A Website-Based Analysis Regarding CSR Practices of the Top Romanian Travel Agencies

Moisescu, Ovidiu-Ioan (2014): A Website-Based Analysis Regarding CSR Practices of the Top Romanian Travel Agencies.

Abstract

The paper investigates the extent to which the largest Romanian travel agencies, in terms of net turnover and profitability, adopt and communicate CSR practices, as reflected by the contents of their websites. The analyzed data regards a number of twenty Romanian travel agencies, which during the last five years have been present at least once in an annual top 10 of the highest net turnover and/or most profitable such specialized businesses. The website of each company was analyzed considering several variables related to the adoption and communication of CSR practices: the existence of a website section dedicated to CSR, the presence of CSR aspects within the section dedicated to the company’s mission, vision, values etc., mentions of relevant stakeholder groups, CSR domains, actual CSR activities etc. Although the literature regarding the impact of perceived CSR in the tourism industry suggests a significant level of influence on corporate reputation and, indirectly, on consumers’ behavior, trust, loyalty and other important commercial aspects, the results of the current research show a relatively low engagement of the top Romanian travel agencies in CSR activities, at least considering the extent to which they communicate these aspects through their websites.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: website-analysis; tourism; travel agencies; Romania
• Subjects: M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M3 - Marketing and Advertising > M31 - Marketing

References

Aras, G. & Crowther, D., 2008. The social obligation of corporations. Journal of Knowledge Globalization 1(1), pp.43-59.

Blešić, I., Čerović, S. & Dragićević, V., 2011. Improving the service quality as a socially responsible activity of hotel companies. Amfiteatru Economic, 13(29), pp.273-286.

Carroll, A.B., 1991. The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders. Business Horizons, July-August.

European Cities Marketing, 2011. Corporate Social Responsibility and Tourism, September 12, 2011, http://www.europeancitiesmarketing.com/

European Commission Directorate-General for Enterprises, 2009. A guide to communicating about CSR, http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/files/csr/campaign/documentation/download/guide_en.pdf

Kotler, P. & Keller, K.L., 2006. Marketing Management. 12th Edition, Pearson Education, New Jersey.

Mandl I. & Dorr A., 2007. CSR and Competitiveness: European SMEs’ Good Practice. Consolidated European Report, Austrian Institute for SME Research, http://www.csr-in-smes.eu/

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, 2010. Communicating Corporate Responsibility, www.ogilvypr.com/files/CSR-chap1-7.pdf

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. & Berry, L.L., 1985. A conceptual model of service qualify and its implication. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), pp.41-50.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. & Berry, L.L., 1988. SERVQUAL: a multi-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of the service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), pp.12-40.

Sheldon, P.J. & Park, S.Y., 2011. An exploratory study of corporate social responsibility in the US travel industry. Journal of Travel Research, 50(4), pp.392-407.

Smith, R.A. & Ong, J.L.T., 2014. Corporate Social Responsibility and the Operationalization Challenge for Global Tourism Organizations. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 1-13.

Tepelus, C.M., 2005. Aiming for Sustainability in the Tour Operating Business. Journal of Cleaner Production, 13, pp. 99-107.

Van Wijk, J., & Persoon, W., 2006. A Long-Haul Destination: Sustainability Reporting among Tour Operators. European Management Journal, 24, pp. 381-95.