Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : 6 Issue : 02

Page : 1- 18

K.V.A. Shantha

Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Management Studies, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8773-1225

In response to global sustainability challenges, hotels, as the most resource-intensive businesses in the hospitality industry, face constant pressure to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Consequently, researchers are increasingly interested in identifying the factors that influence the adoption of these practices. However, existing studies have typically examined these factors in isolation without capturing the complexity of their interactions, which limits a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. Hence, based on the insights from Diffusion of Innovation Theory, this study aims to address this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of these factors with their interconnected effects within a moderated mediation conceptual model. Data were collected from 226 managers of 3- to 5-star-rated hotels and analyzed using the PROCESS procedure for SPSS. Extending the existing literature on environmentally sustainable practices in hotels, the study’s results show that employee engagement partially mediates the effect of perceived usefulness of adopting environmentally sustainable practices on hotel performance. This partial mediation suggests that the potential positive effect of environmentally sustainable practices on hotel performance is facilitated by the presence of employee engagement towards such practices. Further, the study supports the role of stakeholder demand in amplifying the potential benefits of these practices. Specifically, increased stakeholder demand can inflate the positive effect of the perceived usefulness of sustainable practices on employee engagement towards them. Accordingly, the study concludes that the successful adoption of environmentally sustainable practices and their impact on hotel performance are influenced by the interconnected effects of perceived usefulness, stakeholder demand, and employee engagement. These findings offer valuable insights for hotel owners and managers, and policymakers to improve the adoption of sustainable practices and thereby contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Key Words : : Employee engagement, environmentally sustainable practices, hotel performance, moderated mediation model, perceived usefulness, stakeholder demand

Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : 6 Issue : 02

Page : 19- 31

W.W.D.P. Fernando ¹, P. Lankeshwara ²

^1,2 Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka.

¹ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4276-6122
² https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2221-2314

Online learning started to gain popularity across the world along with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the variables that influence the acceptance of online education among postgraduate students. The study is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which investigates the influence of variables such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, and perceived quality of work on students’ behavioral intentions towards online learning. A sample of 133 postgraduate students from a university in Sri Lanka was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. 62 respondents are following a degree program of Master of Science in Management (MSc) while 71 respondents are following a degree program of Master in Business Administration (MBA) and as a percentage, 46.6% is MSc and 53.1% is MBA. The collected data was then analyzed using statistical methods such as Pearson’s chi-square test and binary logistic regression. The results indicate that the acceptance of online learning is significantly influenced by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, and perceived quality of work. The binary logistic regression model had an overall predictive accuracy of 82.7%, suggesting that these characteristics combined account for a substantial proportion of the variability in students’ behavioral intentions to accept online learning. The study asserts that improving the ease of use, fostering peer support, and assuring cost-effectiveness are essential factors for enhancing the popularity of online learning among postgraduate students. The findings have significant importance for educational institutions aiming to enhance the utilization of online learning platforms, especially in light of continuous technological progress and evolving educational environments.

Keywords: : Education technology, student engagement, teaching and learning environment