Social Hurdles of sustainable hospitality management

Question 1

Tourism growth

Answer 1

• 1970s - 3000 tourists

- 2011 - 7.6 million tourists

Question 2

Benefits of tourism growth

Answer 2

• employment opportunities

- regional development

Question 3

Negatives of tourism growth

Answer 3

• environmental pollution
• health issues
• deterioration of natural and cultural resources

Question 4

Solution to Pollution: Caritas Switzerland

Answer 4

• Recycling project: used cooking oil -> recycling plant (north Denpasar) + chemically and mechanically filtered -> transformed into biodiesel
• Resold as industrial diesel for hotel generators
• Reduced carbon emissions + positive/ green publicity
• sometimes dodgy middlemen sell old “cooking oil” to food vendors = new cooking oil -> health risks

Question 5

Internal drivers and Barriers

Answer 5

• Environmental commitment (Driver)

- Threat of change, fear of unknown (Barrier)

Question 6

External Drivers and Barriers

Answer 6

• Environmental regulations
• Stakeholder pressure: optimise company operation by understanding the different interests of stakeholders and their power relations
• Stakeholders have diverse needs -> very difficult to reach a consensus, potential contradictions and disagreements. e.g. found in company with highly centralized decision
• > SOLUTION: improve intercultural communication

Question 7

Cultural Dimensions

Answer 7

\+ "Categorising is good"
- Geertz Hofstede
- Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner
- Globe Project Team
\+ "generalising is bad" -> existing "tendencies of overgeneralization and universalisation in today's social sciences"
- Shi-Xu (2012)
- Flybjerg (2001)
- Hollinger (1994)
- Smart (2003)

Question 8

Geert Hofstede Model of 6 cultural Dimensions

Answer 8

1. collectivism - individualism
2. Power distance
3. Femininity - Masculinity
4. uncertainty avoidance
5. long term orientation
6. Indulgence - restraint

Question 9

globe Project team

Answer 9

1) Institutional collectivism
2) In-group collectivism
3) Power distance
4) Gender equality
5) Uncertainty avoidance
6) Future orientations
7) Assertiveness
8) Performance orientation
9) Humane orientation

Question 10

Indonesia

Answer 10

1. Age and status hierarchy
2. existing power relations
3. centralized decision making
4. conflict avoidance
5. never say “no”
6. short term orientated
7. collectivism
   - > nepotism, group think

Question 11

Qualitative research

Answer 11

social aspects and cultural differences + increases understanding + explanation for human action
- immersion as full participant: Balinese culture and festivals -> better understand local values and specificities
- spectator role
+ site visits to recycling plant -> familiarize with project
+ attend Caritas-hotel X meetings -> observe intercultural communication

Question 12

Primary challenges for Caritas

Answer 12

• Intercultural communication
• Contact person kept changing
• Collectivism and group thinking

Question 13

Intercultural communication

Answer 13

how culture affects communication

• conflict avoidance
• ambiguous answers, never say “no”

Question 14

contact person kept changing

Answer 14

since none of the managers’ job descriptions included anything involving “sustainability”, none of them felt responsible for the project

Question 15

collectivism and group thinking

Answer 15

• interests of employees are protected and hotel management is afraid of upsetting staff with changes (many of whom have been round for a long time)
• prefer to sell used cooking oil in their own community, through personal contacts

Question 16

suka-duka

Answer 16

• an employee welfare organisation
• monthly rep. collects money from each member of staff. This money, together with the money from sold cooking oil etc. is collected in the shared suka-duka fund, for the “good and bad” times
• > PRIMARY STAKEHOLDER

Question 17

Short term vision

Answer 17

• Believe the works us too complex for humans to always be thinking of the future -> focus on quick results
• Potential financial benefit of oil recycling was not evident enough
• Lack of urgency and speed

Question 18

Stakeholders

Answer 18

Since the traditional authority has been shifted to foreign leadership in many luxe hotels, the question of trust and dependency among stakeholders is often challenging

Question 19

Principle Challenges

Answer 19

• Collectivism and groupthink

- > not hotel managers who make decisions, rather the suka-duka

Question 20

SOLUTION to the problem

Answer 20

• Make direct contact with the F&B suka-duka teams to gain support of the communities
• improve intercultural communication through sociologists and consultants.

Question 21

sustainable development

Answer 21

developing without depleting or degrading the environment

Question 22

luxury hospitality

Answer 22

hotel/ restaurant with luxurious accommodations for guest

Question 23

Balinese culture

Answer 23

• people are more ambiguous, focuses on harmony and peace

- collectivist society -> place interest of families first, focuses on the present

Question 24

sociocultural awareness

Answer 24

awareness of the societies and cultures of target market

Question 25

Bapakism

Answer 25

Bapak = leader, anak buah = children

- social relationship and concentration of authority “paternalism”

Question 26

banjar

Answer 26

the civil community (island + Hinduism)

Question 27

kira kira

Answer 27

Balinese mentality = “approximately”, applied to all situation
- lack of urgency

Question 28

warungs

Answer 28

small food stalls (refined oil)

Question 29

Balinese culture

Answer 29

• age and status
• avoids conflicts
• short-term oriented

Question 30

groupthink

Answer 30

phenomenon that can entail poor decision making within a deeply involved group