction provides organizations with an important advantage in achieving competitive superiority [20,21].

One of the most discussed issues in terms of providing a competitive advantage to businesses is environmental protection activities. Traditionally, it is alleged that environmental activities and budgeting will negatively affect financial performance [22,23]. On the other hand, Porter and Linde (1995) [24] argue that the cost of meeting environmental arrangements will lead to competitive advantages over firms in other non-environmentally arranged countries, that reducing pollution will cause to resource efficiency, and that strict environmental arrangements can also increase competitiveness by encouraging innovation. The resolution of the significant environmental degradation resulting from escalating industrial activity on a global scale is increasingly beyond the initiative of businesses. The implementation of rigorous environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, is anticipated to significantly alter the global competitive landscape [25].

Digital transformation, whose regulatory impact is examined in this study, is described as a modification in the way an institution utilizes digitalization to improve a digitized business model [26]. Digital transformation, which explains the people, things, and system relationship through data exchange [27], brings with it a cultural change that requires the support of senior management and employees and can provide companies with a competitive advantage [28]. Existing research indicates that digital transformation has the potential to greatly facilitate and enhance the degree of innovation in green technology [29,30,31,32]. The main research question of our study, as stated in the title of the article, has been determined as “How Does Digital Transformation Affect Green Culture, Job Satisfaction, and Competitive Advantage in Sustainable Hotels?”. A mixed-method approach was used in the study, and the data were obtained from hotel managers and employees.

Within the scope of this study, it will be determined whether digital transformation has a moderating role in the relationships among GC, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage. Hypotheses are tested inside of the framework of research findings. In this context, conclusions, discussion, and recommendations for future studies are presented.

2. Theoretical Framework and Development of Hypothesis

2.1. Theoretical Framework

In resource-based theory, Barney (1991) [33] stated that developing valuable, inimitable, rare, and non-substitutable resources in an organization can provide a competitive advantage to the organization. GC is difficult to imitate, as it designs an organizational structure that has different characteristics from the cultural characteristics of competitors [34]. Barney’s (1991) [33] resource-based view was reorganized by Hart (1995) [35]. Hart (1995) [35] can be traced back to Barney’s (1991) [33] natural resource-based view that resource-based theory ignores a firm’s interaction with the environment in expressing its competitive advantage. According to Hart (1995) [35], the environment can be a serious obstacle for organizations to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, and in the upcoming years organizations should focus on developing skills that facilitate environmentally sustainable economic activities. The green resource-based view identifies pollution avoidance, sustainable development, and product management as the key competences [36]. Since environmental sensitivity will be at the highest level in a business that can create a GC in its company, it will be possible to focus on these capabilities and gain competitive advantage.

Job satisfaction is another independent factor in the study and can also be discussed within the scope of resource-based theory. Organizational employees are scarce, difficult-to-imitate, and non-substitutable resources in the organization, and in this context, within the scope of resource-based theory, employees are among the resources that will contribute in order to enhance the organization’s long-term competitive advantage [37]. The performance of human resources, which constitute a hard-to-imitate organizational resource, is an important factor in gaining competitive advantage. The literature often uses the terms competitive advantage and performance interchangeably [38]. The capability of employees to show great performance in their jobs is related to job satisfaction, as revealed by many studies [39,40,41]. It seems natural that well-performing employees can demonstrate job satisfaction, giving them a competitive advantage. The relationship between digital transformation and job satisfaction has been expressed with different conclusions in the literature.

As a result of research using the keywords digital transformation, green culture, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage, the summary table of the studies in the literature is presented

Table 1. Studies addressing GC, job satisfaction, digital transformation, and competitive advantage.

Ref.	Research	Participants	Research Method	Analysis
[21]	Researching supportive organizational culture and employee job satisfaction as a critical source of competitive advantage in a banking company	Conducted with 70 employees of a selected banking company in Oxford.	Survey Method	Frequency Analysis
[42]	Decomposing the effects of digitalization on workers’ job satisfaction.	It was conducted with 3089 respondents, including part-time students and graduates of vocational education and training colleges.	Obtained from the online survey conducted as part of the ODEC Salary Survey	OLS Regression Analysis
[43]	Does Job Satisfaction Mediate the Effects of Competition, Organizational Culture, and Work Motivation on Staff Performance	It was conducted with 113 employees of the Nation and Political Unity Agency in Indonesia.	Survey Method	Structural Equation Modeling
[44]	The Impact of Job Satisfaction on The Job Performance of Workers In The Sugar Industry: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh	It was conducted with 300 respondents from five sugar factories in the sugar industry.	Survey Method	SPSS Regression Analysis
[45]	Job satisfaction and the digital transformation of the public sector: The mediating role of job autonomy	679 civil servants below the most senior employees (general managers).	Survey Method	Factor Analysis
[46]	An assessment of trends in technology use, innovative work practices and employees’ attitudes in Europe	Data were obtained from EWCS. The sample was restricted to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) and the U.K. In the 2005, the number of participant was 9640; in the 2010, it was 14,152.	Binary Data	Analysis of change in sample and within groups
[47]	The impact of physician job satisfaction on the sustained competitive advantage of health care organizations			Literature Review
[28]	Digital transformation and competitive advantage in the service sector: A moderated-mediation model	371 employees working in service companies operating in Jordan.	Survey Method	Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s Test
[48]	The Relation among Organizational Culture, Knowledge Management, and Innovation Capability: Its Implication for Open Innovation. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity	182 information technology firms operating in Vietnam.	Survey Study	Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Analysis
[49]	Green Knowledge Management and Organizational GC: An Interaction for Organizational Green Innovation and Green Performance	402 administrative and non-administrative employees of manufacturing and service firms.	Survey Study	Structural Equation Modeling

.

2.1.1. The Relationship between Green Culture and Job Satisfaction

The GC concept has become an important issue with technological developments, climate change, misuse of natural resources, population growth, and global warming. Organizations must take action as a result of increasing environmental awareness and stakeholder expectations. In this context, organizations have focused on the impact of production processes on the environment [5]. Therefore, the concept of GC is an important issue for organizations.

It is necessary for all of an organization’s members to share green principles in order to implement successful environmental management in businesses. Because of this, organizations should developed GC [50]. GC is a new area to study. There is no agreed upon definition yet [17]. When the literature is examined, it is stated in many studies [1,5,13,17,23] that definitions of organizational culture adapted to GC. Culture is an internal element of organizations, and GC ensures that organizational activities are pro-environmental and support the natural environment [51]. GC consists of shared values, beliefs, symbols, norms, and social stereotypes about the environment. Organizational culture enables employees to show common behaviors and commitment to environmental work [5,17].

Today, environmental issues in businesses are increasingly included in business execution processes, and these issues are not only seen as business, action, and activity, but also become the purpose of an organization and company policy [52]. The top management should prioritize environmental issues in their goals to create a GC [53]. Cultural structure is an important determinant of an organization’s environmental performance. Therefore, a cultural shift emphasizing environmental management and increased social responsibility is necessary for organizations to achieve sustainability [54].

In the dissemination of GC in institutions, practices such as employee involvement in environmental decisions, motivation, rewarding, training and development, and increasing communication come to the fore [55]. GC helps the organization to change its operations in a more environmentally friendly way and contributes to employees feeling more environmentally responsible through programs for sustainable growth, pollution prevention, or product management [54]. Firms cannot achieve green goals without making their employees green-friendly [51].

Denison and Mishra (1995) [56] discuss organizational culture affecting organizational performance in four aspects: involvement culture, consistency culture, adaptability culture, and mission culture. According to García-Machado and Martínez-Ávila (2019) [57], involvement culture is related to the importance that effective organizations give to staff empowerment and group and individual development. This increases employees’ and managers’ sense of belonging to the work. A culture of coherence is an indicator of a culture with smooth functioning and shared values, where the leader and all stakeholders can meet in the middle even when they disagree. This makes organizational functioning more efficient. In an adaptive culture, organizations ensure that they adapt to external challenges and changes in order to provide value to their customers. Furthermore, organizations with a mission culture have a clearly defined mission and successfully achieve their strategic goals and objectives. They adhere to a vision that describes where they want to be in the future. Accordingly, engagement and adaptability describe qualities related to an organization’s ability to renew itself, while coherence and mission contribute to an organization’s ability to remain stable and predictable over time [56,58]. In summary, the categories of engagement and coherence support internal integration, while the categories of mission and adaptability refer to adaptation to external environmental factors [59].

Creating a GC has the potential to enhance workers’ levels of job satisfaction and corporate commitment [17]. Job satisfaction is a concept that refers to one of the many aspects of how satisfied employees are with their work, enjoying work and a positive emotional response. Employees’ satisfaction with their jobs provides advantages in terms of seeing the organization as their own organization, loving it more, supporting development, and protecting the organization against possible negativities [60]. The primary characteristic of job satisfaction is that it is an emotional concept [61]. Satisfaction refers to the employee’s assessment of their job responsibilities and the overall work atmosphere. Consequently, the employee’s attitude toward the organization’s rules, values, and beliefs, which exert a substantial impact on working conditions, may become either favorable or unfavorable [58]. Organizational culture potentially reveals employees’ feelings at work, which in turn reveals their level of satisfaction. It is possible to say that employees are satisfied when the cultural values of an organization match the expectations of the employees [62]. When there is a team of environmentally sensitive employees, environmentally friendly organizational culture becomes widespread and permanent [1]. Through organizational culture, it is possible to increase job satisfaction, which in turn can foster an employee’s commitment and willingness to stay longer. Job satisfaction is considered a significant factor for corporate success and sustainability [58]. Thus, in line with the results obtained from the literature and based on this theoretical background, the following hypotheses and sub-hypotheses were developed.

Hypothesis 1.

GC has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 1a.

Involvement culture has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 1b.

Consistency culture has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 1c.

Adaptability culture has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 1d.

Mission culture has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

2.1.2. The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Competitive Advantage

Today’s competitive business world requires new and innovative ways of managing human resources and increasing productivity; in short, creating value through people. Organizational culture plays an important role in employee satisfaction and retention. When employees are happy at work and satisfied with their jobs, they are more motivated, more productive, and more committed to their organizations. Thus, they go beyond their job descriptions and gain competitive advantage by contributing to organizational goals [21]. In order to achieve competitive advantage, organizations have to measure employee performance in line with organizational goals, coach-mentor their employees, provide career development, motivate employees by increasing their loyalty, and ensure their job satisfaction [63]. A professionally designed organizational culture increases job satisfaction and facilitates retention of talented employees. Organizational performance increases as a result of increased employee satisfaction. The higher the organizational performance, the more likely the organization is to achieve competitive advantage [47]. Employee happiness will lead to customer happiness, which in turn will lead to organizational success and competitive advantage. In other words, as job satisfaction increases, competitive advantage increases.

Therefore, the second hypothesis of the research is formed as follows.

Hypothesis 2.

Job satisfaction has a positive effect on competitive advantage.

2.1.3. The Role of Digital Transformation and Job Satisfaction on Competitive Advantage

Organizations aim to increase the performance and creativity of their employees by ensuring that they are satisfied with their jobs. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs will increase organizational performance and provide competitive advantage [20]. Another way to achieve competitive advantage is to lead digital transformation. Organizations that play an active role in the digital transformation process will gain competitive advantage by keeping their employees in the organization and ensuring that they are happy [28]. Employees will gain flexibility and autonomy through digital transformation by improving their collaboration skills and achieving work-life balance. This will ensure that employees are satisfied with their jobs. The more the digital transformation is felt in the organization, the higher the impact of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. Digital-related capabilities are key for organizations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, adaptation to digital transformation is an important driver of competitive advantage [28,64,65]. Increased use of digital tools increases employees’ job satisfaction [42,46]. Job satisfaction increases the competitive advantage of organizations. Job satisfaction is a powerful tool to help continuously improve and enhance organizational performance to achieve strategic goals [20,21,47,66]. Due to these relationships in the literature, digital transformation is expected to act as a catalyst in the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational competition. As it is known, as job satisfaction increases, competitive advantage increases as well. And digital transformation is expected to accelerate the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. For this reason, the third hypothesis of the research was formed accordingly.

Hypothesis 3.

Digital transformation has a moderating role in the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage.

The hypothetical research model developed in accordance with the research objective can be found in Figure 1.

3. Methodology

3.1. Research Instrument

The aim of the current research was to measure the impact of GC on job satisfaction and job satisfaction on competitive advantage. Furthermore, the moderating role of digital transformation in the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage was examined. Survey technique, one of the quantitative analysis methods, was used to test the hypothetical research model created in line with the purposes of the research. The survey technique and qualitative research methods, one of the methods of quantitative analysis, were used to test the hypothetical research model created for the purposes of the research. Survey methodology is the favored method for data collection in this study due to its ability to gather substantial volumes of original primary data and reach a wide audience. The qualitative data gathering strategy used was the semi-structured interview style. The study’s objectivity, reliability, and validity have been improved by evaluating qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously. As a result of a comprehensive literature review, all variables pertaining to the model under examination were generated. In addition, each variable contains different numbers of items and is graded on a five-point Likert scale. The semi-structured interview forms were created simultaneously and included enquiries that were comparable to those in the survey. Furthermore, the questions in the semi-structured interview format were assessed by three field experts who have PhD degrees and then adjusted based on their expert opinions. Consequently, the questions in the semi-structured interview form are submitted in accordance with these arrangements:

(1)

What are the features of your company’s green culture, and how does it reflect business processes?

(2)

How do you evaluate the factors that reflect job satisfaction in your company?

(3)

Can you describe your company’s digital transformation process and what is happening in the process?

(4)

How do you evaluate your company in terms of competitiveness, and in what areas does your company provide competitive advantage?

The survey research started with collecting demographic information, than asked about income level, their length of employment in the sector, in their current workplace, and whether their company has a green star certificate. Later on, the scale of GC, which was examined in four sub-dimensions by Dension and Mishra (1995) [56] and Yang et al. (2017) [67], was addressed as involvement culture (3), consistency culture (3), adaptability culture (3), and mission culture (3), as a total of twelve items [57]. The scale consisting of five items developed by Judge at al. (1998) [68] and reported to be widely used by Judge and Klinger (2008) [69] and included in Keser and Bilir’s study (2019) [70] was preferred for the job satisfaction variable. On the other hand, a six-item scale created by Xu, Yang, and Ren (2020) [71] was used to assess competitive advantage. Finally, digital transformation was measured with the six-item scale used by Masoud and Basahel (2023) [72]. All scales used in the study survey were originally in English. A pilot study with 43 participants was carried out to ascertain whether the scales had any potential issues related to language and comprehension problems in the scales, and it was seen that there were no problems. Furthermore, all scales’ Cronbach’s alpha values were higher than 0.70.

3.2. Research Area, Sampling, and Data Collection

Additionally, the study has been conducted on the tourism sector. Tourism is among the fastest-growing sectors in the world, continuing its development dependent on natural and cultural resources. Therefore, tourism cannot be discussed in an environment where these resources are damaged. In order to ensure sustainable development in tourism, it is very important that the natural, cultural, and historical resources of tourist areas, as well as essential ecological processes and biodiversity, are not harmed and are maintained [73]. The tourism sector is one of the industries that has significant impacts on various issues, particularly in terms of environmental sustainability, such as the use of natural resources, energy consumption, waste management, pollution, and noise pollution. According to Păvăluc et al. (2020) [74], tourism develops based on the natural environment, which serves as both the raw material and the essential element of tourist activities. Due to its complexity, tourist activities are carried out within and through the environment. Tourism, which has an integrated structure with the environment, is influenced by the environment and influences it in return.

In recent years, sustainability and eco-friendly practices have become increasingly important for the hotel industry. It is critically important for hotels to act in accordance with the green agenda and contribute to sustainable development goals, which hold significance both environmentally and socially, while also presenting an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage.

Hotel businesses, as one of the central elements of the tourism industry, are recognized for their hospitality and customer satisfaction-oriented service approach. These businesses require a wide range of personnel and a high level of organizational skills. Hotel management is directly related to effective personnel management and work organization, as staff are one of the most important factors that directly affect the guests’ experience.

Hotel businesses are one of the most dynamic and customer-oriented areas in the industry. The management and organization of personnel in this sector directly affect the customer experience and determine the competitive advantage of businesses. Additionally, the hotel industry plays a significant role in achieving economic goals, as well as environmental and social responsibilities. In the context of the green agenda and sustainable development, hotel businesses serve as an important example in these processes. For this reason, this study is of great importance both for improving practices in the sector and for contributing to overall sustainability goals.

The study was conducted in sustainable tourism-certified five-star hotel establishments operating in Manavgat district of Antalya, of the most visited places in Türkiye. Manavgat was chosen as the target region for two main reasons. The first of these reasons is that there were 144 active five-star hotels in this destination in 2023 [75], and the second is that it has the highest number of five-star facilities with sustainable tourism certificates. In the Manavgat district, 128 out of 144 hotel establishments have already applied to become sustainable tourism-certified facilities, 65 hotel establishments have been certified, 4 hotel establishments are in the certification process, and 59 hotel establishments have completed the first of the two stages required for certification and received a first-stage certificate [76].

The minimum sample size at a 95% confidence level was determined to be 384 to ensure representation of the target population [77]. The data were collected by a team of three interviewers in December 2023 by face-to-face interviews and electronic means using a convenience sampling method. In order to collect the data, the sampling group was required to work in five-star hotel businesses in Manavgat. In order to decrease the risk of common method bias in social science research, additional information was provided to participants on the cover page of each survey form. This information included statements, for instance: “All information collected during the research will be kept confidential”, “There is no right or wrong answer in the research”, and “Participation is voluntary”. This information is supplied with the intention of enhancing the rate of response [78]. Hence, a grand total of 483 survey questionnaires were gathered and analyzed on the designated days. Figure 2 shows the quantitative analysis flowchart.

The purposeful sampling of this research was used in the qualitative data collection process. A purposeful sampling method was used to select participants with personal experiences relating to the purpose of the study [79]. Thirteen hotel managers selected by this method were interviewed using the semi-structured form. The duration of the speeches averaged 20 min. Figure 3 shows the flow scheme of qualitative analysis.

3.3. Data Analysis

Evaluation of Survey Data with Structural Equation Modeling

Each of the 483 survey questionnaires collected for the purpose of the research was numbered and entered into the SPSS 22.0 program. A three-stage data screening approach was implemented prior to conducting data analysis. Initially, the Mahalanobis distance was computed to identify any survey questionnaires that exhibited outliers. As a result of the calculation, it was determined that all survey data did not contain outliers (Mahalanobis’ D (29) > 0.001). Furthermore, an assessment was conducted to address the issue of multicollinearity. It was found that the tolerance values for each variable were 0.10 or higher, and the VIF values were below 3. During the last phase, an analysis was conducted to assess the normalcy distributions of the data. It was found that the kurtosis and skewness values fell between the range of −1.5 to +1.5. The findings of this study suggest that the data have a normal distribution [79].

In this research, AMOS software was used to evaluate the theoretical model. Concurrently, the Process macro (model 1) [80] was chosen as the optimum method for assessing the moderating effect.

4. Findings

4.1. Demographic Profile

Participants’ demographic information shows, 65.2% of the participants are male. It was determined that more than half of participants were between the ages of 26 and 45. When examining educational status, it is evident that 53.3% of the participants possess an associate degree, while 36.9% have an undergraduate degree. When evaluated the durations of employment within the industry, it is found that 27.1% have fewer than 5 years of experience, and 41.6% have 16 years or more of experience in the sector. Furthermore, it is observed that 72.7% of the personnel has a background in tourism education. Ultimately, the researchers examined the financial status of the participants and found that 34.4% of them had an income ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 TL (equivalent to around $500–$850).

4.2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the Structural Model

Prior to analyzing the data received from the research, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. In confirmatory factor analysis, factor loadings were evaluated first. Hair et al. (2005) [81] argue that a statement must possess a factor loading of at least 0.50 to qualify for inclusion in a latent variable. In accordance with this information, two items pertaining to work satisfaction (item JS3 and JS5) were removed from the study due to their factor loadings being below 0.50. The findings from the second examination revealed that the factor loadings for all structures took a value between 0.670 and 0.952 for each statement. Furthermore, it was determined that the calculated t-values in the statements exhibited statistical significance at the p ≤ 0.001 level. The second criterion to be assessed in the context of confirmatory factor analysis is the goodness of fit values of the model [82]. Upon examination of the data, it was determined that the goodness of fit values were deemed to be at an acceptable level (χ²/df = 3.748, NFI = 0.922, RFI = 0.908, IFI = 0.942, TLI = 0.931, RMSEA = 0.076, CFI = 0.942). Cronbach alpha (CA) coefficients were determined as a minimum of 0.866 for each structure, and construct reliability (CR) coefficients were determined as a minimum of 0.877 for each structure. Ultimately, the AVE values exceeded the minimal threshold of 0.50 as suggested in the literature [79]. The analysis of the acquired findings led to the determination that the data gathered within the seven-factor framework provided support for the structural model.

Table 2. Results of structural model confirmatory factor analysis.

Factors–Items	Std Loading	t-Value	R2	C R	A V E	CA
GC (GC)
Involvement Culture (IC)				0.929	0.815	0.928
GC-IC1	0.886	29.65 *	0.78
GC-IC2	0.921	32.62 *	0.84
GC-IC3	0.902		0.81
Consistency Culture (CC)				0.937	0.832	0.937
GC-CC1	0.944	35.28 *	0.89
GC-CC2	0.894	30.52 *	0.79
GC-CC3	0.899		0.80
Adaptability Culture (AC)				0.893	0.740	0.884
GC-AC1	0.930	18.24 *	0.86
GC-AC2	0.952	18.56 *	0.90
GC-AC3	0.670		0.45
Mission Culture (MC)				0.935	0.828	0.934
GC-MC1	0.927	33.21 *	0.85
GC-MC2	0.906	31.27 *	0.82
GC-MC3	0.898		0.80
Job Satisfaction (JS)				0.877	0.708	0.866
JS1	0.884	26.91 *	0.78
JS2	0.684	17.84 *	0.46
JS4	0.936		0.87
Competitive Advantage (CA)				0.918	0.652	0.919
CA1	0.773		0.59
CA2	0.796	18.56 *	0.63
CA3	0.814	19.04 *	0.66
CA4	0.837	19.71 *	0.70
CA5	0.802	17.16 *	0.64
CA6	0.824	19.27 *	0.67
Digital Transformation (DT)				0.937	0.715	0.941
DT1	0.802		0.64
DT2	0.890	22.96 *	0.79
DT3	0.910	23.78 *	0.82
DT4	0.900	23.56 *	0.81
DT5	0.826	20.78 *	0.68
DT6	0.733	17.76 *	0.53

* p < 0.001.

presents an analysis of the model’s discriminant validity. Based on the table data, it was concluded that the AVE value of each structure was higher than all the values in the corresponding row of the square root. Based on these findings, it was determined that the structure had discriminant validity [83].

4.3. Hypothesis Tests

Following the successful outcomes of confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis was used to examine the hypotheses formulated for the specific objective. It is possible to say that the goodness of fit values obtained in the path analysis are parallel to the confirmatory factor analysis (χ²/df = 4.040, NFI = 0.934, RFI = 0.921, IFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.939, RMSEA = 0.079, CFI = 0.949). In the analysis of the model tested in SEM applications, decisions are made by examining the values of the goodness of fit indices produced as a result [84]. The model fit index values are an important factor in making the decision to accept or reject the model. In this context, it is observed that the values obtained in the model created within the framework of confirmatory factor analysis (χ²/df = 4.040, NFI = 0.934, RFI = 0.921, IFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.939, RMSEA = 0.079, CFI = 0.949) have a good fit according to the reference ranges specified in the literature. When the results were evaluated, it was found that participation culture positively affected job satisfaction of staff (β = 0.35, t = 3.777, p < 0.05). Similarly, consistency culture was found to positively increase job satisfaction (β = 0.44, t = 4.736, p < 0.05). Similarly, job satisfaction is significantly and positively impacted by an adaptability culture (β = 0.43, t = 4.714, p < 0.05). In addition, mission culture has no significant effect on job satisfaction. Given these outcomes, H1a, H1b, and H1c are accepted, while H1d is rejected (Figure 4). According to the study, job satisfaction has a strong and positive effect on competitive advantage (β = 0.67, t = 11.685, p < 0.001). Based on this result, H2 is accepted.

The findings presented in the table indicate that job satisfaction significantly moderates the competitive advantage effect of digital transformation perception. The findings presented in the table indicate that job satisfaction significantly moderates the competitive advantage effect of digital transformation perception. Within the scope of the obtained result, H3 is accepted (β = 0.05, 95% CI [0.004, 0.103], p < 0.05). Furthermore, upon analyzing the data presented in

Table 3. Discriminant validity results.

Factor	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1. IC	0.902 a
2. CC	0.875	0.912 a
3. AC	0.769	0.850	0.860 a
4. MC	0.769	0.850	0.481	0.909 a
5. JS	0.446	0.436	0.563	0.481	0.841 a
6. CA	0.501	0.531	0.483	0.563	0.615	0.807 a
7. DT	0.556	0.602	0.680	0.680	0.561	0.660	0.845 a

^a Square root of the AVE (Average variance extracted).

, it is observed that employees who have a low perception of digital transformation experience a diminished impact of job satisfaction on competitive advantage (β = 0.20, 95% CI [0.114, 0.297]), and that the level of digital transformation perception is positively associated with employees (β = 0.29, 95% CI [0.233, 0.358]). In addition, job satisfaction positively correlates with the belief in competitive advantage at the appropriate rate as the perception of digital transformation grows. Coefficients for the structural model are presented in Table 3 and moderated effect results in

Table 4. Moderated effect results.

					CA
					β	Confidence Interval
H3						Min.	Max.
JS (X)					0.15 *	0.197	0.284
DT (W)					0.74 *	0.533	0.953
X.W (Interaction)					0.05 **	0.004	0.103
R2					0.60
DT	β	S.E.	t	LLCI	ULCI
Low:	0.20 *	0.04	4.42	0.114	0.297
Middle:	0.25 *	0.03	7.37	0.184	0.317
High:	0.29 *	0.03	9.29	0.233	0.358

* p < 0.001; ** p < 0.05.

.

5. Text Mining Analysis of Interview Data

This research used several text mining approaches, including word clouds, annotated corpus maps, bigram collocation, and hierarchical clustering, to uncover significant patterns, relationships, and insights within the interview question responses. For this purpose, the interview data were first digitized. The digitized data underwent preprocessing to prepare them for analysis. Prior to analysis, the interview texts need to be prepared to extract and uncover significant information. For this reason, the digitized interview data were first preprocessed. In the first step of preprocessing, all of the input data were converted to lower case, and all accents and diacritical marks in the English text language were removed. In the second step, according to Regexp, punctuation marks were omitted, and the text was divided into smaller components by the tokenization method. In the third stage, non-informative textual elements (stopwords) in the English language were excluded from the analysis using the filtering method. After preprocessing, the interview data were embedded with the sentence-based and multilingual SBERT transducer model. In this process, texts were embedded into the vector space pre-trained with fastText models [85]. In the embedding process, the n-grams of each document were parsed, and vectors were obtained with n-gram embeddings through this model trained in English.

t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) is a nonlinear algorithm used to visualize high-dimensional data in a low-dimensional graph. In this study, using the t-SNE algorithm, similar vectors are placed close to each other, and vectors with low similarity are placed in the vector space far away from each other. In the optimization process in the placement of vectors in the study, the perplexity value (the number of nearest neighbors set to preserve distances) was set to 30, the exaggeration value (the value used to increase the attractive forces between points and control the density of clusters) was set to 1, the PCA components value (the value that calculates the spectral embedding of the affinity matrix of the affinity matrix of the t-SNE, which allows positioning the starting points along the main coordinate axes and spectral initialization) was set to 20, and the vector data were normalized by subtracting the column means and dividing by the standard deviation of each column.

In the study, annotated corpus map two-dimensional projection was used to assign keywords to the documents according to their annotation settings through the TF-IDF method and to visualize them by clustering them with these keywords. In the visualization process, t-SNE-x attributes were placed on the x-axis, and t-SNE-y attributes were placed on the y-axis. Gaussian mixture models were used to define the clusters. The corpus map obtained from the model is presented in five clusters, as shown in Figure 5. The corpus map labels keywords representing documents with similar meanings and maps similar clusters by separating the labeled words and similar clusters. In this direction, the interview data obtained within the scope of the study were visualized with the annotated corpus map in order to investigate the effects of the moderating role of digital transformation on GC, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage in hotel businesses and to better understand this relationship. By revealing this relationship, it is thought to reveal the effects of environmentally friendly practices, digital transformation, and managerial strategies on achieving sustainability goals in hotel businesses and to be supportive in achieving these goals.

In the areas covered by the different colors in the corpus map, the clusters are expressed by the keywords they contain. The five clusters indicated in this map are as follows:

• Yellow cluster: This cluster, which includes the words “job”, “satisfaction”, and “working”, expresses the importance given by managers in hotel businesses to employee satisfaction and improvement of working conditions. For example, manager 8 stated that periodic surveys and improvements regarding job satisfaction and its sub-elements are carried out, and employees’ competencies are increased and their motivation is increased through continuous webinars and training. Manager 9 stated that job satisfaction in the organization is achieved through an inclusive work environment, training and development opportunities, health and well-being programs, reward systems, and open communication.
• Orange cluster: this cluster contains the words “motivation”, “employee”, and “increase”, which means that managers in hotel businesses use various strategies to motivate their employees, and this is aimed at increasing the workforce. In this context, manager 4’s statement that they managed to keep the motivation of the employees at a high level with effective leadership in their institution and that fair, open communication and a democratic working environment are among these motivation factors can be given as an example. The managers interviewed frequently touched on this issue.
• Red cluster: This cluster, which includes the words “culture”, “green”, and “nature”, refers to the importance given by hotel businesses to environmentally friendly practices and sustainability. For example, manager 7 emphasized that, within the scope of the green culture organization in their hotel, they occasionally provide training to employees on energy efficiency and savings management, and that they also take care to take part in social responsibility projects related to the environment.
• Blue cluster: This cluster, which includes the words “digital”, “process”, and “tools”, refers to the importance given by hotel business managers to digitalization and the integration of these processes into business operations. In fact, manager 10 stated that they expanded digital processes by reducing unnecessary paper printing waste, contributing to nature, and using more renewable resources, and that this provided very clear savings. They even think that they saved money directly for the company and indirectly for nature.
• Green cluster: This cluster, which includes the words “competitive”, “advantage”, and superior”, refers to the strategies of businesses to achieve competitive advantage and the effectiveness of these strategies. In this context, manager 10’s response “Our hotel creates a competitive advantage in terms of price and quality with its worldwide recognition, social network and correct strategies. When people trust a company, it shows that this company is of quality in that competitive area.” and manager 13’s statement “We gain competitive advantage in the environmental dimension and with the key to digital transformation. Prioritizing environmentally friendly products and customer coverage makes us stand out” can be given as examples.

As seen in the image, the blue, red, and green clusters are disjoint ed (unrelated). However, the yellow and orange clusters are shown nested because they are related to each other. This shows that concepts such as job satisfaction and employee motivation are close and related to each other in the text, and that these two issues are important elements that complement each other and are evaluated together. In the interviews, managers stated that they use various strategies to increase employee satisfaction and motivation. These two intertwined clusters emphasize how employee satisfaction and motivation play a critical role in business performance and competitive advantage.

In the study, the vectors obtained from the interview data were placed in the vector space with the (t-SNE) algorithm, with similar vectors close to each other and with low similarity vectors far from each other, and then visualized using the word cloud according to the weights (frequencies) of the words and presented in Figure 6. The colors given to the words in the word cloud are randomly assigned. Words with high weights are visualized near the center of the cloud and appear thicker than other words.

According to the statistics, the term “employes” was used most often in the interviews, followed by “hotel” as the second most frequently used word, and “company” as the third most frequently used word. The words “employee”, “satisfaction”, “guests”, and “management” show that managers in hotel businesses give importance to employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction in company management. The words “digital”, “tools”, and “process” show that digital transformation and tools are important in business management processes. The word “quality” shows that service quality plays an important role in providing competitive advantage for businesses.

When the results obtained with word cloud are examined, it is seen how employee satisfaction and motivation play a critical role in business performance and competitive advantage in hotel businesses, emphasizing the importance of hotel and company management, organizational culture, service quality, customer satisfaction, environmentally friendly practices, and digital transformation. These findings support the main findings of the study and show that businesses can gain competitive advantage by focusing on strategic areas such as sustainability, digitalization, and employee satisfaction.

Bigrams and trigrams are used to explore the frequency of co-occurrence, placement, and context of multiple words in qualitative data. In the study, after the interview data were sent to collocations, the frequency threshold for calculating bigrams was set as three, and n-grams lower than the threshold were removed. The Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) method was used for scoring. A high score obtained using the PMI method indicates that the probability of two words appearing together is high, while a low score indicates that the probability of two words appearing together is low. As seen in Equation I, PMI is calculated by taking the logarithm of the probability of two words x and y being used together divided by the probability of them being used separately [86,87].

$$PMI\left(x,y\right)=\log {\displaystyle \frac{P(x, y)}{P\left(x\right)·P\left(y\right)}}$$

(1)

The most frequently used bigrams and their scores were calculated using the PMI method in order to reveal the frequency of word pairs used together in the interview data and are presented in

Table 5. Bigram collocation.

	Collocation	Score
1	artificial intelligence	8.502
2	many years	8.017
3	environmentally friendly	7.765
4	social responsibility	7.409
5	competitive advantage	7.365
6	superior service	7.239
7	every department	7.017
8	energy efficiency	6.824
9	aim increase	6.765
10	digital transformation	6.737
11	natural resources	6.737
12	human resources	6.737
13	business processes	6.695
14	job satisfaction	6.432
15	organizational culture	6.424
16	green organizational	6.332
17	digital tools	6.322
18	corporate culture	5.769
19	service quality	5.747
20	energy resources	5.322

.

1. Artificial intelligence (8.502) and digital transformation (6.737): The high PMI score for artificial intelligence indicates that the use of modern technologies and innovation is important in hotel businesses. It can be said that the use of these technologies in hotel businesses increases their innovation capacity and competitive advantages. Regarding artificial intelligence and digital transformation, manager 7 stated that they continue to work with robotic artificial intelligence in their hotels, and manager 8 stated that they have completed their process developments in artificial intelligence; they use these systems to provide instant sales and information exchange, and even that resources are used more efficiently and time is saved, and they have also switched to an online cloud system. In addition, manager 9 stated that they have implemented online reservation systems, data analytics, virtual reality applications, digital marketing strategies, and cyber security measures in the digital transformation process.

2. Many years (8.017) and superior service (7.239): This result indicates that many years of experience and superior service quality are indicators of the ability of hotel businesses to achieve customer satisfaction and maintain service standards. According to this result, it can be said that the contribution of experienced staff to business success is important. For example, manager 2 stated that their hotels are market leaders by applying their experience and knowledge to hotel management, they are innovative, unique, inspiring, and value-creating businesses in the sector, and they are a global brand that stands out from its competitors with the unique customer experience they offer, contributes to the development and brand value of the region it is located in, constantly improves itself, and is the first choice of guests, employees, and all stakeholders from all nations.

3. Environmentally friendly (7.765) and social responsibility (7.409): Indicates the sustainability, social, and environmental responsibility policies of hotel companies. The existence of these policies may be related to the fact that the businesses focus on social sustainability goals. Indeed, the statement of manager 2 “Our corporate culture requires the elimination of all processes that are harmful to the environment and to work with our employees who have high environmental awareness in this direction. Among the values of our company is the statement “To give importance to sustainability in all areas of our facilities that we design by taking inspiration from nature, to show respect for nature and the environment” and all our employees adopt this mission with the support and participation of the senior management. In line with our sustainability policy, we respect our environment, contribute to society and are committed to creating a better world for future generations through green innovation. Our hotel’s sustainability vision aims not only to protect our environment and society, but also to share the values and responsibilities related to sustainability while offering an unforgettable experience to our guests.” and the statement of manager 7 “Care is taken to take part in social responsibility projects related to the environment.” also support this.

4. Competitive advantage (7.365) and business processes (6.695): These bigrams show the hotel companies’ efforts to optimize their strategies and processes to gain an edge in the market. It can be said that innovative and strategic approaches and efficient management of business processes are important for hotel businesses to remain competitive. Manager 9 expressed this situation as “global brand power, wide range of services, innovative solutions, superior customer experience, sustainability, and operational efficiency have competitive advantages”.

5. Energy efficiency (6.824) and energy resources (5.322): It shows that hotel businesses focus on energy saving and efficient use of resources. In the context of this result, it can be stated that environmentally friendly practices play a critical role in hotel businesses. Manager 1’s statement “All employees of our hotel are trained on saving energy resources, cleaning the interior and exterior areas of our hotel, collecting all waste that may harm the environment, especially the coastline, and cleaning the area where all external operations are carried out. This is both a social sensitivity and a voluntary participation principle as part of our mission and organizational culture, and all our employees act in harmony.” and manager 9’s statement “Our hotel focuses on green organizational culture, environmentally friendly practices, and sustainability. Energy efficiency, carbon emission reduction, waste management, and sustainable tourism projects are integrated into business processes.” can be given as examples.

6. Human resources (6.737) and job satisfaction (6.432): This result shows the importance of management, development, and satisfaction of employees in hotel businesses. It can be considered that the importance given by businesses to their employees can affect employee motivation and business performance. In our research, manager 2’s statement “Employees who constantly train and develop themselves, receive praise from their managers, and express their satisfaction from their guests are always satisfied with their jobs and feel a sense of organizational belonging. This feeling increases even more when supported by a satisfactory income they receive in return for their work. We choose the employee of the month in our hotel departments, reward them with an extra bonus payment, and aim to increase their motivation by hanging their pictures on the board for the following month. We celebrate their birthdays, try to be there for them materially and spiritually on their special days and whenever they need us. These are often more motivating factors for an employee than money. We also reward our employees who receive praise in guest surveys and comment sites such as Tripadvisor with their names. In this way, we increase motivation and emphasize teamwork.” and manager 7’s statement “One of the most important factors determining employees’ job satisfaction is the work environment. We aim to increase employee productivity and satisfaction by providing a happy, safe, comfortable, and supportive work environment. In addition, when we evaluate it in terms of career development, we adopt a fair, equal, and transparent management approach by holding promotion exams in certain months of the year. We continue our work on the transition to a 5-day working system and not requiring employees to work overtime in order to maintain work–life balance.” supports this conclusion.

7. Organizational culture (6.424) and corporate culture (5.769): These bigrams express the internal structure, values, beliefs, and behaviors of hotel businesses. These capabilities show how employees and managers work and unite around a common vision and mission. Regarding organizational culture, manager 4’s response to the question “Creating an organizational culture in hotels is generally more difficult than in other sectors. How-ever, we include every new employee in our hotel’s orientation programs and create a working environment in line with our mission and vision where all our employees participate in our corporate priorities. We are also aware of our responsibilities in each of the social, economic, ecological, and cultural dimensions of sustainable development and reflect this awareness in our corporate culture. Starting from the top, with the participation of all our employees, we aim to control all consumption without compromising our goal of the best quality service and 100% guest satisfaction and to minimize the damage that may occur to the economy and natural resources. This is clearly stated in our mission statement. All our human resources try to use energy resources in the most efficient way and minimize waste generation in business processes. We also try to raise awareness by separating our employees and guests, and aim to reduce the use of natural resources and increase the use of recycled products.” confirms this result.

8. Natural resources (6.737) and green organizational (6.332): It shows that it is important to integrate sustainability and environmentally friendly practices into the organizational culture. It can be said that green organizational culture can be achieved by businesses adopting environmentally friendly policies and using natural resources effectively and efficiently. Manager 6’s response “A culture has been created in our hotel where environmental concerns are prioritized and all our employees are encouraged to carry out their activities with environmentally friendly actions and policies. Thanks to our green organizational culture, our employees working in every department have adopted the motto of protecting nature, separating environmental waste, and not wasting energy resources. We clearly state this in our sustainability reports and mission statement. In this context, carbon and water footprint measurements are carried out by our relevant employees in all operations we carry out inside, outside, and around the hotel. In the light of these data, all our employees are informed, and environmentally and nature-friendly behavior models are created. All our employees participate in this culture, adapt to it, and continue it consistently.” can be shown as an example in this context.

9. Digital tools (6.322) and digital transformation (6.737): It shows that hotel businesses’ strategies to optimize their business processes and increase their efficiency by using modern technologies are important. It can be said that digital transformation and digital tools are used as a management strategy in hotel businesses. Within the scope of the research, it is seen that manager 4 emphasizes that digitalization is very important for all hotels, big and small, and brings efficiency, while manager 2 states that digitalization is adapted to every process of their hotels, and digital tools are used in every area of the hotel, starting from the security point at the entrance gate.

10. Service quality (5.747) and superior service (7.239): Indicates the ability of hotel businesses to achieve customer satisfaction and maintain high service standards. These capabilities can be critical for businesses to gain competitive advantage. In this context, it is seen that manager 12 stated that, since their hotels are corporate, they have a structure that can compete with the guest portfolio in terms of quality management, quality employees, and performance measurements.

In conclusion, all these bigrams show that hotel businesses focus on strategic issues such as sustainability, digital transformation, employee satisfaction, and competitive advantage and how these issues are interrelated. Investing in modern technologies, adopting environmentally friendly policies, and maintaining high service standards enable businesses to remain sustainable and competitive.

6. Discussion

Although there are studies examining the effect of organizational culture on job satisfaction, there are a limited number of studies examining GC in terms of job satisfaction. In the literature, there was no study on this axis during the period of the study. This study, which includes different components and departs from a broader perspective, not only evaluates the relationships among GC, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage, but also tests the moderating role of digital transformation in this relationship.

In the research conducted, three of the four hypotheses that the four sub-dimensions of GC, the first of the variables in the model, affect job satisfaction were accepted, and one of them was rejected. The involvement, consistency, and adaptability dimensions of GC positively affect job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with the data obtained from the interviews with hotel managers. In the interviews, managers stated that green culture practices have positive effects on employees and that employees are motivated by environmentally friendly practices. No statistical significance was found between the mission culture dimension of GC and job satisfaction.

In a study examining the relationship between organizational culture and job satisfaction in the banking sector, Asiedu (2015) [21] found that cultural characteristics such as communication, motivation, growth opportunities, and supervisory support in organizations help staff change their mindset and help the firm gain competitive advantage. In the same study, it was stated that lack of rewarding, training, communication, and supportive culture led to loss of motivation in the staff and caused low performance. According to Asiedu (2015) [21], both job satisfaction and organizational culture are important factors in achieving competitive advantage. Denison and Mishra (1995) [56] created a model of organizational culture and stated that each of the characteristics that determine organizational culture is an important determinant of employee satisfaction and overall performance effectiveness criteria. The findings of the study indicated a weak correlation between organizational culture and sales and profits. However, a robust linear association was observed between employee satisfaction and the overall performance of the organization. Research examining the correlation between organizational culture and job satisfaction at the dimension level identified four dimensions of organizational culture as having a significant relationship with job satisfaction [88,89]. However, in our study, no significant relationship was found between the mission culture dimension of organizational culture and job satisfaction. Unlike other cultural dimensions, mission culture focuses not on the present of the business, as in the meaning of the word mission, but on where the business wants to be, how far it has achieved its goals, and where the business plans to be in the future. This culture dimension reflects the culture related to the level of acceptance of the organization’s goals, objectives, mission, and vision by employees. Therefore, the formation of mission culture is a value that can be formed by employees working in the organization for a long time. The tourism sector in Türkiye has a high employee turnover rate [90,91]. Most of the employees who serve in one hotel in one season work in another hotel in the other season. In this context, since employees do not have enough time to understand the mission and vision values of an organization and work to achieve these values, it is considered an acceptable result that their job satisfaction levels are not affected by the mission culture in the organization.

Satisfaction of employees in their jobs is one of the important factors for them to behave more motivated and with organizational belonging. The increase in employee satisfaction in the workplace also affects performance. At this point, the increase in employee performance is a factor in achieving competitive advantage, which is another variable of this research. High employee satisfaction is directly related to higher profits and is beneficial for firm value [92,93]. Some studies in the literature [20,43,44] indicate that there is a relationship between job satisfaction and job performance of employees. Job satisfaction has a significant and positive impact on competitive advantage, according to this study (β = 0.67, t = 11.685, p < 0.001). These results are in line with studies in the literature [20,21,47]. Therefore, the importance that businesses attach to studies on employee satisfaction can be considered as a factor that will affect business performance in the long run. Employee satisfaction with the business can be used as a powerful tool to move the business forward. This situation can be considered as a factor that will provide an opportunity for the business to gain competitive advantage. Although there are studies investigating the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage [21,63], some studies have associated job satisfaction with organizational performance [20,47].

Shehadeh et al. (2023) [28] stated that digital transformation, which is the moderating variable of this study, is an important factor for organizations to keep their employees in the organization, to ensure that they are happy, and to gain competitive advantage as a result. One of the elements that will create a competitive advantage is to adapt the organization and employees to the developing digital technologies. In the literature, there are also studies examining the effect of digital transformation on competitive advantage [28] and job satisfaction [28,42,45,46]; however, no study has been found in the literature examining the moderating role of digital transformation on the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. Based on these effects and relationships, this study aims to examine whether digital transformation will be a moderator in the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. When the results obtained in the both qualitative and quantitative researches are examined, the observed relationship between job satisfaction and competitive advantage is significantly influenced by the moderating effect of perception of digital transformation. Furthermore, it is observed that employees who hold a low perception of digital transformation experience a diminished impact of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. Conversely, those employees who possess a high perception of digital transformation experience a heightened influence of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. As the perception of digital transformation increases among employees, the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage increases at the same rate. This result shows the importance of employees’ job satisfaction and the effective use of digital transformation tools by the business to gain competitive advantage.

Limitations and Future Research

While this research included a blend of quantitative and qualitative data collected via surveys and interviews, it is important to acknowledge some limitations. One disadvantage is the potential lack of objectivity in the survey approach owing to participants’ time restrictions and the scale’s extensive amount of elements. Conducting research utilizing the survey approach might be subjective, perhaps leading to adverse effects on the analytical findings. To reduce this danger and enhance the impartiality of the research using qualitative data, the interviews were carried out in the participants’ professional settings. It is important to increase the number of interviewees in the research; however, especially in hotel businesses, the holiday season poses challenges in reaching individuals in managerial positions. This situation is one of the obstacles to interviewing more people. This can also be considered another limitation of the research.

The study is limited to evaluating the relationship between GC, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage, as well as examining the moderating role of digital transformation in this relationship. Additionally, despite its high representativeness, the research sample in the study is restricted to personnel of five-star hotels operating in the Manavgat district of Antalya. In future studies, the sample group can be expanded within the scope of tourism businesses in different provinces and with different characteristics. It is also necessary to conduct comparative and more comprehensive studies in which employees with different cultures in different countries and regions are sampled. The fact that more than half of the employees constituting the sample in this study are between the ages of 26 and 45 and the majority of them are undergraduates can also be considered as a limitation. As a matter of fact, among the distinguishing characteristics of generations X and Y, to which this age group belongs, the high level of perception of digital transformation and adoption of technology draws attention. In this context, studies to be conducted on samples from different sectors and different cultural segments and with different demographic characteristics are important in terms of supporting and generalizing the results of this research.

In the digital age we are in, it is important for businesses to keep up with technological developments and incorporate them into their processes in order to gain a competitive advantage. Digitalization is one of the important concepts and processes for hotel businesses, just as it is in all sectors. This study has been conducted specifically for tourism and, in particular, hotel businesses. For this reason, the impact of digital transformation on green culture, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage will be important for different sectors in future studies. The results obtained from these studies can provide opportunities for understanding why it is necessary for sectors to adapt to digital transformation. Additionally, strategies can be developed on how digital transformation can be adapted according to sectoral differences and specific needs.

The sample size used in our research only includes hotels with sustainability certification located in the province of Antalya. Therefore, it does not cover all hotels with sustainability certifications in Turkey. Therefore, in future studies, it is possible to increase the generalizability of the findings by expanding and diversifying the sample. Additionally, a study can be conducted comparing hotels with and without sustainability certification to examine the effects/differences of digital transformation between these groups through both quantitative and qualitative research.

The research only covers hotels with sustainability certification operating in Turkey. For this reason, it is limited to a specific region and country. In future studies, research could be conducted that includes different geographical regions and countries. This way, studies can be conducted to compare how green culture, digital transformation, and job satisfaction are affected in a cultural context. This can facilitate both the generalization of research findings and the revelation of cultural differences. Cultural similarities and differences that may arise can be discussed.

7. Conclusions

Culture is the product of a group of people living in the same place, having similar attitudes and behaviors, and sharing similar norms, history, values, and artifacts [94]. Organizational culture can be defined as the beliefs, values, and assumptions that distinguish the organization from other organizations and are shared by the members in order to achieve a certain purpose within the organization. When studies in the literature [58,61,62,88,94,95] are examined, it is seen that organizational culture has a positive effect on job satisfaction.

On the other hand, GC is one of the important concepts in ensuring employee participation in order to realize the sustainability activities of the organization. For this reason, it is not possible for organizations to achieve their sustainability goals without integrating green values into corporate policy and values. When studies [51,54] are examined, it is determined that the development of GC within the organization has a significant impact on influencing the attitudes and behaviors of employees, treating employees in an environmentally and socially responsible manner outside their companies, and increasing employee loyalty [96,97]. Pan et al. (2022) [51] found that organizations with a GC are important in terms of encouraging environmentally and socially responsible behaviors of employees. Shahriari et al. (2023) [17] revealed that there is a direct relationship between GC and organizational commitment mediated by job satisfaction. Within the scope of the research conducted in this study, while the effect of involvement, consistency, and adaptability dimensions of organizational culture on job satisfaction was significant, no significant relationship was found between the mission dimension and job satisfaction. The reasons for this may include seasonal employment and high employee turnover in the tourism sector, as well as the fact that mission statements are not clearly defined due to the large number of family businesses in the research region.

Culture is an element that will ensure the participation of employees, motivate them, and affect their performance in order for businesses to be successful in their sustainability activities. Employees who are aware of environmental issues and problems and who are raised within the framework of these values may act more voluntarily in the sustainability activities of the organization. When businesses involve their employees in environmental business processes, it provides an advantage to the organization in terms of acting with socially aware and more responsible employees. GC helps the organization to change its operations in a more environmentally friendly way. However, in order to realize this, support, involvement, and motivation of employees are needed. Regarding creating a culture, manager 1 emphasized that all employees receive training in energy saving and environmental cleaning, adopting these practices as a social sensitivity and voluntary participation principle. Similarly, manager 3 stated that employees receive continuous training to integrate the sustainability approach into the corporate culture. These findings support the positive effect of GC on job satisfaction. This direction within the organization can also be considered as a satisfying factor for employees. As a matter of fact, the results obtained from the qualitative research confirm this.

One of the results of quantitative research conducted in the tourism sector is that job satisfaction has a positive effect on competitive advantage. Similarly, in the interviews, managers stated that competitive advantage is provided by high service quality, customer satisfaction, and digital transformation strategies. For example, manager 4 stated that the hotel has a good competitive position in the national and international markets and that this situation is based on superior service quality and customer satisfaction. Manager 6 emphasized that they have high competitive power in terms of price/performance, and that they attach importance to customer satisfaction. These findings confirm the positive effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. Asiedu (2015) [21] studied how the impact of organizational culture on employees’ job satisfaction can be a source of competitive advantage. It shows that cultural characteristics in organizations, such as communication, motivation, growth opportunities, and supervisory support, help change the mindset of employees and help the firm gain competitive advantage. Sparrow, Schuler, and Jackson (1994) [63] found that managing human resources well and having happy employees will provide a competitive advantage. Effective employee performance and job satisfaction are crucial to a company’s success in the current competitive environment. Job satisfaction is an accomplishment of organizations that goes undetected [66]. Moreover, it is the most important key to achieving competitive advantage. For this reason, HR professionals are working hard to increase employees’ job satisfaction. In fact, the responses received in the interviews conducted within the scope of the research also support this situation.

In today’s business world, digital transformation affects service businesses as well as manufacturing businesses. Digitalization affects not only the technological infrastructure of organizations but also the perception of employees. Another result of the research is that digital transformation has a moderating role in the effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage. In fact, during the interviews, manager 2 stated that digital tools are used in all departments, and that business processes have become more efficient. Manager 5 emphasized that digital tools synchronize manual processes in the hotel and reduce paper waste. These findings support the positive impact of digital transformation on job satisfaction and the potential to increase competitive advantage.

Unlike classical organizations, today’s organizations tend to use more innovative resources instead of traditional resources and tools such as capital and location. At the same time, the existence of a high-potential workforce, combined with adequate human resource management policies, can lead to competitive advantage [47]. In a study published by Shehadeh et al. (2023) [28], “Digital transformation is conceptualized as a change process that leverages digital technologies, tools, capabilities and business models to develop competitive advantage”. While employee satisfaction constitutes one of the most important sources of competitive advantage, the effective use of digital transformation in today’s organizations that internalize innovation strengthens the positive effect of job satisfaction on competitive advantage.

Competitive advantage is a situation that is difficult to measure directly and involves many factors. For this reason, the level of competition is measured through factors that can be directly effective in achieving competitive advantage. In the literature, the concepts of competitive advantage and performance are often used interchangeably [38]. One of the main determinants of an organization’s performance and indirectly gaining competitive advantage is the job satisfaction of its employees. Iaffaldano and Muchinsky (1985) [39] included 74 study results and 12,192 samples in their comprehensive meta-analysis of job satisfaction and performance. As a result of the study, a linear significant relationship was found between the two concepts. The relationship between the two concepts has also been revealed in many studies [98,99].

The increase in digital tools and platforms allows employees to access information about their work in a more practical way. This convenience will ultimately ensure that employees are satisfied with their jobs. From another point of view, businesses where technological tools in the digital transformation process are used effectively by employees can be more creative, innovative, and agile than businesses that do not use digital transformation tools. In this way, they can also gain competitive advantage by increasing customer satisfaction. Digital transformation plays a moderating role in strengthening the positive relationships among GC, job satisfaction, and competitive advantage.

Additionally, the other suggestions that can be developed within the scope of this study are as follows:

When evaluating the competitive strength of green culture, eco-friendly practices and sustainability-focused strategies can be decisive in the preference for a brand by environmentally conscious customers. This way, a sustainability-focused image can provide opportunities for creating a positive perception in the media and society. This could provide the brand with a competitive advantage. An environmentally friendly and technology-focused image can strengthen customer loyalty and increase the market share for a business. A responsible business image can enhance customer appeal and provide opportunities to stand out in the market. The responses received within the scope of qualitative research confirm this suggestion.

Promoting environmentally friendly practices in workplaces and the effective use of digital tools can impact employee satisfaction and business performance.

Green practices that reduce energy and resource consumption can contribute to a business gaining a competitive advantage by providing cost savings in the long run. Employees can be motivated by adopting a green culture through training on environmentally friendly practices and digitalization.

With digital transformation, employees’ competencies can be enhanced, supporting their professional development and thereby increasing job satisfaction. Additionally, when employees become environmentally conscious and adapt to a green culture, their satisfaction can increase as they take pride in working in such a workplace. The importance of green practices within a business allows for a cleaner, healthier working environment for employees. This also contributes to increasing employees’ motivation. Digital transformation and the use of related tools can make business processes more automated, thereby reducing the workload. Employees can be encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors by providing training on green culture, allowing them to take an active role in the process.

Digital transformation affects businesses and society by enhancing innovation, competitiveness, and efficiency, leading to opportunities for economic growth. Digital transformation and green culture can provide opportunities for businesses to contribute economically due to reduced resource usage in operational costs. However, businesses can also contribute to sustainable development by reducing their carbon footprint emissions. Digital systems enable more efficient use of resources. This also contributes to the reduction of waste and a more sustainable production process.

In the long term, digital transformation could be a factor that leads to a decrease in costs due to lower resource usage. However, digital transformation and green culture can provide businesses with advantages in terms of creating international business opportunities and ensuring sustainability. In highly competitive global markets, green culture can create a positive image and offer businesses new opportunities.

Green culture provides environmental benefits such as reducing carbon footprints, increasing energy efficiency, and conserving natural resources.

Green applications enable companies to fulfill their social responsibilities. This also creates a positive image in society and can increase customer loyalty.

When digital transformation and green culture are implemented together, they can help businesses reduce their costs and achieve sustainable development goals.