Perceptions of Future Employees toward CSR Environmental Practices in Tourism
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Background
2.1. CSR in Tourism
2.2. Perceptions of Business Students toward CSR
3. Data Collection and Research Methodology
- (I)
- Determining students’ perception regarding the importance given to CSR environmental practices when considering their future hiring options in the tourism industry; to test that each of the practices identified as being the most important one for each environmental dimension (according to the calculated means, presented in a synthesis table) we have used the Friedman test. Results of this test can prove if there are overall significant differences from a statistical point of view between the perceptions of students for these practices and the χ2 (Chi-Square) calculated value associated with Friedman’s test that shows a certain level of significance. Furthermore, to compare the importance associated to the two CSR practices with the highest means for each dimension (shown in the synthesis table as the first two lines for each environmental dimension), we have used the Paired-Samples t-test to identify whether or not the CSR environmental practice with the highest mean is statistically more important than the rest of the practices included in that dimension;
- (II)
- Making an analysis of these students’ perception about the importance of CSR environment practices based on defined profile variables (year of study, gender and area of residence); with this analysis we aimed at identifying the existence of statistically significant differences between several categories of respondents: (1) differences between the perception of students from various years of study (using the ANOVA and the Kruskal–Wallis tests). After applying the ANOVA test we used the Bonferroni test to identify the sub-sample pairs between which there is a statistically significant difference, and after applying the Kruskal–Wallis test we used the Mann–Whitney test that compares two by two the formed sub-samples; (2) differences between female and male respondents (using the Independent-Samples t-test) and (3) differences between students with a residence in urban or rural areas (using the Independent-Samples t-test);
- (III)
- Making a reliability analysis for our measuring scales (questionnaire items); to test the reliability of our questionnaire the Alpha Cronbach indicator was used;
- (IV)
- Analyzing the opportunity for a factor analysis and, if adequate, to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis; for this step in our research, first we have checked the opportunity for conducting a factor analysis using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) indicator (that measures the intensity of the existing correlations between the items of a construct) and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity (that indicates to us the existence or the non-existence of significant correlations between the items of a construct). Secondly, a confirmatory factor analysis was done (limiting the number of factors to one) for each defined environmental dimension. Finally, a factorial analysis was conducted for the entire “Environment” construct using the principal component analysis method because the entire variance of the variable was decomposed. Using the factor analysis, factor loadings were calculated for each of the defined environmental dimensions and each item included in these dimensions.
4. Results
- There is not a CSR environmental practice that is statistically more important than others according to the students’ perception in the “Responsible energy consumption”, “Responsible waste management” and “Green acquisitions” environmental dimensions;
- The CSR environmental practices of “Appropriate linen and towels change”, “Proper use of chemical substances”, “Staff training on effective waste management, saving energy and other resources”, “Arranging smoking areas” and “Providing information about local public transportation” are statistically the most important ones in their corresponding environmental dimensions according to the questioned tourism students.
5. Discussion and Conclusions
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Environment Dimension | Items | DM | IM | SD | Confirmatory Factor Analysis | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KMO | BTSL | FL | |||||
Responsible energy consumption | Use of appropriate thermal insulation | 3.86 | 4.14 | 0.981 | 0.814 | 0.0 | 0.828 |
Use of electricity from renewable energy sources | 4.01 | 1.119 | 0.831 | ||||
Use of automated closures of light, electronics, heating, etc. | 3.92 | 1.097 | 0.866 | ||||
Collecting data about energy consumption | 3.71 | 1.064 | 0.849 | ||||
Use of electrical appliances with high energy efficiency* | 3.55 | 1.076 | - | - | - | ||
Responsible water consumption | Appropriate linen and towels change | 3.99 | 4.52 | 0.840 | 0.788 | 0.0 | 0.759 |
Wastewater correctly treated | 4.18 | 1.108 | 0.847 | ||||
Collecting data about water consumption | 3.85 | 1.001 | 0.689 | ||||
Use washing machines/dishwashers, toilets etc. with a low water consumption | 3.83 | 1.128 | 0.849 | ||||
Reduced water flow for taps and showers | 3.58 | 1.193 | 0.811 | ||||
Responsible waste management | Separation and proper disposal of hazardous waste | 4.22 | 4.38 | 0.971 | 0.804 | 0.0 | 0.895 |
Waste separation (selective waste) | 4.26 | 0.992 | 0.881 | ||||
Appropriate waste disposal | 4.20 | 0.922 | 0.813 | ||||
Avoid single-use products and environmental hazardous products | 4.06 | 1.110 | 0.893 | ||||
Responsible management of chemical hazardous substances | Proper use of chemical substances | 4.01 | 4.36 | 0.933 | 0.734 | 0.0 | 0.894 |
Collecting data about chemical substances consumption | 3.88 | 1.009 | 0.871 | ||||
Use of only certain paints, varnishes and detergents with Ecolabelling | 3.81 | 1.132 | 0.891 | ||||
Green acquisitions | Use of highly efficient equipment (both energy and water consumption) | 3.76 | 3.86 | 1.110 | 0.794 | 0.0 | 0.856 |
Use of eco-labelled products | 3.84 | 1.053 | 0.886 | ||||
Reusable glass bottles are used in common practice | 3.75 | 1.132 | 0.795 | ||||
No single-use products in common practice: bottles, glasses, plates or cutlery, etc. | 3.58 | 1.192 | 0.765 | ||||
Employee training for environment protection-related issues | Staff training on effective waste management, saving energy and other resources * | 4.15 | 4.63 | 0.607 | - | - | - |
Staff training on the good maintenance and servicing of equipment | 4.03 | 1.033 | 0.739 | 0.0 | 0.894 | ||
Staff training on the correct dosage of detergents and cleaning products | 4.01 | 1.025 | 0.930 | ||||
Staff training on environment protection | 3.93 | 1.038 | 0.940 | ||||
Operational services related to environment protection | Arranging smoking areas * | 3.82 | 4.28 | 1.094 | - | - | - |
Offering local and bio foods | 3.95 | 1.076 | 0.898 | 0.0 | 0.775 | ||
EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) registration or ISO 14001 certification | 3.87 | 1.152 | 0.802 | ||||
Use of local heating system, energy recovery or combined heat | 3.85 | 1.150 | 0.844 | ||||
Obtaining a national eco-label | 3.79 | 1.076 | 0.878 | ||||
Use of photovoltaic and wind energy | 3.75 | 1.125 | 0.853 | ||||
Bioclimatic architecture | 3.55 | 1.122 | 0.832 | ||||
Use of rainwater and recycled water | 3.54 | 1.107 | 0.845 | ||||
Informing clients about environment protection-related issues | Providing information about local public transportation * | 3.98 | 4.37 | 0.879 | - | - | - |
Providing information about saving water and energy | 3.94 | 1.087 | 0.788 | 0.0 | 0.850 | ||
Providing information about waste separation | 3.94 | 0.964 | 0.871 | ||||
Providing information about environmental protection measures to be taken during the accommodation period | 3.88 | 1.086 | 0.896 | ||||
Providing information aboutlocal events and news relating to the environment protection | 3.78 | 0.927 | 0.794 |
Environment Dimension/CSR Practice | χ2 | SL | SSDD (YES/NO) | CtV | SL | SSDP (YES/NO) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Responsible energy consumption/Use of appropriate thermal insulation | 42.836 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 1.579 | 0.117 (>0.05) | NO |
2. Responsible water consumption/Appropriate linen and towels change | 99.463 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 4.094 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES |
3. Responsible waste management/Separation and proper disposal of hazardous waste | 13.976 | 0.003 (<0.05) | YES | 1.711 | 0.090 (>0.05) | NO |
4. Responsible management of chemical hazardous substances/Proper use of chemical substances | 47.616 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 6.541 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES |
5. Green acquisitions/Use of highly efficient equipment (both energy and water consumption) | 4.517 | 0.211 (>0.05) | NO | -* | -* | -* |
6. Employee training for environment protection-related issues/Staff training on effective waste management, saving energy and other resources * | 63.977 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 6.266 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES |
7. Operational services related to environment protection/Arranging smoking areas | 84.614 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 3.014 | 0.003 (<0.05) | YES |
8. Informing clients about environment protection-related issues/Providing information about local public transportation * | 31.201 | 0.000 (<0.05) | YES | 3.229 | 0.002 (<0.05) | YES |
Environment Dimension | Items | CV | SL |
---|---|---|---|
Responsible waste management | ** Separation and proper disposal of hazardous waste | 8.633 | 0.035 |
Responsible management of chemical hazardous substances | ** Use of only certain paints, varnishes and detergents with Ecolabelling | 8.431 | 0.038 |
** Proper use of chemical substances | 10.044 | 0.018 | |
** Collecting data about chemical substances consumption | 8.436 | 0.038 | |
Green acquisitions | * Reusable glass bottles are used in common practice | 5.495 | 0.001 |
Employee training for environment protection-related issues | ** Staff training on effective waste management, saving energy and other resources | 24.887 | 0.000 |
Operational services related to environment protection | ** Arranging smoking areas | 11.650 | 0.009 |
* Use of photovoltaic and wind energy | 4.643 | 0.004 |
Environment Dimension | Items | Means | Calculated t Values | Significance Level |
---|---|---|---|---|
Responsible energy consumption | Use of electrical appliances with high energy efficiency | F = 3.66 | 2.563 | 0.012 |
M = 3.00 | ||||
Responsible waste management | Appropriate linen and towels change | F = 4.59 | 2.172 | 0.032 |
M = 4.15 | ||||
Collecting data about water consumption | F = 3.93 | 1.981 | 0.050 | |
M = 3.45 | ||||
Responsible waste management | Appropriate waste disposal | F = 4.31 | 2.309 | 0.031 |
M = 3.65 | ||||
Avoid single-use products and environmental hazardous products | F = 4.15 | 2.050 | 0.043 | |
M = 3.60 | ||||
Separation and proper disposal of hazardous waste | F = 4.49 | 2.244 | 0.035 | |
M = 3.80 | ||||
Green acquisitions | No single-use products in common practice: bottles, glasses, plates or cutlery, etc. | F = 3.68 | 2.011 | 0.047 |
M = 3.10 | ||||
Employee training for environment protection-related issues | Staff training on the correct dosage of detergents and cleaning products | F = 4.11 | 2.482 | 0.014 |
M = 3.50 | ||||
Staff training on effective waste management, saving energy and other resources | F = 4.72 | 3.676 | 0.000 | |
M = 4.20 | ||||
Staff training on the good maintenance and servicing of equipment | F = 4.13 | 2.547 | 0.012 | |
M = 3.50 | ||||
Operational services related to environment protection | EMAS registration or ISO 14001 certification | F = 3.97 | 2.234 | 0.027 |
M = 3.35 |
Construct | Environmental Dimensions | α Cronbach | |
---|---|---|---|
Initial | Final | ||
Environment (α Cronbach = 0.950) | Responsible energy consumption | 0.847 | 0.864 |
Responsible water consumption | 0.850 | - | |
Responsible waste management | 0.890 | - | |
Responsible management of chemical hazardous substances | 0.859 | - | |
Green acquisitions | 0.842 | - | |
Employee training for environment protection-related issues | 0.816 | 0.911 | |
Operational services related to environment protection | 0.919 | 0.926 | |
Informing clients about environment protection-related issues | 0.765 | 0.875 |
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Gligor-Cimpoieru, D.C.; Munteanu, V.P.; Nițu-Antonie, R.D.; Schneider, A.; Preda, G. Perceptions of Future Employees toward CSR Environmental Practices in Tourism. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1631. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091631
Gligor-Cimpoieru DC, Munteanu VP, Nițu-Antonie RD, Schneider A, Preda G. Perceptions of Future Employees toward CSR Environmental Practices in Tourism. Sustainability. 2017; 9(9):1631. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091631
Chicago/Turabian StyleGligor-Cimpoieru, Diana Corina, Valentin Partenie Munteanu, Renata Dana Nițu-Antonie, Andreia Schneider, and Gheorghe Preda. 2017. "Perceptions of Future Employees toward CSR Environmental Practices in Tourism" Sustainability 9, no. 9: 1631. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091631