Int. J Sup. Chain. Mgt Vol. 7, No. 6, December 2018 158 Green Practices in the Hotel Industry: The Push and Pull Factors Norhani Aripin #1 , Noor Afza Amran #2 , Natrah Saad #3 , Noor Rohin Awaluddin *4 # Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy (TISSA-UUM) Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia norhani@uum.edu.my afza@uum.edu.my natrah@uum.edu.my * Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business (OYAGSB) Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia nrohin@gmail.com Abstract - The objective of this study is to determine the motivational factors and barriers that influence the implementation of green practices in Malaysian hotels. The environmental issue in Malaysia has a long history, which began with river pollution because of tin mining operations. It has now become more critical as air pollution and waste disposal by the hotel industry have a negative impact on the environment. A total of 86 questionnaires were received from four-star and five-star hotels in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. The dependent variable is green practices, while the independent variables are motivational factors and barriers. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling approach and the SmartPLS software. Motivational factors are found to have a significantly positive relationship with the implementation of green practices. However, the barriers to green practices do not have statistical significance. The study contributes to existing literature by introducing factors that encourage the Environmental Management System (EMS) and also recommends the study of more strong factors in green practices research. Keywords: Green Practices, Hotel Industry, Motivational factors, Barriers, EMS Corresponding author: norhani@uum.edu.my 1. Introduction An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a problem-solving tool that should be practiced by all employees in an organisation (Tinsley & Pillai, 2006). An EMS is defined as “a framework for implementing environmental management into an organisation‘s activities, products and services” (Meade & Pringle, 2001). An EMS is a repetitive cycle, which includes policymaking, planning, implementing, reviewing as well as improving the environmental performance of an organisation. In Malaysia, the hotel industry has begun to implement green practices in their management system (Kasim, 2009; Ustad, 2010). Most foreign tourists believe that one very important criteria of good hotel management is the managers’ commitment to preserve nature and not damage the existing eco-system (Chan, 2008; Mensah, 2006). Green practices have led to increased environmental awareness in Malaysia. According to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, Malaysia is ranked at 26 th position. The number of hotels in Malaysia that have begun to implement green practices in their management system is increasing (Siti-Nabiha et al., 2011). There were approximately 14 certified green hotels in 2015 and the number increased to 20 certified green hotels in 2017 (Ministry of Tourism and Culture, 2017). Malaysia also targets 100 green hotels to be certified by 2018 (President of Malaysian Association of Hotels, 2015). The hotel industry is one of the sectors that has a great impact on the environment. Prior studies have found that environmental pollution from hotels comes from waste material sources (Moorthy & Yacob, 2013). According to Bohdanowicz (2005), between 160 and 200 kilograms of carbon dioxide per square meter of room are released annually by a normal hotel. The hotel sector comprises the housekeeping department, food and beverage production and services, laundry services, guest rooms and conference and meeting facilities (Bakori, Samdin, & Hassan, 2012). All the activities under these departments and services produce undesirable emissions, such as clorofluorocarbon, noise, fumes and odours that cause pollution. According to Kasim (2009) and Bohdanowicz (2005), the hotel sector is one of the main sectors that causes environmental degradation and accounts for various kinds of pollution, such as water, energy and waste pollution. Environmental issues within the hotel sector have been discussed globally. Over the past decades, the United Nations has expressed concern with the status of environmental protection (Chan & Lam, 2001). A hotel should practice and operate nature-oriented, environmentally-focused and environment-friendly use of energy, water and materials in order to diminish the ______________________________________________________________ International Journal of Supply Chain Management IJSCM, ISSN: 2050-7399 (Online), 2051-3771 (Print) Copyright © ExcelingTech Pub, UK (http://excelingtech.co.uk/) brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by UUM Repository