Exploring the Role of Openness to Collaborations with External Stakeholders in Sustainability Adoption: A Study Of Tourism Micro-Firms

Valentina Biconne (), Alessandra Colombelli () and Cristina Marullo

Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio Carlo Alberto. WP series from University of Turin

Abstract: Micro-enterprises form the backbone of rural tourism, serving as catalysts for development, providing customer experiences, and sustaining ties to particular locations. Encouraging these firms to adopt sustainability management practices could lead to significant global environmental improvements. This study examines the relationship between openness to collaborations with external stakeholders and adopting sustainability practices in rural tourism micro-firms. This study conceptualizes openness in terms of breadth (the variety of external partners), depth (the intensity of the relationships) and geographical outreach of collaborations. Data for this study were collected through a survey addressing micro-businesses operating in alpine rural tourism destinations in Italy and analyzed using ordinal generalized linear models. The findings reveal that higher openness to collaborations with external stakeholders leads to a higher diversity of sustainability practices adopted. Moreover, the variety of partners and the relationships with higher geographical outreach benefit the adoption of environmental practices, while the intensity and locality of the collaborations encourage the adoption of social ones. This study extends the literature on sustainability in the context of tourism micro-firms, which have seldom been studied alone. Furthermore, it answers calls for combined research on social and environmental management practices regarding small-sized firms.

Pages: pages 30
Date: 2024-07
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Working Paper: Exploring the Role of Openness to Collaborations with External Stakeholders in Sustainability Adoption: A Study Of Tourism Micro-Firms (2024)
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