HOTEL INDUSTRY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Hotel Industry Corporate Social Responsibility

Hotel Industry Corporate Social Responsibility

Introduction

Ethics in business is primarily an applied ethics. Traditionally, the principles of ethics are incorporated on the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Hospitality and tourism industries cater to a certain niche market and have their own sets of problems and concerns that should be individually addressed according to specific needs. Walle emphasises that distinctive ethical considerations in the hospitality and tourism industries must be assessed from a particular point of view. More often than not, the hospitality and tourism industries borrowed general concepts from business without the evaluation of whether or not such concepts are adequately able to provide the given set of specific needs. Ethics and social responsibility evolve in order to cater to various emerging occurrences and factors faced by global businesses(Batten, 2003, 90).

Discussion

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) may be thought of as a form of control of businesses, an alternative to the control by markets or government. According to the CSR doctrine, corporations are social institutions, creatures of society that in effect have been chartered by society to perform certain purposes. These corporations must adopt policies and actions that are in conformity to the norms and goals of society. If not, the society that granted the charter can revoke it. In this view, businesses have a moral obligation to use their resources for the common good as well as obligations to particular groups such as stockholders, consumers, employees and creditors. To behave in a socially responsible way, firms' decision-making processes must reflect broad societal concerns(Bradshaw, 1981, 90).

Business ethical practices and principles are important elements in building an ethical working environment with strong corporate guidelines. These guidelines govern the overall condition of the organisation in terms of allowing members of the workforce be familiar with the upper management authorities' deliberation of ethical behaviours as significant ingredients of business operations. In almost all organisational setting, Frederick and colleagues (1994) state that ethical guidelines are expressed in the forms of code of conduct, outlining the organisation's foremost expectations to every contributing factors such as the employees and other stakeholders. Business ethics further support management strategies, accountability structures, organisational policies, incentive systems, training programs, and decision-making processes. It ensures their unity of work as the common denominator of strengthening the organisation's essential ethical code of conduct(Clakson, 1995, 92).

The growth of hospitality and tourism industries as legitimate businesses needs standard code of ethics. Generally, ethical codes are used as functional agents that govern the conduct of the members of a particular profession. It guides individuals in making decisions based on sound moral judgment. Codes further enhance working relationships and adjudicate disputes among members of the organisation. General principles of business ethics should guide behaviours in any field and type of business and its operations. Also, these codes are clearly articulated, wide-ranging, phrased in order to accentuate and provide commendation on doing the right thing other than listing a series of ...