Environmental responsibility: internal motives and customer expectations of a winter sport provider

Abstract

Mountain resorts that offer winter sporting opportunities are facing sustainability issues ranging from public criticisms to the deterioration of the natural environment. To gain perspective on the issue of environmental responsibility (ER) in this particular context, a mixed-method study regarding a single mountain resort was undertaken. The first research phase utilized qualitative methods to examine message framing and motivations for communicating ER to consumers. Findings demonstrate that framing ER was strategically motivated albeit marginally performed. The second research phase employed a scale development approach to investigate the revealed ER effects on consumer attitudes and expectations. Results demonstrated that consumers held moderate levels of environmental awareness and that their behavioral intentions were mildly impacted by the organizations ER initiatives. Overall, the study demonstrated that for organizational employees, framing environmental messages caused dissonance but consumers were influenced by the ER activities.