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Sustainability in Action; Case study on Swedish Chain hotel's Sustainability Translation in Practice

Khatri, Pooja LU and Ma, Ziyue LU (2025) In Department of Service studies, Lund University SMMM40 20251
Department of Service Studies
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand
interorganizational factors that lead to the inconsistency and ineffective
implementation of sustainability strategies by focus on the translation of
ideas from top management to the operational level for practices in a
chain hotel located in Southern Sweden.
What factors influence the translation of sustainability talk into practices
in the Swedish Chain Hotel?
The interpretive research paradigm was adopted, and a single case study
was applied within this qualitative approach to align the study with the
purpose. The data collection is based on semi-structured interviews and
participatory observation, and the data was analyzed through thematic
analysis
The... (More)
The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand
interorganizational factors that lead to the inconsistency and ineffective
implementation of sustainability strategies by focus on the translation of
ideas from top management to the operational level for practices in a
chain hotel located in Southern Sweden.
What factors influence the translation of sustainability talk into practices
in the Swedish Chain Hotel?
The interpretive research paradigm was adopted, and a single case study
was applied within this qualitative approach to align the study with the
purpose. The data collection is based on semi-structured interviews and
participatory observation, and the data was analyzed through thematic
analysis
The results show the factors that hinder sustainability practices in a
Swedish Chain Hotel, including ambiguous goals, a lack of training and
motivation, resource constraints, and cultural differences that impact the
understanding of sustainability goals. The result also highlights the role
of the translation process at different hierarchical levels in the
continuous interpretation of the main idea based on the receiver's context
in the Swedish chain hotel, affecting the implementation of policies. To
achieve the overall sustainability goal, internal factors hindering
sustainable practice need to be addressed, and required measures need
to be taken for a successful sustainable business, bridging the gap
between sustainability talk and sustainable practice. (Less)
Popular Abstract
The study looks at why big hotel chains sometimes struggle to turn their commitments about being more sustainable into actions. The research focuses on a hotel located in southern Sweden, understanding opinion of employees and observing their daily work to find out what gets in the way of putting eco-friendly ideas into practice even-though the ideas sounds more promising. The study found that the sustainable goals were unclear within operational employees, limited resources and not enough training make it hard to carry out sustainable routines. Also it showed that. the messages on sustainability misunderstood as they move from top to bottom level especially when employees comes from different backgrounds. To becomes a sustainable business... (More)
The study looks at why big hotel chains sometimes struggle to turn their commitments about being more sustainable into actions. The research focuses on a hotel located in southern Sweden, understanding opinion of employees and observing their daily work to find out what gets in the way of putting eco-friendly ideas into practice even-though the ideas sounds more promising. The study found that the sustainable goals were unclear within operational employees, limited resources and not enough training make it hard to carry out sustainable routines. Also it showed that. the messages on sustainability misunderstood as they move from top to bottom level especially when employees comes from different backgrounds. To becomes a sustainable business per its commitment, the hotel needs to adress these internal challenges and make it easier for everyone to be on-board when it comes to be a responsible business with care for the environment. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Khatri, Pooja LU and Ma, Ziyue LU
supervisor
organization
course
SMMM40 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Sustainable practice, sustainability strategies, translation theory, Green certifications, Sustainability Implementation, Translation Failure
publication/series
Department of Service studies, Lund University
language
English
id
9209232
date added to LUP
2025-08-25 12:31:14
date last changed
2025-08-25 12:31:14
@misc{9209232,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand 
interorganizational factors that lead to the inconsistency and ineffective 
implementation of sustainability strategies by focus on the translation of 
ideas from top management to the operational level for practices in a 
chain hotel located in Southern Sweden. 
What factors influence the translation of sustainability talk into practices 
in the Swedish Chain Hotel? 
The interpretive research paradigm was adopted, and a single case study 
was applied within this qualitative approach to align the study with the 
purpose. The data collection is based on semi-structured interviews and 
participatory observation, and the data was analyzed through thematic 
analysis 
The results show the factors that hinder sustainability practices in a 
Swedish Chain Hotel, including ambiguous goals, a lack of training and 
motivation, resource constraints, and cultural differences that impact the 
understanding of sustainability goals. The result also highlights the role 
of the translation process at different hierarchical levels in the 
continuous interpretation of the main idea based on the receiver's context 
in the Swedish chain hotel, affecting the implementation of policies. To 
achieve the overall sustainability goal, internal factors hindering 
sustainable practice need to be addressed, and required measures need 
to be taken for a successful sustainable business, bridging the gap 
between sustainability talk and sustainable practice.}},
  author       = {{Khatri, Pooja and Ma, Ziyue}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Department of Service studies, Lund University}},
  title        = {{Sustainability in Action; Case study on Swedish Chain hotel's Sustainability Translation in Practice}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}