This paper examines the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in the Malaysia Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprise (SME) hotel industry revealing that most hotel managers actively introduce initiatives that contribute to cost savings. The main purpose of this paper aims to examine the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in Malaysia SME hotel industry. A mixed research method was adopted involving quantitative surveys with 252 hotels in Malaysia and 11 face-to-face interviews with the selected hotel managers, facilities managers and engineers. Responses from the surveys and interviews with 252 managers show that SME hotels in Malaysia have a high level of environmental awareness. Most hoteliers actively introduce initiatives that contribute to cost savings. Initiatives including using energy conservation light bulbs, having an active system to detect/repair lacking facilities and installing water conserving fixtures are widely implemented, while programs involving using solar lawn light, recycling leftover food and reusing wastewater. Major barriers for going green include the lack of government regulations on environmental management systems (EMS), financial constraints, the lack of employees to handle EMS and the fear that environmental initiatives may negatively impact the guest’s experience, especially customers who expect enjoying the luxuries services in Malaysia hotels. Lower star hotels experience more difficulties in adopting green approaches. This paper presents a single case study of Malaysia; therefore, the results in this research may have limited generalizability.
Purpose The majority of Malaysian firms are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the hospitality industry is no exception. However, a study on environmental management systems (EMS) reveals that relatively few studies have observed EMS implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises hotels (SMEHs). Hence, this study aims to determine the link between institutional influences and mediating effects of top managers' perceived benefits toward EMS implementation by Malaysian SMEHs. Design/methodology/approach The results of a questionnaire survey of 252 SMEHs managerial-level professionals using Smart-PLS software provide some explanation for the marginal action taken by these SMEHs to improve their environmental performance. Findings Based on the findings, five variables might stimulate the implementation of an EMS: regulatory influences, customer influences, competitor influences, employee influences and manager attributes influences. Research limitations/implications This study significantly advances understanding of EMS and SMEHs, offering a replicable research framework applicable across industries and countries. Scholars can leverage the framework for further exploration, while managers should recognize institutional influences on EMS implementation. Originality/value Given that this study is one of the few that investigates the institutional influences and perceived benefits of EMS implementation, it may provide valuable information for future research on the hospitality industry and the SMEHs among researchers and practitioners.
Smartphone technology has surpassed the basic necessity of human basics needs, from a want to a need in life. It has become a very important tool that helps with our work and everything we do in our daily life. Hence, with the excessive freedom of use of smartphone technology, it has become an addictive behaviour which provides a negative effect affecting our daily life. This study investigates the addiction of smartphone technology in Sarawak based on their psychological and behavioural motives. In this present study, the link between antecedents such as perceived enjoyment, pastime, mood regulation and conformity (whether any positive or negative effect) and smartphone addiction was examined. Smartphone addiction was related to a greater amount of leisure time spent on the smartphone and was strongly related to a positive impact of smartphone use on a daily work basis. With that, this study will be conducted using SPSS version 23 to analyse the data collected from the distribution of questionnaires to the sample population which is 200. The sample size will be generated from the used of G*power software. Statistical data revealed that perceived enjoyment, mood regulation, pastime, and conformity positively significant with smartphone addiction. This study has covered the limitation of the unknown studies about smartphone addiction among hotel employees in the Asian context.
In the last decades, the tourism and hospitality industries have increased their awareness toward environmental sustainability and the application of Environmental Management Systems (EMS). However, research into EMS application and its challenges in the hospitality industry has been left out of sight. In fact, it appears that most hospitality and tourism organizations have neglected to adopt and implement EMS and have failed to recognize the benefits EMS can offer. Perhaps this may explain mixed findings on EMS success adoption and implementation to date. This conceptual paper investigates the challenges and opportunities within the concept of sustainability and aims to sum the existing knowledge on EMSs and the opportunities for its successful implementation in tourism and hospitality establishments. The findings will raise awareness of the importance of EMS and stimulate changes in the way management puts its effort toward enhancing the value these establishments put on adoption and implementation of EMS.
Despite the growing concern for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) in the hospitality industry, the relationship between institutional pressures and environmental management implementation is rarely examined in the small- and medium-scale enterprise hotels (SMEHs) context. Concerning the impact of tourism activities on the environment has been increasing; unfortunately, many hotels are unwilling to develop an EMS, probably due to a lack of resources and knowledge. Little attention has been devoted, especially among the SMEHs in Malaysia. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of institutional pressures on the SMEH environmental management implementation in addition to determining the manager’s commitment as mediating factor. Quantitative research was conducted in this study to establish how managers deal with specific situations using the environmental management system. A total of 313 managers were randomly selected from a total of 1695 registered SMEHs in Malaysia. The results were analyzed using Partial Lease Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) software version 3.2.8 to validate the proposed model and Bootstrapping test to determine the mediation effects of the manager’s perceived benefits and commitment. The initial observation suggested that the majority of the managers implemented the environmental management system were due to regulatory pressures and customer’s pressures. Meanwhile, a smaller group of managers were also keen on the EMS implementation due to their attributes in which they are well aware of the benefits of the system. However, the business owners were found to have relatively low engagement with the environmental agenda. This research aims to contribute to the management and operation advancement towards developing thinking, practice and research within the SMEH industry in Malaysia. Therefore, the findings of this study could provide a framework for assessing existing SMEH industry perceptions and willingness to implement the EMS for a better and sustainable hospitality practice, especially from the decision makers’ point of view.
This paper examines the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in the Malaysia Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprise (SME) hotel industry revealing that most hotel managers actively introduce initiatives that contribute to cost savings. The main purpose of this paper aims to examine the environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in Malaysia SME hotel industry. A mixed research method was adopted involving quantitative surveys with 252 hotels in Malaysia and 11 face-to-face interviews with the selected hotel managers, facilities managers and engineers. Responses from the surveys and interviews with 252 managers show that SME hotels in Malaysia have a high level of environmental awareness. Most hoteliers actively introduce initiatives that contribute to cost savings. Initiatives including using energy conservation light bulbs, having an active system to detect/repair lacking facilities and installing water conserving fixtures are widely implemented, while programs involving using solar lawn light, recycling leftover food and reusing wastewater. Major barriers for going green include the lack of government regulations on environmental management systems (EMS), financial constraints, the lack of employees to handle EMS and the fear that environmental initiatives
may negatively impact the guest’s experience, especially customers who expect enjoying the luxuries services in Malaysia hotels. Lower star hotels experience more difficulties in adopting green approaches. This paper presents a single case study of Malaysia; therefore, the results in this research may have limited generalizability.
Despite the growing concern for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) in the hospitality industry, the relationship between institutional pressures and environmental management implementation is rarely examined in the small- and medium-scale enterprise hotels (SMEHs) context. Concerning the impact of tourism activities on the environment has been increasing; unfortunately, many hotels are unwilling to develop an EMS, probably due to a lack of resources and knowledge. Little attention has been devoted, especially among the SMEHs in Malaysia. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of institutional pressures on the SMEH environmental management implementation in addition to determining the manager’s commitment as mediating factor. Quantitative research was conducted in this study to establish how managers deal with specific situations using the environmental management system. A total of 313 managers were randomly selected from a total of 1695 registered SMEHs in Malaysia. The results were analyzed using Partial Lease Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) software version 3.2.8 to validate the proposed model and Bootstrapping test to determine the mediation effects of the manager’s perceived benefits and commitment. The initial observation suggested that the majority of the managers implemented the environmental management system were due to regulatory pressures and customer’s pressures. Meanwhile, a smaller group of managers were also keen on the EMS implementation due to their attributes in which they are well aware of the benefits of the system. However, the business owners were found to have relatively low engagement with the environmental agenda. This research aims to contribute to the management and operation advancement towards developing thinking, practice and research within the SMEH industry in Malaysia. Therefore, the findings of this study could provide a framework for assessing existing SMEH industry perceptions and willingness to implement the EMS for a better and sustainable hospitality practice, especially from the decision makers’ point of view.
: Various studies confirmed that the implementation of Environmental Management Systems in a hotel’s management and operation could lead to several effects such as cost-saving, image branding, improvement of performance, etc. Additionally, tourists’ perceptions of a destination's impacts, environmental consequences of their visits to destinations and demands for environmentally friendly products will likely play a central role in travel decision-making. Purpose: The main purpose of this preliminary study is to explore the customer perceptions on EMS implementation in selected hotels in Malaysia. This study is important to understand the customer’s behaviours towards their preferred hotels based on the understanding of environmental management systems applied in the particular hotel’s management and operations. Research methods: The study will use structured questionnaire, Descriptive Analysis, Pearson Correlation, Multiple Regression Analysis, F-test and Reliability Analysis are proposed for this study and will be performed to analyze the collected data using Statistical processing SPSS version 22. Results and discussions: The results of this study are intended to fill gaps in the literature by investigating the Malaysian present scenario on environmental management systems and adding to the body of knowledge in this area. Conclusion : The outcome of this study is expected to provide a better understanding of consumer green hotel choices in Malaysia and better account for the discrepancies between environmental believes and their actual hotel decision choices while not putting aside the quality of the service.