CSR for Promoting Tourism in Taranaki, New Zealand: A Review

This literature review explores the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in promoting sustainable tourism, specifically focusing on Taranaki, New Zealand. It examines various aspects and models to understand CSR's impact on sustainable tourism development. The review incorporates findings from past research, discussing theoretical backgrounds and practical implications. It references studies that analyze the challenges and opportunities associated with CSR in the tourism industry, including the effectiveness of certification programs, the role of consumer behavior, and the importance of integrating sustainability into business practices. The review highlights the need for a holistic approach that balances economic, social, and environmental aspects to ensure the long-term viability of tourism while preserving natural and cultural resources.

SOCIAL RESEARCH
Assessment 1
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND IT’S SIGNIFICANT FOR PROMOTING
TOURISM IN TARANAKI, NEW ZEALAND
Name of Student:
Name of College:
Authors Note:
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Proposed Title of Research
Research Question
The following research paper will focus on discussing the research question: function
of Corporate social responsibility in promoting sustainable tourism. Various aspects
and models will be used to examine CSR role in developing sustainable tourism so
that learning can be implemented to develop measures and strategies to promote
CSR in tourism of Taranaki, New Zealand.
Introduction
Statement of the Problem:
Tourism is a suitable choice for economic growth in various nations as it is seen as
biggest contributors to a nation’s income and source of employment for people of
society. But often non sustainable tourism ways can generate a significant
implication on the condition and wellness of the environment and the society as well
as on tourism itself. As tourism industry generally bring about negative implications
on environment, community, culture and even in some cases on economy so
sustainability approaches to tourism is very crucial. Though some nations use
economic, governance and institutional policy archetypes for management of tourism
while some private sector industries adopt corporate social responsibility measure
and practices in order to acknowledge to external pressure but these initiatives are
not enough as regulatory code of practices and certification is not far reaching in
tourism as per international standards. As preservation of natural, cultural and artistic
resources for conservation of environment and sustained wellness is essential for
industries, staffs and host society so maintaining provisions for sustainable tourism is
a vital necessity. As it is challenging to make abstractions on CSR without
evaluating the framework of sustainability in tourism operations so in this paper the
focus will be to understand role of CSR in promoting sustainable tourism and identify
its demands and best practices in industry.
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Literature Review
Theoretical background
Tuan., L.T (2011) Corporate Social responsibility and sustainable tourism.
Business and Economic Research, Vol 11, No. 1, pp 2-7. Retrieved from:
http://macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber/article/viewFile/890/1603
[Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
As opined by Tuan (2011) in the literature of his research paper sustainable tourism
development concept is about creating tourism more congruent to needs and
resources of destination area. As such tourism practices require considering a
holistic and inclusive method that creates equilibrium between tourism developments
with other enterprises. But as tourism is a fragmented industry so effectiveness and
supervision through a single mechanism is very tough. The supply distribution of
service to consumer is generally not governed by one group or personal and various
components commonly operate through multiple stakeholders which results to
difficulties in governing the elements of CSR in tourism. As CSR has same
components to sustainable tourism where both focus on the manner the
stakeholders are recognized and involved and on approaches that are examined to
determine their impact on others so CSR and sustainable development impacts on
tourism is vital to build opportunities for future and to preserve the needs of
community. Hence ideas of CSR correlate to enterprise’s liability to become
responsible to their stakeholders with their functions and practices with objective to
achieve sustainable development not just in economic aspect but even in social and
environmental aspects. As such sustainable tourism is viewed majorly for
environmental conservation and has been integrated with social and community
needs to address quality of life of natural area of tourism and also of those who visit
these and those who live in such areas.
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Findings from past research
Dodds, R., & Joppe, M. (2005). CSR in the Tourism Industry?: The Status of
and Potential for Certification, Codes of Conduct and Guidelines. Pp 13-29,
IFC. Retrieved from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.936.5425&rep=rep1 &type=pdf [Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
According to another authors Dodds & Joppe (2005) sustainable tourism has
attained enlarged recognition in various industries and governments however as per
tourism business interviewees just a small fraction of consumers care for these
standards and for all intentions and reasons none of them are interested in paying
more for compliance to environmental and/or social standards. Despite of this
tourism industries focus on sustainable/ responsible measures and practices.
Through secondary research and interviews conducted on reputed and niche tourism
providers, certification plans and tourism specialist the authors established that
certification plans though rising in volume and extent through a decade has not
empowered (SME’s) with larger accessibility to market possibilities nor have they
shifted tourism business considerably progressively en route to sustainability.
Moreover policies inside industries are becoming more usual but their execution and
valuation are yet unsteady. However the optimistic thing that was noted by authors
was that certification labels of CSR and sustainability for tourism providers have
made companies lower their costs specifically associated to environment such as
water, waste or energy savings. These savings had supported businesses improvise
their administration approaches and procedures even though there is meagre
impulse to continue being part of such certification programs as there is no
established marketing leverage and they are expensive.
The authors found that in order to continue and become successful these
certifications programs need certain finite criteria such as there is requirement for
single universal agency to establish and control the embracement of industry wide
criterion. Next there needs to be more B2B marketing rather than B2C as
awareness of consumers and their interest towards certification programs for
sustainability tourism are very low. Thirdly, demand is required to be made amongst
consumers with enhanced industry responsiveness reporting and awareness
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campaigns so that need for critical mass is attained for success of certifications. This
is due to the reality that there are less than 1% of firms globally that have attained
certification and hence other tourism providers who are interested to back such
measures do not have sufficient products to select from which would not change
their cost estimate as providers still are directed majorly through cost. Though some
efforts are made to integrate certification schemes but complexities of schemes and
politics in various nations do not allow larger success. Finally the authors found that
quality should be associated with environmental and social governance so that
certified products can assure a parameter of quality that has been attained and
experience of product can be enlarged.
Kallio, E., (2018) Responsibility for sustainability within tourism –an emerging
discourse. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University,
No. 11, 51 pp. 30 Retrieved from:
http://www.diva-portal.se/smash/get/diva2:1216270/FULLTEXT01.pdf
[Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
According to another research paper the author Kallio (2018) stated that tourism
industry is at a crucial point of time where the opportunities and threats correlated
with industry have received global attention. While the tourism industry provides
various opportunities by being biggest global industry but it has also contributed to
global threats like warming and climate change. As such the industry has identified
the need to move towards sustainable or more currently towards responsible tourism
so as to go aboard the path of holistic sustainability. The universal significance of
tourism’s scope to encourage sustainable development has been identified but yet
there is debate on core of sustainable tourism lying on the apprehension of
responsibility, specifically of different stakeholder’s responsibility for sustainability
within tourism. Within this ideal consumers have a central role as they can drive
industry’s course of action with their travel associated choices, yet there is a
considerable inconsistency between consumer attitude about sustainability and their
travel associated behavior and this imbalance reflects on the manner consumers
assume their own responsibility for sustainability in context of tourism.
The author found that responsibility towards sustainability within tourism has
materialized as its own, different discourse characterized with an unclear and
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complex nature where belief of responsibility is impacted with surrounding context
that prevails in social norms and individual personality. Although responsibility for
sustainability is identified for all tourism stakeholders but the findings suggest that
consumers in specific withdraw themselves form responsibility and as such the
industry is seen to be positioned in a state of lock-in. Further the findings reflect that
there is a requirement to re-establish how and by whom responsibility is put together
and framed within tourism while beliefs of sustainable lifestyle and global citizenship
should be developed together with a new social pattern that challenges the existing
issues.
Lund-Durlacher D. (2015) Corporate Social Responsibility and Tourism.
Education for Sustainability in Tourism. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics &
Governance., pp 59. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978- 3-662 47470-9_4 [Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
Author Lund-Durlacher (2015) in her research study found that there are many
voluntary instruments to help enterprises integrate and execute CSR practices like
conventional instruments for Eco-or CSR management systems that are founded on
universal protocols like international standard for environmental management (ISO
14001), international standard for social responsibility or eco management and audit
schemes (EMAS). These protocols and certifications are exhaustive mechanism
and needs broad resources. Other than these schemes tourism industries have
series of certification schemes and quality labels for environmentally and socially
responsive tourism. The authors stated that such labels and protocols are
voluntarily adopted by tourism business to set up social responsibility benchmark
and formalize their procedures into business practices. According to authors findings
there are two forms of fundamental certification schemes i.e. dynamic, process
oriented schemes and static, result oriented schemes. The process directed
schemes intends to continually improvise CSR performance within companies
without the need for specific minimal merit to be attained for target meters while
result directed schemes examine attainment against predetermined indicator values.
The author also found that existing tourism business needs eco or CSR certification
labels to make them competitive in industry and state their effectiveness and benefits
for such schemes to their stakeholders. Besides there are also certain business
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related benefits like cost saving, capacity enhancement through awareness and
learning shift to management and staffs, execution of efficacious governance
mechanism and enhanced staff inspiration. The author found that effectiveness of
these labels as tool of marketing is finite though efficaciousness of these to reflect
CSR practices of tourism companies has positive impact on distinguished value for
business. Moreover the author found that as customers look for tourism business
that engage in socially responsive practices, environmental preservation of natural
resources, protection of human rights, social justice etc so effectiveness of CSR
practices with sustainability development approaches of tourism is of more interest
for customers. As such customers give more attention to businesses that involve in
social practices and only honor them if their social engagement aligns with
customers interest as more of them significantly look for tourism products or services
that fulfils elementary needs of social initiatives that can drive to more business.
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References
Dodds, R., & Joppe, M. (2005). CSR in the Tourism Industry?: The Status of and
Potential for Certification, Codes of Conduct and Guidelines. Pp 13-29, IFC.
Retrieved from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.936.5425&rep=rep1 &type=pdf [Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
Kallio, E., (2018) Responsibility for sustainability within tourism –an emerging
discourse. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University,
No. 11, 51 pp. 30 Retrieved from: http://www.diva-
portal.se/smash/get/diva2:1216270/FULLTEXT01.pdf [Accessed on 27 Sep.
2018]
Lund-Durlacher D. (2015) Corporate Social Responsibility and Tourism. Education
for Sustainability in Tourism. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance., pp
59. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-
3-662-47470-9_4 [Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
Tuan., L.T (2011) Corporate Social responsibility and sustainable tourism. Business
and Economic Research, Vol 11, No. 1, pp 2-7. Retrieved from:
http://macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ber/article/viewFile/890/1603
[Accessed on 27 Sep. 2018]
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