Sustainability Leadership for Competitiveness in the Hospitality Industry in Mazatlán Mexico

Abstract

In recent years sustainability has become an important issue in business in a variety of industries. Those companies that succeed to integrate a fair balance between economic interests and the concerns about environment and social equity have had to integrate a core of sustainability values that guide their behavior in the way to do business. The leaders of the organizations have to design strategies not just to add value to their products or services, but to match the new frame of ethical and moral values of the company. This new way to do business is having a deep impact in the competitiveness of organizations as a result of the savings in the supply chain and in the way they are perceived by consumers and society. The postmodern vision of the business organization has incorporated new and far-reaching modifications to the traditional view of leadership resulting in a new type called “sustainability leadership”. This work uses a case study mixed method research will focus on determining and analyzing the characteristics of this new kind of leadership and its relationship with competitiveness in a very traditional and influencing hotel of Mazatlán, an important tourist destination of Mexico, which has been successful in reaching sustainability certifications for a number of years. The study will show the perception of key informants about the leadership and its degree of success regarding the business competitiveness and sustainability issues. It will also show the degree of fulfillment of sustainability according to an instrument designed for this purpose.