Recontextualising the determinants of external CSR in the services industry: A cross-cultural study

Although the relationship between institutional pressures and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been well studied, its underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions are not well understood. To remedy these gaps, we draw on institutional theory and the literature on organisational sensemaking, stakeholder salience and the resource-based view of the firm. We test our conceptual model using survey data from 442 managers of hospitality and tourism enterprises based in Egypt and the United Kingdom. SEM-based results show that both stakeholder issue salience and discretionary slack mediate the link between institutional pressures and external CSR. National culture moderates the effects of institutional pressures on both stakeholder issue salience and external CSR. Multi-group analyses reveal noticeable differences between Egyptian and British managers regarding their interpretations of CSR issues and the institutional environment. This study contributes to the emerging micro-institutional stream and cross-cultural CSR research, providing important insights for managers, policymakers and researchers.     

Exploring the connections among CSR performance,reporting, and external assurance: Evidence from the hospitality and tourism industry

This study explores the connections among corporate social responsibility performance, reporting, and external assurance in the hospitality and tourism industry by incorporating the Global Reporting Initiative framework. The originality of the study is that it tests signaling theory and the greenwashing tendency by examining different facets of corporate social responsibility engagement using a holistic approach with a cross-country sample. The data for the study were derived from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the years between 2012 and 2018. A panel data analysis with a Random-Effects estimator was run to test the hypothesized associations. Several conclusions were drawn based on the study. First, higher corporate social responsibility performers among hospitality and tourism companies have a higher propensity to publish corporate social responsibility reports. Second, higher corporate social responsibility achievements are a significant driving force behind the Global Reporting Initiative framework adoption. Third, among corporate social responsibility reporters, higher corporate social responsibility performers are more likely to assure their corporate social responsibility reports externally. Fourth, among corporate social responsibility reporters, Global Reporting Initiative framework adopters are more likely to assure their corporate social responsibility reports externally. Overall, the results verified the signaling theory but reject a greenwashing tendency in the hospitality and tourism sector. The proven links among the four dimensions of CSR incorporated into the study models indicate complementarity among the indicators. Besides, it should be noted that there is still a gap for improvement, particularly for non-corporate social responsibility reporters and for non-Global Reporting Initiative adopters.     

Bibliometric studies in tourism

This study evaluates bibliometric studies in tourism, depicts emerging themes, and offers critical discussions for theory development and future research. To achieve this aim, 190 papers with bibliometric analyses from leading hospitality and tourism journals were selected and critically analyzed. The research findings reveal that bibliometric articles published in these journals significantly increased after 2008. However, systematic review studies emerged as the major group, and relatively few studies utilized evaluative bibliometric and relational bibliometric studies. Study results suggest that paucity still exists, particularly in relational bibliometric studies in tourism. This is one of the first studies in this area that offers critical discussions and suggestions related to theory development and future research in this research vein.     

旅游企业社会责任:研究述评与展望

文章系统回顾了国内外旅游研究中关于企业社会责任的研究现状,发现相对于制造企业,旅游企业社会责任并没有得到学术界和实践界的重视,相关的学术研究和企业实践都较为匮乏。文章通过对比分析企业社会责任对于制造企业和旅游企业的作用和地位,指出无论是学术研究和管理实践,企业社会责任对于旅游企业来说更为重要。在对已有研究述评的基础上,文章结合国内外旅游发展的趋势和现状,重点阐述了旅游学者应该努力的方向,期望能够起到抛砖引玉的作用,引起旅游学者和实践者对CSR的重视,推动CSR在旅游企业中的学术研究研究与实践发展。     

Corporate social responsibility and work engagement: Evidence from the hotel industry

This study aims at testing a research model which explains how corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects work engagement. Relationships between variables were assessed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Research data were gathered from full-time hotel employees (N: 680) and managers (N: 325) in Antalya province of Turkey. SEM results indicate that perceived external prestige and organizational identification play a partially mediating role in CSR's effect on work engagement. The present research is the first study which examined the relationship mechanism between CSR and work engagement by focusing on CSR with a broader perspective (the stakeholder approach) in the hospitality literature. Furthermore, it contributes to hospitality literature through revealing on the basis of generalized reciprocity principle of social exchange theory that work engagement could be increased with the help of CSR.     

Entrepreneurship in island contexts: A systematic review of the tourism and hospitality literature

Entrepreneurship is vital to the success of tourism and hospitality and the sector makes an important contribution to many island economies. Despite this, far too little attention has been paid by researchers to tourism and hospitality entrepreneurship in islands (THEI). This research helps to address this gap through a systematic review of the literature, conducted to provide a platform for further research and to help investigators set their research priorities. Using the Scopus database and the PRISMA technique, a total of 132 articles were included in bibliometric and thematic content analyses. Although there has been an increase in THEI research, this has tended to focus on the Asia-Pacific region. It is suggested that researchers consider redressing this geographical bias and conduct more quantitative and comparative THEI studies. Further opportunities exist to investigate the characteristics and behaviors of island entrepreneurs and the impacts of the industrial and spatial aspects of THEI.     

EPU and financial performance in the hospitality and tourism industry: Moderating effect of CSR,institutional ownership and cash holding

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of policy-related economic uncertainty (EPU) on the financial performance of hospitality and tourism companies. More precisely, the study aims at revealing how the performance of hospitality and tourism companies is affected at times of increasing EPU, and the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement, institutional ownership and cash holding to moderate this proposed relationship. The study’s sample includes a total of 113 companies from the hotel, restaurant and airline industries for the period 2001-2018. Hypotheses are tested via two-way fixed-effect regression. The study finds that increasing EPU is detrimental to firm performance presented in declining Tobin’s Q. However, the magnitude of this negative effect on firm performance becomes less pronounced as firms engage more in CSR, have larger fraction of institutional ownership and hold larger cash and cash equivalents     

Attention to social issues and CEO duality as enablers of resilience to exogenous shocks in the tourism industry

The tourism literature recognises the importance of resilience to crises, but little is known about how tourism firms become resilient. In particular, the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a risk-reduction strategy has been identified as an important gap in the literature. Aiming to fill this gap and adopt a more integrative view, this study examines complementarities between tourism firms' attention to social issues and corporate governance mechanisms in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by the attention-based view and stewardship theory, the findings show that firms' attention to social issues and CEO duality might be associated with higher degrees of firm resilience. If firms have a CSR committee, the presence of CEO duality might leverage firms’ attention to social issues. The findings suggest that corporate governance should not restrict executive flexibility when tourism firms face exogenous shocks if firms pay attention to social issues.     

Bibliometrics of social media research: A co-citation and co-word analysis

This study combined two bibliometric analysis methods to provide a systematic and holistic review of social media-related academic literature. A total of 406 publications related to social media between 2007 and 2016 were identified from 16 business and hospitality/tourism journals. Co-citation analysis identified Word-of-Mouth as the major theoretical foundation of social media research in business, while the hospitality/tourism field presented a diverse theoretical foundation. The study then employed co-word analysis to identify the evolution of research themes over time in both fields. The comparison of social media research between the two fields highlighted four similarities, including the growth of research over time, the term “social media” gaining popularity, the new trend of social networking sites, and managerial applications as research focus. Finally, the study called for a future research agenda on social media research in the hospitality/tourism field.     

Does size matter? Corporate social responsibility and firm performance in the restaurant industry

Despite an increasing number of hospitality studies on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP), the literature has predominantly focused on the CSR–CFP relation without considering moderating factors. Consequently, the current study introduces firm size as a potential moderator on the CSR–CFP relationship. Performing a two-way fixed-effects model by firm and year with Newey-West standard errors, this study finds that firm size moderates the effect of positive CSR on CFP while it does not moderate the effect of negative CSR on CFP in the U.S. restaurant context.     

A review of the business case for CSR in the hospitality industry

Despite prolific research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in its various forms in the hospitality industry, there is no consensus regarding the business case for CSR initiatives. Using a stakeholder lens, we review the research on CSR and its rationale by analyzing its impact on the environment, employees, customers, community, and investors in the hospitality industry. Our review analyzes 170 articles published between 1990 and 2017 covering different conceptual frameworks, measures, and samples to evaluate the current state of the field, integrate findings, identify gaps, and suggest avenues for future research. Our review calls for a) more studies that examine hospitality-specific CSR initiatives to examine impact on firm performance, b) greater theory-driven research, and c) expansion of contexts both in terms of different sectors of the industry and geographical locations, than is covered by existing studies. Future research directions are provided.     

Can corporate social responsibility protect firm value during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a significant decline in the stock market worldwide, and hospitality companies are experiencing serious financial problems. Protecting and preserving firm value is a critical way of helping hospitality companies survive the crisis. The influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm value has been widely investigated. However, little is known about the stock price movement following CSR activity adoption during an industrial crisis. Using event study and difference-in-difference method, this study reveals that engaging in CSR activities can increase the stock returns and stakeholder attention of hospitality firms during the pandemic. Community-related CSR has a stronger and more immediate effect on stock returns than customer- and employee-related CSR. Results also indicate that hospitality firms that pursue improved stock market performance during a pandemic can invest in CSR to protect communities, customers, and employees for attracting further stakeholder attention.     

Tour Booking: Do Travelers Respond to Tourism Accreditation and Codes of Ethics Initiatives?

Tourism and hospitality organizations are spending more time and money on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, but at the same time not fully understanding how such initiatives enhance travelers’ responses. This study investigates the impact of two CSR initiatives that have been widely adopted by many travel organizations: tourism accreditation and codes of ethics. A large-scale survey collected data on how potential travelers responded to an online tour brochure. The results showed that both accreditation and code of ethics information in a brochure have significant but varying impacts on perceived tour value, trust, and tour booking intention.     

The English public house as a 21st century socially responsible community institution

The changing nature of the British public house (pub) attracts much attention in the academic and popular literature. This paper reports on an ethnographic study of the pubs located in a single suburban village. The concepts of community, hospitality, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and third place are utilised to develop a theoretical perspective from which to explore publican and customer views of the pub's role in the twenty-first century. The relationship between community and CSR is not always clear but the notion of the pub as a place to meet friends and acquaintances was expressed strongly by the customers of establishments that retain aspects of the ‘traditional pub’. The hospitality of publicans was seen as a key element of the pub's philanthropic responsibility despite a tendency for organisational reporting to focus more on charitable activities in financial terms.     

The role of generativity and attitudes on employees home and workplace water and energy saving behaviours

Building on prior studies in environmental behaviour and employee micro level CSR, this paper examines the role of generativity, encompassing thoughts towards the well-being of future generations and contribution to future society, and specific environmental attitudes on environmental behaviour in the home and workplace. The paper examines the relationships between these variables, including assessing spillover effects between home and workplace environmental behaviour via a quantitative survey methodology, within the hospitality industry in Iran. Analysis using PLS found generativity to be important in determining attitudes and, in turn, environmental behaviour both in the workplace and the home. However, a spillover effect between home and workplace behaviours was not found. Thus, this research adds to the limited literature on CSR at the micro employee level in tourism studies and highlights the effects of generativity on home and workplace behaviours, as well as potential directions for internal social marketing campaigns within tourism organisations.     

Corporate social responsibility signaling,evaluation, identification,and revisit intention among cruise customers

Abstract

Improvements in customer knowledge and interest in cruise tourism have facilitated the growth of the cruise industry. However, the cruise industry has limited research attention from tourism and hospitality scholars. Furthermore, in the cruise setting, although a large number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages are sent to customers, it seems reasonable to suspect that not all CSR activities are effective to achieve the sustainable growth of the company. Therefore, this study aims to expand the existing knowledge of cruise CSR by examining the impact of customers’ perceived value of socially responsible consumption behavior on brand-related outcomes. Data from 292 cruise customers in the United States are collected through online surveys. Findings support the evidence that CSR signaling influences customers’ positive evaluation and identification with a cruise brand, but no direct impact on their behavioral intention is observed. Also, the mediating role of evaluation and identification in the relationship between CSR signaling and revisit intention is examined. In this study, the signaling and social identity theories are supported by an empirical study to addresses the importance of customers’ socially responsible consumption trait in sustainable growth.     

Do consumers care about CSR in their online reviews? An empirical analysis

This research investigates how consumers assess hotels’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices when writing online reviews. The study explores the CSR discourse in online reviews over a 10-year period, highlighting how CSR’s social and environmental dimensions relate to the main hospitality topics (experience, amenities, location, transactions, value). Based on a longitudinal automated text analysis covering 480,000 reviews across six European cities, the findings reveal that hotel customers have gradually begun paying more attention to CSR factors, particularly to social and environmental ones. However, the aggregate results suggest that the overall CSR consumer discourse is still very limited, although it does have important implications in terms of consumer emotions and hospitality dimensions.     

The link among board characteristics,corporate social responsibility performance,and financial performance: Evidence from the hospitality and tourism industry

The aim of this study is twofold: to explore whether board characteristics (i.e. a sustainability committee, board independence, board diversity, and board diligence) lead to greater corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance, and to test whether CSR performance enhances firms' financial performance in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry. Data were collected from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the H&T firms listed there between 2011 and 2018. We employed panel data analysis, after which we ran robustness tests. The results indicated that having a CSR committee and female directors on the board are robust factors driving firms to show superior CSR performance in all dimensions, including environmental, social, and governance (ESG). Independent directors and directors' diligence selectively enhance the overall CSR score and individual pillars of CSR. Investigating the relationship between CSR performance and firms' financial performance did not produce a significant outcome. The findings propose a straightforward roadmap for H&T firms and policymakers to identify characteristics of CSR-friendly boards.