Sustainability implementation in the hospitality industry: a human resource perspective study

• Autores: Vanessa Guerra Lombardi
• Directores de la Tesis: Raúl Hernández Martín (dir. tes.), Noemí Padrón Fumero (codir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidad de La Laguna ( España ) en 2026
• Idioma: inglés
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Carmelo Javier León González (presid.), María Candelaria Barrios González (secret.), Tin Doan (voc.)
• Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Turismo por la Universidad Antonio de Nebrija; la Universidad Complutense de Madrid; la Universidad de Alicante; la Universidad de Cádiz; la Universidad de Extremadura; la Universidad de La Laguna; la Universidad de Málaga; la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; la Universidad de Sevilla; la Universidad de Vigo; la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos y la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
• Materias:
  • Ciencias económicas
• Enlaces
  • Tesis en acceso abierto en: TESEO
• Resumen

  • Environmental sustainability has become a central pillar of corporate strategy in the hospitality industry, yet its effective implementation continues to be hindered by a persistent gap between strategic ambition and daily practice. Hotels increasingly adopt environmental certifications and align with global sustainability goals, but the translation of these commitments into consistent, employee-driven action remains insufficient. This thesis addresses how sustainability is lived, interpreted, and enacted inside hotel organisations, recognising that environmental performance depends not only on formal policies, but on the complex alignment of organisational structures, human resource systems, and the psychological and social dynamics of the workforce. By analysing how sustainability strategies move through departments, teams, and employees, the research seeks to uncover the organisational levers and behavioural mechanisms that transform sustainability from a corporate statement into a coherent and effective daily practice.

    The main objectives of this research are: (i) to identify the drivers, barriers, and key practices of corporate sustainability strategy (CSS) in hotels; (ii) to examine how green human resource management (GHRM) practices influence environmental outcomes through psychological mechanisms, such as job satisfaction and well-being; and (iii) to analyse the extent to which employees’ green behavioural intention (GBI) translates into actual in-role green behaviour (EGB-IR), and which contextual factors mediate this relationship.

    To achieve these objectives, the dissertation adopts a mixed-method design. First, a study involving executives and middle managers identifies key implementation factors acting as drivers and barriers, as well as highly salient practices. Second, a survey of hotel employees examines the influence of GHRM on employees’ green outcomes, revealing that job satisfaction operates as an effective mediator between HRM practices and sustainable performance. Finally, a third study validates a mediation model, confirming that green behavioural intention significantly predicts in-role green behaviour, mediated by organisational environmental policy, coworkers’ green work climate, supervisors’ environmental commitment, and customers’ environmental attitudes.

    This thesis has been developed under the article-based PhD dissertation format, which requires the publication of at least three scientific papers in indexed journals. It includes three published articles and corporate reports, reinforcing the applied and transfer-oriented dimension of the research. This document also includes the future development of the research.

    This dissertation provides a theoretical and applied framework connecting corporate strategy, HRM, and individual behaviour. The findings contribute to academic literature, by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Value–Belief–Norm theory (VBN), and Conservation of Resources theory (COR) frameworks into a coherent multi-level model; and to managerial practice, by offering mechanisms for departmental alignment, empowerment of middle managers, and the creation of supportive organisational climates that embed sustainability as a daily practice.