Mare, Zivai Machaka ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9742-3602 and Dogru Dastan, Humeyra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3595-1274 (2026) Internal marketing of sustainability: nonmanagerial employees' perspectives in the hospitality sector. Business Strategy and the Environment (BSE). pp. 1-18. ISSN 0964-4733 (Print), 1099-0836 (Online) (doi:10.1002/bse.71174)

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Abstract

Sustainable business practices are widely promoted in hospitality, yet a persistent gap persists between sustainability strategies and their implementation in daily operations. This study focuses on the sustainability strategy–implementation gap by examining how nonmanagerial employees, responsible for operational delivery, perceive and implement sustainability initiatives in their workplaces. Drawing on internal marketing (IM) theory and applying the triple bottom line to define sustainability practice, a qualitative study using semistructured surveys with 38 nonmanagerial staff explores how IM practices shape employees' understanding of and engagement with sustainability goals. The findings indicate that although employees are mostly aware of organisational sustainability initiatives, implementation is hindered by misalignment between strategic intentions, communication, timing, employees' experiences and constraints. The study contributes theoretically by foregrounding nonmanagerial employees' perspectives on the sustainability strategy–implementation gap and practically by showing how IM can be leveraged to strengthen employee engagement and organisational alignment with triple bottom line sustainability goals.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	hospitality industry, internal customer, internal marketing, stakeholder theory, sustainability engagement
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School > School of Management and Marketing Greenwich Business School
Last Modified:	06 Jul 2026 07:41
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53915

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