Stakeholders’ environmental influence. An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry

We draw on the insights of stakeholder theory to explore the extent to which environmental management practices are driven by (i) an attempt to enhance a firm’s legitimacy, and (ii) a response to pressures arising from powerful stakeholders. The material for this investigation has been gathered from a sample of 279 Spanish hotels. The hotel industry which is only marginally affected by environmental regulation and is thus a widely neglected setting in this context, could be a particularly interesting subject for investigation, able to throw some light on the extent to which firms produce different responses to the environmental concerns of their stakeholders. Our results reveal that corporate environmental management practices may be a response to genuine environmental concerns, and we then speak of explicit environmental management, or there may also be reasons different from the environmental, in which case we speak of tacit environmental management. Our findings suggest that explicit and tacit environmental management account for a variety of organizational responses to the environmental demands of stakeholders, depending on (i) the stakeholders’ power regarding environmental issues, (ii) the stakeholders’ use of power to protect the environment, and (iii) the perceived economic advantages of environmental management activities.Publicad

Stakeholders’ environmental influence. An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry.

We draw on the insights of stakeholder theory to explore the extent to which environmental management practices are driven by (i) an attempt to enhance a firm’s legitimacy, and (ii) a response to pressures arising from powerful stakeholders. The material for this investigation has been gathered from a sample of 279 Spanish hotels. The hotel industry which is only marginally affected by environmental regulation and is thus a widely neglected setting in this context, could be a particularly interesting subject for investigation, able to throw some light on the extent to which firms produce different responses to the environmental concerns of their stakeholders. Our results reveal that corporate environmental management practices may be a response to genuine environmental concerns, and we then speak of explicit environmental management, or there may also be reasons different from the environmental, in which case we speak of tacit environmental management. Our findings suggest that explicit and tacit environmental management account for a variety of organizational responses to the environmental demands of stakeholders, depending on (i) the stakeholders’ power regarding environmental issues, (ii) the stakeholders’ use of power to protect the environment, and (iii) the perceived economic advantages of environmental management activities.Environmental management; Stakeholder theory; Hotels; Service industry;

¿Hay hoteles verdes en España? Un análisis exploratorio

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio exploratorio para definir las estrategias medioambientales de operaciones entre los establecimientos hoteleros. Para ello, tras una breve revisión teórica, donde se expone la necesidad de integrar las cuestiones ambientales en la estrategia de operaciones, se proponen las principales dimensiones que ayudan a explicar la respuesta de la empresa a estas consideraciones: la presión del entorno hacia la protección ambiental, la gestión ambiental mínima, la gestión ambiental diferenciadora, los años de experiencia en implantar medidas de protección ambiental, la utilización de las técnicas de la Dirección de Operaciones y la formalización de los planes y programas ambientales. Asimismo, se diseñan escalas de medida para recoger estas dimensiones, las cuales se utilizan para detectar el patrón que siguen más de 240 establecimientos hoteleros españoles de tres, cuatro y cinco estrellas. Finalmente, se contrastan los resultados de aplicar la tipología propuesta con los obtenidos en otras investigaciones, se sintetizan las principales aportaciones y se plantean líneas futuras de investigación

Estrategia medioambiental, contexto organizativo y rendimiento: los establecimientos hoteleros españoles

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio de las estrategias ambientales que adoptan los establecimientos hoteleros españoles y se discute si existen diferencias significativas en algunas características organizativas en función de la estrategia ambiental adoptada. Para ello, y en armonía con las principales tipologías de estrategias ambientales detectadas en la literatura, se clasifican los establecimientos hoteleros españoles en cuatro grupos: Proactivos, Defensivos, Acomodativos y Reactivos. Asimismo, se comprueba que estas diferentes estrategias ambientales se explican por distintas características de la organización, tales como la intensidad de la presión social que ejercen los grupos de interés sobre el establecimiento y la posesión de determinadas capacidades organizativas. Adicionalmente, se puede observar que las empresas de los grupos con una estrategia ambiental más desarrollada se asocian a un rendimiento económico superior. Finalmente, se comparan los resultados obtenidos en este estudio con otras investigaciones precedentes y se discuten las implicaciones que se desprenden de este trabajo, tanto en el ámbito académico, como en el profesional

A comparison of total precipitable water measurements from radiosonde and sunphotometers

Atmospheric water vapour is an essential component of the terrestrial atmosphere and must be known precisely in a wide range of applications such as radiative transfer modelling or weather forecasting to mention just a few examples. Vertically integrated measurements, or total precipitable water (TPW) equivalent amounts traditionally derived from radiosonde measurements, are needed in many of these applications and can also be obtained from other methodologies such as sunphotometers or GPS-based techniques. This paper presents a study comparing different measurements of TPW from radiosonde and sunphotometer data recorded from 2001 to 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. Three collocated instruments were employed in this study: RS-80A Vaisala sondes and two types of commonly used sunphotometers (Cimel 318N-VBS7 and Microtops II). A cloud screening filter was applied to photometer data based on the quality control procedure of the AERONET database. A systematic comparison among the measurements indicates that bivariate correlations between different instruments were high, with correlation factors (r2) above 0.8 in all cases. Measurements covered all seasons allowing examining intra-annual variability, which generally did not exhibit statistically significant differences. Examination of 57 concurrent measurements of the three instruments indicated that radiosonde TPW measurements were the highest (15 mm on average) and Cimel and Microtops presented similar values (12 mm and 11 mm respectively).This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under the project DAMOCLES ‘Aerosols characterization by columnar (lidar and extinction) and “in situ” measurements’ (REF: CGL2005-03428-C04-04)

El efecto de la atmósfera en la atenuación del poder eritemático de la radiación solar ultravioleta

En el presente articulo se cuantifica uno de los principales efectos biológicos de la radiación solar, como es el efecto de eritema. Se determina la irradiancia solar eritemática en la cima de la atmósfera, que es del orden de 5 W/m2 y después se compara con la correspondiente atenuada por los gases y aerosoles atmosféricos. Los resultados para el área mediterránea de la Península dan valores de la irradiancia eritemática del orden de 0.25 W/m2 en días de verano al mediodía para cielos despejados y muy claros, siendo del orden de O. 15 W/m2 para los días turbios. Mediante la aplicación de un modelo numérico de irradiancia solar espectral se cuantifica el impacto de la turbiedad atmosférica y de la columna total de ozono en el efecto eritemático de la radiación solar

Absorptive capacity as a confounder of the process of supply chain integration

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore and advance on existing knowledge regarding supply chain integration and absorptive capacity. On the one hand, new elements, such as high-performance human resource practices and internal integration are proposed to foster absorptive capacity within the supply chain. On the other hand, the study proposes a model and hypotheses to analyze the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the relationship between external supply chain integration and performance. Design/methodology/approach – Four hypotheses are formulated based on relevant literature. Data was collected from the horticultural marketing sector, using two different sources, a survey, and archival data. A total of 99 responses were analysed. Hierarchical multiple regressions were carried out to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The results confirm that high-performance human resource practices are a crucial element when trying to increase the level of absorptive capacity. In addition, the results show that absorptive capacity has a moderating effect on the relationship between supply chain integration and performance (both economic and financial). Absorptive capacity moderates the relationship between customer integration and economic performance. Originality/value – This study examines the potential causes for the differences that exist in a firm’s ability to develop absorptive capacity. Thus, on the one hand, high-performance human resource practices and internal integration are proposed as triggers of absorptive capacity, and on the other, absorptive capacity is proposed as a moderator in the relationship between supply chain integration and performance

Examining the moderating role of HIHRP in the relationship between external integration and productivity

Purpose – Based on the human resource (HR) and supply chain integration (SCI) literature, we argue that high-involvement human resource practices (HIHRP) work as a complementary capability for SCI, and thus, HIHRP moderates the relationship between SCI and firm productivity. This moderating role is analyzed through the following HIHRP dimensions: ability-enhancing, motivation-enhancing, and opportunity-enhancing practices (AMO framework). Design/methodology/approach – Using empirical data collected from a survey of the agri-food sector (horticultural firms of southern Spain), the moderating effects of HIHRP on the relationship between supply chain external integrations (with customers and suppliers) and productivity are examined. A hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The results support that HIHRP have a moderating effect on the SCI/productivity relationship. However, these results are only significant in the case of supplier integration. Originality/value – This study analyzes HIHRP as a complementary asset in the context of SCI and makes both theoretical and managerial contributions to the SCI literature by empirically analyzing the role of HR practices in enhancing the relationship between SCI and performance