Environmental and quality practices: using a video method to explore their relationship with customer satisfaction in the hotel industry

Abstract

We empirically explore the link between environmental sustainability practices, service quality, and customer satisfaction. Using the hotel industry as the empirical setting, we provide evidence that by effectively integrating environmental and quality practices, service organizations can provide a legitimate signal of overall service excellence. This has a positive effect on customer satisfaction. In addition, we empirically demonstrate the existence of synergies between environmental practices and service quality on customer satisfaction, and show how experimental procedures with the help of video technology can be utilized in operations management research to provide insights on the relationships between various constructs and their interactions. The use of video technology provides respondents with the opportunity to better “experience” the scenarios involved in experimental designs. Based on our findings, we stress the importance of linking environmental and quality practices in the design of service delivery systems.