Abstract
“Green computing” is an approach adopted to ensure the technological devices and byproducts used by businesses in their business processes cause the least harm to the environment. Green computing, which is a new concept for hospitality as well as for other sectors, increasingly attracts attention by researchers—especially due to the increase in the destruction of environmental factors in recent years and the importance of these factors for hospitality. However, in the body of knowledge, it is seen there is scant research on hospitality with green computing. Therefore, green computing that emerges with sustainability should be further researched, and green computing practices in hospitality should be evaluated. In light of this information, this chapter aimed to create a conceptual framework that is expected to have a widespread impact on the body of knowledge based on the current literature on the concepts of green computing.
TopIntroduction
The concept of travel, which is considered to have a past as much as the history of humanity, has moved away from the approach of people's change of location and has become a concept used with tourism (Çallı, 2015). The fact that travel is a concept used with tourism is based on factors such as, especially after the industrial revolution, the development of the understanding that not only the nobility but all people have the right to leisure and tourism, spread of the right to paid vacation, the diverse needs of people, and the development of technology in recent times. Several services needed by people, who move away from their homes with their travels, have led to the emergence of the concept of hospitality (Barrows & Power, 2008, p. 4). Consequently, hospitality has reached the position of a comprehensive sector that meets the accommodation, food and beverage, travel, and leisure needs for tourists during their travels (Ionel, 2016). In other words, hospitality has reached a broad structure consisting of sectors and sectorial services, not a single sector (Hudson, p. 147). Therefore, such a development in hospitality has serious effects on the ecosystem and it is critical to adopt a sustainability approach in hospitality.
The hospitality industry, which is one of the largest sectors in the world, as human activities have been affecting the ecosystem for thousands of years, increases the severity of the effects on the ecosystem (Sloan, Legrand, & Chen, 2013, p. 1). In this direction, one of the main approaches that should be adopted and implemented in terms of hospitality businesses has been sustainability, with the understanding that the resources in the world will not be sufficient due to the increase in costs, the increasingly sensitive demand, as well as the decrease in resources (Arjona, 2020). Because one of the most important factors that increase the environmental effect of the hospitality industry is the information and communication technologies used by businesses to facilitate the production, dissemination and distribution of information (Iyer, Chakraborty, & Dey, 2015, p. 45), it is undoubtedly one of the basic approaches that should be adopted by businesses within the scope of sustainability.
One such approach is green computing. Green computing refers to using computing resources more efficiently to have less impact on the environment while maintaining or increasing the overall performance of the business (Harmon & Auseklis, 2009). Therefore, the green computing approach is very important for the hospitality business to maintain their existence in the global competitive environment by protecting the environmental resources that constitute an important component.
In this chapter, a conceptual framework will be created for the accommodation sector, the food and beverage sector, the travel sector, and the leisure sectors, and in this context, issues such as definitions, classifications, and characteristics of related concepts will be evaluated. Afterwards, green computing is examined, which is what makes this section original. Finally, applicable green computing practices related to hospitality and its sub-titles (e.g., the accommodation sector, the food and beverage sector, the travel sector, and the leisure sector), which is another issue that makes this section original and important, will be evaluated and sample practices will be presented.
Key Terms in this Chapter
E-Bill: It is the converted form of the physical invoice into electronic format.
Green Hotel: It is the title given to environmentally friendly hotels that protect nature by adopting a sustainability approach, consume all their resources at an ergonomic level, encourage the use of renewable energy and recycle their waste.
Power Mode: It is a function used in information and communication technologies to save energy by reducing power consumption.
Dematerializatied: It is the transfer of materials that damage to nature, cause the consumption of resources, and can be converted into electronic format to electronic media. For example, e-bill, e-complaint form, e-ticket, e-book.
Environmentally Touristic Product: These are environmentally friendly products such as destinations, food, souvenirs, and transportation that are designed and consumed in a way that does not harm nature and resources.
Green Data Center: It is a green computing application that is designed not to damage nature and provides data storage and flow in the center rather than in different locations.
E-Tour Guide: It is a digital guide application that accompanies tourists on travels, provides information about the area to visit and is installed on technological devices.
E-Office: It is an application that does not require a physical working environment, provides the opportunity to work remotely, and saves especially on resources such as paper, energy, water and personnel.
Virtual Tour: It is a virtual reality application that consists of various videos and photos of the areas you want to travel and visit, and offers the opportunity to experience beforehand.