Corporate Social Responsibility in the Jordanian Tourism Sector - Case Study Example

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Jordanian Tourism Sector Name: Institution: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Jordanian Tourism Sector Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a common phenomenon in the operationalization of organizations in different sectors. This is because companies are in the process of making effort to demonstrate that they are socially responsible (Vilanova et al, 2009). Both developing and developed countries have formulated laws that require companies to provide reports detailing their exposure to governance, social and environmental risks and the strategies they have used in managing these risks (Crifo et al, 2014). Corporate social responsibility therefore refers to the environmentally and socially friendly actions taken by organizations, not only because they are legal requirements, but as a demonstration of their ability to surpass compliance through private provision of public good or voluntary internalization of externalities (Crifo et al, 2014). Acts of corporate social responsibility ensure the development of positive relationships with firms’ performance especially in service companies operating in the tourism and hospitality industry such as hotels. The growth in the level of concentration on CSR is based on its ability to impact on company performance (Vilanova et al, 2009). The tourism sector in Jordan plays a critical role in the economic and social growth of the country. It is considered to have a major effect on the country’s economy because it facilitates the development of other sectors (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015). The tourism industry, in Jordan is one of the most efficient and fastest growing sectors. This is because of the effective management and leadership approaches that have defined operations within this sector (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015). In addition, the laws developed by the government in Jordan have been considered friendly for the operation of businesses in the tourism sector. From an economic perspective, Jordan is a country that is interested in increasing investment in the tourism sector. This is attributable to among other factors political stability, religious tolerance, higher education and healthcare standards and better quality of life compared to its neighbors (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). The establishment of business ventures in the Jordanian tourism industry is based on the objective of creating value through the introduction of products and services that meet the needs of the society (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). As a concept, CSR entails practices whereby corporate entities are involved in the integration of stakeholders, environmental and social elements in their business operations. This is an implication that corporate entities voluntarily incorporate social concerns in their operations with their stakeholders (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015). The concept of corporate social responsibility is considered as a major ethical issue that surrounds corporate behavior and decision-making. This means that if a company should be engaged in assured activities or refrain from doing so because of the negative of positive effects on the society is an essential question (Palmer, 2012). Corporate social responsibilities undertaken by an organization play a major role in the determination of the level of financial performance of an organization. The existence of a strong relationship between social responsibility and profit making implies that firms must address the underlying social and environmental and stakeholder issues in terms of the economic gains that they may generate (Palmer, 2012). Profit making is therefore a major reason why corporate entities will grow and extend while social responsibility is considered as the basic duty, which an organization must focus upon while focusing on the needs of its stakeholders with regard to social justice (Inoue & Lee, 2011). In the tourism industry, employees are considered as part of the primary stakeholders. This means that in the process of developing CSR strategies, organizations in this industry have the responsibility of ensuring that their efforts are directed towards the provision of equal opportunities for rewards to every employee as a technique of ensuring that the organization is socially responsible. These are considered as responsible employment practices, which ensure that employees are well trained and motivated to ensure that they share in the success of an organization (Inoue & Lee, 2011). Error management in an organization is an essential approach that is based on the understanding that corporate entities are bound to face errors that result in negative or positive consequences. From an organizational perspective, effective error management does not seek to prevent errors but focuses on the possibility of reducing negative consequences of errors and capitalizing on positive consequences (Guchait et al (2015). An organization with the ability of developing an organizational culture that focuses on effective error management is bound to experience success in terms of its operations and financial performance (Van Dyck et al, 2005). CSR efforts especially those focusing on employee wellbeing are essential in ensuring effective error management. Through employee training on organizational culture, it becomes easier for the organization to engage in the development of inclusive and creative techniques of error management (Guchait et al, 2015). A corporate entity that ignores this social responsibility towards its employees may face the risk of losing highly motivated and productive employees (Van Dyck et al, 2005). There is considerable consensus in literature on the effect of firm size on CSR initiatives and reporting. There exists a positive effect the size of a firm in any industry affects its information reporting level. In the tourism industry, large companies are more willing to engage in the disclosure of more information as an approach towards the reduction of their political contests (Udayasankar, 2007). This is because they have higher visibility which h can result in litigations and government intervention. For smaller firms it is more likely that they will fail to disclose crucial information conserving their CSR efforts because of the underlying competitive disadvantages within their industry (Jamali et al, 2009). Despite the challenges associated with firm size and CSR, it is important for companies to engage in the disclosure of information conserving their CSR initiatives because it is a technique of improving on an organization’s leverage. Companies that disclose information on their CSR efforts gain a competitive edge over their competitors hence contributing to improved financial performance. This is because CSR initiatives targeting stakeholders are considered as representation of the noble attitude of organizations towards its employees because such efforts are perceived as good management practices (Sen et al, 2006). Corporate entities operating in the Jordanian tourism industry have been involved in different CSR efforts with the objective of enhancing their reputation as fluffing social and environmental requirements. This research paper will assess the extent to which CSR efforts of these corporate entities have contributed to enhanced financial performance, improved error management with focus on form size and firm leverage. Literature review Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entails the process of relating commercial success using approaches that respect ethical values, natural environmental and stakeholders. This definition of CSR focuses on the positive impact that a business enterprise has on the community with regard to its ability to meet and exceed public expectations of good corporate citizenship (Vilanova et al, 2009). CSR initiatives by organizations can be classified as ethical, strategic, or altruistic. Ethical CSR is a compulsory approach that requires organizations to obey existing laws and policies that ensure they are not involved in any illegal activity while doing business (Palmer, 2012). Harm resulting from such illegal activities could include environmental pollution, unjust labor practices and inferior products or services. It is through effective laws and government policies that ethical CSR challenges are alleviated (Choi & Yanni, 2014). According to Lantos (2002) (Choi & Yanni, 2014), altruistic CSR involves the activities of a corporate entity that help in the alleviation of external environmental and social problems through charity funding towards such initiatives irrespective of the underlying profits or losses to the firms. Altruistic CSR is only effective when the management of organizations does not charge its costumers or employees for the CSR efforts because such an approach would be in violation of ethical CSR. Strategic CSR involves making choices on philanthropic initiatives that would benefits the company in its objective of realizing its strategic goals (Cristostomo et al, 2011). Strategic CSR initiatives are aimed at presenting organizations as caring corporate entities hence enhancing customer perception of the business hence attracting more customers. Furthermore, through strategic CSR it is impossible for organizations to improve on the morale of its employees when they are involved in meaningful corporate volunteer programs that help in increasing their level of job satisfaction, which in turn can contribute to decrease in turnover (Lantos, 2002). CSR initiatives are therefore based on the understanding that business and society are interdependent. Inasmuch as businesses provide employment opportunities, products, services and revenue in the form of taxes, the society plays the role of providing human resource such as employees, policies and the consumers. This makes it important for both entities to cooperate for continued benefits (Lantos, 2002). This means that there is need for an alignment between social policies and business decision. CSR programs benefit organizations because they not only improve on their reputation in the market but also improve on their profits. Through effective CSR programs, organizations can ensure sustainable growth of their brands, which results in reduced operations cost, environmental conservation, waste reduction, and an attraction of more customers (Inoue & Lee, 2011) (Choi & Yanni, 2014). There is general agreement within the tourism industry that there is an increase in the level of social and environmental concerns, which necessitate the development of more sustainable destination and travel preferences among customers. The implication is that these concerns will result in an increase in pressure for the management of companies in the tourism sector necessitating the development of destination management policies and tour operations responsibility (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). Corporate entities in the tourism sector have been involved in initiatives targeting environmental conservation and societal concerns because consumers within the industry are often seeking attractive destinations, which are characterized by preserved natural and cultural attractions coupled by a clean environment. Health and wellness is also another aspect affecting sustainable tourism. This is because changes in lifestyle have made sun destination, adventure holidays, spa, and wellness products increase in terms of their popularity among consumers. Consumers are also in need of greater authenticity this explains why artificial type destinations such as theme parks are likely to experience decline in terms of consumer preferences because they cannot meet higher consumer quality standards (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). The involvement of corporate entities in the tourism sector in CSR initiatives has also been propelled by an increase in the number of tourist seeking meaning from their vacation experiences. This has led companies within this industry to offer services such as volunteer based travel as a technique of improving on customer experience (Lantos, 2002). Within the tourism industry, companies are often led to the realization of more sustainable growth through the implementation of CSR. This has the probability of resulting into enhanced competitive advantage of such companies in the global tourism market (Eraqi, 2010). There are companies that often feel pressured to implement CSR to create a socially responsible reputation. Pressure could be emanating from the government, activist groups, or their customers. Within the industry, companies that embrace responsible CSR could use it as a form of its identity that could distinguish it from its competitors. This makes it important for companies to ensure that in the process of selecting CSR activities, they must be aligned to the firm’s strategic objectives so that both stakeholders and the company realize the benefits (Lantos, 2002). The Jordanian tourism industry is one of the fasted growing industries in the country and this makes it one of the biggest contributors to growth in the service sector, which translates to significant economic development in the country. The tourism industry has a major impact on social conditions, legal and environmental issues (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015). For the Jordanian tourism industry, the basic objective of implementing different CSR initiatives is to enhance the level of maximization of the industries’ influence on the stakeholders in the society. Through implementation of CSR, firms in the Jordanian tourism industry operate in accordance with the demand of the Jordan Tourism Strategy whose vision was to make Jordan a distinctive tourist destination. The promotions of social and environmental improvement within Jordan have been considered as techniques through which these firms envision to provide their customers with diverse visitor experiences (Mahafzah, 2015). These initiatives are also aimed at enriching the lives of the Jordanians ad their guests. CSR within the industry is therefore aimed at ensuring an improvement of the quality of services in terms of existing peace and serene environment and the diversification of facilities and products such that they are in conformity with the international criteria and increases the number of tourists visiting the country (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015). Relate CSR with firm performance in tourism sector In the tourism sector, according to Inoue and Lee (2011), the main motivation of firms to engage in the implementation of CSR is often to enhance the reputation of the firm. They also aim at improving on their performance in the market, gain a stronger competitive advantage, and provide service to the society and value to its stakeholders in terms of contributing to better employee relationships (Choi & Yanni, 2014). The main drive among corporate executives in the implementation of CSR is in intrinsic motives, which aims at addressing social and environmental issues. The development of the reputation of an organization as promoting acceptable ethical principles and improve the performance of the company through the profits resulting from the positive reputation. Scholars such as Eraqi (2010) have argued that CSR initiatives are additional cost to the firms and this means that companies cannot experience improved performance through socially responsible actions such as charitable funding, creation of environmental protection policies and active participation in volunteering projects. This led to the conclusion that firms in the tourism sector must compromise on CSR to enhance their performance in the market. This is because organizations involved in socially responsible activities are at a risk of financial drawbacks is comparison is made against those firms that are not as much responsible (Choi & Yanni, 2014). Despite these assertions, Coles et al (2013) assert that there is a positive relationship between CSR activities and improved firm performance in the tourism sector. This is because firms within this sector are connected to numerous groups whose influence may be derived from the firm’s behavior as the management is involved in the maximization of its profits. Through this approach, engaging in socially responsible initiatives can be perceived as a form of investment in which CSR is part of a firm’s product differentiation (Cochran & WoodSource, 1984). This makes it possible for firms in the tourism sector to use CSR in numerous aspects, such as CSR as a factor that is associated with resources in the process of production or as an element that will provide the products of a firm with some desirable attributes (Palmer, 2012). The tourism sector is closely connected to the environment and this means that the firms operating within this sector have an obligation of developing CSR initiatives that focus on environmental conservation to enhance their existence and ability to attract more customers (Cyrus, 2014). The nature of CSR implements by an organization influences the level of performance of that organization. This is because a firm that engages in socially responsible activities has the ability of creating a positive reputation and this is crucial for the determination of the nature of consumer perception. In any industry, consumer perception of a firm is dependent on the attitudes of the firm towards CSR, which can influence their beliefs, intentions and attitudes (Kang et al, 2015). When consumers perceive the environmental and social initiatives if a firm as increasing the level of awareness among member of the public, they will have an increased positive opinion about the organization and this promises to improve on its reputation making such a firm a prefer tourist destination hence improving on its performance (Holcomb et al, 2007). CSR according to Nawaiseh (2015) has the ability of improving organizational performance especially if the initiatives positively influence employees who will derive their motivation and inspiration form the desire of working in an environment that promotes and ensures the creation of positive change in the society. CSR efforts in the tourism industry according to Govindan et al (2014) are based on the promotion of eco-tourism and sustainability with the objective of ensuring that tourists’ environment and products are in harmony. This makes the goals of sustainable development within this sector to embrace numerous actors involved in the development process while giving them a platform of expressing their concerns. For these firms, CSR retains their perspectives where profitability and improved performance is also ways on the forefront (Nelling & Webb, 2009). When firms operate with the understanding that they are responsible for the creation of a comfortable environment for their stakeholder and the society, it is possible that the employees, who are part of the most important stakeholders, will be motivated to work towards the realization of organizational objectives (Govindan et al, 2014). This can play a contributory role in improving the performance of a firm while at the same time attracting potential and highly qualified employees. This implies that CSR in the view of Weber (2008) contributes to a positive effect on the level of employee motivation, recruitment, and retention. According to Baumann-Pauly et al (2013), the moral motives that drive a firm’s CSR can be considered as the primary motivation for the achievement of certain moral standards, which are beneficial for the organization. Through CSR, such firms are often motivated to engage in the performance of certain moral norms essential in the realization of multiple goals hence improving organizational performance. Ven and Graafland (2006) assert that from within the tourism sector perceive morals as sharing an association with CSR guidelines, which play a role in influencing their connection with employees, tools that incorporate CSR in the firm and customers. From this understanding, it is possible to deduce that the improved performance of a company does not only revolve around profitability. Instead, the decision by a firm to implement CSR results in some form of payoff for these companies. These payoffs in the view of Lyon (2007) and Govindan et al (2014) include improved product recognition and differentiation, improved motivation among employees, enhanced customer relations and improved image of the company in the society. These payoffs have the long-term contribution of improving on the levels of profitability and performance of these firms. Like all the other industries, the main objective of firms operating in the in the tourism sector is to operate as economic entities which are involved in the production of goods and services to their target customers with the goals of realizing profits (Saeidi et al, 2015). The major responsibility of these firms is to engage in the production of goods and services that meet the needs of the customers and in the process realize financial gains. This implies that without the economic responsibility of firms, all the other responsibilities can be perceived as arguable considerations (Cristostomo et al, 2011). How does management error culture can play important role in minimizing the CSR errors According to Van Dyck et al (2005), management error culture was developed based on the understanding that every organization is often confronted with errors, which can result in negative or positive consequences. Negative consequences include the development of faulty products, loss in terms of time, profitability, employees, and customers. Positive consequences include learning and innovation. According to Guchait et al (2015), the use of error management in the context of an organization is often aimed at containing negative consequences and promoting positive ones. This approach to management is based on the assumption that human error is not completely preventable and this makes it import hat to assess the possible actions to undertake when an error occurs. Effective error management in an organization is possible when it is approached from the concept of culture. Organization culture implies the existence of a system of shared values and norms coupled by shared practices (Guchait et al, 2015). In the context of an organization, the development of management error culture entails organizational practices and platforms available for communicating about errors, sharing information, and knowledge about errors, developing techniques of addressing error situations and techniques that enhance quick detection and management of errors (Guchait et al, 2015). This is an indication that the presence of a high error management culture in an organization can translate into high organizational performance. This is possible through mediators that contribute to the decrease of negative error consequences through varieties of control mechanisms and increase on positive consequences of errors (Guchait et al, 2015). CSR initiatives in organization are often aimed at addressing social and environmental challenges with the objective of satisfying the interests of both stakeholders and the society. However, in the process of executing these responsibilities, organizations may experience challenges in the form of errors, which if mismanaged may result in negative consequences hence damaging the organizations reputation and contributing to losses (Van Dyck et al, 2005). The existence of management error culture in an organization can be beneficial in reducing CSR errors because such a culture enables effective management of negative consequences of CSR errors. This is because employees in such organizations know that CSR errors occur and consequently attempt developing control measure for the potential damages that may result from such errors (Keith & Frese, 2010). High error management culture can also contribute to the minimization of negative consequences of CSR errors because it encourages open error communication that facilitates learning from errors and developing approaches towards the promotion of the positive consequences of the errors for organizational growth. A higher error management culture is also a stimulant for innovation in an organization (Helmreich, 1998). Since such organization operate on the understanding that errors are likely to occur employees can be involved in initiatives aimed at improving on the effectiveness of CSR programs because of the awareness that they will not be blamed when errors occur (Guchait et al, 2015). Error management culture also allows organizations to accept errors as natural part of their operations and open error communication encourages employees to explore and experiment on the best CSR alternatives (Van Dyck et al, 2005). The importance of tourism sector in Jordan According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (2015), the tourism sector is considered as a major player in the economy of Jordan. The importance of this sector to the economy has been associated with its remarkable growth in term of revenue since 2010. This sector is considered as a major driver of sustainable economic development in Jordan because of its ability to provide employment opportunities, engage in sustainable environmental programs and provision of quality services to the consumers. The tourism sector in Jordan is not only the second largest safest growing industry but also a major employer and the largest export sector (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). The profitability and growth in this sector can also be attributed to numerous developmental projects that are vital for tourist attraction. The Dead Sea and Aqaba are tourism projects that have cooperated in in enhancing marketing initiatives of Jordan as one of the best tourist destinations on the global platform. This has raised the competiveness of Jordan within the region. According to a World economic Forum Report on tourism competitiveness, Jordan was ranked in the top 50 out of countries that are listed on the Travel Tourism competitive index (Mahafzah, 2015). The government and other stakeholders in the tourism sector in Jordan have been involved in initiatives of improving on the industry trough the creation of new themes in tourist packages and offering more incentive packages for tourist and potential investors. The objective is to improve on the competitiveness of the sector and enhancing the subsequent economic and social benefits (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2015) Relationship between size of firms in the practice of CSR Size of firm plays an essential role in affecting the practice of CSR in organizations because of its ability to initiate and enhance strategic motivation, which is crucial for the development of a positive effect on Corporate Social responsibility participation (Lepoutre & Heene, 2006). Martinez-Ferrero and Valeriano (2015) argue that larger firms often generate bigger social impacts because of the enormous scale of their activities. The large social impact also implies that it is their responsibility to be sociality responsible to the stakeholders and community compared to the level of expectation on small firms. Despite the relatively low expectation on the small firms to participate in CSR initiatives, existing evidence indicates that these firms are highly involved in CSR activities such as donations and voluntary involvement in numerous activities hence generating question on the factors that motivate them and the extent to which these initiatives can be justified from an economic perspective (Orlitzky, 2001). Firm size in the view of Martinez-Ferrero and Valeriano (2015) can be understood in terms of a firm’s visibility, resource access, and scale of operations. These elements vary in different firms and they affect the air ability to engage in CSR activities. Large firms are visible and therefore they are obligated to engage in CSR due to the underlying expectations of the community generated from the social impact of their activities in the market and the community. The ability of small firms to embrace on CSR is dependent on the amount of resources that they can access. This means that in the process of determining the best CSR approach firms must consider the amount of resources at their disposal (Lepoutre & Heene, 2006). Relationship between firm leverage and the practice of CSR The link between firm leverage and the practice of CSR is often perceived as promising if the environmental limits, corporate interests and social needs are coordinated within the practice. This coordination provides a mutual value for the society and the corporate entities (Sen et al, 2006). Furthermore, according to Pätäri et al (2014), the association between the practice of CSR and firm leverage can also be understood through the management processes of strategy, stakeholders and responsibility. This means that by adopting CSR strategy a firms can be able to improve on their leverage because this approach enhances the sustainable development of corporate vision through corporate strategy that is essential in improving the relationship between the firm and its main stakeholders through stakeholder management. Furthermore, the practice of CSR enables the expansion of transparency of the firm through responsibilities for managing processes (Vilanova et al, 2008). The practice of CSR contributes to improved firm leverage because as a corporate form of differentiation, it facilitates the generation of competitive advantage such as the provision of investments capital (Pätäri et al, 2014). Furthermore, CSR practice contributes to improved reputation of firms hence developing a sustainable competitive advantage considering that such reputation has a significant positive impact on the value of the firm’s shares (Porter & Kramer, 2006). Strategic CSR activities therefore facilitate the creation of value for the stakeholders and the company in terms of economic performance. This positive market value helps organization achieve dominance in their markets hence generating numerous financial benefits (Pätäri et al, 2014). Through sustainable CSR practices helps firms in developing new sources of knowledge, which are critical in improving organizations processes and structures to serve as sources of competitive advantage (Porter & Kramer, 2006). Using Return on Investment as independent variables in CSR studies According to Barnea & Rubin (2010), the practice of CSR is a demonstration of the level of commitment of a business entity to ensure that it operates ethically and contributes in addressing environmental and ethical issues that are important to the society and it stakeholders. In the view of Gras-Gil et al (2016), the most effective CSR practices are those that facilitate the authentic reflection of the purpose, mission, and values of an organization. The approaches use in CSR studies to measure the impact of Return on Investment (ROI) is largely dependent on the objectives and intended outcomes of a firm. Brand reputation is one of the areas in which a business can realize ROI from its CSR initiatives. When the CSR activities of an organization are an authentic representation of its core beliefs and principles, and that their target customers and the society feel like they can align them to their own, they develop trust in the brand (Brown et al, 2006). The development of trust helps in boosting customer loyalty who will be more willing to advocate and recommend the brand. Employee engagement is a way through which companies can ensure that their employees generate satisfaction from their working environment (Shen et al, 2016). 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