Environmental certifications are considered an extremely useful tool to promote sustainable tourism; however, little is known about customer perceptions of these schemes and how these certifications might relate to customer behavior when there are customer segments with different levels of environmental consciousness. This study develops a model that investigates the relationship between green practices, green image, environmental consciousness and the behavioral intentions of customers in a certified hotel context. The study examines the direct and moderating role of environmental consciousness in the formation of behavioral intentions based on green initiatives. To test the proposed model empirically, 502 personal surveys of hotel customers were conducted in Spain using a structured questionnaire. The findings show that customer perceptions of green practices have a directly positive effect on a hotel's green image. At the same time, this green image has directly positive effects on customer behavioral intentions toward certified hotels. The authors also found that the higher the environmental consciousness of consumers, the greater their intention to stay, to spread positive word-of-mouth and pay a premium for environmentally certified hotels. Finally, consumer environmental consciousness also exerts a moderating effect on the causal relationship between green image and behavioral intentions.

An analysis of data from 443 Spanish hospitality firms highlighted four factors that encourage innovation. This original analytic model considered the joint effect on innovation of both internal and external factors but did not find that external factors—including government assistance programs—had a significant effect on hospitality innovation. The results confirmed a significant and positive relationship between hospitality innovation and four internal factors, namely, large firm size, membership in a business group (that is, a franchise, management contract, or membership association), willingness to change, and a sufficiently strong bureaucratic framework to manage and institutionalize any innovations.

This paper presents the results of the empirical study conducted in 68 Spanish firms which are following the implementation process of the Total Quality Management (TQM) through the EFQM excellence model, according to the Excellence in Management Club (the official representative and partner of EFQM in Spain which is a non-profit making organisation with the aim of being the reference and meeting point for organisations on their way towards excellence). The objective of this paper is to analyse the motivations that lead Spanish firms to implement the TQM through the EFQM. First a review of literature is provided, followed by methodology which consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine the importance and the structure of these motivations. Finally, cluster firms and these groups are analysed to establish their profile by cluster analysis. The results show that the most important motivations that drive firms to implement the TQM through the EFQM are internal motivations. The structure of motivations in these firms is made up of three groups: internal reasons, external reasons of requirements, and external market reasons.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationships among green practices, environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) image, customers’ trust and their behavioral intentions in a certified hotel context and examine the moderating effect of customers’ involvement in the buying process.Design/methodology/approach: A survey was used to collect data from Spanish hotel customers. A structural equation model was developed to assess the research hypotheses.Findings: Consumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels has a direct effect on their behavioral intentions. Environmental CSR image has a direct effect on consumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels, but it does not exert significant influence on consumers’ behavioral intentions. Additionally, the results support a positive and significant influence of consumers’ perceptions of green practices on the environmental CSR image of hotels. Finally, there is not a moderating effect of consumers’ involvement on the effects of green practices on CSR environmental image and of this variable on behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implications: To cross validate the results of this study, it is recommended that the formation of behavioral intentions in various types of environmentally certified hotel settings be investigated in future research.Practical implications: Hospitality managers should design strategies to raise the perception of the green-related features of environmentally certified companies.Originality/value: No prior study investigates the relationship between green practices, customers’ trust, their degree of involvement in the buying process and their behavioral intentions in relation to companies’ environmental CSR image in the hotel sector.

This paper presents the results of the empirical study conducted in 68 Spanish private firms which are immersed in the implementation process of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, according to the Excellence in Management Club (the official representative and partner of EFQM in Spain which is a non-profit making organisation with the aim of being the reference and meeting point for organisations on their way towards excellence). The objective of this paper is to explore the main barriers of Total Quality Management implementation through the EFQM excellence model in Spanish private firms. The methodology consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine the importance and the structure of these barriers. Finally, cluster firms and these groups are analysed to establish their profile by cluster analysis. The results show that the most important barriers are those related to the lack of time and the lack of physical and financial resources. The structure of barriers in these firms is made up of three groups: behavioural and cultural barriers, organisational barriers, and resource barriers. Cluster analysis reveals that there are three different firm profiles: highly hampered firms, moderately hampered firms, and firms hampered mainly by lack of resources.