Eco-Innovative Museums and Visitors’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

This study assumes that green technologies at tourist destinations are a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). It investigates how technology-based eco-innovation is related to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and how eco-innovative CSR performance affects tourists' perceptions of destinations, emotions, and WOM (word of mouth) intentions in the context of sustainability and smart tourism. A dataset collected from the Handok Museum in South Korea was analyzed via a partial least squares (PLS) method, using structural equation modeling. This study examines the link between museum visitors' awareness of CSR and green technology. The constructs (perceived quality, image, and reputation) are positively correlated with CSR; museum visitors' emotions are in a parallel relationship with WOM intentions. The results confirm that the green technology implemented in the tourist destination is perceived as CSR by visitors. These technologies have a positive impact on environmental sustainability and contribute to a positive tourist experience. Thus, this paper encourages social responsibility practices at tourist destinations, as well as the development of green technology. This is the first empirical study that demonstrates how the profit-related concept of CSR can be applied to nonprofit organizations, Furthermore, for the first time, the managerial concept of CSR has been reviewed with technology-based eco-innovation in a museum setting.

Tourism towards Sustainability and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

“…It is assumed that green technologies at tourist destinations integrate corporate social responsibility. Moreover, technology-based eco-innovation has a positive role and impact on sustainable development goals, in the context of sustainability and smart tourism applied to nonprofit organizations, with a positive tourist experience contribution [21]. Technological innovation (cluster 1), firms' contributions in developing countries (cluster 2), non-financial reporting (cluster 3), and education for SDGs (cluster 4) are recognized as the main four interrelated research themes of SDGs applied in the business sector, through a bibliometric approach and SLR methods examined extensively [22].…”

An Exploratory Analysis of Museum Attributes from the Perspective of Tourists and Residents: The Case of Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Madrid, Spain

“…Museums make efforts to achieve positive economic and socio-cultural impacts, which are connected to sustainability strategies, visitor satisfaction, reputation, and prestige, as well as their connection to tourism [43]. Non-profit museums have a different goal because it is usually not only to obtain economic profits [44]. However, marketing and economic analysis strategies allow the performance of these organizations to be measured, and decision-making to be improved.…”

Sustainable Choices and Behaviors among Eco-Friendly Museum Travelers: Exploring the Drivers of Sacrifice, Visit, Pay, and WOM Intentions

“…Museums often generate harmful impacts on the environment through greenhouse gas emission, water pollution, soil contamination, and solid/food waste generation [ 2 , 4 ]. Facing the environmental issue is unavoidable for museum operators [ 3 , 4 , 5 ] as the museum industry has been constantly expanding together with the development of the tourism industry [ 6 ]. Greening museums is nowadays inevitable for all museum operators [ 4 , 7 ].…”

“…Patrons in the tourism marketplace are also ecologically conscious more than ever, showing increasing needs/wants for environmentally responsible products [ 8 , 9 ]. Given this, inducing visitors’ eco-friendly approach intentions/behaviors for a museum by practicing pro-environmental management and implementing green technology is becoming an essential goal for museum operations [ 2 , 3 , 5 ].…”

“…Eco-friendly museums indicate environmentally-friendly museum operations that are proactive in minimizing the harmful effect on the environment [ 1 , 7 ]. For eco-friendly museum operators, understanding various variables that elicit customer approach intentions and behaviors can be a vital requisite for the survival and success of their operations [ 5 , 7 ]. Many researches in environmental psychology and consumer behavior indicated that diverse cognitive variables drive approach behaviors for eco-friendly products/services [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”