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10.

7603/s40930-015-0005-7

Asia-Pacific
Sociocultural Journal
Hurdles of Innovation
of Sustainable in Hospitality
Hospitality and Tourism77
Management
APJIHT Vol. 4 No. 1 March 2015 pp. 77-92
ISSN 2289-1471

Review Paper

Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management


Annina Binder and Peter Varga
Ecole htelire de Lausanne, HES-SO / University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access by Taylors Press.

Abstract: Sustainability in the hospitality industry has been an area of growing interest among
stakeholders in the last decades. However, sustainable projects that are often proposed by
foreign/international stakeholders have met various obstacles during their implementation.
Beyond economic and political barriers, this paper focuses on sociocultural specificities that
jeopardize sustainable projects in luxury hotel settings in Bali, Indonesia. Through unique
organizational and communal values such as bapakism, banjar, kira kira and suka duka, the
paper highlights the complexity of the local sociocultural environment that plays a crucial
role in managerial decisions at luxury hotels. Understanding these sociocultural specificities
of the Balinese society will facilitate the efficient implementation of projects in the field of
sustainable development. In a more general context, the research indicates the importance of
both creating awareness of local sociocultural dynamics and establishing efficient intercultural
communication among stakeholders that influence the future success of development projects
in Bali.

Keywords: Sustainable development, intercultural communication, luxury hospitality,


Balinese culture, sociocultural awareness

Suggested citation: Binder, A. & Varga, P. (2015). Sociocultural hurdles of sustainable hospitality
management. Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism, 4(1), 77-92.

Introduction
Bali, a volcanic island in Indonesia, has experienced massive tourism growth from
30,000 tourist arrivals in 1970 to 7.6 million in 2011 (BPS Provinsi Bali, 2012).
The Balinese population benefited from this growth which provided employment
opportunities and regional development. However, this growth also had an adverse
impact on the local communities and on the nature of the island by contributing
to environmental pollution and the deterioration of natural and cultural resources
(Tang, 2004).

Correspondence: Peter Varga, University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. Email : peter.varga@ehl.ch

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78 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

In response to the environmental and health issues caused by the uncontrolled


waste management of the tourism industry in Bali, Caritas Switzerland, a Swiss-
based non-governmental organization launched a recycling project (Sertori, 2011).
Caritas collects used cooking oil from hotels and restaurants. The used cooking oil is
transported to a recycling plant in northern Denpasar, where the oil is chemically and
mechanically filtered and transformed into biodiesel (Christensen, 2012; Nurhayati,
2012). This biodiesel is then resold to the participating hotels as industrial diesel
which can be used for hotel generators. The hotels therefore benefit from reduced
carbon emissions and are able to advertise their sustainability efforts in their annual
reports.
The project also aims to protect the health of the population by regulating the
oil. However, many oil collectors sell the used cooking oil to middlemen who illegally
mix it so that it appears to be new (First biodiesel plant....., 2013). This refined oil
is sold on the local market to warungs small food stalls where the oil is reheated
for food preparation. As a result, the reheated oil presents a significant public health
risk, which could be otherwise minimized through the oil regulation of the Caritas
project (Christensen, 2012; Sertori, 2011).
Even though the Balinese hotels and the environment would benefit from the
project, a major challenge for the project team was to get a buy-in from the hotels
and restaurants. A significant number of hotels and restaurants participated in the
project and in January 2013, Caritas started transforming the used cooking oil into
biodiesel (Nurhayati, 2012). However, at the initial phase of the project, the number
of hotels willing to join the project was lower than anticipated, resulting in the
amount of used cooking oil being too small for the project to be economically viable
(Caritas Switzerland, 2011).
As such, the goal of this paper is to explore the major reasons for the unwillingness
of hotels to participate in this recycling project. The authors focused on the
organizational decision-making factors in luxury hotel settings in order to understand
latent cultural and societal factors, their impacts on the project, and the decisions
made by the hotel managers. The paper intends to answer the following question: To
what extent do sociocultural and organizational factors impact sustainable projects
in the Balinese hotel industry?

Sustainability in Decision-Making
Organizational decision-making to participate in a sustainable project depends on
internal and external drivers. Internally, an environmental commitment is often
highly significant for future managerial and strategic decisions. This commitment
depends on organizational objectives and characteristics (Bonilla-Priego, Najera &
Font, 2011; Poudyal, Siry & Bowker, 2012). An internal barrier to decision-making

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Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management 79

is the threat of change. Individuals may resist change because they have worked in a
company for a long time and are afraid to abandon longstanding practices (Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2007).
One of the major external drivers, besides environmental regulations (Kirk,
1995) is stakeholder pressure (Henriques & Sadorsky, 1999). According to Freeman
(1984), a stakeholder can be defined as any group or individual who can affect or is
affected by the achievement of the organizations objectives (p. 46). Freeman (1984)
also underlines the idea that if a company wants to optimize its operation, it should
understand the different interests of its stakeholders and their power relations.
Johnston & Tyrell (2005) emphasized that finding a consensus among various
stakeholders on innovation and changes in relation to development at a company is
very challenging. The fact that different stakeholders often have dissimilar needs and
desires can create contradictions at the company. Countries with highly centralized
decision-making practices might have sociocultural barriers that hamper unanimity
among stakeholders interests (Sofield, 2000; Song, Liu, & Chen, 2012).
One way to understand the context of these stakeholder interests could be by
improving intercultural communication practices that can enhance the understanding
of the specific sociocultural factors involved in local dynamics. Academic and business-
oriented scholars continuously try to comprehend intercultural communication in
todays globalized world. Among these, Geertz Hofstede, Trompenaars & Hampden-
Turner, and the Globe Project Team have attempted to categorize various cultural
dimensions that characterize specific national cultures.
On the other hand, various authors (Shi-xu, 2012; Flyvbjerg, 2001; Hollinger,
1994; Smart, 2003) consider that there are tendencies of overgeneralization and
universalization in todays social sciences both in theoretical and practical applications
concerning culture and cultural manifestations. Others such as Billig (1995) and
Piller (2011), adopt a cultural relativist perspective and consider these nation-
based cultural dimensions too general as they lead to a misunderstanding of the
local sociocultural context. The Oxford Dictionary defines cultural relativism as the
theory that beliefs, customs, and morality exist in relation to the particular culture
from which they originate and are not absolute (online Oxford Dictionary, n.d.).
Hence, the authors of the present paper adopted this cultural relativist
perspective and considered that nation-based stereotypes and prejudices often imply
the simplification of cultural encounters and contribute to imprecise and unspecific
business decision-making procedures. Piller (2011) called it banal nationalism
that characterizes nation-state culture as one, without paying special attention to
peculiarities of local contexts, such as the Balinese Hindu culture where a unique
sociocultural environment has been formed due to its particular history.
Nevertheless, the authors of this paper also consider that macro-level cultural
dimensions can serve as a base for more precise analyses of specific sociocultural

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80 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

settings. For instance, the Globe Project Team framework extends the classical Hofstede
model, which is based on five cultural dimensions (a sixth dimension was added
in 2010) to a more explicit theory because it identifies nine cultural competencies
which enable us to understand differences among cultures. These are power distance,
uncertainty avoidance, gender egalitarianism, assertiveness, future orientation,
human orientation, performance orientation and in-group collectivism (Chhokar,
Brodbeck & House, 2007). This set of dimensions is the most comprehensive set of
cultural dimensions available today (Connerley & Pedersen, 2005).
According to these cultural dimensions, the Indonesian society is organized in
rigid hierarchies where age and status act as the main defining characteristics (Lee,
2007). Existing power relations are not questioned (The Hofstede Center, n.d.)
and decision-making is centralized (Martin and Thomas, 2002). Indonesians try to
avoid conflicts, driven by the desire for a harmonious lifestyle (Irawanto, 2009). So,
they do not show negative emotions but communicate indirectly and ambiguously,
meaning that they would never refuse by saying no (Foss, 2009; Lange, 2010).
In addition, they are short-term orientated and the future is considered secondary.
Therefore, they live without long-term planning and focus on achieving quick results
and short-term gains (Ruppert, 2004).
Indonesia is a collectivist society where the interests of families and communities
are more important than individualism (Dickson, Hanges & Lord, 2001; Irawanto,
2009). As a consequence, many positions within companies and business deals are
awarded to group or family members (Martin & Thomas, 2002), implying practices
such as nepotism and collusion (Robertson-Snape, 1999). The collectivism leads to
groupthink which is a phenomenon that can entail poor decision-making within a
deeply involved group (Johnson, 2001).

Research Methodology
Qualitative research explains social aspects, cultural differences, opinions and
attitudes (Joubish, Khurram, Ahmed, Fatima & Haider, 2011). It also increases the
possibility of gaining an understanding of the research subject (Denzin & Lincoln,
2011) and is essential in explaining human actions (Genzuk, 2003). As such, the
qualitative research approach was considered appropriate for this research as the
factors influencing hotels decision-making have yet to be clearly identified. Semi-
structured interviews and six weeks of field research in Bali were therefore conducted
in order to understand the context of the project and the Balinese sociocultural
environment. The interviews were based on organizational factors while the cultural
analyses relied on the field research.
According to Genzuk (2003), in field research, the extent of participation in
the project and community can vary greatly from immersion as a full participant

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Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management 81

to a spectator role. In the role as a spectator, field research included site visits to the
Caritas plant in Denpasar and to hotels situated in southern Bali. In order to analyze
the intercultural communication and to familiarize with the sustainable project, the
researchers accompanied Caritas on hotel visits. Moreover, the researchers intended
to immerse themselves in Balinese culture and festivals during the six weeks allocated
to field work to better understand the value and cultural specificities.
To understand better the factors behind the reluctance of participation in the
recycling project, only upscale, chain-affiliated hotels that had already been contacted
by Caritas and were unwilling to join the project, were included in the interview
sample. These hotels were chosen for their category, their internationality or their
affiliation with a hotel chain, because businesses with these characteristics have a
positive approach towards sustainable initiatives (lvarez Gil, Jimnez & Cspedes,
2001; Claver-Corts, Molina-Azorin, Pereira-Moliner & Lpez-Gamero, 2007;
Poudyal et al., 2012).
Fifteen semi-structured interviews with nineteen representatives were conducted.
Fourteen of them were face-to-face interviews and one was carried out by email due
to time constraints. Thirteen interviews were conducted with hotel management
staff and two with Caritas representatives. The field research in Bali included site
visits to the recycling plant in Denpasar and hotel visits with Caritas to familiarize
themselves with the project.
The audio recordings helped identify quotes used in the thematic analysis.
Summaries about the themes discussed in the interviews were created and the
quotations coded (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Further codes from the observed data
were integrated in the analysis. These codes were then clustered into themes starting
with basic subjects moving towards more specific ones (Attride-Stirling, 2001).

Sociocultural Barriers to Sustainability


A major challenge for Caritas and the researchers was to communicate with the
hotel representatives. It became evident that communication behaviors in Indonesia
differ greatly from those in Western countries. The hotel representatives often gave
ambiguous answers to Caritas and to the researchers in order to avoid conflicts
(Irawanto, 2009; The Hofstede Center, n.d.). For example, they never refused to
participate in the project by answering no, to avoid upsetting anyone (Lee, 2007;
Ruppert, 2004).
Another difficulty that was encountered was that the contact person for the
targeted hotels kept changing. The researchers were redirected from one employee
to another several times, which is a typical illustration of an Indonesian cultural
characteristic. In general, Indonesians do not like to take decisions or initiatives
(Martin & Thomas, 2002). None of the managers felt responsible for the project since

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82 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

sustainability was not mentioned in the job description. Responsibility-shrinking is


probably more pronounced because of the hierarchical structure and the societys
centralized system in terms of decision-making. Moreover, the hotel representatives
did not discuss the project internally with management. This communication gap
implied that many decision-makers in the hotel did not know about the project.

We send emails to all the people that we talked to, but they still dont seem to know
about the project (personal communication, March 26, 2013).

The ability of a company to implement changes is essential for organizational


decision-making. For the hotels in Bali, implementing internal changes is a challenge
as traditionally, employees hold a position for a long period of time. They are generally
loyal to the hotel. In turn, the hotel management tends to support its staff and
therefore, does not participate in any sustainable project. In collectivist societies, the
interests of employees are protected and hotel management prefers not to upset staff
with changes (Irawanto, 2009). This creates a permanent conflict with expatriate
hotel managers as they cannot carry out projects, for example, oil recycling, due to
their unfamiliarity with local sociocultural dynamics.
Henriques and Sadorski (1999) and Thomas-Hope (1998) agreed that
stakeholder pressure can bring about changes in sustainability management. Yet, the
Indonesians want harmony and are not aware of urgency (Foss, 2009; Lange, 2010).
The interviews revealed that although pressure from associations, hotel management
and the government is lacking, there is support to implement sustainable measures.
The only influential pressure in the Indonesian society comes from social networks
(Ruppert, 2004).
Even though the hotels are located in urban areas, the community in Bali is
highly significant so that many traditional relationships have survived the external
influences of urbanization and mass tourism (Lietaer & DeMeulenaere, 2003).
Consequently, many Balinese work within family and community circles. In order
to support them, business deals between hotel staff and waste collectors are often
made within that circle. For example, in 8 of the 13 hotels interviewed, the used
cooking oil was sold to the surrounding community through personal contacts by
the kitchen team. This illustrates how sustainable perspectives are neglected by short-
term socioeconomic decisions made by specific groups.
In addition, these business deals have an impact on the suka duka of the hotels,
which is another characteristic of this collectivist society. Suka duka is a specific
concept which may only exist in Bali. It refers to a group-organization historically set
up in the villages of Bali, which is now used by hotel employees for internal matters.
Some refer to it as an employee welfare organization (Nurhayati, 2012). Generally,
in hotels, suka duka appears in the food and beverage and housekeeping departments

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Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management 83

due to the high number of staff especially locals (personal communication, March
20, 2013).
Each month, a representative collects money from each member staff. This money,
together with the money of the sale of the used cooking oil, plastic bottles and others
is collected in a fund and shared for suka duka which means good and bad times.
Mostly it is used for duka or sadness, whereby staff members receive money if a
family member passes away, has an accident or needs help (personal communication,
March 18, 2013). For suka or happiness, the fund is used if somebody gets married,
for hindu religious ceremonies or when the suka duka community undertakes trips
and organizes activities (personal communication, March 20, 2013).
Thus, the kitchen staff manages the used cooking oil and sells it to preferred
collectors from their communities. This exchange has a dual effect in the community.
The oil contributes directly to job creation and generates economic benefits for the
larger community. On one hand, the oil will be reused by warungs, food street vendors
and on the other hand, the suka duka community receives the income from selling
the oil and adds it to the food and beverage suka duka fund. The hotel management
avoids interfering with this traditional suka duka system of personal contacts and
social structure for the purposes of harmony and resistance to change.

We contacted ICA, the Culinary Association where all chef cooks of the hotels are
members. They take care most of the time the used cooking oil. We tried to be in the
monthly meetings to give out brochures and just to talk to the cooks. But they dont allow
us as they say it is for fun and it is a gathering. It is just like a drinking together and you
cannot go there to do an official presentation or to give out brochures. We talked several
times with the chairman, secretary, treasury but they said no (personal communication,
March 26, 2013).

Hence, due to its strong involvement and societal power, the suka duka
community should be considered as a primary stakeholder if management wishes
to carry out innovative projects, such as oil recycling. In this way, the community
connections and collectivism provide great opportunities to external stakeholders who
wish to implement projects in close collaboration with the community. Therefore,
sustainable projects should involve the local community in decision-making.
Another highly significant feature is bapakism, which means paternalism.
Bapakism is used in Indonesia to describe the complex social relationship and
concentration of authority. Bapak is a leader and his people are called anak buah,
which means children. They are like an extension of the family. The bapak is
expected to meet material, spiritual and emotional needs and represents not only
wealth, information and wisdom, but also respect, affection and solicitude. In return,
the anak buah needs to support the bapak by participating in family ceremonies

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84 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

and political parties, and by paying deference to him. Traditional authority and
patronage in Indonesia are called bapak-anak buah relationships and are significant
to Indonesias social and political life. These relationships show dependence and drive
social actions; they also explain the separation of the internal feelings (Jackson &
Pye, 1978).
Belonging to a community is an intense experience in Bali, as there are powerful
structures - the banjar - which refers to the civil community. In fact, communities
in Bali not only unify various groups and families but also safeguard their cultural
heritage when required (Lietaer & DeMeulenaere, 2003). Even though several
generations of families have lived in urban Bali, the traditional banjar still plays
an important role in their life. This community involvement is embedded in the
cultural heritage of the island and supported by the Hindu religion (Lietaer &
DeMeulenaere, 2003).
As an illustration, the banjar is held together through a dual currency system. One
currency is the Rupiah, the national currency, and the other one is nayahan banjar
meaning work for the common good of the banjar (Lietaer & DeMeulenaere,
2003). This system demonstrates that time devoted to the banjar is as important
as the currency. Due to this consistent system and structure, the Balinese have
the ability to both borrow suitable foreign values and maintain their own identity
(Picard, 1990).
In Indonesia, people see the present moment as being the most important. The
past plays a minor role in their concept of time and the future is also secondary
(Ruppert, 2004). Time is not money in Bali (Foss, 2009). One of the reasons for this
is the religious understanding of reality. Balinese think that the world is too complex
for humans to understand. If the reality cannot be ascertained, there is certainly no
point in planning or theorizing (Martin & Thomas, 2002). Therefore, there is little
business planning, there is significant interest in short-term gains and the focus is
on achieving quick results (The Hofstede Center, n.d.). Thus, the direct benefit of
negotiations has to be apparent (Ruppert, 2004). In the project, the financial benefit
of oil recycling was not clear enough for hotels to recognize it.
In Bali, the common approach to life is relaxed and flexible as the main objective
is to maintain harmony (Foss, 2009). The Balinese mentality is referred to as kira kira,
which means approximately and is generally applied to all situations (Lee, 2007).
Balinese do not rush in negotiations; the lack of urgency implies that punctuality,
efficiency, and deadlines are not important (Lange, 2010). They are not familiar with
terms like hurry, egoism, envy or eagerness and are usually humble and satisfied with
their lives, probably because of their abundant natural resources and their belief in
destiny (Lee, 2007). Similarly, time is considered a limitless pool and is often referred
to as rubber time, which illustrates its flexibility. Balinese are relaxed and do not

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Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management 85

like to hurry or deal with matters urgently. So foreigners should avoid pressuring the
Balinese (Lange, 2010; Lewis, 2006; Ruppert, 2004).
International hotel chains established themselves in Bali as a consequence of
globalization. Foreign-born expatriate managers often lack the understanding and
social connections that regulate social networks such as suka duka, bapakism, banjar
and kira kira. Since the traditional authority has been shifted to foreign leadership in
many of these luxury hotels, the question of trust and dependency among different
stakeholders brings up many challenges. It is particularly important in todays fast-
changing business environment where changes and innovations, such as sustainable
initiatives, are expected to be implemented swiftly.

Concluding Remarks and Recommendations


This research paper presented the difficulties arising in the implementation of an
innovative project in Bali, Indonesia. Caritas demonstrated its ability in initiating
a sustainable project of recycling used cooking oil in the Balinese hotel industry.
However, various organizational and sociocultural factors that influence the decision-
making of hotels prevent most of these hotels from having a forward-thinking
involvement in the project. The different sociocultural characteristics of the Balinese
society discussed in the paper explain that collectivism and group thinking are the
major issues which interfere with proposed sustainable initiatives, such as recycling of
used cooking oils in upscale hotels. The Balinese communities, including the banjar
neighborhood, the suka duka group, and the close relationship between hotel staff
and waste collectors are social structures which, together with the kira kira mentality,
affect the decision-making of Balinese people. As a result, it is not the hotel managers
who decide how the used cooking oil is used, but the suka duka group as they are
more connected and powerful.
In order to raise awareness about the project, it is advisable to make direct
contact with the food and beverage suka duka teams. With increased awareness,
the communities may embrace the values of sustainability while maintaining
their cultural identity (Lietaer & DeMeulenaere, 2003; Picard, 1990). Another
recommendation to overcome the barrier of relationships between hotel staff and
waste collectors is to work more closely with communities in Bali. To implement
a development project, it is necessary to gain the support of the community as this
is the best way to influence its members to take part (Irawanto, 2009; Martin &
Thomas, 2002). This approach is difficult as there are many communities and banjars
in Bali. It may require more resources and skills from stakeholders, but it would
increase the awareness and ensure the implementation of the project.
Sustainability is becoming an integral part of todays business models. The
hospitality industry is no exception; therefore, sustainable initiatives, projects and

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86 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

innovations need to be accepted by all the relevant stakeholders of a company.


This is probably easier to achieve in environments that are culturally-homogenous
compared to heterogenous sociocultural environments. This is the case in luxury
hotels at exotic destinations where the communication gap between locals and
expatriate managers is significant. One solution could be bringing in experts such
as anthropologists, sociologists or communication experts with unique skills and a
thorough understanding of local dynamics into the projects. By doing so, expatriate
managers could understand and incorporate local sociocultural specificities in their
business models that could facilitate not only innovative project management but
the hotels daily operations too.

Limitations and Directions for Future Research


This study looked into a concrete sustainable initiative which operates in a unique
social, economic and environmental context from the cultural relativist perspective.
The findings may therefore not be entirely applicable to other projects or locations.
One potentially tenuous aspect of the research is the sample size, 15 semi-structured
interviews were conducted with 19 hotel representatives during the 6 weeks of field
work, and limited to upscale hotels. Therefore, the authors are unable to draw general
conclusions from the actual results. Yet, the knowledge gained from this exploratory
research is applicable to intercultural projects in Bali as the circumstances are similar
to those of this project. They may additionally be used as a comparison for enterprises
in other locations and cultures. Throughout the analyses, the banjars and the suka
duka communities appeared to be the primary stakeholders in any development
project.
To conclude, suka duka, kira kira, banjar and bapakism are specific sociocultural
characteristics of the Balinese and, to a certain extent, the Indonesian society. A deeper
awareness of these characteristics could create better intercultural communication
among stakeholders in this initiative. Consequently, this would improve managerial
practices and contribute to a more successful implementation of future business and
sustainability projects in Bali.

Open Access: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License (CC-BY 4.0) which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

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90 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

Appendix 1

Explications of Bahasa concepts


Bapakism The word Bapak means father in the Indonesian language.
Bapakism describes complex social relationships and the
concentration of authority. In the Indonesian business
environment, a person who achieves a position of authority
and becomes a decision maker, he is recognized as being
a Bapak. A Bapak expects deference and obedience from
subordinates. While he has the responsibility to look after and
care for them, he also expects their loyalty and respect.
Banjar Banjar means neighborhood and is a social governance
structure in village communities. The banjar has a council
that meets twice a month and determines religious events,
collects money for ceremonies, allocates temple maintenance,
oversees land sales, etc.
Kira kira An Indonesian mentality which means approximately and is
exercised in all life situations.
Suka duka Suka means happiness and Duka means sadness. Suka duka
is a group-organization set up in the villages and hotels in
Bali. Each month, a representative collects money from each
member. This money is gathered in a fund and shared for
good and bad times, such as deaths, accidents, weddings,
ceremonies, community activities.
Warung Small food stalls in local markets.

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Appendix 2

Topics Name of Interviewee


Position of Interviewee
Interviewee Chain Name
Nr of hotels in chain
Chain Nr of staff in hotel
Nr of rooms
Star category
Location
Hotel Have you heard about Caritas before?
Do you know about Caritas cooking oil project?
Caritas When were you informed about the project?
Until now, how many times did you communicate with Caritas?
Are you willing to participate in the Recycling Used Cooking Oil
Project?
Why yes/no? - Please explain your answer!
Project Is there a person/group responsible for sustainability in the hotel?
Who is he/she?
Was/were the responsible person(s) replaced since the first time
Caritas contacted you?
Who is/are the person(s) responsible for taking the final decision
about the hotels participation in the project?
Have you discussed the project with the concerned departments?
Is/are there internal disagreement(s) concerning participation in the
project? Please explain?
Responsibility What do you consider more important to the hotel?
& - Public image - with tourists
Decision-making - Financial competitivess
- Compliance with regulations and standards
- Environmental responsibility
- Shareholder relationships
Others
Oil Do you already have an appropriate oil collector?
collector Where does the oil get recycled and how is it used by the collector?
Do you plan to monitor the company to ensure ethical use of the
oil in the future?

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92 Annina Binder & Peter Varga

Corporate Have you already implemented sustainable practices in the hotel/


culture chain?
What are those practices and why did you decide to implement
them?
Is sustainability mentioned in the hotels mission, vision and values?
Financial Please explain the benefits of participating in the Caritas project.
attitude Please explain the costs of participating in the Centers project.
Who benefits from the money you receive from selling the used
cooking oil?
What do they use the money for?
Did you talk to them about the Caritas project?
Would you favor a sustainable oil collector if Caritas compensated
you financially?
Legitimization & Please name all major stakeholders of the hotel.
Stakeholders From whom did you hear about the project? Government -
Associations - Caritas - Other
Do you feel pressured by them concerning the Caritas Project?
Would a participation in the Caritas project reduce possible liability
risks?
Are the customers of your hotel concerned about sustainability?
Do you think the oil recycling issue is urgent and should be more
regulated in Bali?
Do you think more environmentally-friendly visibility at the hotel
would give you a competitive advantage?
Do you think participation in the Caritas project would improve
the overall image of the hotel?
What could be improved to encourage hotels to participate in the
Caritas project?

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