Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality

This study examines how the legal form of business affects sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. While the link between ownership structure and sustainability is well recognized in corporate sectors, limited research addresses this in the collective accommodation industry. The study...

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Main Authors: Jitka Vávrová, Lenka Červová, Blanka Brandová, Jana Stolz-Römmermann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Business & Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2540508
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author Jitka Vávrová
Lenka Červová
Blanka Brandová
Jana Stolz-Römmermann
author_facet Jitka Vávrová
Lenka Červová
Blanka Brandová
Jana Stolz-Römmermann
author_sort Jitka Vávrová
collection DOAJ
description This study examines how the legal form of business affects sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. While the link between ownership structure and sustainability is well recognized in corporate sectors, limited research addresses this in the collective accommodation industry. The study analyzes data from Booking.com on 28 sustainability practices across five dimensions: waste reduction, water saving, energy and greenhouse gases, destination and community and nature preservation. The research covers 429 collective accommodation establishments in the Czech Republic’s main tourist regions, including limited liability companies, joint-stock companies (JSCs), sole proprietorships (SPs) and other legal forms. Statistically significant differences were found in energy and greenhouse gases and destination and community dimensions. These findings suggest that JSCs, due to their size, resources and public accountability, are better positioned to implement complex sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. In contrast, SPs tend to adopt more accessible and cost-effective practices. This study highlights the importance of ownership structure in shaping sustainability outcomes and offers insights for hospitality businesses seeking to enhance their CSR and environmental performance. The results also provide a foundation for developing targeted sustainability strategies and policy instruments that reflect the differing capacities of various business forms.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-12-01
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series Cogent Business & Management
spelling doaj-art-10635f2b95bd45af886c38757e6b70ec2025-08-20T03:34:10ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Business & Management2331-19752025-12-0112110.1080/23311975.2025.2540508Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitalityJitka Vávrová0Lenka Červová1Blanka Brandová2Jana Stolz-Römmermann3Department of Marketing and Trade, Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Marketing and Trade, Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicDepartment of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech RepublicFaculty of Management and Cultural Studies, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Görlitz, GermanyThis study examines how the legal form of business affects sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. While the link between ownership structure and sustainability is well recognized in corporate sectors, limited research addresses this in the collective accommodation industry. The study analyzes data from Booking.com on 28 sustainability practices across five dimensions: waste reduction, water saving, energy and greenhouse gases, destination and community and nature preservation. The research covers 429 collective accommodation establishments in the Czech Republic’s main tourist regions, including limited liability companies, joint-stock companies (JSCs), sole proprietorships (SPs) and other legal forms. Statistically significant differences were found in energy and greenhouse gases and destination and community dimensions. These findings suggest that JSCs, due to their size, resources and public accountability, are better positioned to implement complex sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. In contrast, SPs tend to adopt more accessible and cost-effective practices. This study highlights the importance of ownership structure in shaping sustainability outcomes and offers insights for hospitality businesses seeking to enhance their CSR and environmental performance. The results also provide a foundation for developing targeted sustainability strategies and policy instruments that reflect the differing capacities of various business forms.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2540508Sustainabilityhospitalitybusiness formownership structurecorporate social responsibilityTourism
spellingShingle Jitka Vávrová
Lenka Červová
Blanka Brandová
Jana Stolz-Römmermann
Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
Cogent Business & Management
Sustainability
hospitality
business form
ownership structure
corporate social responsibility
Tourism
title Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
title_full Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
title_fullStr Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
title_full_unstemmed Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
title_short Does ownership structure influence sustainability? Evidence from Booking.com sustainability practices in hospitality
title_sort does ownership structure influence sustainability evidence from booking com sustainability practices in hospitality
topic Sustainability
hospitality
business form
ownership structure
corporate social responsibility
Tourism
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2540508
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AT blankabrandova doesownershipstructureinfluencesustainabilityevidencefrombookingcomsustainabilitypracticesinhospitality
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