CSR practices in small and medium-sized accommodations and their impact on the local communities

Abstract

This study attempts to identify corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices for small and medium-sized accommodation businesses (SMABs) in the hospitality industry and how they contribute to the economic, environmental, and social context. Using a holistic approach to CSR, we conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with a sample of fifteen SMABs in Jordan, classified as three-star or less. The study presents the CSR practices in SMABs, some barriers and challenges faced (e.g., gender gap and employees with special needs), together with recommendations to overcome them. This is one of the first studies to examine the CSR practices of SMABs in the Middle East hospitality industry, and their social, economic, and environmental impact. Findings add to existing gasps on CSR in SMABs, more focused on large businesses, and CSR’s impact on local community, a less researched dimension, and findings can be used by decision-makers to further improve CSR practices in the hospitality industry.

Keywords:

• CSR
• hospitality
• Jordan
• local development
• SMABs
• tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mousa Alsheyab

Mousa Alsheyab is Faculty Member at the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Arab University College of Technology, Jordan. Ph.D. in Business Administration and Hospitality Management, University of Girona, Spain. Master's degree in Business Administration and Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management from Yarmouk University, Jordan. He has published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. Mousa's primary research interests lie in CSR in the hospitality and tourism industry. He also has a passion about the latest events in the hospitality industry.

Nela Filimon

Nela Filimon is Serra Húnter Associate Professor in the Department of Business at the University of Girona, Spain. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is conducting research in the field of marketing, on topics related to consumer behavior, new technologies and wellbeing, cultural consumption, and quantitative research methods.

Francesc Fusté-Forné

Francesc Fusté-Forné is Serra Húnter Associate Professor in the Department of Business at the University of Girona, Spain. His research is focused on food and rural marketing and tourism. Particularly, he has studied the connections between authenticity, food heritages and identities, landscapes and landscapers, regional development, rural activities, street food and tourist experiences. He conducts applied research on the role of gastronomy in relation to mass media and as a driver of social changes.