Page 41 - Sustaining Accommodation SMES

5 Research Framework and Objectives

Figure 5.1 Group Discussions on Drivers and Barriers for Sustainable Tourist
Accommmodation Sector (photo by Luca Giraldi)

The qualitative analysis within this study, employing deductive the-
matic analysis, specifically utilised the Theory of Environmentally
Significant Behavior (Stern, 2000) to structure the interpretation
of management perspectives, allowing the researchers to systemati-
cally express beliefs and motivations against this robust theoretical
framework.

The primary objective of this research endeavour, which delineated the
comprehensive methodological framework outlined in this chapter, was
to conduct a meticulous investigation into the prevailing state of sustain-
ability within the Mediterranean accommodation sector. The overarch-
ing objectives of the study were threefold: firstly, to assess the key sustain-
ability impacts (both positive and negative) generated by the accommo-
dation sector; secondly, to evaluate the existing sustainability practices
currently being deployed by businesses; and thirdly, to uncover the key
issues and challenges that the sector faces in executing a successful sus-
tainable transition.
The goal was explicitly pragmatic: to furnish research-based empirical
substantiation that would form the basis for the subsequent development
of an effective and highly efficient Sustainability Protocol and a practi-
cal Self-Assessment Instrument, designed to assist businesses in system-
atically evaluating their performance and identifying clear areas for im-

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