Research of Consumers' Cognition about Green Hotel in China

Li Zhuping
School of Business Central South University Changsha 410083, China
AbstractThis paper analyzes the relation between cognition of green hotel and consumption will, investigates the relation of customer's idiosyncrasy and cognitive intensity of the green hotel . The consumption attitude and will of the customer of Chinese hotel industry have been surveyed and studied on the spot. The result of study shows that the hotel customer of domestic market has certain green consumption consciousness at present, but has not totally turned into real green consumer behavior, and there are greater differences between different customers. Keywords-green hotel; hotel cognition; consumer behavior consumers; consumption

Ouyang Qiang
School of Economic & Management Changsha University of Science & Technology Changsha 410076, China situation, but unwilling to pay extra expenses[2]. The year 2006 sees China beginning to work in grading of the green hotel. But this has more impact on consumer, how do consumers react to green measure of the hotel remaining to carry on deep research. This research collects some clauses related to consumer and works out into a questionnaire and carries on the discussion from 2008 edition green hotel national standard. In addition, some scholars have done a large amount of research about what factors can influence consumers' green cognition and green consumption. Many scholars propose that a lot of consumers care about environmental problem, but because the income is limited, the pragmatism will get the upper hand while making the purchase decision actually. According to a research results from Don Coursey that among all factors which influencing people's green consumption, the income is the most important factor. Once the per capita monthly income reaches more than 5000 dollars, people will spend money in improving the environment and carry on green consumption[3]. Another research has the same conclusion too, an investigation from Beijing (2001) reveals that person whose monthly income is under 1000 Yuan does not accept green products premium of 5% family's monthly income. Besides, the level of education will produce greater influence on green consumer behavior[4]. Result of Van Liere & Dunlaps study (1981) indicates that the group who are young, well-educated and politically free care even more environment than others. The research from China shows a group of consumers competent in education have stronger ability to accept the green products premium[5]. Ye Bihua et al (2004) examines the relation between personal characteristic of consumer and green cognition with green hotels[6]. According to the theory of consumers behavior, and then synthesize the above scholar's research results, proposes the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: The environmental protection action of hotel will influence the consumers purchase choice notably; Hypothesis 2: Consumers cognition about green hotel influences his consumption will to the green hotel notably; Hypothesis 3: Consumers idiosyncrasy will influence the green cognition of hotel. III. METHODOLOGY In order to find out about the approval intensity of consumer's cognition of green hotel and green environmental

I.

INTRODUCTION

The green hotels are such kinds of hotel which insist on regarding saving resources and energy, protecting the environment and reducing the cost as the idea of management and administration, promoting the environment to be harmonious, and also creating security and health service for consumers[1]. The Establishment of the green hotel is an effective way of driving the whole society to form the idea of appropriate consumption and build a good atmosphere of an economized society. The association of Chinese Hotel Industry puts out the first green hotel sector standard since 2003, National Tourism Administration issues and implements the green standard of tourist hotel in 2006, there are nearly one thousand green hotels in the whole country at present since the issues and implement of national standard of green hotel in 2008. But without the whole participation to the construction of green hotel, it is impossible for hotel to achieve the standard of tourist hotel. This paper sets about discussing from consumer's cognition of green hotel how to promote the construction of the green hotel more effectively. II. LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES The idea of the green hotel and grading system have already been put out abroad, such as Greening the Lodging industry which U.S.A. puts out , Hotel Association of Canada-Green Leaf Eco-rating Program put out by Canada in 1998, And Green Leaf Eco-rating Program supported by the ecological environment of the United Nations, devoted to incorporating to the idea of environmental protection the management of green hotel. In Asia, there are relevant grading systems too in Thailand, Kamal & Jauhari (2007) carries out an exploratory study to Indian passenger's attitude toward green measure and behavior, they find passengers of India have certain environmental consciousness, choose the environmental protection type hotel preferentially under serving the same

978-1-4244-4639-1/09/$25.00 2009 IEEE

practice, from June to September 2008, the seminar has carried on questionnaire investigation to the domestic consumers of 20 cities of Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Qinghai, Zhejiang in China at random. According to the need of the study, the authors consult relevant literature and design the questionnaire, the content of this investigation involves customer's cognition of the green hotel, the relation between green cognition and consumption will of hotel, and three respects such as the customer's cognitive relation of personal characteristic and green hotel, all questions appear in the form of multiple-choice form, the alternative answer makes appropriate adjustment and goes forward one by one sequentially according to according to Likert seven point method, gives different scores to reflect the difference of the intensity, analyzes customer's real cognitive intensity to the green hotel and green measure of hotel by size of the score. SPSS software has been used to carry on narrating statistical analysis and statistical check to the investigation result and obtains relevant analysis results. In order to examine reliability that the person answered, the opposite problem in the multiple-choice question has been set up on purpose, therefore reject some invalid questionnaires. The reply situation of the questionnaire sample: 500 questionnaires have been released together, regain 428 valid questionnaires, the efficient ratio is 85.6%. the retrieved questionnaire has samples of one's own, every questionnaire represents a kind of result, reflects a kind of realistic state, the conclusion can be represented and proved totally, so this investigation has positive meaning. IV. RESULTS

statistic data, the intensity of consumers who known the green hotel is very low. C. Consumer's cognition of environmental practice Now we measure consumer's cognition of environmental practice in terms of Likert seven point scoring system, 1 denotes complete opposition, 7 expresses totally agree. Look from the analysis result of statistics, people hold supporting attitude of using the recycled writing paper, offering the pollution-free food, using pushing type cleansers to economizing on electricity, water-conservation, rubbish classification; people hold the obvious opposition attitude in using the wild animals or plants; and hold an indeterminate attitude of the environmental prospectus to the guest room to use the sack by doing washing many times, and as to disposable articles and change the Linen every day , people hold the attitude of objection, but different customers' attitude is widely different.
TABLE I.
No

ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER'S COGNITION DEGREE OF

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE Topics Mean Std.deviation Std.error 5.63 1.500 1.367 1.583 1.594 1.655 1.736 1.447 1.930 2.118 1.770 2.186 1.616 0.077 0.071 0.081 0.082 0.085 0.089 0.074 0.099 0.109 0.091 0.112 0.083

1 The restaurant of the hotel should offer the pollution-free food.

2 The barrel of the wastes classified and retrieved in the hotel 5.51 should be set up 3 It is important that the hotel adopts measure of economizing on 5.48 electricity. 4 It is important that the hotel adopts the water-saving measure. 5.06 5 The guest room should adopt the recycled writing paper. 6 Consumers can accept the shampoo adopting the pushing type splendid attire of container. 7 There must be environmental management prospectuses in thet room. 8 The laundry bag should be used and sack may be used many times. 9 Consumers can accept the hotel not offering disposable articles. 10 If the hotel offers the rare wild plant, I will choose to eat. 11 The guest room needn't change Linen. 12 If the hotel offers the rare wild animal, I will choose to eat. 5.05 4.96 4.61 4.13 3.97 3.01 2.99 2.74

A. Basic analysis In this investigation, males account for 55%, females 45%. In age, 6% under the age of 20, 41% for 21-30 years old, 34% for 31-40 years old, 18% for 41-55 years old. In schooling, high school and the below 38%, bachelor degree 55% o, master and the above 7%. In income, 38% monthly income under 2000 Yuan, 38% monthly income 2001-3500 Yuan, 15% monthly income 3501-5000 Yuan, 8% monthly income above 5000 Yuan. In job, civil servant 9%, worker 43%, 6% in culture and education field, 14% professional worker, other 28%. number of times staying in hotel per year, 3 times and the below 29%, 4-6 times 30%, 7-10 times 16%, 11 or more times 25%.In main purpose of passengers accommodation, public affair accounts for 41%, sightseeing 22%, visit friends and relatives 5%, other 32%. In the type of hotels, 21% under two stars, 41% three stars, 23% four star, 5% five star. According to data of sample, a conclusion can be drawn that samples of investigation mainly are young & middle-aged staff of enterprise in middle-grade hotels. B. Consumer's intensity of understanding green hotel and green consumption In order to avoid an impact on intensity of understanding the green hotel and green consumption of following question, this questionnaire asks at the beginning whether to know what is the green hotel. It analyzes through frequency, the never known account for 30.7%, the known 45.5%, the clear known 20.9%, very much clear known 2.9%. Through analyzing the

D. Consumers' consumption will According to statistics, most people would like to cooperate and support the environmental protection action of the hotel, but still relatively sensitive to the price.
TABLE II.
No. 1 2 3

ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER'S CONSUMPTION WILL

Topics Mean

4 5 6

Std. Std. deviation error If the hotel is really the green hotel, I will pay the utmost attention 5.44 1.508 0.078 to next time. I will cooperate with the environmental practice which the hotel 5.38 1.476 0.076 pursue The environmental practice which the hotel pursues has certain 5.08 1.497 0.077 influence on my comfort degree, but useful to environmental protection, I will still cooperate actively. Whether the hotel implements the environmental practice in an 4.94 1.380 0.071 all-round way is one of the important factors that I choose the hotel. If hotel offer pollution-free food really, even if price is a little bit 4.87 1.534 0.079 expensive, I still can accept. It makes the price a bit higher that the hotel pursues the 4.42 1.545 0.079 environmental practice, I am still acceptable.

E. Correlation of consumer's attitude & cognition and consumption will to the green hotel From the analysis result of the correlation, economizing on electricity, preparing the environmental management prospectus in the guest room, setting up classified and retrieved garbage bin, and offering the pollution-free food have influence to the customer to choose the hotel; Economizing on water and electricity, not offering disposable articles, preparing the environmental management prospectus in guest room, offering pollution-free food have certain influence on consumers approval of the price; People have close relevance to cooperate with intensity to economizing on electricity, offering environmental management prospectus in guest room, setting up classified and retrieved barrel, and offering pollution-free food etc. but not offering disposable articles, not changing linen and washing sack can influence consumption will have impact on the guests consumption will.
TABLE III. RELEVANT ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER'S COGNITION & ATTITUDE AND CONSUMPTION WILL TO THE GREEN HOTEL
Consumption will 1 2 3 4 5 6

(the figure is the coefficient correlation in form)

Cognition of environmental practice to the green hotel 1. It is important that the hotel adopts the water-saving measure. .073 .273** .184** .267** .203** .232**

2. It is important that the hotel adopts measure of .204** .221** .360** .326** .315** .352** economizing on electricity. 3. the hotel should adopt the recycled writing paper, for instance toilet paper, memo paper, etc.. in the guest rooms. 4.It can be accepted the hotel does not offer disposable articles. 5. It can be accepted that hotel adopt the pushing type container in the guest room. 6. It needn't change linen such as bath towel, towel, sheet, etc. every day in the guest room. 7.The laundry bag should use the sack that can be used many times. .079 .179** .103* .191** .106* .124* -.018

-.002 .241** .119* .169** .141** -.034

.118* .159** .162** .191** .148** .025 .043 .094 .090 .100* .103
*

.119* .188** -.056 .171

**

-.017 -.014

8.There must be environmental management .340** .160** .501** .216** .353** .369** prospectuses in the guest room. 9.The hotel should set up the wastes barrel of .260** classified and retrieved .112* .506** .285** .363** .370**

following form, add thick number value for F testing value of P<0.05 of significance. The analysis result is as follows: the approval intensity of the recycled writing paper for Men adopted is higher than women in the guest room; And people in different age have different views on economizing on electricity, offering the pollution-free food, eating wild plant in the restaurant, the customer aged 41-55 years old hold higher support attitude to economizing on electricity and offering the pollution-free food in the restaurant, the disapproval attitude of the customers aged over 56 is more obvious to eat the edible wild plant; The education degree has prominent influence to consumers attitude to the recycled writing paper in the guest room, not offering disposable articles, adopting the pushing type container cleanser, the higher the education degree is, the more favored attitude to employ the recycled writing paper in the guest room and adopt the pushing type container cleanser, the lower the education degree is, the more objecting attitude to not offering disposable articles; The level of the consumers income have certain different impact on consumers attitude to change the linen and use the repeated laundry bag to every day, the persons who are well paid object to change the linen relatively every day, and support to use the laundry bag repeatedly; the difference in job has little influences on every green measure; there are prominent differences in attitudes to the number of accommodation in one year, adoption of pushing type container cleanser and eating the edible wild animal, the customers who often stays in hotel support to adopt the pushing type container cleanser, but it is relatively low to object to eat the edible wild animal; the different purpose of accommodation have prominent different attitude to economizing on water and electricity, not offering disposable articles, adopting one-time pinch container cleanser, the customers with multiple purposes have favored attitude to economizing on water and electricity, adopting the pushing-type container cleanser, the customers with commercial purpose object not to offer disposable articles; In addition customers living low star hotel have a more favorable attitude toward classified and retrieved barrel than those who live in high star hotels.
TABLE IV.
No

10.The restaurant of the hotel should offer the .283** .184** .367** .318** .393** .559** pollution-free food. 11.If the hotel offers the rare wild animal, I will choose to eat. -.097 -.125 -.150
* **

.097

-.100 -.155

**

CONSUMER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC AND GREEN MEASURE COGNITION SINGLE FACTOR ANALYSIS F-TESTING
Topic Sex Age Degree Income Job Times Purpose Types 3.350 0.232 2.476 2.164 1.714 0.659 3.216 0.586 2.311 1.260 1.548 2.032 1.844 1.487 0.628 1.126 1.262 3.737 0.576 0.082 0.634 0.175

12.If the hotel offers the rare wild plant, I will -.001 -.114* -.057 .136** -.018 -.049 choose to eat. Consumption will ( In order to facilitate notes, consumption will be shown by digital representatives). *and ***show the prominent value of the coefficient correlation separately <0.05, 0.01 1.It is one of the important factors which I choose the hotel that whether the hotel implements the environmental practice in an all-round way. 2.It makes the price a bit higher that the hotel pursues the environmental practice, I am still acceptable. 3.I will cooperate with the environmental practice which the hotel pursue. 4.If hotel can offer pollution-free food really, even if price is somewhat expensive, I can even accept. 5.The environmental practice which the hotel pursues has certain influence on my comfort degree, but useful to environmental protection, I will still cooperate actively. 6.If the hotel is really the green hotel, I will pay the utmost attention to next time.

F. Influence of consumer's personal characteristics to cognition of green measure In order to analyze the source of every difference of sample materials ,we examine whether each samples averages are equal or have prominent differences, this research has carried on the analysis of 8 consumer attribute factors, and carry on the analysis of one-way ANOVA to the green measure which the hotel takes separately, and put the analysis result in order the

1 It is important that the hotel adopts the water-saving measure. 2 It is important that the hotel adopts electricity economizing measure 3 It is important to adopt the recycled writing paper in the guest room. 4 It is acceptable not to offer disposable articles 5 It is acceptable to adopt the pushing type container in the guest room. 6 It is unnecessary to change the linen every day in the guest room. 7 It is acceptable to employ the sack of laundry bag many times. There must be environmental 8 management prospectuses in the guest room. 9 It is necessary to set up classified and retrieved barrel of wastes 10 It is necessary to offer the pollution-free food in the hotel 11 If the hotel offers the rare wild animal, I will choose to eat.

0.030 .0447 1.927 1.285 0.915 1.157 0.348 4.485 1.596 0.783 0.772 0.733 5.879 1.299 10.92 0.667 0.872 2.080 0.972 0.627 3.288 1.805 1.742 1.711 1.467 0.629 3.699 1.099 0.269 2.712 0.119 0.758 0.970 2.860 1.270 1.489 3.129 0.740 1.851 3.306 1.348 2.489 0.230 0.328 0.547 1.182 1.338 0.235 0.426 0.625 0.512 1.248 1.022 0.417 2.885 3.389 0.133 0.583 2.286 1.676 0.807 1.288 0.431 0.539 0.878 3.041

12 If the hotel offers the rare wild 0.100 2.491 2.153 0.650 0.983 2.275 plant, I will choose to eat.

0.824 0.135

V.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

*Thick number value for F testing value of P<0.05 of significance

G. Influence of consumer's personal characteristic on attitude of environmental practice To examine two or more sample's averages whether have prominent differences or not, we use 8 consumer attribute factors to carry on the analysis of one-way ANOVA to the attitude which the hotel pursues the environmental practice separately with the customer, and put the analysis result in order the following form, the thick number value is for F testing value of P<0.05 of significance. It reveals from the analysis result: the attitude of consumers with different sex has a prominent difference to the environmental practice influences comfortable degree, but still will cooperate actively, women's tolerance degree is higher than men; And the sensitivity to the price of customers with different ages is different, the customers aged 31-40 would like to offer more money to green consumption more than the consumers of other age brackets; the attitude of different professional customers is different to the implement of environmental protection may enhance the reputation, it is acceptable to a bit more expensive price of pollution-free food, the environmental practice influences comfortable degree, but consumers still will cooperate actively, the attitudes of these three respects have more favored than other clerks, among them the company clerks hold the attitude of agreeing to it is acceptable to a bit more expensive price of pollution-free food, the environmental practice influences comfortable degree, but still will cooperate actively than other consumers with other jobs; those who accommodate in hotel 7-10 times per year are willing to offer a little bit higher prices to support environmental protection; those who going sightseeing is willing to cooperate with the environmental more than those who have commercial affair and visiting friends and relatives; the customers degree of cooperation and tolerance in three star hotel is higher than other customers.
TABLE V.
No

As has been mentioned above, a conclusion can be drawn as follows: First, it is not a main factor that affects consumers choose of accommodation to whether the hotel pursues environmental protection, but only a consulting factor; Second, consumer's cognition of the green hotel is only an economic behavior, but not the environmental protection behavior of bearing social responsibility, consumer's cognitive intensity to the green hotel and green consumption is very low, our environmental protection education remains to popularize and strengthen; Third, people support and cooperate with environmental practice which is often heard of and contacted in daily life, but as to different consumers of special requirement for environment protection in the green hotel, the response is widely different in varied consumers, such as not offering disposable articles, not changing linen and using washing sack every day, etc. a quite a few of consumers do not support; Fourth, on the relation of consumer's cognition and wills of consumption in green hotel, except that recycled writing paper may be used in guest room, not offering one-time washing and gargling articles, not changing linen and using washing sack many times every day, the two factors are basically relevant, i.e. the higher consumer's cognition of the green hotel is, the higher its will of consumption is; Fifth, the more the consumer supports the attitude which the hotel pursues environmental protection, the higher its will of consumption is; Sixth, the consumer's idiosyncrasy has different impact on the cognitive intensity of different environmental practices; Seventh, as to consumers different in education and income, their wills of consumption does not have prominent difference, this conclusion is different to some extent that some scholars conclusions drawn in terms of samples with other goods, this point remains to be discussed. Based on conclusions described above, we propose some following suggestions: A. Strengthen propagation of the green hotel and train green consumption idea. We can find out from investigation result that the most consumers cognitive intensity to the green hotel is very low at present. Therefore, the hotel should propagate environmental plan and intention of the hotel to guests, offer green products and service to guest, let guests know it, understand it, buy it, and reflect the spirit of green consumption in consumption. The staff at the basic level should establish green consumption consciousness. Hotels should make ideas of environmental protection, ecology and green root in the hearts of the people, staffs at the basic level should do the work of propagating in green consumption of the hotel, lead consumers to carry on green consumption, let consumers realize green consumption is a kind of noble civilization behavior. In addition, state organ and trade organization should propagate the green hotel in a more cost-effective manner. Such media as TV, newspapers and periodicals, and network, etc., should propagate green management theory and green consumption concept, and also propagate the green images of enterprises by some public beneficial activities, for instance through green sponsorship and charitable activity, etc., to wake consumers green consumption consciousness up.

CONSUMER'S PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC AND ATTITUDE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE SINGLE FACTOR ANALYSIS F-TESTING
Topics Sex Age Degree Income Job Times Purpose Types

One of the important factors

1 for me to consume is that 1.767 1.850 1.452

whether the hotel implements the environmental practice.

0.971

0.941 0.989 1.113 2.030

It is acceptable for me to a little 0.107 4.190 bit higher price to pursue the environmental practice I will cooperate with the 0.178 1.077 environmental practice in the hotel If hotel can offer pollution-free

0.355

1.546

0.974 3.003 2.151 0.925

0.270

0.708

2.216 0.073 2.969 0.875

4 food really, even if price is 0.088 5.231 0.331

somewhat expansive I can still accept.

1.088

2.921 1.608 1.906 0.450

5 which

If the environmental practice the hotel pursues 3.961 3.764 influences my comfort degree, I will still cooperate actively. If the hotel is really the green 0.020 0.929 hotel, I will pay the utmost attention to next time.

0.089

0.735

2.447 0.290 0.783 2.838

0.200

0.509

0.712 1.120 1.345 2.942

*Thick number value for F testing value of P<0.05 of significance

B. Make green marketing tactics from consumers Consumers are a subject of implementing green activity of the hotel, and a special cooperative partner of the hotel, without consumers' understanding and support, green hotel activity will be unable to launch normally. So the prerequisite of making the green marketing tactics to be considered is the demand of the customers, thus may let the tactics of this marketing be succeeded in implementing. Due to the high cost of the pollution-free food and green guest room in the green hotel, the consumers have to pay the increase of the total cost, or have to reduce some services and service facilities, thus reduce consumers' transfer value, the hotel can take certain measure to reduce the cost that consumers paid, and compensate its value. For instance, the food and beverage department develops and introduces the pollution-free food actively, remind guests to order as required actively, offer service of baling the service with storing the wine voluntarily at the same time, advocate green consumption actively in terms of guests, let consumers experience the value brought in green consumption vividly. C. Strengthen the guide effect of the policy and obtain support of the whole society. Tourist industry is not the smokeless industry, as a place of entertainment of advanced consumption, the hotel would produce a large amount of domestic rubbish polluting the environment. The development of the green hotel activity needs the efforts of every aspect of the society from top to bottom. Governments at all levels should give full play to the regulating action of market through various forms of usable policy guidance, arouse the enthusiasm and creativity of hotel, pay close attention to the industrial policys function of regulation and control in environmental program, etc, use mandatory and inducing, direct and indirect means of regulation and control, improve the policy system, set up management organization, stimulate the development of the green market. Green hotel activity is a project of a system, not merely need the support from the governments policies of the green hotel, but also need the assistance of social relevant departments, including environmental protection department,

bureau of industry and commerce and urban construction, etc., need the publics cooperation even more.

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