9. Structural Equation Modeling with Path Analysis: Antecedents of Corporate Commitment to Sustainable Tourism

The chapter demonstrates an application of structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis (PA) in tourism research, and the associated statistics are described. First, we discuss the basic concepts of SEM, followed by an explanation of the key statistics and terms associated with this procedure. Then we describe the procedure for conducting SEM, including second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Finally, we describe the related technique of path analysis. In doing so, this chapter provides an example of structural equation modeling with a path model, of which path analysis assumes that all variables are measured without error so that it has a more restrictive set of assumptions than general structural equation models. The study examines antecedents of corporate commitment to sustainable tourism and corporate environmental responsibility in a country in Asia. The study employs factor analysis (i.e., exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency reliability tests) and structural equation modeling analysis and path analysis (i.e., the analysis of moment structures and regression analysis) using 386 samples collected from tourism employees in South Korea.