Corporate social responsibility and consumerism: case examples from Hyatt, Scandic and Walt Disney

Abstract

PurposeThe concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and their link to the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs) are increasingly important, however prior research on this topic is limited, especially in the hospitality industry. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to greater knowledge on the subject and determine how other hospitality organizations should move forward the two topics were researched using a framework relating to the triple-bottom-line concept with reference to case studies of three hospitality corporations – Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Scandic Hotels AB and the Walt Disney Company.Design/methodology/approachMost large hotel corporations now report their CSR activities on their corporate websites, which is the most accessible format to find information on activities, and so secondary research was conducted to draw on this. Additional secondary research was undertaken from October 2019 – May 2020 using a number of journal databases including Sage Journals, Emerald Journals, the E-library of the UNWTO and Taylor and Francis Academic Journals. Third-party sites were also leveraged including CSR-Hub, The United Nations and Forbes.FindingsWhile all three corporations mention their efforts in relation to the sustainable development goals, commitment on what activities contribute to which goals was difficult to discern. Furthermore, while there are some activities that all three contribute to, there are many best practices that could be shared across the industry.Originality/valueThough the research was limited to secondary sources, the topic is largely unresearched and has the potential to suggest best-practices available more widely across the industry.