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11 – 17 of 17Sun-Young Park and Stuart E. Levy
The aim of this paper is to examine hotel frontline employees' perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities at the hotel they currently work, and how their…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to examine hotel frontline employees' perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities at the hotel they currently work, and how their perceptions influence their level of organizational identification, an indicator of their relationship quality with the hotel.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses 575 responses of hotel frontline employees in the US, collected through a national online survey.
Findings
Results show that hotel employees' perceptions of CSR activities encompass the host community, colleagues, and customers, beyond green practices. Moreover, their perceptions of CSR activities positively and significantly influence the level of organizational identification.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this exploratory study should not be generalized to all frontline employees in the US hotel industry. Future studies should extend this study to examine potential relationships among other variables relevant to organizational identification, and in other hospitality industry contexts. Also, this study does not seek to question the merits of CSR per se, as it takes a managerial perspective to assist hoteliers' understanding of and decision-making on CSR.
Practical implications
As CSR activities often represent company values and norms, frontline employees' perceptions of them can influence how they identify with the company, which is an impetus for their attitudinal and behavioral support to help achieve the company's goals. Accordingly, CSR activities can be a critical tool in engaging frontline employees to achieve better performance and derive more meaning in their careers, and in attracting good quality employees.
Originality/value
This study is a first attempt to empirically examine how CSR activities can benefit hotel employees, based on various literatures on service-profit-chain, CSR, and social identity theory.
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Ahmed Farouk Radwan and Engy M. Abou Sreea Khalil
This paper aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices adopted among University of Sharjah (UOS) students toward sustainability efforts done by their university.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices adopted among University of Sharjah (UOS) students toward sustainability efforts done by their university.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was emailed to students with the assistance of the UOS Sustainability Office. The survey consisted of four sections assessing knowledge, attitudes, practices and preferred media to obtain sustainability information. A total of 200 responses from male and female students, representing 4 levels of study in sciences and humanities colleges, were received. Research data is analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26). For assessing knowledge, eight items were developed to measure if the student knew about the university’s projects and activities in the field of sustainability. For assessing attitudes, six items were developed to indicate the level of agreement or disagreement toward main sustainability issues. For assessing practices, ten items were developed to measure the frequency of acting in a sustainable manner.
Findings
Survey results showed an advanced level of basic knowledge among university students regarding the programs and activities conducted by UOS, and a positive attitude toward these efforts and toward the importance of supporting sustainable practices. Most of the participating students disagreed with limiting the use of cars on campus – this may be because of a cultural aspect among young people in the Emirati society, who consider driving cars as an essential part of their daily life. Most students also indicated that they care about the behavior that supports sustainability in the university environment, such as rationalizing water consumption and using environment friendly products.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s limitations are that it was applied to one university – UOS. The sample of the online survey was only 200 students from undergraduate students. Different universities may have their own sets of different environmental approaches, and because of this reason, university students may exhibit different levels of knowledge, attitude and practice toward sustainability in contrast to the findings from this study.
Practical implications
Findings from this research can give decision-makers a good picture of the university’s performance in accomplishing sustainability. The authors recommend that UOS sustainability communication programs should be more comprehensive, and not only limited to protecting the environment that some students perceive as the primary aspect of sustainability. These efforts must address all economic and social aspects emphasized by the United Arab Emirates 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is considered one of the first studies addressing sustainability efforts in Emirati universities and seeking to assess the level of student knowledge, attitudes and practices toward sustainability issues in the country. The study is crucial in providing better insights such as the level of knowledge, attitude and practices toward UOS sustainability performance. As found in this study, even with sufficient knowledge, students still lack the drive to convert them into actions. So, future research could investigate deeper into the barriers of converting sustainable knowledge and attitudes into practices. The results represent an added value to the research literature concerned with sustainability issues in the Arab world and the Middle East region. This paper will also contribute to the sustainability literature that will be benefited by other various organizations.
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This lesson plan is based upon Cindy Lou Aillaud’s book Recess at 20 Below and serves as a catalyst for exploring how the climate and geography/ topography of the Alaskan region…
Abstract
This lesson plan is based upon Cindy Lou Aillaud’s book Recess at 20 Below and serves as a catalyst for exploring how the climate and geography/ topography of the Alaskan region affects culture and everyday life, economy, wildlife, and conservation. This lesson is geared toward 3rd and 4th grades but could easily be modified for younger or older students.
Madhu Viswanathan, Carlos Torelli, Sukki Yoon and Hila Riemer
This paper aims to study English as second language (ESL) consumers in the USA. The authors seek to focus on consumers who are literate in their native country, yet akin to fish…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study English as second language (ESL) consumers in the USA. The authors seek to focus on consumers who are literate in their native country, yet akin to fish out of water due to language difficulties and unfamiliarity with the marketplace.
Design/methodology/approach
Using qualitative interviews of 31 informants and shopping observations of a small subset, the authors examined cognitive predilections, decision making, emotional trade‐offs, and coping strategies of ESL consumers.
Findings
The findings relate to cognitive predilections, decision making and emotional trade‐offs, and coping strategies of ESL consumers.
Originality/value
The authors analyze ESL consumers from a situational literacy perspective, viewing the situations faced by ESL consumers in terms of functional literacy skills. The findings provide a variety of new insights, and have important theoretical and practical implications for theory and practice.
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Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model, this study aims to examine how employee volunteer program (EVP) type, corporate visual identity, and issue involvement affect external…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model, this study aims to examine how employee volunteer program (EVP) type, corporate visual identity, and issue involvement affect external publics' attributions of EVPs and attitudes toward the company.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 (EVP type: skills-based vs. not-skills-based) × 2 (salience of corporate visual identity: high vs. low) randomized experiment was conducted with 157 participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. A fictitious company and its EVP messages were created to control for the company's existing reputation and participants' past experiences with the company.
Findings
Participants responded positively toward EVP messages regardless of the EVP type. However, salient corporate visual identity significantly aroused participants' more attributed firm-serving motives, which led to more negative attitudes toward the company. Next, issue involvement presented its value in EVP communication as highly involved participants displayed favorable attributions of EVPs and positive attitudes toward the company.
Originality/value
This study approaches EVPs as an important CSR practice and expands the discussion on strategic CSR communication by uncovering the roles of central and peripheral cues in public responses to EVP messages. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of fostering and enhancing publics' issue involvement in achieving successful EVP communication.
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