The sustainability behaviour of small firms in tourism: the role of self-efficacy and contextual constraints

Article


Kornilaki, M., Thomas, R. and Font, X. 2019. The sustainability behaviour of small firms in tourism: the role of self-efficacy and contextual constraints. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 27 (1), pp. 97-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1561706
TypeArticle
TitleThe sustainability behaviour of small firms in tourism: the role of self-efficacy and contextual constraints
AuthorsKornilaki, M., Thomas, R. and Font, X.
Abstract

This article presents a grounded theory to explain why some small businesses in tourism adopt sustainable business practices while others do not, even when they share environmental and wider sustainability concerns. It does so based on research undertaken among business owners in Crete. The paper starts by considering studies on sustainability awareness, knowledge and the mechanisms for accepting responsibility. Secondly, it summarises the influence of task difficulty and effort on sustainability self-efficacy. Thirdly, it focuses on social comparisons and vicarious experiences, as a way of learning what is important. Finally, it examines powerlessness due to perceived situational constraints. In so doing, the study finds that self-efficacy helps to explain sustainable attitude formation and the attitude-behaviour gap; it partly shifts the locus of responsibility for an inability to act sustainably away from the individual and towards their context. The paper contributes to the theoretical literature on small businesses and sustainability, and leads to new avenues for policy interventions.

PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
JournalJournal of Sustainable Tourism
ISSN0966-9582
Electronic1747-7646
Publication dates
Online31 Jan 2019
Print02 Jan 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited09 Mar 2020
Accepted04 Dec 2018
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright Statement

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Sustainable Tourism on 31/01/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09669582.2018.1561706.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1561706
LanguageEnglish
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Normative influences: how socio-cultural and industrial norms influence the adoption of sustainability practices. A grounded theory of Cretan, small tourism firms
Kornilaki, M. and Font, X. 2019. Normative influences: how socio-cultural and industrial norms influence the adoption of sustainability practices. A grounded theory of Cretan, small tourism firms. Journal of Environmental Management. 230, pp. 183-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.064