Beyond ethics: The transformational power of overlapping motivations in implementing strategic sustainability actions
Abstract
Abstract We develop a methodology to identify patterns between sustainability motivations, actions and engagement. We apply this methodology to analyse a 3 1/2‐year intervention that yielded 151 sustainability actions undertaken by 46 outbound tour operators. We find three aspects that can be explained by the tour operators' motivations to act sustainably, namely, a connection between: (i) the actions taken in the context of the organisation's business model, (ii) the intensity of the approach, measured by the resources invested in it and the operator's commitment level and (iii) the evolution of the response. These patterns demonstrate how ethical motivations are common and a precondition to acting sustainably, but, in themselves, these motivations are not sufficient to integrate sustainability practices into the core business or to maintain commitment over time. It is the combination of a high ethical commitment with clear strategic intent, materialised in commercial and operational motivations, that increases the connectedness, and intensity, of sustainability actions amongst ethically committed firms.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[3]
- Departamento de Economía Financiera y Contabilidad e Idioma Moderno, Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid Spain
- Departamento de Economía de la Empresa (ADO), Economía Aplicada II y Fundamentos de Análisis Económico, Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid Spain
- School of Hospitality and Tourism Management University of Surrey Guildford UK, Department of Business and Economics UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1826828
- Resource Type:
- Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Business Strategy and the Environment
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Business Strategy and the Environment Journal Volume: 31 Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0964-4733
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Bonilla‐Priego, Maria Jesus, Nájera‐Sánchez, Juan‐José, and Font, Xavier. Beyond ethics: The transformational power of overlapping motivations in implementing strategic sustainability actions. United Kingdom: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1002/bse.2912.
Bonilla‐Priego, Maria Jesus, Nájera‐Sánchez, Juan‐José, & Font, Xavier. Beyond ethics: The transformational power of overlapping motivations in implementing strategic sustainability actions. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2912
Bonilla‐Priego, Maria Jesus, Nájera‐Sánchez, Juan‐José, and Font, Xavier. Mon .
"Beyond ethics: The transformational power of overlapping motivations in implementing strategic sustainability actions". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2912.
@article{osti_1826828,
title = {Beyond ethics: The transformational power of overlapping motivations in implementing strategic sustainability actions},
author = {Bonilla‐Priego, Maria Jesus and Nájera‐Sánchez, Juan‐José and Font, Xavier},
abstractNote = {Abstract We develop a methodology to identify patterns between sustainability motivations, actions and engagement. We apply this methodology to analyse a 3 1/2‐year intervention that yielded 151 sustainability actions undertaken by 46 outbound tour operators. We find three aspects that can be explained by the tour operators' motivations to act sustainably, namely, a connection between: (i) the actions taken in the context of the organisation's business model, (ii) the intensity of the approach, measured by the resources invested in it and the operator's commitment level and (iii) the evolution of the response. These patterns demonstrate how ethical motivations are common and a precondition to acting sustainably, but, in themselves, these motivations are not sufficient to integrate sustainability practices into the core business or to maintain commitment over time. It is the combination of a high ethical commitment with clear strategic intent, materialised in commercial and operational motivations, that increases the connectedness, and intensity, of sustainability actions amongst ethically committed firms.},
doi = {10.1002/bse.2912},
journal = {Business Strategy and the Environment},
number = 3,
volume = 31,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {2021},
month = {10}
}
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