Corporate social responsibility reporting in the cruise tourism industry: a performance evaluation using a new institutional theory based model

This paper creates a conceptual model that helps explain the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting behaviour of cruise lines in the context of institutional theory. It presents findings from an analysis of 50 cruise lines' websites and sustainability reports and discusses the findings within this conceptual context. The study investigated cruise line reporting on commitments to specific CSR goals, the extent of reporting on initiatives contributing to those commitments and the extent of reporting on progress towards those goals. The analysis indicates limited use of formal international reporting guidelines, an almost complete absence of third-party assurance of reported information, and unclear presentation of information on websites, failing to specify time frames and the scope/source of information. Although most cruise lines reported on commitments, fewer reported on specific initiatives, and still fewer provided meaningful assessments of their impacts or performance. Environmental issues and social and community well-being issues received most attention, while issues of economic prosperity, employment quality, and diversity and accessibility were reported to a much lesser extent. Access to information, its credibility, ease of interpretation, and comparability between companies were found to be poor. Since 2009, industry reporting declined, but recently shows signs of resurgence.     

Corporate social responsibility reporting by the global hotel industry: Commitment,initiatives and performance

The current study evaluates corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practice among the largest hotel companies in the world. Based on the content analysis of websites and reports published online by the top 150 hotel companies in the world in summer 2010, it identifies the communication methods used by hotel companies as well as the scope of reported information. Specifically, it demonstrates that while a large number of companies report commitment to CSR goals, much smaller number of them provide details of specific initiatives undertaken to contribute to these goals and even less of them report actual performance achieved. The study also identifies a number of challenges which make it very difficult to meaningfully compare performance of the hotel groups that do report it, including issues such as different methodologies applied, different measures used and lack of clarity with respect to the scope of reporting.     

Corporate social responsibility and tourism: Hotel companies in Phuket,Thailand, after the Indian Ocean tsunami

This paper deals with the subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) with particular reference to the hotel sector and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which was to prove a test of management approaches. It discusses the rising interest in CSR issues, linked to the sustainable development movement, and its particular relevance for the tourism industry. Reactions to the disaster of hotel companies with a presence in the resort of Phuket in Thailand are reviewed and responses reveal a certain level of commitment to CSR in theory and practice. However, there is also evidence of tensions between commercial and more philanthropic activity which must be addressed and reconciled by managers.     

Corporate social responsibility and sustainability balanced scorecard: The case study of family-owned hotels

This research aims to find empirical support for the benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to family-owned hotels by identifying paths through which CSR influences business. The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) concept is used to assess the perceived importance of relationships between CSR and business performances to support the goals of the case hotels. SBSC breaks the business down into five dimensions namely; Financial, Customer, Internal Business, Learning & Growth and Non-Market Perspective, which is CSR in this study. The results of partial least squares (PLS) regression using the sample consisting of three stakeholders (i.e., two hundred customers, seventy employees and thirty managers) of family-owned hotels delivered several findings: (i) both the employee and manager group shows that CSR has a significant influence on BSC dimensions with variance (ii) all of the stakeholder groups support the significant relationship between CSR and goals and (iii) all of the stakeholder groups confirm the causal relationship among BSC dimensions with variance. Lastly, we conclude the paper by discussing implications for family-owned hotels as well as addressing limitations.     

Exploring the links among corporate social responsibility,reputation, and performance from a multi-dimensional perspective

This study examines the links among corporate social responsibility (CSR), reputation, and performance in hotel companies from a multidimensional perspective. Data were collected from 322 hotels in China and partial least squares equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for a causal-predictive analysis. Study results reveal that CSR practices influence hotel reputation as seen from both international and local perspectives. CSR and reputation influence performance dimensions (accounting-based performance, market-based performance, and non-financial performance) differently. The research findings offer specific theoretical and practical implications for hotel managers.     

Corporate social responsibility in times of need: Community support during the COVID-19 pandemics

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the hotel sector has engaged in various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to show solidarity with local communities. Our research examines the impact of such initiatives on tourists' intentions to spread positive word-of-mouth (WOM) and their intentions to visit when the current pandemic ends. Our experimental results suggest community support in the form of providing free accommodation to homeless people increases tourists' intentions to spread positive WOM, bringing reputational benefits. But such initiatives reduce tourists’ intentions to visit, presenting potential business risks. Our results further suggest that community support in the form of providing free accommodation to medical professionals has little impact, as it shows no significant difference to control (no CSR initiatives).     

Impacts of cruise industry corporate social responsibility reputation on customers’ loyalty: Mediating role of trust and identification

Despite the high relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in service businesses, investigations of its influence on the cruise sector are scarce. Relying on institutional theory, this study proposes a model with cruise customers’ trust and identification as the key factors between CSR reputation and customers’ loyalty. Using data from 292 cruise customers, results support the impact of customers’ perceived CSR reputation of cruise companies on two relational constructs and loyal behavior. Only customers’ identification mediates the relationships between reputation and brand loyalty. Thus, findings suggest that cruise customers likely form high-level loyal behavior when they perceive companies’ CSR activities and their similarities with such companies. From these significant findings, the authors draw several theoretical and practical implications, including the importance of enhancing the company’s focus on its CSR reputations. This study also provides directions to promote identity strengths for enhancing the impact of CSR reputation on company performance.     

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer loyalty in the hotel industry: A cross-country study

The study examines the role of customer perceptions of CSR in improving customer loyalty by exploring its direct and mediated effects through service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate image and corporate reputation in a cross-country setting. Data from Pakistan, China, and Italy was collected through surveys to explore customers’ hotel experiences. The hypotheses were tested with SmartPLS-3. Findings for the overall sample revealed that CSR affected customer loyalty positively and significantly. Nonetheless, this relationship was insignificant in the samples from Pakistan and Italy, while it was found to be only partially significant in China. The findings also revealed a direct, positive and significant impact of CSR on service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate image and corporate reputation. The direct relationships among all these variables were also significant across samples. Customer satisfaction and corporate image were identified as significant mediators of the CSR-loyalty link, but service quality and corporate reputation were found insignificant.     

Effect of corporate social responsibility,customer attribution and prior expectation on post-recovery satisfaction

A conceptual model is proposed to account for how customers’ attributions of the cause of a service failure, their perceptions of a firm's social responsibility and their prior expectations can influence post-recovery satisfaction through the mediating effect of customer–company (C–C) identification. It was tested in the context of hospitality services. Findings from a survey of 281 restaurant patrons show that after a service failure, favorable corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception can help mitigate the negative effects of internal cause attribution on customer identification and ultimately contribute to post-recovery satisfaction. Besides, the interaction effect of CSR perception and attribution on C–C identification is particularly salient for customers with higher prior expectation. Findings also highlight that the dynamic interaction effect among attribution, CSR perception and prior expectation on customer post-recovery satisfaction is mediated by C–C identification.     

Total quality management,corporate social responsibility and performance in the hotel industry

Total quality management (TQM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are relevant management philosophies in the hotel industry to be able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage. This paper examines how the implementation of both TQM and CSR influences the results of hotels’ stakeholders as an antecedent of business performance. An empirical study of a sample of 141 Spanish hotels from the Andalusian region shows that the adoption of such approaches improves the capacity of hotels to create benefits for their stakeholders, and these results have a positive effect on hotel performance. The study also provides evidence of the complementarity of both management philosophies as TQM can enhance the development of CSR.     

Impacts of positive and negative corporate social responsibility activities on company performance in the hospitality industry

In spite of growing concern for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in various industries including the hospitality industry, the relationship between CSR activities and financial performance is a rarely examined subject in the hospitality context. Especially, research measuring the separate impacts of positive and negative CSR activities on companies’ financial performances remains, as yet, unconsidered. Thus, this study examines different impacts of positive and negative CSR activities on financial performance of hotel, casino, restaurant and airline companies, theoretically based on positivity and negativity effects. Findings suggest mixed results across different industries and will contribute to companies’ appropriate strategic decision-making for CSR activities by providing more precise information regarding the impacts of each directional CSR activity on financial performance.     

Corporate social responsibility and systematic risk of restaurant firms: The moderating role of geographical diversification

Despite growing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the tourism literature, the relationship between CSR activities and systematic risk, one of the critical components in evaluating shareholder value, has been a topic of scarce examination. Further, the moderating role of geographical diversification on the link between CSR and systematic risk in the restaurant context has not been studied. Therefore, the current study explores these issues in the restaurant context based on the organizational theory and stakeholder theory. In addition, this study dichotomizes CSR activities into two dimensions, socially responsible activities (i.e., positive CSR) and socially irresponsible activities (i.e., negative CSR), to examine the separate effects of the two dimensions. A two-way fixed-effects model that effectively accounts for unobserved effects in a panel data set has been employed to test the proposed hypotheses.     

The conceptual framework for ethics and corporate social responsibility in Taiwanese tourism industry

This study examines ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Taiwanese tourism industry from the standpoints of the government, academia, and industry through the perspective of Confucianism and creates a comprehensive, tourism-specific ethics and CSR conceptual framework. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study that recruited 21 experts to share their perspectives regarding ethics and CSR in the tourism industry. An original, valuable and comprehensive ethics and CSR conceptual framework in the tourism industry within the context of Chinese society was conducted and includes seven dimensions emerged from the data and were integrated into the following four facets: first, the dimensions of ethics; second, the antecedent facet of CSR is the inside and outside force; third, the strategy facet includes the economy, the environment, society, and culture; and fourth, the consequence aspect is feedback. Further, this research provides value for academics and practical strategy for related fields.     

The mediating effect of place attachment on the relationship between golf tourism destination image and revisit intention

Focusing on golf tourism in Hainan Province, this study examined the relationship between place attachment, golf tourism destination image, and revisit intention of golf tourists. Data were obtained using questionnaires distributed to golf tourists in Hainan Province, China in 2016. Survey data from 218 tourists indicated that destination image was positively related to place attachment. Moreover, place attachment mediated the relationship between destination image and revisit intention. Implications of these findings for golf tourism marketing strategies as well as future research directions are discussed.     

Corporate social responsibility in international hotel chains and its effects on local employees: Scale development and empirical testing in China

This study aims to investigate the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of international hotel chains operating in China and their effects on local Chinese employees. As CSR practices vary across countries and contexts, this study developed a scale of CSR metrics, which was based on CSR reports published by international hotel chains in China and a comprehensive literature review. Subsequently, the proposed model, which depicts the relationships between CSR practices and local employee work metrics, was tested with a PLS-SEM. Multiple phases of qualitative and quantitative investigations of 2451 local Chinese employees of international hotel chains allowed for validating a formative construct of CSR with four dimensions: environment protection, employee wellness, business ethics, and customer wellness. The PLS-SEM results confirmed the significant effects of CSR practices of international hotel chains in China on local Chinese employee engagement, commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are presented.     

Effects of different dimensions of corporate social responsibility on corporate financial performance in tourism-related industries

Although the stakeholder framework proposes the multidimensionality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Clarkson, 1995), previous research has yet to investigate the relationship between certain dimensions of CSR and corporate financial performance (CFP) in tourism-related industries. The purpose of this study was to disaggregate CSR into five dimensions based on corporate voluntary activities for five primary stakeholder issues: (1) employee relations, (2) product quality, (3) community relations, (4) environmental issues, and (5) diversity issues, and examine how each dimension would affect financial performance among firms within four tourism-related industries (airline, casino, hotel, and restaurant). While all CSR dimensions were proposed to have positive financial effects, results revealed that each dimension had a differential effect on both short-term and future profitability and that such financial impacts varied across the four industries. The findings can provide tourism managers with insights into which dimensions of CSR activities would improve their companies’ financial performance.     

The effect of CSR on corporate image,customer citizenship behaviors,and customers’ long-term relationship orientation

With the expansion of corporate social impact, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities have been regarded as a critical factor for corporate management. There is a need to understand customers’ perception of CSR activities for future corporate profitability. Thus, this study investigates the effect of multidimensional CSR activities on customers’ corporate image, customer citizenship behavior (CCB), and long-term relationship orientation (LRO). The results indicate that CSR (economic, ethical, legal, and philanthropic) had a positive effect on corporate image and on CCB (making recommendation, helping other consumers, and providing feedback). It also appears that CCB had a positive effect on LRO with firms. This study provides empirical implications for companies by verifying the effect of CSR activities as a focal factor in building long-term relationships as an organizational goal in the foodservice industry.     

The impacts of weather on tourist satisfaction and revisit intention: a study of South Korean domestic tourism

This study explores the impacts of weather on tourist satisfaction and intention to revisit sites utilizing a survey of 1736 domestic tourists in South Korea. This study adds tourists’ perceived quality of weather to a path model that anticipates revisit intention and was originally based on the perceived quality of physical attributes and service, as well as tourist satisfaction. The results of this study show that the perceived quality of weather affects tourist satisfaction and revisit intention directly and indirectly, and that it correlates with the perceived quality of physical attributes and service. It was determined that the impact of weather perception on tourist satisfaction and revisit intention is higher in rainy weather conditions. The results of the study show that to sustain tourist satisfaction and revisit intention, efforts to moderate the negative impacts of uncomfortable weather conditions are required, especially in rainy weather.     

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.