Case studies

Case study 1 – Company X produces food, especially for the tourism industry

Business sustainability is becoming increasingly important for managers in the modern economy. It can be described as a holistic continuous improvement process that includes the sound management of people and the environment. Business sustainability involves doing everything better and more efficiently. True sustainability must be integrated into all operations of a business – from policy and management to on-ground activities such as purchasing, production, and distribution. The development of a sustainable strategy should be strongly aligned with a business plan.

Company X produces food, especially for hotel businesses. The company identifies the pressures in the market that are driving its business to become more sustainable and carbon-free. Company X believes that sustainable growth and maximizing shareholder value into the future are being achieved by considering customer needs and providing high quality and value: (driver – product quality). The company should set its vision where it is heading because the representatives of the hotel industry are looking for sustainable/eco-friendly solutions for their food products. Its objectives are to source 100% of its energy from renewable sources and use 100% of raw materials from local environmentally accredited sources. The company tries to analyze its gaps in terms of understanding production patterns and consumption of resources and see the problematic areas. However, the company has a difficulty in developing sustainable strategies, since it has been paying attention to financial benefits in the industry. Setting a clear vision considering future sustainability preparations, and what the market will bring in terms of carbon footprint, energy and environmental solutions affecting food production, can be a starting point.

Being new in the business, what actions Company X can take to sustain its business operations so that it can respond to the needs of customers in the hotel industry, is a big challenge and a question mark. Whatever sustainable solution is put in action will contribute to the environmental preservation of the destination but the number of actual efforts matters for protecting the environment.

Case study 2 – Hotel Y surviving in pandemic times

Hotel Y, a locally-owned three-star hotel, has been in the tourism industry for more than 25 years, which is located in the city center of Barcelona. The hotel has a small team taking care of the business operations. The business owner has some brilliant ideas to boost its business but the Covid-19 pandemic changed the future perspectives. The 55-year-old Xavi loves the natural environment in Barcelona. He is thinking of refurbishing his hotel with energy-saving bulbs, water-saving options, and buying local food items nearby with energy-efficient transportation instead of using vehicles running with fuel. But the operational cost is a pain and a struggle for him.

In the peak season, too many international visitors arrive at his accommodation, and he witnesses that they interact with the locals all the time. The owner is thinking of hiring more locals for his hotel to serve the guests, also willing to help the locals and train them, and let them know about the sustainability of operations and environmental protection. The business is also coping with the current pandemic, shut-down of businesses, financial issues, and the drastic changes in the number of guests affecting local businesses. Therefore, the business owner’s current and future plan for reestablishing their business, and reevaluating the perspectives for economic development, the local community, and environmental actions is key.

The key questions are: How will Xavi act for sustaining his tourism business despite the current pandemic and economic fluctuations? How can Hotel Y balance the use of economic, social, and environmental factors of sustainability so that it creates a win-win situation both for the hotel, the local community, and the visitors?

Case study 3 – Travel agency A reestablishing its views on green travel

Travel agency A has been in the tourism business for seven years. The agency has its regular operations such as following the reservations, hiring agents, and preparing and organizing tours to ancient sites and various domestic and international destinations for the visitors. The agency is willing to collect feedback from the customers for their travel experiences but sometimes lacks the fulfillment of needs due to several reasons such as scarce resources, lack of collective effort, and wage issues of employees. As time goes in its business, the travelers started to ask different questions concerning the green perspective of the travel agency, carbon footprint matter, green travel options, or sustainable efforts of the agency instead of regular questions such as where to go, cost of activities, at what time they leave and have dinner at the hotel.

The development of a green strategy/sustainable strategy for Travel agency A will help the agency grow along the way. Training sessions may include the application of environmental management practices, and how carbon footprint reduction and carbon handprint increase are possible in the travel experience. These sessions also remind the employees that the more you become green the more you can protect the environment and let the guests decide accordingly by informing them. Therefore, green travel choices can be presented to the employees and the guests as well. Listening to guests’ needs carefully, planning, acting, monitoring, and evaluating steps will help this process.

The questions are: Is Travel Agency A willing to take a further step for forming a green strategy concerning green travel in its business? How can Travel Agency A fulfill the needs or worries of the travelers throughout their green travel so that they are fully satisfied with their travel experiences?