This chapter focuses on Research Design and Methodology.

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1 This chapter focuses on Research Design and Methodology. 5.1 Research Approach The present study being exploratory, examination of collected opinions was carried out to provide significant insights into situations. The study was based on personal interviews, questionnaire, mails and telephonic calls conducted with different departments of various hotels. Data was collected upto April Research Design Resource management can be studied via evaluation of green/eco-initiatives conducted by the hotel. Research design, hence, included environmental resource considerations. The initial step was to gather preliminary information that would help define problems. Thereafter, the design incorporated environmental patterns in the categorization and evaluation stages, which led to the analysis of data. The idiom environmental resource management is frequently considered as a minor concern, a community problem and an addendum to advertising that enhances expenditure and characterizes one product/merchandise over another. Nevertheless, the same idiom transforms the research design so completely that it becomes almost a discipline. To accomplish the research design, it was essential that the entire methodology, approach, and line of study be overhauled. Every element or factor required consideration of the allusion of the adjective environmental. Thus, the design was framed keeping in mind an overall approach or philosophy. Comparative study was made between the effectiveness of resource management practices among different developed Ecotels (Ecotels which are fully certified members of the collection) and non-ecotels considering all environmentalfriendly/green performances/initiatives at all levels/globes. Further, comparative study of resource management practices was also carried out across hotels, star-status-wise. Working on this problem involved a number of steps- Identification of key environmental-resource research plan and hospitality industry information sources. For this, detailed study was made of the philosophy behind the environmental friendly practices and hence management of resources in hotels. 93

2 Collection and Collation of key information from various sources Identification of patterns of the environmental friendly practices and categorizing them under each globe Analysis, interpretation and comparative study of these practices/green-initiatives Development of an Organizational Environmental Working Model from the various information collected; utilizing the best features and management policies identified Study of effectiveness of best practices and hence developing, processing and reporting an Environmental Management System Identification of problems, necessary eco-initiatives and suggestions of scaling up in future Objectives of the Study The research objectives were- to find out the green initiatives that govern the effectiveness of Ecotels in areas related to Environmental Commitment, Water Conservation & Preservation, Energy Efficiency, Solid Waste Management, and Employee Environmental Education & Community Involvement to analyze the initiatives and compare their uniqueness with those in non-ecotels to formulate an Organizational Environmental Working Model utilizing the best features and management strategies identified from hotels to study eco-friendly practices, if any, in non-ecotels Factors under Study Independent and Dependent Factors- Hospitality Valuation Services (HVS) focuses on sketching, executing and monitoring all-embracing environmental programmes for both existing and developing hotels. As each hotel property has diverse requirements and objectives that are driven by cost, return on investment, programme visibility, tourist anticipations, staff participation, community influence, and other similar aspects, HVS tailors unique programmes for each hotel facility. Hence, the inspection system of Ecotel does not have fixed parameters defined 94

3 under each globe (green initiatives/measures of all the sampled hotels are considered as the universe in the present study). Properties that are capable of exhibiting an elevated level of environmental accountability are awarded the Ecotel logo. Ecotel certification focuses principally on the green initiatives of the property it certifies. It is a five globe (Environmental Commitment, Water Conservation & Preservation, Energy Efficiency, Solid Waste Management and Employee Environmental Education & Community Involvement) rating system, which is awarded to hotels that exhibit a predetermined level of environmental understanding and management. Hence, the green initiatives and measures of Ecotels to maintain quality vary with those of non-ecotels and often within Ecotels. Thus, each is dealt with separately as independent factor. The Five Globes are considered as dependent factors Hypotheses of the Study Considering the five globes of Ecotels- Ho 1 - there is no significant difference between Ecotels and non-ecotels in terms of their Environmental Commitment Ho 2 - there is no significant difference between Ecotels and non-ecotels in terms of their Water Conservation & Preservation Ho 3 - there is no significant difference between Ecotels and non-ecotels in terms of their Energy Efficiency Ho 4 - there is no significant difference between Ecotels and non-ecotels in terms of their Solid Waste Management Ho 5 - there is no significant difference between Ecotels and non-ecotels in terms of their Employee Environmental Education & Community Involvement Sample Selection for Study Sampling was done to choose the hotels. All Ecotels were chosen by purposive sampling and simple random sampling within each cluster was done to choose two non-ecotels. 95

Each state having an Ecotel is considered as a cluster. Two non-ecotels of the same starstatus were chosen through simple random sampling from each cluster- state.

4 Each state having an Ecotel is considered as a cluster. Two non-ecotels of the same starstatus were chosen through simple random sampling from each cluster- state. Maharashtra, having three Ecotels, non-ecotels of the same star-status were chosen from the city in which Ecotel is located. Thus, in case of Maharashtra, city is considered as cluster. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE PURPOSIVE SAMPLING (All Ecotels- 8) SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING WITHIN EACH CLUSTER (Total non-ecotels- 16) Fig. 5.1 Sample Selection for Study The study has been done to gain a better understanding of management of resources in hotels and the manner in which they deal with the balance between luxury and environmental awareness. The following Ecotels were surveyed- The Orchid, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Five-Star Rodas, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Three-Star The Fern, Rajasthan, Five-Star The Uppals, New Delhi, Five-Star Cabbana Orchid, Punjab, Five-Star The Beach Orchid, Kerala, Five-Star The Lagoona Resort, (Lonavla), Maharashtra, Three-Star The Raintree, (Chennai), Tamil Nadu, Five-Star 96

5 Sixteen hotels without Ecotel certification, in a ratio of 1 Ecotel : 2 non-ecotels of the same star-status and from the same cluster were studied to get comprehensive and comparative knowledge about each practice. The non-ecotels surveyed were- Le Royal Meridien, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Five-Star Hotel Sea Princess, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Five-Star Hotel Transit, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Three-Star Hotel Godwin, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Three-Star Hotel Trident, Rajasthan, Five-Star Shereton Rajputana, Rajasthan, Five-Star Shangri-La s - Eros, New Delhi, Five-Star The Park, New Delhi, Five-Star The New Park Plaza, Punjab, Five-Star Radisson Windsor, Punjab, Five-Star The Leela Kempinski, Kerala, Five-Star Hotel Surya Samudra Beach Garden, Kerala, Five-Star Lions Den Hotel, (Lonavla), Maharashtra, Three-Star Kailash Parbat Hotel, (Lonavla), Maharashtra, Three-Star The Accord Metropolitan, (Chennai), Tamil Nadu, Five-Star Taj Coromandel, (Chennai), Tamil Nadu, Five-Star In addition, three more hotels were studied- Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, (Mumbai), Maharashtra, Five-Star, which follows Wyndham Green operating standards. VITS, (Mumbai), Maharashtra (former Ecotel), Four-Star and ITC Sonar, (Kolkata), West Bengal, Five-Star well known in the hospitality industry for its certified emission reductions and Clean Development Mechanisms, which might convince Indian hotels to invest in energy efficient initiatives that would play a role towards upholding the energy requirement of the country. All data collected from these hotels were used to discuss and compare the green initiatives undertaken (hotel type/category-wise as also star-status-wise) considering each 97

6 of the five globes, decide upon the necessity of integrating hotel environmental strategies with management control using Efficient Management of Resources approach and develop a novel Organizational Environmental Working Model Tools of the Study Information collected were from different departments of various hotels through- Questionnaire (both open and closed types were used) Interviews (Personal and teleconference based on questions framed in the questionnaire) Respondents were departmental/sectional heads, who were in a position to provide relevant information. Collection of information through interviews (personal and teleconference) were found to be quite revealing as hotels often hesitated to detail the entire data penning it on the questionnaire provided. Apart from personal interaction with the heads of the departments-managers-administrators and teleconferencing, s were also used as a media of data collection as it is cost effective, less time consuming, results in better accuracy and minimizes bias. Official records in the form of secondary data were collected as and when required. Information from books and media were collected as tertiary data. Guest survey was also conducted to procure their acuity related to resource management, awareness about environmental issues as well as expectations with regards to ecoinitiatives and quality of service Preparation of Questionnaire Initially a pilot survey was carried out with an Ecotel and non-ecotel in Mumbai. In the light of shortcomings and problems faced by the investigator, suitable modifications were incorporated in the questionnaire. This survey helped in the understanding of various parts, aspects and subdivisions under each question of the questionnaire so that answers to the questions could enable one to assemble all environment-related information of both Ecotels and non-ecotels unambiguously. An elaborate questionnaire was prepared thereafter with a perspective of detailing quantitative as well as qualitative investigation. The questionnaire (APPENDIX 1) was divided into four parts- A, B, C and D. 98

7 The philosophy of the questionnaire was based on the five globes- Environmental Commitment Water Conservation & Preservation Energy Efficiency Solid Waste Management Employee Environmental Education & Community Involvement Part A included the following- General Information Infrastructure Facilities Respondents had to provide with basic information regarding the property and presence or absence of facilities. Parts B, C, D as well as Guest Survey (APPENDIX 2) comprised alternative questions like (Yes/No) as well as tick ( ) mark correct options or services. In addition to these closed ended questions, some open ended questions and cross check questions which could verify accuracy of answers supplied by the respondents with respect to matters which are fundamental to the enquiry, were also included. Questions of part B were based on- Environment Commitment Building, Interior and Operation Emissions and Indoor Air Quality Services Noise Management Environmental Management Systems Water Conservation & Preservation Energy Efficiency Solid Waste Management Employee Environmental Education & Community Involvement 99

8 Part C had questions on Environmental Effort regarding- Visitor s response, as received by the Hotel And Part D had questions for- Senior Management Apart from this, a separate questionnaire was prepared for- Guest Survey (Survey of Frequent Travelers) In order to find out whether the questions asked in the questionnaire were in tune with the questions as well as aspects looked into by Hospitality Valuation Services (Concept Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. in India) while granting Ecotel category, the questionnaire was ascertained from authorities of Concept Hospitality Pvt. Ltd Techniques Used Multivariate analysis was carried out with SPSS Version 19.0 The following utilities have been used- Descriptive Statistics Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) Mann-Whitney U Test The next chapter provides a descriptive study on the green initiatives carried out by various Ecotels and non-ecotels considering each globe. 100

Chapter 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Chapter 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 5.1 Statement of Research Problem 122 5.2 Objectives 122 5.3 Hypothesis 123 5.3.1 Main Hypothesis 123 5.3.2 Specific Hypothesis 123 5.4 Methodology 124 5.4.1 Questionnaire